Md. Sabir Ali

Assistant Professor

B.Sc. Hons. in Microbiology (Calcutta Univeristy, 2008)

M.Sc. in Genetics (Calcutta University, 2010)

Ph.D. in Life Sciences (Jawaharlal Nehru University, 2018)

Primarily, I have experience in the field of molecular parasitology and my doctoral research focused on molecular and cell biology of the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Also, for a brief period of time after postgraduation, I had some exposure of another protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani. 

My doctoral research was primarily in understanding the role of a signaling molecule, EhRab1A in E. histolytica. EhRab1A belongs to a class of small GTPase, the Rab GTPases, which work as molecular switches and are involved in the intracellular vesicular trafficking. In other systems, its homolog are involved in golgi to ER pathway and early endosomal pathway. Our studies first point out its involvement in phagocytosis. 

I was also associated with another work which highlights the interaction of EhMyosinIB with an APC-domain containing Rho/Rac GEF, EhFP10 and I have shown that this GEF is involved in pinocytosis as well as in phagocytosis of E. histolytica. Interestingly, there are functional differences of this protein in both the processes which was highlighted in this study.

Currently, I'm teaching molecular biology and microbiology to P.G. Biotechnology students. 

Gautam, G., Ali, M. S., Bhattacharya, A. and Gourinath, S. (2019). EhFP10: A FYVE family GEF interacts with myosin IB to regulate cytoskeletal dynamics during endocytosis in Entamoeba histolytica. PLoS Pathogens, 15(2): e1007573.

Mansuri, M. S., Babuta, M., Ali, M. S., Bharadwaj, R., Jhingan, G. D., Gourinath, S., Bhattacharya, S. and Bhattacharya, A. (2016). Autophosphorylation at Thr279 of Entamoeba histolytica atypical kinase EhAK1 is required for activity and regulation of erythrophagocytosis. Sci. Rep, 6, 16969.