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Curriculum Vitae
Rammohan (Ram) Rao


Associate Research Professor

Research Focus: Misfolded Proteins and ER stress-induced cell death Mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease

I am an Associate Research Professor collaborating with Drs. Dale Bredesen and David Greenberg on: Endoplasmic Reticulum stress and neuronal cell death and mechanisms of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases. Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and prion protein diseases all feature misfolded proteins and their aggregates that appear to play a role in disease pathogenesis. However the mechanism and pathways by which misfolded proteins induce cellular stress response ultimately leading to neuronal cell death is poorly understood. Accumulation of misfolded proteins whether in the cytosol or the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), elicits cellular stress responses that protect cells against toxic buildup of misfolded proteins. Prolonged stress leads to organelle damage and dysfunction and ultimately leads to cell death. We have been investigating the biochemical pathways that couple misfolded proteins to the cell death programs. These studies have led to the identification of several new proteins that function in this link that therefore represent potential therapeutic targets.

 

Rammohan V. Rao, Associate Research Professor

List of Publications

  • 1. Chinta, S, Poksay KS, Andersen J, Bredesen DE, and Rao, RV (2009). Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress induced Cell Death Program in Dopaminergic cells. Effect of Resveratrol.  Journal of Molecular Neuroscience [Jan 15, Epub ahead of print]
     
  • 2. Chinta, S, Poksay KS, Andersen J, Bredesen DE, and Rao, RV (2008).Coupling Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress to the Cell Death Program in Dopaminergic cells. Effect of  paraquat. NeuroMolecular Medicine 10(4):333-42.
     
  • 3. Bakhshi, J, Wattstein L, Poksay K, Nishinaga B, Bredesen DE, and Rao, RV (2008).Coupling Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress to the Cell Death Program in Melanoma. Role of Curcumin. Apoptosis 13: 904-914
     
  • 4. Egger, L., Madden, D. T., Rheme, C., Rao, R.V. & Bredesen, D. E. Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced cell death mediated by the proteasome (2007). Cell Death Differ. 13(3):415-25
     
  • 5. Bredesen DE, Rao RV, Mehlen P (2006). Cell death in the nervous system.?Nature. 443(7113):796-802.
     
  • 6.  Rao RV, and Bredesen DE, (2006). Coupling endoplasmic reticulum stress to the cell death program. A novel HSP90-independent role for the small chaperone protein p23. Cell Death Differ. 13(3):415-25. Faculty of 1000 Biology: evaluations for Rao RV et al, http://www.f1000biology.com/article/16195741/evaluation
     
  • 7. Rao RV and Bredesen DE, (2004). Misfolded proteins, endoplasmic reticulum stress and neurodegeneration. Current Opinion in Cell Biology. 16, 653-662.
     
  • 8. Rao RV, Poksay KS, Castro-Obregon S, Schilling B, Row RH, del Rio G, Gibson BW, Ellerby HM and Bredesen DE, (2004). Molecular components of a cell death pathway activated by endoplasmic reticulum stress: J. Biol. Chem. 279,177–187
     
  • 9. Castro-Obregon S, Rao RV, Del Rio G, Chen SF, Poksay KS, Rabizadeh S, Vesce S, Zhang XK, Swanson RA and Bredesen DE, (2004). Alternative, non-apoptotic programmed cell death: mediation by arrestin 2, ERK2 and Nur77. J. Biol. Chem. 2004 279(17): 17543-53
     
  • 10. Rao RV, Ellerby HM and Bredesen DE, (2004). Coupling endoplasmic reticulum stress to the cell death program. Cell Death & Diff., 11(4): 372-80.
     
  • 11. Yokota T, Miyagishi M, Hino T, Matsumura R, Andrea T, Urushitani M, Rao RV, Takahashi R, Bredesen DE, Taira K and Mizusawa H, (2004). siRNA-based inhibition specific for mutant SOD1 with single nucleotide alternation in familial ALS, compared with ribozyme and DNA enzyme. Biochem Biophys Res Commun., 314(1): 283-91.
     
