Biology subjects

Prasad, T. S. K.

Publications and source records attributed to Prasad, T. S. K..

10 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Systems level phosphoproteomics reveals CAMKK2 driven kinase signaling underlying malignant phenotypes in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is driven by aberrant kinase signaling that promotes uncontrolled proliferation and malignant progression. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CAMKK2) is overexpressed in gastric cancer; however, the global phosphorylation networks downstream of CAMKK2 remain incompletely defined. In this study, we investigated the functional and signaling consequences of CAMKK2 inhibition in gastric cancer cells using an integrated phenotypic and quantitative phosphoproteomics approach. Pharmacological inhibition of CAMKK2 using STO-609 in AGS cells significantly suppressed proliferation, clonogenic growth, migration, and invasion, and induced defects in nuclear morphology indicative of impaired cell cycle progression. Tandem mass tag (TMT) based phosphoproteomic profiling identified over 10,500 phosphopeptides and revealed extensive phosphoproteome remodeling following CAMKK2 inhibition, characterized predominantly by hypophosphorylation of proteins involved in nuclear signaling, RNA processing, and cell cycle regulation. Kinase substrate enrichment and motif analyses demonstrated coordinated attenuation of CDK, MAPK, and mitotic kinase-associated signaling pathways, with convergence on E2F regulated transcriptional programs. Collectively, these findings establish CAMKK2 as a central regulator of kinase signaling networks that sustain proliferative and malignant phenotypes in gastric cancer and highlight CAMKK2 inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Phosphoproteomic profiling reveals signaling pathways modulated by Annona muricata leaf extract in oral adenosquamous carcinoma cells

Phosphorylation driven dysregulation of intracellular signaling networks is a central feature of cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic resistance. Although Annona muricata leaf extracts have demonstrated anticancer activity across multiple experimental models, the underlying molecular mechanisms particularly at the level of phosphorylation dependent signaling remain poorly understood. In this study, we employed a tandem mass tag TMT-based quantitative phosphoproteomic approach to systematically characterize signaling alterations induced by methanolic Annona muricataleaf extract (AME) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) CAL-27 cells. Functional assays revealed that AME significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and clonogenic survival. Global phosphoproteomic profiling identified 6,362 phosphopeptides corresponding to 1,964 unique phosphorylation sites across nearly 7,000 phosphoproteins. AME treatment induced widespread, time-dependent hypophosphorylation, indicating a coordinated suppression of oncogenic signaling networks. Pathway and network analyses revealed marked inhibition of signaling pathways associated with key oncogenic kinases, including cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and signaling modules linked to EGFR and mTOR pathways. Kinase-substrate enrichment and kinome mapping further demonstrated reduced inferred activity of CDK and MAPK driven signaling, accompanied by suppression of cell cycle progression, mitosis, and checkpoint regulation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that AME induces systems-level remodeling of phosphorylation dependent signaling networks, enforcing a growth-restrictive cellular state in OSCC cells. This study highlights quantitative phosphoproteomics as a powerful strategy for dissecting natural product mediated regulation of oncogenic signaling and provides mechanistic insight into the anticancer potential of Annona muricata.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Serial enrichment based quantitative proteomics enables deep and multiplexed profiling of post-translational modifications

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) play central roles in regulating protein function, localization, stability, and signaling networks. Comprehensive characterization of multiple PTMs, however, remains technically challenging due to limited sample availability, enrichment, incompatibilities, and analytical complexity. Here, we present an integrated serial enrichment workflow that enables quantitative profiling of multiple PTMs from a single biological sample. Using a streamlined strategy that combines StageTip-based fractionation with sequential immunoaffinity and metal oxide affinity enrichment, we achieved robust identification and quantification of lysine acetylation, lysine succinylation, phosphotyrosine, and global phosphorylation within the same sample. Application of this workflow resulted in deep proteome coverage alongside high-confidence PTM site identification with minimal sample loss and high reproducibility. Importantly, serial enrichment preserved PTM specificity and enabled comparative quantitative analysis across modification types. This approach provides a practical and scalable solution for integrated multi-PTM analysis, facilitating comprehensive interrogation of proteome regulation under limited sample conditions and offering broad applicability to systems biology, disease profiling, and translational proteomics studies.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2025

BC-Predict Database: A Curated Resource of Experimentally Validated Markers in Multidrug Resistance in Breast Cancer

