Sushil Kumar, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Faculty Advisor
- Jonathan S. Marchant, MA, PhD
Contact Information
Education
MS, Marine Biotechnology, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, India, 2008
BS, Zoology/Botany/Chemistry, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Mathura, India, 2006
Research Interests
I am a developmental biologist by training but, I like to explore different scientific fields. During my doctoral work I worked on the genetic control of flowering time in Arabidopsis. Before coming to the states, I did a short postdoctoral stint at the interface of academia and industry trying to characterize cytochrome p450 enzymes. In my last postdoc at MCW, my research focused on investigating the functions of alternative splice isoforms in skeletal muscle homeostasis.
Recently, Marchant lab identified JPT2 protein as the elusive receptor for the second messenger NAADP that evokes Ca2+ release form endolysosomal two-pore channels TPCs. Currently, my research is aimed at understanding the mechanism of NAADP-JPT2-TPC signaling axis and its functional consequence in cellular physiology. Besides, JPT2 is a relatively understudied protein, and I am characterizing JPT2 using biochemical and biophysical approaches to gain more insights into how JPT2 interaction with NAADP and TPCs mediates intracellular Ca2+ release.