Overview
My research focuses on applying mass spectrometry based proteomics to study proteins in eye tissues, cells and sub-cellular compartments to understand mechanisms of vision. An important aspect of my research is to identify proteins in different compartments of retinal photoreceptor cells, their amount and modification status at different cell states defined by the light conditions, genotype, disease etc. This information can be valuable in understanding molecular mechanisms of vision and biology of the photoreceptor cell. Another important aspect of my research is to assist basic scientist and clinicians in our department in their proteomic needs which include identification of proteins and other biomolecules in a given biological sample, detection of protein post-translational modifications and sequence variations, elucidation of protein-protein interactions and also characterization of changes in the protein concentration and composition in a biological sample at different conditions.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
·
2021 - Present
Ophthalmology,
Clinical Science Departments
Recent Scholarly Works
Dysregulation of Non-Muscle Myosin IIA Assembly and Phosphorylation in S100A4 Null Mouse Lens.
Journal article J Cell Physiol · June 2026 Non-muscle myosin IIA (NMIIA), a motor protein plays a critical role in regulating cell morphology, adhesion, migration, contractility, and mechanotransduction across various tissues, including the ocular lens. S100A4, a known NMIIA-interacting protein, is ... Full text Link to item CiteThe Human Lens Fiber Cytoskeletome Reveals Neuronal Signatures and the Presence of Chaperonins, Proteasome, Signaling, and Redox Regulators.
Journal article Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci · May 1, 2026 PURPOSE: Morphogenesis, growth, shape, mechanics, and transparency of the ocular lens critically depend on cytoskeletal networks and cell adhesive interactions. However, the molecular composition of these cellular components of lens fibers remains to be de ... Full text Link to item CiteMapping the chaperonin TRiC/CCT interactome in mouse photoreceptors reveals functional significance for energy metabolism.
Journal article PLoS One · 2026 The eukaryotic chaperonin TRiC/CCT is essential for folding a diverse set of proteins, yet its interactome and functional roles in specialized neurons remain incompletely understood. To investigate TRiC-mediated folding in rod photoreceptors, we generated ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Mechanism of photoreceptor cell degeneration in animal models of retinal diseases
ResearchFacility Mgr. · Awarded by University of Houston · 2025 - 2030Identification of proteins localized to photoreceptor connecting cilium
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2026Identification of novel contributors to retinitis pigmentosa using metabolic and proteomic approaches
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2021 - 2024View All Grants
Education
Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (Russia) ·
1986
Ph.D.
Lomonosov Moscow State Universty (Russia) ·
1978
B.S.