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Nikhlesh Singh, PhD, DVM

Assistant Professor

Johnson Building
847 Monroe Avenue, Suite 503
Memphis, TN 38163

nsingh2@uthsc.edu
Office Phone: 901.448.5243
Lab: 901.448.8005
Fax: 901.448.7126

Education

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (BVSc & AH), GBPUA&T, Pantnagar, India (2002)
Master of Veterinary Science (MVSc), ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, India (2004)
PhD, Animal Biochemistry, ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, India (2008)
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Tennessee HSC, USA (2008-2010)  

Research Interest

Vascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed societies, and my research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of these vascular diseases particularly atherosclerosis, restenosis, and pathological angiogenesis. The underlying pathogenesis in these vascular diseases is complex, and our general approach is to characterize these pathological responses at the molecular level, in cultured cells, and in the mouse models that mimic these specific types of vascular injury, including atherosclerosis, restenosis, and pathological retinal neovascularization. Our research involves a multidisciplinary approach that includes various biochemical and cell biology procedures (Western blot analysis, 2-D gel electrophoresis, high-performance liquid chromatography, tube formation assay, cell migration assay, transfections, live cell imaging, confocal microscopy, immunoprecipitation, immunoblot analysis),  molecular biology techniques (electrophoretic mobility shift assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, site-directed mutagenesis, and cloning), and various animal studies (Matrigel plug angiogenesis,  rat/mouse  carotid artery injury, hind-limb ischemia, and oxygen-induced retinopathy). Our ongoing studies involve defining the molecular bases for these pathologies and hope to find new targets for therapeutic intervention to improve vascular disease prevention and treatment.

Representative Publications

Representative Publications

  • Raghavan S, Singh NK, Gali S, Mani AM, Rao GN. Response by Raghavan et al to Letter Regarding Article, "Protein Kinase Cθ via Activating Transcription Factor 2-Mediated CD36 Expression and Foam Cell Formation of Ly6C(hi) Cells Contributes to Atherosclerosis". Circulation 139: 2079-2080, 2019. PMID: 31070938.
  • Singh NK, Rao GN. Emerging role of 12/15-Lipoxygenase (ALOX15) in human pathologies. Prog Lipid Res. 73: 28-45, 2019. PMCID: PMC6338518.
  • Raghavan S, Singh NK, Gali S, Mani AM, Rao GN. Protein Kinase Cθ Via Activating Transcription Factor 2-Mediated CD36 Expression and Foam Cell Formation of Ly6C(hi) Cells Contributes to Atherosclerosis. Circulation 138: 2395-2412, 2018. PMCID: PMC6309268.
  • Singh NK, Janjanam J, Rao GN. p115 RhoGEF activates the Rac1 GTPase signaling cascade in MCP1 chemokine-induced vascular smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation. J Biol Chem. 292: 14080-14091, 2017. PMCID: PMC5572933.
  • Singh NK, Kotla S, Kumar R, Rao GN. Cyclic AMP Response Element Binding Protein Mediates Pathological Retinal Neovascularization via Modulating DLL4-NOTCH1 Signaling. EBioMedicine 2: 1767-1784, 2015. PMCID: PMC4740322.
  • Singh NK, Kotla S, Dyukova E, Traylor JG Jr, Orr AW, Chernoff J, Marion TN, Rao GN. Disruption of p21-activated kinase 1 gene diminishes atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Nat Commun. 6: 7450, 2015. PMCID: PMC4480433.
  • Singh NK, Hansen DE 3rd, Kundumani-Sridharan V, Rao GN. Both Kdr and Flt1 play a vital role in hypoxia-induced Src-PLD1-PKCγ-cPLA(2) activation and retinal neovascularization. Blood 121: 1911-1923, 2013. PMCID: PMC3591809.
  • Singh NK, Kundumani-Sridharan V, Kumar S, Verma SK, Kotla S, Mukai H, Heckle MR, Rao GN. Protein kinase N1 is a novel substrate of NFATc1-mediated cyclin D1-CDK6 activity and modulates vascular smooth muscle cell division and migration leading to inward blood vessel wall remodeling. J Biol Chem. 287: 36291-36304, 2012. PMCID: PMC3476296.
  • Singh NK, Kundumani-Sridharan V, Rao GN. 12/15-Lipoxygenase gene knockout severely impairs ischemia-induced angiogenesis due to lack of Rac1 farnesylation. Blood 118: 5701-5712, 2011. PMCID: PMC3217368.
  • Singh NK, Wang D, Kundumani-Sridharan V, Van Quyen D, Niu J, Rao GN. 15-Lipoxygenase-1-enhanced Src-Janus kinase 2-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 stimulation and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression require redox-sensitive activation of epidermal growth factor receptor in vascular wall remodeling. J Biol Chem. 286: 22478-27488, 2011. PMCID: PMC3121393.
May 26, 2022