Biography
Dr. Arun Kumar Ganesan obtained his Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Tiruvalluvar University and his Master's degree in Biomedical Genetics from the University of Madras, India. His research journey continued as he pursued his Ph.D. in Biomedical Genetics at the same institution, focusing on studying the roles of oncogenic and epithelial-mesenchymal transition/stemness promoting microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
As a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute/NIH in Bethesda, Dr. Ganesan explored the role of oncogenic lncRNAs in mislocalizing centromere-specific protein A (CENP-A) to ectopic sites in cancers. His primary focus was understanding how lncRNAs are involved in epigenetic control and chromosome integrity, explicitly emphasizing the chromosome 8q24/cMYC locus, a common breakpoint in several cancers. In his research, Dr. Ganesan discovered that oncogenic lncRNAs could alter the epigenetic memory of this fragile chromosome locus, leading to its increased susceptibility to break in cancer cells.
Currently, as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of New Mexico, and a full member of UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Ganesan's lab focuses on studying the interactions between lncRNAs and chromatin, chromosome instability, and epigenetic regulations.
Personal Statement
Cancer is a complex and challenging disease that continues to present difficulties in its treatment. One of the primary challenges in cancer treatment is the heterogeneity of the disease. This heterogeneity makes it challenging to develop a universal treatment approach that can effectively target all cancer types. Another challenge lies in the ability of cancer cells to evade treatment and develop resistance mechanisms.
Extensive research is needed to uncover the underlying mechanisms that drive treatment resistance, facilitating the development of novel therapeutic strategies to overcome it. Therefore, the long-term goal of my research lab is to translate basic science discoveries into the clinical setup leading to improved targeted cancer therapy and personalized medicine.
"Nothing is quite as fulfilling as researching to discover a cure and alleviate human suffering."
Areas of Specialty
LncRNA, Epigenetics, Chromatin Biology, Cancer Biology.
Achievements & Awards
2021 NIH Director's Award (2021).
CCR-FYI Colloquium - Outstanding presenter (2021).
NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence (2020).
Key Publications
Journal Article
Arunkumar, Ganesan, LncRNAs: the good, the bad, and the unknown Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Journal Article
Ganesan, Arun Kumar, Baek, Songjoon, Sturgill, David, Bui, Minh, Dalal, Yamini, 2022 Oncogenic lncRNAs alter epigenetic memory at a fragile chromosomal site in human cancer cells Science Advances, vol. 8, Issue 9
Journal Article
Ganesan, Arun Kumar, Anand, Shankar, Raksha, Partha, Dhamodharan, Shankar, Prasanna Srinivasa Rao, Harikrishnan, Subbiah, Shanmugam, Murugan, Avaniyapuram, Kannan Munirajan, Arasambattu, Kannan LncRNA OIP5-AS1 is overexpressed in undifferentiated oral tumors and integrated analysis identifies as a downstream effector of stemness-associated transcription factors Scientific Reports, vol. 8, Issue 1 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25451-3
Journal Article
Ganesan, Arun Kumar, Deva Magendhra Rao, Arunagiri, Manikandan, Mayakannan, Prasanna Srinivasa Rao, Harikrishnan, Subbiah, Shanmugam, Ilangovan, Ramachandran, Murugan, Avaniyapuram, Munirajan, Arasambattu, Dysregulation of miR-200 family microRNAs and epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in oral squamous cell carcinoma Oncology Letters http://dx.doi.org/10.3892/ol.2017.7296
Journal Article
Ganesan, Arun Kumar, Deva Magendhra Rao, Arunagiri, Kuha Manikandan, Mayakannan, Arun, Kanagaraj, Vinothkumar, Vilvanathan, Revathidevi, Sundaramoorthy, Rajkumar, Kottayasamy, Seenivasagam Rajaraman, Ramamurthy, Munirajan, Arasambattu, Kannan 2017 Expression profiling of long non-coding RNA identifies linc-RoR as a prognostic biomarker in oral cancer Tumor Biology, vol. 39, Issue 4, 101042831769836
Gender
Male
Languages
- English
- Tamil
Courses Taught
BIOM507
Research and Scholarship
The traditional view of eukaryotic genomes as straightforward and organized templates for gene transcription has been overturned in recent years. Instead, we now understand that these genomes transcribe diverse RNA molecules, from messenger RNAs for protein synthesis to a vast class of non-coding transcripts. Our lab is dedicated to investigating the significance of lncRNAs in governing gene expression and maintaining genome stability. Our research focuses on unraveling the intricate mechanisms underlying lncRNA-mediated regulation, with the ultimate goal of shedding light on the role of these enigmatic molecules in shaping the complexity of eukaryotic biology.
Long non-coding RNAs in genetic and epigenetic regulations:
Long non-coding RNAs have been shown to play a significant role in regulating the transcription dynamics of chromatin, particularly through long-range activation of promoters and enhancers. LncRNAs that utilize triplex-forming sites to mediate chromatin organization are particularly interesting to epigenetics researchers. These lncRNAs can directly interact with transcription factors and the writers, readers, and erasers of histones to localize regulatory protein complexes to target regions for gene regulation. Additionally, TFS in functional elements may serve as anchors for chromosomal contacts. However, this regulation mechanism remains poorly understood in the complex cancer genome with its gene and locus duplication events.
At our lab, we aim to elucidate lncRNA-chromatin interactions in normal and cancer cells using state-of-the-art techniques such as high-resolution imaging, genomics, sequencing, and computational methods. By better understanding these interactions, we can identify lncRNA-mediated oncogenic interactions and develop targeted interventions using anti-sense oligos and small-molecule inhibitors.
Chromosome instability:
Chromosome instability is a hallmark of cancer, but the mechanisms underlying its source remain poorly understood. Recent research has found that the mislocalization of histone variants is one of the main causes of chromosome instability. This changes the epigenetic and biophysical properties of chromosomes. Centromere protein-A (CENP-A), a type of histone, is only found on centromeric DNA and marks the centromere epigenetically. CENP-A is overexpressed and mislocalized to chromosome arms and fragile sites in several types of cancer. However, less is known about the mechanisms involved in the process. Factors such as CENP-A expression level, R-loops, secondary DNA structures, epigenetic modifiers, DNA/RNA binding proteins, and lncRNAs may play multifaceted roles. Therefore, we are taking a multi-omics and multi-disciplinary approach to understand this intriguing phenomenon.
In another area, our lab investigates the epigenetic changes brought about by environmental toxins like heavy metals that alter epigenetic memory via variations in histone variant mislocalization, such as CENP-A mislocalization, histone modifications, DNA methylation, and gene expression patterns. This epigenetic modification could alter the chromatin/chromosome confirmation, leading to physical changes in macromolecular levels and resulting in chromosome instability. Our lab utilizes cutting-edge multi-disciplinary tools and fluorescent high-resolution microscopy to better understand these processes.
Complete List of Publications:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/arun%20kumar.ganesan.2/bibliography/public/