Ganapati Mahabaleshwar, PhD

Associate Professor
Department of Pathology
School of Medicine

My laboratory research goal is to identify and decipher the molecular role of novel transcriptional regulators in the pathogenesis of human chronic, and acute inflammatory disease conditions. My laboratory studies to date have identified several novel transcriptional regulators of macrophage pro- and anti-inflammatory activation.

Research Information

Research Projects

Currently, my laboratory is actively working to define the molecular functions of two such transcription regulators. Namely, kruppel-like factor 6 (KLF6) and Cbp/p300-interacting transactivator, with Glu/Asp-rich carboxy-terminal domain, 2 (CITED2). My laboratory studies are first to demonstrate KLF6 promotes pro-inflammatory macrophage activation, while suppressing anti-inflammatory gene expression. Specifically, KLF6 levels are dramatically upregulated in human myeloid cells under chronic or acute inflammatory disease conditions. In addition, my laboratory discovered that KLF6 regulates key inflammatory genes involved in human inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

In parallel with these studies, my investigations revealed CITED2 as a potent anti-inflammatory transcriptional regulator. Recent human genomic studies revealed that mutation in CITED2 and KLF6 gene is associated with lipid abnormalities and coronary artery diseases. Therefore, we are currently investigating molecular functions of these genes in macrophage lipid homeostasis and atherogenesis.

Publications

  1.  Kim GD, Ng HP, Patel N, Mahabeleshwar GH Kruppel like factor 6 and miR-223 signaling axis regulates macrophage-mediated inflammationFASEB Journal. 2019;33(10):10902-10915
  2. Kim GD, Das R, Rao X, Zhong J, Deiuliis JA, Ramirez-Bergeron DL, Rajagopalan S, Mahabeleshwar GH CITED2 restrains pro-inflammatory macrophage activation and response.  Molecular and Cellular Biology 2018 12  
  3. Kim GD, Das R, Goduni L, McClellan S, Hazlett LD, Mahabeleshwar GH . Kruppel-like transcription factor 6 promotes macrophage-mediated inflammation by suppressing B cell leukemia/lymphoma 6 expression. J. Biol. Chem. 2016; 
  4. Goodman WA, O.S., Date D, Di Martino L, De Salvo C, Kim G-D, Chowdhry S, Bamias G, Cominelli F, Pizarro TT, Mahabeleshwar GH. KLF6 contributes to myeloid cell plasticity in the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammation  Mucosal Immunology 2016: 9 (5): 1250-62

Education

Doctor of Philosophy
University of Pune-India
Biotechnology
2004
Master of Science
Karnataka University-India
Molecular Biology
1999
Bachelor of Science
Karnataka University-India
Biology/Chemistry
1997

Residencies, Internships and Fellowships

Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Molecular Cardiology, Cleveland, OH
2004
Senior Research Fellow
National Centre for Cell Science, Pune
2003
Junior Research Fellow
National Centre for Cell Science, Pune
2001