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Dr. Arunkumar Krishnan

Assistant Professor

Biological Sciences

akrishnan@iiserbpr.ac.in

+91 680 2227 769

Personal Website

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Academic Background

  • MSc (Bioinformatics), 2008, University of Madras

  • Ph.D. (Comparative Genomics), 2015, Uppsala University, Sweden

Professional Experience 

  • Assistant Professor, IISER Berhampur (Since December 2020 onwards)

  • Postdoc, NCBI, NIH (2017-2020). L Aravind’s Group

  • Postdoc, University of Queensland (2016-2017). Bernard Degnan’s group

Awards and Memberships

  • Ramalingaswamy Fellowship Award, 2021

  • DBT SERB-SRG Grant, 2021

  • Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowship Award NIH, 2017

  • Member of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE)

  • Academic member of the Adhesion GPCR Consortium

  • Manuscripts receiving outstanding recognition such as (i) Featured cover page articles, (ii) Breakthrough articles, (iii) F1000,

  • Manuscripts addressed by numerous News outlets, including The Guardian, BBC, The Seattle Times, Weekend Australian, New Zealand Herald, among others.

Research Interests

  • Biological conflict systems and prokaryotic immunity

  • Lineage-specific expansion and adaptation of gene families

  • Evolution of chemoreception in animals

  • Elucidating structural innovations in protein families and superfamilies

  • Molecular evolution and diversification of signaling pathways

  • Evolutionary classifications of protein families and superfamilies

  • Evolution of protein folds

Research Group

  • Rakesh Siuli, rakeshs@iiserbpr.ac.in (Ph.D. student)

  • Biswajit Panda, biswajitp@iiserbpr.ac.in (Ph.D. student)

  • Rohan Nath, rohann20@iiserbpr.ac.in (iPh.D. student)

  • Atharv Manojkumar Sambarat, atharvms@iiserbpr.ac.in, JRF

  • Anik Dey, anikd20@iiserbpr.ac.in, MS thesis student

  • Sai Abhishek O, orugantis20@iiserbpr.ac.in, Ms thesis student

About me

I am a computational biologist with a specialization in comparative and evolutionary genomics. My research focuses on analyzing and comparing genomic datasets to address research questions across both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. In prokaryotes, I am particularly interested in defense systems, examining them within an evolutionary framework. In eukaryotes, my work concentrates on the lineage-specific expansion of gene families and the evolution of signal transduction pathways.

Biography

I obtained my Ph.D. in comparative genomics in September 2015 from Uppsala University, Sweden, under the guidance of Professor Helgi Schiöth. Following the completion of my doctoral studies, I undertook two relocations in order to acquire research experience from distinguished evolutionary biology research laboratories. First from Uppsala to Brisbane, where I joined the group of Dr. Bernard Degnan, an ARC Laureate fellow, at the University of Queensland (UQ). Later from Brisbane to Bethesda, Maryland to join Dr. L Aravind’s group at NCBI, NIH, after acquiring the prestigious NIH postdoctoral fellowship. Currently, I have started my own research group at IISER Berhampur. Some of my research accomplishments include

From IISER-BPR

  • Resolving the conundrum of the DndABCDE and DndFGH systems.
  • Elucidating the lineage-spceific Class-A GPCR subsets and their chemosensory roles across Lophotrochozoa.

Pre-IISER

  • Establishment of deep events in the evolution of the ABC superfamily of P-loop NTPases and their functional radiation in RNA editing, translation, metabolism, DNA repair, and biological conflicts.
  • Identification of multiple novel ABC ATPase-dependent counter-invader systems.
  • Establishment of key events in the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) replication apparatus and the origin of the unusual plasmid-like features of kDNA.
  • Unraveling the origin of the DNA binding domains (BHDs) involved in the unique DNA lesion-recognition of Nucleotide Excision Repair.
  • Establishing the massive diversity of AID/APOBECs (for the first time outside of vertebrates) and their DNA/RNA editing roles as one of the basis of immune defense in various metazoan lineages. 
  • Identification of multiple novel clades, including highly divergent and secreted versions of AID-APOBECs in vertebrates.
  • Elucidating the olfactory component in the genome of the Kiwi (fly-less bird) and Crown of Thorns Star-Fish (COTS: An Echinoderm).
  • Elucidating the early emergence of Eph-ephrin-based cell-cell communication and its role in the evolution of metazoan multicellularity.
  • Reconstructing the early origins and diversification of the G-protein coupled receptor signaling system.

