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Ranu Pal, Ph.D

Contact Information

Email: ranupal@ku.edu
Phona: 785-864-3413

Publications

Research Interests

A. Glutamate neurotransmission in CNS-Glutamate is the major and most important excitatory neurotransmitter in CNS. Release of excess amount of glutamate in the extra cellular areas leads to excitotoxicity and cell death and has been associated with a number of acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, ALS, MS, Schizophrenia and even Alzheimer's. Glutamate also plays an important role in age-associated changes in neuronal and synapse loss of some select regions specially hippocampus of adult brain. Considering the tremendous role that Glutamate plays in several pathological conditions, our group has created a transgenic mouse model of hyper-GLUD activity by expressing the Glutamate Dehydrogenase (GLUD1) gene in neurons. My interests are focused to characterize in this newly-generated mouse the distribution and mapping of some of the important proteins associated with over-expression of GLUD1 that result in excess amount of Glu release at nerve endings and leads to synaptic dysfunction and selective vulnerability.

B. Oxidative Stress and nitrotyrosine---There is a definitive link between oxidative stress and nitrotyrosine. Protein nitration, can be detected by Nitrotyrosine, a specific marker for oxidative damage and is caused by peroxynitrite. The role of peroxynitrite has been linked to a number of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD, ALS etc. Currently I am working closely on a project involving a derivatized nitrotyrosine compound of Dr. Schoneich's group of Pharmaceutical chemistry that could help us determining the cells/regions of the brain which are involved in oxidative stress.

Education:

• Post-Doctoral -1986-1989, Univ. of Calcutta, West Bengal, India.
• Ph.D-Zoology, 1982, Univ. of Burdwan, West Bengal, India.
• MS---Zoology, 1975, Univ. of Burdwan, West Bengal, India.