Uma K. Aryal
Title:
Associate Professor (Res.)
PhD Granting Institution:
Kyushu University
Contact:
Email Address: uaryal@purdue.edu
Office Phone: 765-494-4960
Lab Website Link: https://www.aryallab.com/
Primary Training Group:
Cancer Biology
Secondary Training Groups:
Chemical Biology, Computational and Systems Biology
Research Areas:
Our lab studies cellular senescence or aging. Cellular senescence, a seminary discovery by Hayflick and Moorhead in 1961, is characterized by a stable cell cycle arrest. Because of its relevance, for instance, to aging and cancer, the mechanisms underlying senescence is of great importance. We investigate these mechanisms, specifically focusing on oncogene-induced senescence (OIS), triggered by the activation of certain Ras oncogenes. While oncogenes generally promote tumorigenesis, the activation of oncogenes can paradoxically suppress tumor formation. Therefore, oncogenic Ras can have dual roles, both promoting senescence or tumor progression, depending on cellular context. We employ proteomics and complementary genetics, molecular, and cell biology approaches, to understand mechanisms underlying senescence.
Current Projects:
(1) Ras-induced senescence and tumor suppression (2) Role of prolyl isomerase PIN1 in inducing oncogene-induced senescence and tumor suppression. (3) Identifying proteins and lipid biomarkers of senescence. (4) Development of new mass spectrometry-based methods for characterizing protein post-translational modifications (phosphorylation, glycosylation, and SUMOylation) and protein-protein interactions. (5) Role of nuclear body proteins in senescence or aging.
Importance of Interdisciplinary Research:
Research activities in our lab are interdisciplinary and employ mass spectrometry-based proteomics, chemical biology, molecular and cell biology, and bioinformatics.