Director, Genomics Core Lab
Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Dept. of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Basic Sciences Building, Room 438B
New York Medical College
Valhalla, NY 10595
Phone: 914-594-4785
Fax: 914-594-4163
Email: bmopidev@nymc.edu
Research Interest
Dr. Mopidevi is interested in understanding molecular mechanisms and the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the regulation of blood pressure and hypertension using humanized transgenic mice, microRNA function, DNA methylation and epigenetic regulation.
Hypertension is a serious risk factor for myocardial infarction, heart failure, vascular disease, stroke and renal failure. Like other complex diseases, hypertension is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. It has been estimated by segregation analysis and twin studies that approximately 45% of the inter-individual differences in blood pressure can be accounted for by genetic differences. However, molecular mechanisms involved in pathophysiology of hypertension are not clear.
Aldosterone synthase, the rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of aldosterone, is encoded by Cyp11B2 gene. This gene is expressed mainly in adrenal cortex and to some extent in kidney, brain, and adipose tissue. The epidemiological studies have suggested that -344T/C polymorphism is shown to be associated with increased aldosterone level and increased blood pressure. The hCyp11B2 gene has 3 SNPs in 1 Kb of its promoter and these polymorphisms are in almost complete linkage dis-equilibirium. These SNPs are rs1799998 (T/C at -344), rs10087214 (C/T at -470), and rs28659182 (C/A at -663). Thus variant -344T almost always occurs with variants -470C and -663A (named haplotype-I), and variant -344C almost always occurs with variants, -470T and -663T (named haplotype-II) in human subjects. In order to understand the physiological role of these haplotypes on transcriptional regulation of hCyp11B2 gene and blood pressure regulation in an in vivo situation, we have generated transgenic mice by knocking in hCyp11B2 gene containing either haplotype-I or haplotype-II at the HPRT locus. Currently our group actively engaged in studying the molecular mechanism by which these promoter polymorphisms alter the binding of the transcription factors and regulate the blood pressure. Further we have extended our research interests to micro RNA and shown that the microRNA miR-31 and miR-584 bind strongly to the human angiotensinogen (hAGT) 3'UTR containing 11525C-allele as compared to 11525A-allele and down-regulate the hAGT mRNA and protein levels in human liver cells. These studies not only provide new insight into understanding the molecular basis of hypertension, but will also have significant clinical relevance to develop new therapeutic strategies for hypertension.
Education and Training
2000-B.Sc., (Zoology, Botany and Chemistry) First class with distinction from Andhra Loyola College (Autonomous), Vijayawada, India.
2002-M.Sc., (Biotechnology) First class with distinction from Andhra University, Andhra Pradesh, India.
2008-Ph.D., Life Sciences (Reproductive Biology) Devi Ahilya University, Indore, India/ Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Trivandrum, India.
Appointments
2002-2008: Research Scholar (Ph.D.), School of Life Sciences, DAVV Indore/RGCB Trivandrum, India
2008-2009: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Trivandrum, India.
2009-2011: Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York.
2011-2013: Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physiology and pharmacology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.
2013-2016: Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and pharmacology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.
2016-present: Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York.
2020-2021: Assistant Director of the Genomics Core Lab, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York.
2021-present: Director of the Genomics Core Lab, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York.
Honors & Awards:
New Investigator Research Recognition Award 2016 from the APS journal Physiological Genomics Group Presented at the Physiologic Genomic Group Luncheon and Awards Ceremony held at The Old Spaghetti Factory, San Diego, California.
New Investigator Award 2014 from American Heart Association Council on Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease for the research work entitled “A Genetic Variant of Human Aldosterone Synthase Gene Causes Salt-Dependent High Blood Pressure in Transgenic Mice" in the High Blood Pressure Research (HBPR) Scientific Sessions 2014 held at Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco, CA September 9–12, 2014.
Research Associate award (2008-2009) from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India.
Senior Research Fellowship (2004-2007) from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India.
Junior Research Fellowship (2002-2004) from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India.
Selected Bibliography:
Mopidevi B, Sivankutty I, Hao S, Ferreri NR, Kumar A. Effects of intron conversion in the human CYP11B2 gene on its transcription and blood pressure regulation in transgenic mice. J Biol Chem. 2020 Aug 7;295(32):11068-11081. doi: 10.1074/jbc.RA120.013047.
Mopidevi B, Kaw MK, Sivankutty I, Jain S, Perla SK, Kumar A. A polymorphism in intron I of the human angiotensinogen gene (hAGT) affects binding by HNF3 and hAGT expression and increases blood pressure in mice. J Biol Chem. 2019;294(31):11829‐11839. doi:10.1074/jbc.RA119.007715.
Jain S, Puri N, Rana A, Sirianni N, Mopidevi B, Kumar A. Metabolic Syndrome Induces Over Expression of the Human AT1R: A Haplotype-Dependent Effect With Implications on Cardio-Renal Function. Am J Hypertens. 2018;31(4):495‐503. doi:10.1093/ajh/hpx176.