BackgroundIn this study, we aim to develop a yearly updatable database that could predict chemotherapeutic drug resistance and overall survival probability in breast cancer patients. Existing drug sensitivity databases depend on correlation-based predictions. In our study, candidates involved in drug resistance are chosen based on cell line validation (overexpression or downregulation or inhibition of candidates) studies, curated manually. Method28,773 mRNA expression signatures from 914 breast cancer patients were extracted from cProsite. 106 of these patients had clinical information and log2 fold change information required for this study. We categorized these patients into deceased and surviving groups from TCGA. To prepare a database that can predict drug resistance and overall survival, we included mRNAs that were over-expressed in at least 80% of the breast cancer patients and mRNAs over-expressed in deceased and surviving groups. In addition, we also reported breast cancer-associated drug resistance candidates which have been reported in cell-line based studies. The database matrix preparation involved an approximate of 15000 manual searches of cell validated studies. (750 candidates x 20 drugs). The database was validated using a publicly available breast cancer patient proteomics data. ResultsOur analysis identified a list of top priority candidates associated with multidrug resistance, categorized based on their resistance to >15 drugs, 5-15 drugs, and 2-4 drugs. Analysis of patient profiles in the database revealed that the number of proteins contributing to drug resistance was high in the poor prognosis category compared to the good prognosis category. ConclusionsOur study highlights the probable gaps in breast cancer drug resistance research, as only a small subset of overexpressed mRNA candidates found in patients are studied in vitro or in vivo experiments focusing on drug resistance. We also identified candidates involved in multidrug resistance, whose role in drug resistance has not been studied in more than 15 drugs. After further validations, this will benefit the clinicians and upcoming CRISPR gene therapeutics.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Protein kinase PfPK2 mediated signalling is critical for host erythrocyte invasion by malaria parasite

Signalling pathways in malaria parasite remain poorly defined and major reason for this is the lack of understanding of the function of majority of parasite protein kinases and phosphatases in parasite signalling and its biology. In the present study, we have elucidated the function of Protein Kinase 2 (PfPK2), which is known to be indispensable for the survival of human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. We demonstrate that it is involved in the invasion of host erythrocytes, which is critical for establishing infection. In addition, PfPK2 may also be involved in the maturation of the parasite post-invasion. PfPK2 regulates the release of microneme proteins like Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA1), which facilitates the formation of Tight Junction between the merozoite and host erythrocyte-a key step in the process of invasion. Comparative phosphoproteomics studies revealed that PfPK2 may be involved in regulation of several key proteins involved in invasion and signalling. Furthermore, PfPK2 regulates the generation of cGMP and the release of calcium in the parasite, which are key second messengers for the process of invasion. These and other studies have shed light on a novel signalling pathway in which PfPK2 acts as an upstream regulator of important cGMP-calcium signalling, which is plays an important role in parasite invasion.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Comparison of co-immunoprecipitation techniques for effective identification of SNTA1 interacting proteins in breast cancer cells

Diverse signal transduction pathways involve thousands of proteins acting in concert that contribute to breast cancer pathology. SNTA1 has emerged as a common link that functions to wire various complex signaling circuits within the cell. In our study we used endogenous SNTA1 protein as bait in pull-down assays to identify SNTA1 interactome from breast cancer cell extract. We compared the utility of two co-immunoprecipitation techniques conventional co-IP and cross-linking co-IP coupled to mass spectrometry (IP-MS) that intriguingly generated valuable inventory of SNTA1 associated proteins in breast cancer cells that may or may not interact physically but contribute to shared functions in breast cancer pathology. We observed that Pierce cross-link IP kit enhanced sensivity of the analysis as it decreased the number of background proteins with a remarkable increase in identified list of proteins. We have also observed that different approaches are able to consistently detect the same signaling outcome as observed by Gene Ontology. Identification of interacting partners of SNTA1 in breast cancer cell lines may depict the possible signaling mechanism of this protein in molecular pathogenesis of breast cancer and its possible use as a therapeutic target.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2020

The proteomic landscape of resting and activated CD4+ T cells reveal insights into cell differentiation and function

