| Title: | Assistant Professor |
| Dept: | Biology, Geology, Environmental Science |
| Office: | SR 256 |
| Phone: | 216-687-2395, 216-523-7422 |
| Email: | G.SHUKLA@csuohio.edu |
| Web: |
http://bgesweb.artscipub.csuohio.edu/faculty/shukla.h tm |
| Address: | 2121 Euclid Ave. SR 256, Cleveland, OH 44115 |
Education: | ||
|
B.S., Chemistry, Delhi University, India, 1984
Certificate, Forensic Science, Delhi University, India, 1986 Ph.D., Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Brunel University, London, 1997 | ||
| Brief Bio: | ||
| Dr. Shukla is a native of India, he grew up in capital city New Delhi and he calls himself a city dweller . He lived many years in Nairobi, capital city of Kenya in Africa where he did a part of his Ph.D. research while working on cattle parasites. He spent time at International Livestock Research Institute located in Nairobi and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Brunel University of W. London. In 1997 he moved to Cleveland to work with Dr. Richard Padgett in the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in the field of RNA Processing. He spent several years working in the Department of Molecular Genetics of Cleveland Clinic as a postdoctoral fellow, Associate Research Scientist and Project staff. He taught non major biology course as a Part-time Instructor and joined Cleveland State University in 2006 fall semester as a full time faculty. He is a member of newly created biomedical research Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease. Dr. Shukla is an avid squash player and if he is not in the laboratory or teaching in a class or in a committee meeting, he can be found at CSU recreation center in one of the squash courts. | ||
| Honors and Awards: | ||
| 2006 Department of Defense prostate cancer research award
2006 Institutional research award 2007 Undergraduate research training award 2008 Undergraduate research training award 2009 Department of Defense breast cancer research award 1996 RNA Society award 1996 Travel Award - Cooperative programs and training, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya 1993-1997 Pre-doctoral fellowship, ILRI, Kenya and Consultative group for international agricultural research (CGIAR) World Bank, Washington, D.C. 1989-1991 Career Advancement Fellowship, International Centre For Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, (ICGEB), and United Nation International Development Organization (UNIDO), New Delhi, India 1976-1980 Delhi Administration secondary school scholarship | ||
| Research Interests: | ||
| My research goal is to better understand molecular mechanisms that control eukaryotic gene expression at the 'RNA level'. Within this framework, I am exploring three issues: (1) noncoding RNAs and their roles in gene expression, (2) nuclear pre-mRNA splicing, and finally, (3) specific RNA:RNA and RNA:Protein interactions. The current emphasis of the lab is on miRNA-mediated regulation of human androgen receptor expression. Androgen receptor is a key modulator that has been implicated in hormonal dependent and independent stages of prostate cancer. Based on computational predictions and phylogenetic analysis I have proposed a miRNA-mediated model of Androgen Receptor regulation. One particularly interesting idea that I would like to investigate further is the critical level of Androgen receptor influences the transition from the hormone-dependent to hormone refractory stage of prostate cancer. Using computational biology tools I have identified a number of miRNAs that have the potential to interact with the 3' untranslated region of the receptor mRNA. This observation gives rise to the hypothesis that androgen receptor expression is tightly regulated by combinatorial control of miRNAs and deregulation of these miRNAs may contribute in the progression of prostate cancer. Using lentiviral expression systems we are overexpressing a number of miRNAs to understand how androgen receptor expression is controlled by these miRNAs in a variety of prostatic carcinoma cells.
The research in my laboratory is also aimed at understanding the nuclear pre-mRNA splicing by using in vitro and in vivo methods. We are currently studying the structure-function of several snRNAs of the minor spliceosome including U11, U12, U4atac and U6atac. Recently we have identified a small RNA element in the U6atac snRNA that functions in the 'guiding' of the specific spliceosomal complexes to the minor class splice sites. We are now pursuing the identification of proteins that may interact with these U6atac snRNA sub-structures to further define their role in the splicing of minor class introns. We are also studying specific RNA-RNA base-pairing interaction involved in the splicing of the minor class intron using biochemical and in vivo genetic approaches. These studies will help us to understand how multiple sequentially interacting snRNAs facilitate the removal of introns from the precursor mRNA of genes. | ||
| Teaching Areas: | ||
| Molecular Biology
Cell Biology Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Cancer Biology | ||
| Professional Affiliations: | ||
| Member, GU malignancies program, CASE Comprehensive Cancer Center (CWRU and CCF)
American Association for Cancer Research RNA Society American Association for Advancement of Science | ||
| Professional Experience: | ||
| 2002-2006 Project Scientist, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland,OH
2001-2002 Associate Research Scientist, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland,OH 1997-2001 Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 1993-1997 Graduate Assistant, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya | ||
| Professional Service: | ||
| Reviewer for RNA, MCB, Oncogene
Department of Defense Study section member for Prostate cancer research program and Breast Cancer Research Program Congressionally directed medical research program, Department of Defense Reviewed 2006: Breast Cancer Research Program 2006: Prostate cancer Research Program 2007: Prostate cancer Research Program 2008: Breast Cancer Research Program Cell Biology Study section Molecular Biology and Genetics Study Section Pathobiology Study section 2008: American Heart Association 2009: Breast Cancer Research Program (DoD-CDMRP) 2009: American Heart Association | ||
| Research Grants: | ||
| American Cancer Society/IRB
Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program 1989-91 Career Advancement Fellowship, International Centre For Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, (ICGEB) 1993-97 CGIAR-World Bank Pre-doctoral fellowship 1996 Travel Award - Cooperative programs and training, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya 1996 FASEB and RNA society award 2004 American Cancer society award 2006 Institutional research award 2007 Undergraduate research training award 2008 Undergraduate research training award 2008 National Science Foundation 2009 Department of Defense Breast cancer research award 2009 Undergraduate research experience award | ||