Research Projects

Prokaryotic defense systems
Evolution of Chemoreception in invertebrates  
Evolution of lipid-binding GPCRs and other Class-A GPCR families

Key Publications

  • Rakesh S, Aravind L, Krishnan A*. Reappraisal of the DNA phosphorothioate modification machinery: uncovering neglected functional modalities and identification of new counter-invader defense systems. Nucleic Acids ResearchVolume 52, Issue 3, 9 February 2024, Pages 1005–1026. Weblink. (NAR Breakthrough and Cover Page Article). (Featured in Times of India) 
  • Westbury MV, Le Duc D, Duchêne DA, Krishnan A, Prost S, Rutschmann S, Grau JH, Dalen L, Weyrich A, Norén K, Werdelin L, Dalerum F, Schöneberg T, Hofreiter M*. (2021). Ecological Specialisation and Evolutionary Reticulation in Extant Hyaenidae. Molecular Biology and Evolution. Volume 38, Issue 9, Pages 3884–3897. WebLink.
  • Krishnan A, Burroughs AM, Iyer LM, Aravind L*. (2020). Comprehensive classification of ABC ATPases and their functional radiation in nucleoprotein dynamics and biological conflict systems. Nucleic Acids Research. Volume 48, Issue 18, Pages 10045–10075. Weblink: (Featured Survey and Summary Article)
  • Krishnan A, Burroughs AM, Iyer LM, Aravind L*. (2018). Unexpected evolution of lesion-recognition modules in eukaryotic NER and kinetoplast DNA-dynamics proteins from bacterial mobile elements. iScience. Volume 9, Issue, P192-208. Weblink.
  • Krishnan A, Iyer LM, Holland SJ, Boehm T, Aravind L*. (2018). Diversification of AID-APOBEC-like deaminases in metazoa: identification of novel clades and widespread roles in immunity. PNAS. Vol. 115, no. 14; E3201–E3210. Weblink.
  • Pusapati GV, Kong JH, Patel BB, Krishnan A, Sagner A, Kinnebrew M, Briscoe J, Aravind L, Rohatgi R*. (2018). CRISPR Screens Uncover Genes that Regulate Target Cell Sensitivity to the Morphogen Sonic Hedgehog. Developmental Cell. Jan 8;44(1):113-129.e8. Weblink:  (Featured Cover page article)
  • Duc DL, Renaud G, Krishnan A, Almén MS, Huynen L, Prohaska SJ, Ongyerth M, Bitarello BD, Schiöth HB, Hofreiter M, Stadler PF, Prüfer K,Lambert D, Kelso J, Schöneberg T*. (2015). Kiwi genome provides insights into nocturnal adaptation. Genome Biology. 16:147. Weblink. (Covered by 17 news outlets, including The Seattle Times and New Zealand Herald)
  • Hall MR, Kocot KM, Baughman KW, Fernandez-Valverde SL, Gauthier MEA, Hatleberg WL, Krishnan A, McDougall C, Motti CA, Shoguchi E, Wang T, Xiang X, Zhao M, Bose U, Shinzato U, Hisata K, Fujie M, Kanda M, Cummins SF, Satoh N, Degnan SM and Degnan BM*. (2017). The crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest. Nature. 544 (7649): 231-234. Weblink. (Covered by 27 news outlets, including The Guardian, BBC, Science Daily, and The Weekend Australian, among many more).
  • Krishnan A*, Schioth HB. (2015). The role of G protein-coupled receptors in the early evolution of neurotransmission and the nervous system. Journal of Experimental Biology. 218(Pt 4):562-571. Weblink  (Special issue on the Evolution of the Nervous system)

Contact Details

Full Name

Arunkumar Krishnan


Email

akrishnan@iiserbpr.ac.in


Contact

+91 680 2227 769


Address

IISER Berhampur


Personal Website

https://akrishnan39.wixsite.com/krishnan-lab