CD4+ T cells (T helper cells) are cytokine-producing adaptive immune cells that activate or regulate the responses of various immune cells. The activation and functional status of CD4+ T cells is important for adequate responses to pathogen infections but has also been associated with auto-immune disorders and survival in several cancers. In the current study, we carried out a label-free high-resolution FTMS-based proteomic profiling of resting and T cell receptor-activated (72h) primary human CD4+ T cells from peripheral blood of healthy donors as well as SUP-T1 cells. We identified 5,237 proteins, of which significant alterations in the levels of 1,119 proteins were observed between resting and activated CD4+ T cells. We confirmed several known T-cell activation-related processes such as IL-2 response, metabolic and signaling changes, cell cycle induction, differentiation into effector cells among others. Several stimulatory/inhibitory immune checkpoint markers were altered considerably between resting and activated CD4+ T cells. Network analysis identified several known regulatory hubs of CD4+ T cell activation, including IFNG, IRF1, FOXP3, AURKA, and novel hubs such as RIOK2. Comparison of primary CD4+ T cell proteomic profiles with human lymphoblastic cell lines revealed a substantial overlap, while comparison with mouse CD+ T cell data suggested interspecies proteomic differences.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

Role of RBC membrane protein palmitoylation in regulation of molecular topology and susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum invasion

Squeezability of biconcave RBC raises a fundamental query, about, how it can restructure its bendable cytoskeleton for efficient micro-circulation. We report for the first time, the existence of dynamic palmitoylome in RBC composed of 118 palmitoylated proteins that reduced to 42 upon treatment with 2BP, a generic inhibitor of palmitoylation. In-depth analysis revealed that Semaphorin7A, CR1 and ABCB6, the known RBC receptors for P. falciparum were reduced to negligible in 2BP-treated RBCs, suggesting palmitoylation-dependent recruitment of parasite-specific receptors. Interestingly, Kell, a single disulphide-linked co-partner in Kell-Kx complex was undetected in 2BP-treated RBCs, while Kx remained intact. RBCs-blocked with anti-Kell antibody demonstrated signficant reduction in parasite invasion, thus suggesting it as a receptor proto-type for P. falciparum invasion. Finally, reduced expression of Kell in palmitoylated protein pool of sickle-cell RBC ghost, with its diminished surface representation in these RBCs, proposed Kell, as one of the novel receptor-prototype for P. falciparum invasion.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Proteome-wide characterization and biomarker identification of intracranial aneurysm

The scientific basis of intracranial aneurysm (IA) formation, its rupture and further development of cerebral vasospasm remains incompletely understood. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying these events will lead to identification of early detection biomarkers and in turn, improved treatment outcomes. Aberrant protein expression may drive structural alterations of vasculature found in IA. To unravel these aberrations, we performed untargeted, global, quantitative proteomic analysis of aneurysm tissue and serum from patients with IA. Samples were derived from patients of three clinical sub groups- 1) unruptured aneurysm 2) ruptured aneurysm without vasospasm 3) ruptured aneurysm who developed vasospasm. A total of 937 and 294 proteins were identified in aneurysm tissue and serum samples respectively. Several proteins that are known to maintain the structural integrity of vasculature were found to be dysregulated. ORM1, a glycoprotein, was significantly upregulated in both the aneurysm tissue and serum samples of unruptured IA patients. We employed a larger cohort of patients and validated ORM1 as a potential biomarker for screening of unruptured aneurysm using ELISA. Samples from ruptured aneurysm with vasospasm showed significant upregulation of MMP9 as compared to ruptured aneurysm without vasospasm. Using a cohort of ruptured aneurysm patients with and without vasospasm, we validated MMP9 as a potential biomarker for vasospasm. This study reveals pathophysiology underlying different clinical sub groups of IA and also suggests potential biomarkers.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Dynamics of dual specificity phosphatases and their interplay with protein kinases in immune signaling

Dual specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) have a well-known role as regulators of the immune response through the modulation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Yet the precise interplay between the various members of the DUSP family with protein kinases is not well understood. Recent multi-omics studies characterizing the transcriptomes and proteomes of immune cells have provided snapshots of molecular mechanisms underlying innate immune response in unprecedented detail. In this study, we focused on deciphering the interplay between members of the DUSP family with protein kinases in immune cells using publicly available omics datasets. Our analysis resulted in the identification of potential DUSP-mediated hub proteins including MAPK7, MAPK8, AURKA, and IGF1R. Furthermore, we analyzed the association of DUSP expression with TLR4 signaling and identified VEGF, FGFR and SCF-KIT pathway modules to be regulated by the activation of TLR4 signaling. Finally, we identified several important kinases including LRRK2, MAPK8, and cyclin-dependent kinases as potential DUSP-mediated hubs in TLR4 signaling. The findings from this study has the potential to aid in the understanding of DUSP signaling in the context of innate immunity. Further, this will promote the development of therapeutic modalities for disorders with aberrant DUSP signaling.

immunology↗