  • 12. Jin K, Mao XO, Eshoo MW, del Rio G, Rao R, Chen D, Simon RP and Greenberg DA, (2002). cDNA microarray analysis of changes in gene expression induced by neuronal hypoxia in vitro. Neurochem Res. 27(10):1105-12.
     
  • 13. Rao RV, Castro-Obregon S, Frankowski H, Schuler M, Stoka V, del Rio G, Bredesen DE and Ellerby HM, (2002). Coupling endoplasmic reticulum stress to the cell death program: An Apaf-1-independent intrinsic pathway. J. Biol. Chem. 277:21836-21842. Faculty of 1000 Biology: evaluations for Rao RV et al; http://www.f1000biology.com/article/11919205/evaluation
     
  • 14. Castro-Obregon S, Del Rio G, Chen SF, Swanson RA, Frankowski H, Rao RV, Stoka V, Vesce S, Nicholls DG and Bredesen DE, (2002). A ligand-receptor pair that triggers a non-apoptotic form of programmed cell death. Cell Death & Diff., 9:807-817
     
  • 15. Frankowski H, Castro-Obregon S, del Rio G, Rao RV and Bredesen DE, (2002). PLAIDD: a type II death domain protein that interacts with p75 neurotrophin receptor. Neuromolecular Medicine, 1:153-170.
     
  • 16. Rao RV, Peel AL, Logvinova A, del Rio G, Hermel E, Yokota T, Goldsmith PG, Ellerby LM, Ellerby HM, and Bredesen DE, (2002). Coupling endoplasmic reticulum stress to the cell death program: role of the ER chaperone GRP78. FEBS Letters, 514:122-128
     
  • 17. Peel AL, Rao RV, Cottrell BA, Hayden MR, Ellerby LM, and Bredesen DE, (2001). Double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase, PKR, binds preferentially to Huntington's disease (HD) transcripts and is activated in HD tissue. Hum. Mol. Genet., 10:1531-1538.
     
  • 18. del Rio G, Bartley TF, del Rio H, Rao RV, Jin KL, Greenberg DA, Eshoo M and Bredesen DE, (2001). Mining DNA microarray data using a novel approach based on graph theory. FEBS Letters, 509:230-234.
     
  • 19. Rao, RV, Hermel E, Castro-Obregon S, del Rio G, Ellerby LM, Ellerby HM, and Bredesen DE, (2001). Coupling Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress to the Cell Death Program. MECHANISM OF CASPASE ACTIVATION. J. Biol. Chem., 276:33869-33874
     
  • 20. Rio GD, Castro-Obregon S, Rao RV, Ellerby HM, and Bredesen DE, (2001). APAP, a sequence-pattern recognition approach identifies substance P as a potential apoptotic peptide. FEBS Letters, 494:213-219.
     
  • 21. Ellerby HM, Arap W, Ellerby LM, Kain R, Andrusiak R, Rio GD, Krajewski S, Lombardo CR, Rao RV, Ruoslahti E, Bredesen DE and Pasqualini R, (1999). Anti-cancer activity of targeted pro-apoptotic peptides. Nature Medicine, 5:1032-1038.
     
  • 22. Rao RV, Holicky EL, Kuntz SM, Miller LJ. (2000). Related CCK receptor phosphorylation exposes regulatory domains affecting phosphorylation and receptor trafficking. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. Dec;279(6):C1986-92.
     
  • 23. Ding XQ, Rao RV, Kuntz SM, Holicky EL, Miller LJ (2000). Impaired resensitization and recycling of the cholecystokinin receptor by co-expression of its second intracellular loop. Mol Pharmacol. 2000 Dec;58(6):1424-33.
     
  • 24. Go WY, Holicky EL, Hadac EM, Rao RV and Miller LJ (1998). Identification of a domain in the carboxy terminus of CCK receptor that affects its intracellular trafficking. Am. J. Physiol., 275 (1 Pt 1):G56-62.
     
  • 25. Smeets RLL, Rao RV, Hermsen HPH, Peacock MD, vanEmst-de Vries SE, De Pont JHMM, Miller LJ, and Willems PHGM (1998).  Protein kinase C down regulation reduces cholecystokinin receptor phosphorylation and restores calcium signaling in rat pancreatic acinar cells treated with phorbol ester.  Eur. J. Physiol., 435:422-428.
     