Rana,A, Jain,S, Puri,N, Kaw,M, Sirianni,N, Eren,D, Mopidevi,BR, Kumar,A: The transcriptional regulation of the human angiotensinogen gene after high-fat diet is haplotype-dependent: Novel insights into the gene-regulatory networks and implications for human hypertension. PLoS One 12:e0176373, 2017
Yan,Y., Shapiro,A.P., Mopidevi,B.R., Chaudhry,M.A., Maxwell,K., Haller,S.T., Drummond,C.A., Kennedy,D.J., Tian,J., Malhotra,D., Xie,Z.J., Shapiro,J.I., and Liu,J. (2016). Protein Carbonylation of an Amino Acid Residue of the Na/K-ATPase alpha1 Subunit Determines Na/K-ATPase Signaling and Sodium Transport in Renal Proximal Tubular Cells. J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 Sep 9;5(9). PM:27613772
Ramakrishnan,S.K., Khuder,S.S., Al-Share,Q.Y., Russo,L., Abdallah,S.L., Patel,P.R., Heinrich,G., Muturi,H.T., Mopidevi,BR., Oyarce,A.M., Shah,Y.M., Sanchez,E.R., and Najjar,S.M. (2016). PPAR alpha Activation Reduces Hepatic CEACAM1 Expression to Regulate Fatty Acid Oxidation during Fasting-refeeding Transition. J. Biol. Chem. 2016 Apr; 291(15):8121-9
Brahmaraju Mopidevi, Meenakshi Kaw, Nitin Puri, Madhusudan Ponnala, Sudhir Jain, Anita Rana, Narsimha R. Keetha, Sadik A Khuder, Steven N. Fiering and Ashok Kumar (2015). Variable transcriptional regulation of the human aldosterone synthase gene causes salt-dependent high blood pressure in transgenic mice. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2015 Feb;8(1):30-39
Varunkumar G Pandey, Sudhir Jain, Anita Rana, Nitin Puri, Arudra,S.K., Brahmaraju Mopidevi, Meenakshi Kaw, Alberto Nasjletti and Ashok Kumar. (2015). Dexamethasone Promotes Hypertension by Allele-specific Regulation of the Human Angiotensinogen Gene. J Biol Chem. 2015 Feb 27; 290 (9):5749-58.
Shreekrishna Maharjan, Brahmaraju Mopidevi, Meenakshi Kaw, Nitin Puri and Ashok kumar (2014). Human aldosterone synthase gene polymorphism promotes miRNA binding and regulates gene expression. Physiol Genomics. 2014 Dec 15; 46 (24):860-865.
Brahmaraju Mopidevi., Madhusudhan Ponnala., and Ashok kumar. (2013). Human Angiotensinogen +11525 C/A Polymorphism Modulates Its Gene Expression Through MicroRNA Binding. Physiol Genomics.
Sudhir Jain, Andrej Tillinger, Brahmaraju Mopidevi, Varunkumar G Pandey, Chetankumar K Chauhan, Steven N Fiering, Soren Warming, Ashok Kumar Transgenic mice with -6A haplotype of the human angiotensinogen gene have increased blood pressure compared with -6G haplotype The Journal of biological chemistry. 2010 Dec 24; 285(52):41172-86. Epub 2010 Oct 26.
Brahmaraju, K.P. Bhagya, Shiny Titus, Arun Sebastian, A.N. Devi, Malini Laloraya and Pradeep G Kumar AIRE1A might be involved in cyclin B2 degradation in testicular lysates Biochem Cell Biol. 2011 Aug;89(4):411-22
Brahmaraju, Malini Laloraya and Pradeep G Kumar (2009) Review on “Immunodominant sperm antigens and their role in male infertility.” Current Paradigm of Reproductive Immunology. 2009: 59-81 ISBN: 978-81-308-0373-9
Selot R, Kumar V, Shukla S, Chandrakuntal K, Brahmaraju M, Dandin S, Laloraya M, Kumar PG. Identification of a Soluble NADPH Oxidoreductase (BmNOX) with Antiviral Activites in the Gut Juice of Bombyx mori. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. Volume 71, issue 1 january 7, 2007 pages.200-205.
Brahmaraju, Mohammed Shoeb, Malini Laloraya and Pradeep G. Kumar., Spatio-temporal organization of Vam6P and SNAP on mouse spermatozoa and their involvement in sperm–zona pellucida interactions., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 318, Issue 1, 21 May 2004, Pages 148-155.
Sharad purohit, M. Brahmaraju, Abha Palta, sunita shukla, malini laloraya and Pradeep G. kumar., Impaired E-cadherin expression in human spermatozoa in a male factor infertility subset signifies E-cadherin- mediated adhesion mechanisms operative in sperm-oolemma interactions, Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications, volume 316, issue 3, 9 April 2004, pages 903-909.
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