Dr. Chittaranjan Das

Biography

Professor Chittaranjan Das's primary research focus is to understand the functional role of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) in cellular pathways, particularly those implicated in neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). DUBs control a wide variety of biological processes through reversible post-translational modification of proteins via the covalent attachment of ubiquitin, a highly conserved eukaryotic polypeptide. Ubiquitination is thought to initiate a signaling cascade that is subsequently terminated by the hydrolytic removal of the ubiquitin tag by DUBs. A survey of the human genome reveals the presence of 90 DUBs, suggesting their involvement in a diverse array of biochemical pathways. His investigatory approach to DUBs combines the application of various tools, including the chemical synthesis of small molecule probes, X-ray crystallography, and mass spectrometry-based proteomics. Currently, he is investigating the normal function of neuronal DUB ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) and its association with Parkinson's disease, aiming to develop cell-permeable small molecule inhibitors to probe its functionality both in normal and disease states, and to characterize its binding partners through affinity-based purification of whole-cell extracts.

Research Interests

Experience