  • 26. Roettger BF, Ghanekar D, Rao RV, Toledo C, Yingling J, Pinon D, and Miller LJ (1997). Antagonist-stimulated internalization of the G protein-coupled cholecystokinin receptor.  Mol. Pharmacology, 51:357-362.
     
  • 27. Rao RV, Hadac EM, Roettger BF, and Miller, LJ (1997).  Cholecystokinin induced desensitization mediated by receptor phosphyorylation and internalization in the CHP212 neuroblastoma cell line.  J. Neurochem., 68:2356-2362.
     
  • 28. Rao RV, Roettger BF, Hadac EM, and Miller LJ (1997).  Roles of cholecystokinin receptor phosphorylation in agonist stimulated desensitization of pancreatic acinar cells and receptor bearing CHO-CCKR cells.  Mol. Pharmacology, 51:185-192.
     
  • 29. Ozcelebi F, Rao R, Holicky E, Madden BJ, McCormick DJ, and Miller, LJ (1996). Phosphorylation of the cholecystokinin receptors expressed in CHO cells: Similarities and difference relative to native pancreatic acinar cell receptors.  J. Biol. Chem., 271:3750-3755.
     
  • 30. Ozcelebi F, Holtman MH, Rentsch RU, Rao RV, and Miller LJ (1995).  Agonist stimulated phosphorylation of the carboxyl terminal tail of the secretin receptor.  Mol. Pharmacol., 20:129-135
     
  • 31. Brimijoin S, Dagerlind A, Rao R, McKinzie S, and Hammond P (1995). Accumulation of enkephalin, proenkephalin mRNA, and neuropeptide Y in immunologically denervated rat adrenal glands: evidence for divergent peptide regulation. J Neurochem, 64(3):1281-7.
     
  • 32. Rao R, and Brimijoin S (1995). Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay for acetylcholinesterase mRNA in rat brain. Neurochem Res, 20(2):129-35.
     
  • 33. Hammond P, Rao R, Koenigsberger C, and Brimijoin S (1994). Regional variation in expression of acetylcholinesterase mRNA in adult rat brain analyzed by in situ hybridization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 91(23):10933-7.
     
  • 34. Bhanumathy CD, Rao RV and Balasubramanian AS (1998). Serum butyrylcholinesterase of non-human primate shows amine sensitive aryl acyl amidase and metallopeptidase activities and characteristics similar to those of the human serum enzyme. Indian J. Biochem & Biophysics, 35(3):148-156.
     
  • 35. Rao RV, and Balasubramanian AS (1993).  The peptidase activity of human serum butyrylcholinesterase. Studies using monoclonal antibodies and characterization of the peptidase.  J. Protein Chem., 12:103-110.
     
  • 36. Rao RV and Balasubramanian AS (1990).  Localization of the peptidase activity of human serum butyrylcholinesterase in a 50kDa fragment obtained by limited alpha-chymotrypsin digestion.  Eur. J. Biochem., 188:637-643.
     
  • 37. Rao RV, Gnanamuthu C, and Balasubramanian AS (1989).  Human cerebrospinal fluid acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. Evidence for the identity between the serum and cerebrospinal fluid butyrylcholinesterase.  Clin Chim. Acta, 183:135-146.
     
  • 38. Rao RV and Balasubramanian AS (1989).  Isolation of a galactose free 20kDa fragment exhibiting butyrylcholinesterase and aryl acylamidase activity from human serum butyrylcholinesterase by limited alpha-chymotrypsin digestion.  Eur. J. Biochem., 179:639-644.


Books Authored- Two

1. Rao RV, Bredesen DE. (2007) Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) and Neurodegeneration, 47-65; In: Khare S, Ed. TNF Superfamily. Georgetown: Landes Bioscience/Eurekah.com; New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

2. Bredesen DE, Rao RV, Mehlen P. (2007) Programmed Cell Death and Its Role in Neurological Disease, 125-144; In: Waxman SG, Ed. Molecular Neurology: Elsevier Academic Press.



 

 

  
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