Background
Laxminarayana, Dama was born in Hyderabad, India. Son of Kishtaiah and Sathyamma. Immigrated to United States of America in 1990.
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Dama Laxminarayana
Edit Profileeducator geneticist researcher
Dama Laxminarayana, geneticist, Immunologist, researcher, educator. Member American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association Immunologists, American College Rheumatology, New York Academy of Sciences, Environmental Mutagen Society India, India Society Cell Biology, Society Geneticists and Cytologists India.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, 1974; Master of Science , Osmania University, Hyderabad, 1976; Doctor of Philosophy, Osmania University, Hyderabad, 1982.
Career
Junior scientific assistant in the department genetics, Osmania University, 1976-1978, junior research fellow of Department of Atomic Energy, India, 1978-1981, postdoctoral fellow, 1982-1983, research associate, 1983-1985; lecturer in the department zoology, 1985-1996; postdoctoral fellow in the department of medicine Case Western Reserve University School Medicine, Cleveland, 1990-1991; research associate in the department of internal medicine, Wake Forest University School Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1991-1994, research instructor, 1994-1998, research assistant professor, since 1998; Chief Scientific Officer of Sathya Krishna Genomics LLC, Winston Salem, North Carolina, Since 2014; editor-in-chief Clinical Medicine: Pathology, since 2007; editorial board member Clinical Medicine: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders, since 2007; Conference presenter in field; Contributor of articles to science journals, chapters to books.
Achievements
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1. Discovered the occurrence transcript mutations in human transcriptome (Int. Immunol, 2000; 12:1521-1529). So far, about hundred million such transcript mutation sites (base editing sites in RNA) were identified in human transcriptome, which can make possible for a generation of the extremely diverse transcriptome. This information will modulate the existing paradigm of the sole role of DNA mutations in altered gene expression and implicates RNA specific mutations in altered gene expression and regulation in normal physiology and pathological conditions. This is the first discovery related to the widespread occurrence of transcript mutations in human transcriptome as well as in autoimmunity. After this discovery, several other investigators uncovered RNA editing mediated transcript mutations role in neurological diseases, Alzheimer’s, Cancer, diabetes, Down syndrome and aging. The impact of RNA editing and transcript mutations in generation of pseudo-genes and their impact on evolution is coming into the light recently.
2. Subsequently, the role of RNA has been established in the occurrence of transcript mutations in lupus pathogenesis (Lancet; 2002; 360:842-849), and development of the following novel concept related to lupus pathogenesis; “Type I interferon mediated ADAR enzyme randomly edit adenosines located in double-stranded base-paired coding regions and cause novel mutations in gene transcripts, which play an important role in the induction of autoimmunity as well as other disease conditions”(Immunology 2007, 121, 359-369).
3. Uncovered the altered expression of genes followed by altered signaling induced by ADAR genes, which is the hallmark of lupus pathogenesis (Immunology 2008. 125: 408-419).
4. This research also helped to establish following novel concept “the up- regulation of Type I interferon mediated ADAR1 tilt the balance of editing machinery and cause novel mutations in during T cell activation. Such mutations contribute to the altered gene functions and to the modulation of immune functions during T cell activation”(Immunology. 2007.122: 623-633).
5. In addition, all these above studies helped to develop the following hypothesis, “altered and/or enhanced DNA, RNA and protein editing will not only induce altered gene regulations and immune functions but also set the stage for the production of novel auto-antigens (auAgs). The occurrence of such process repeatedly at different time points will result in the generation of auto-antibodies (AuAbs) followed by auto-immunogenicity and the onset of autoimmunity”(Clinical Medicine Insights: Pathology. 2014, 7: 7-9).
6. All these discoveries related to induction of autoimmunity led to suggest that, “due to alterations in DNA, RNA and protein molecules, they are recognized as foreign by the immune system and hence such modulations in DNA, RNA and protein molecules are the root cause for the generation of autoantigens”(Clinical Medicine Insights: Pathology. 10: 1-5). The autoimmune pathogenesis is initiated by the origination of autoantigens, which leads to the development of autoantibodies followed by autoimmunogenicity and the ultimate onset of autoimmune diseases. Such information helped to formulate a multipronged approach to modulate and/or control molecular and cellular anomalies, which leads to the generation of autoantigens and I hope, that such timely and focused regimen and/or approaches will help to prevent and/or control autoimmune diseases.
Connections
Spouse: Dama Jayalakshmi.
