Uma Kant Misra

1. Biology of α₂MSR: Ligands binding and their regulation, receptor upregulation, defining signaling cascades components, modulation of ser/thr/tyr kinase activities, cellular responses (mitogenesis, gene expression), physiological relevance.

2. Receptor activation, and membrane phospholipases - PLA2, PI-PLCb, PI-PLCg, PC-PLC, PLD, sphingomyelinase, and ceramide signaling, regulation, role in mitogenesis.

3. α₂MSR and malignancy - Prostate cancer cell line e.g. 1LN, PC3, LnCap as model. Modulation of cellular responses by inhibitors of down stream signaling cascades, a2MSR and p53 (tumor suppressor gene) expression.

4. Cations, α₂MSR and genotoxicity - bivalen and trivalen cations and binding of α₂M* to α₂MSR, signaling cascades components and their regulation, mitogenesis.

5. Isolation, purification and characterization of α - Autophosphorylation of the receptor on ligands binding, amino acid residues involved in receptor activation, mechanism of receptor desensitization, modulators/coactivators binding domains on the receptor, differences between LRP/α₂MR and α₂MSR, transfection studies.

6. α₂MSR and neuronal development -

7. Internalization and proteosomies targeting of alpha-2-macroglobulin signaling receptor- A possible metabolic advantage for the isolation of α₂MSR during its proteosome targeting.

8. Cadmium and development of prostate malignancy-use of human prostate cancer cell liens as model. Delineating the role of farnesyl transferase, p21-Ras activation, MAPK and PI 3-kinase signaling cascades, transcription factors and early response genes in malignancy development.