About Me
More info forAs a member of the Cancer Biology Program at the OSUCCC – James, I have a long-standing interest in RNase P, an endonuclease involved in tRNA biogenesis.
Human nuclear RNase P is a protein-aided ribozyme that processes precursor tRNAs and long, non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). An RNA-free, protein-based variant performs the same function in mitochondria.
My biochemical/biophysical studies of RNase P have converged on the nexus between RNase P dysfunction and disease. My lab team is investigating how cancer-associated tRNA mutations impair structure and RNase P-mediated processing. We are also exploring the promise of RNase P as a drug target to disrupt maturation of lncRNAs (e.g., MALAT1 and NEAT), which are elevated in several cancers.
My work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Molecular Biology, Nucleic Acids Research, PNAS and RNA.
Academic Office & Contact Information
More info forAcademic Office:
Biological Sciences Building
484 W 12th Ave
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1292Phone:
614-292-1332Email:
gopalan.5@osu.eduPublications
More info forOctober 3, 2024RNA-driven phase transitions in biomolecular condensates.
Wadsworth GM, Srinivasan S, Lai LB, Datta M, Gopalan V, Banerjee PR
Mol Cell
May 21, 2024Use of the 'double diamond' design framework to nurture creativity in life sciences research.
Shen Y, Bosch G, Pino L, Gopalan V
Trends Biochem Sci
May 10, 2024A tribute to Sidney Altman, one of the architects of modern RNA biology.
Gopalan V, Kirsebom LA
J Biol Chem
January 1, 2024Overexpression of stress granule protein TZF1 enhances salt stress tolerance by targeting ACA11 mRNA for degradation in Arabidopsis.
He SL, Li B, Zahurancik WJ, Arthur HC, Sidharthan V, Gopalan V, Wang L, Jang JC
Front Plant Sci
November 6, 2023RNAs undergo phase transitions with lower critical solution temperatures.
Wadsworth GM, Zahurancik WJ, Zeng X, Pullara P, Lai LB, Sidharthan V, Pappu RV, Gopalan V, Banerjee PR
Nat Chem
March 14, 2023An outreach activity to enhance biochemistry pedagogy.
Roth KS, Bannerman T, Gopalan V
Trends Biochem Sci
December 31, 2022GlycoForum - Technical Note Demonstrating the utility of sugar-phosphate phosphatases in coupled enzyme assays: galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase as proof-of-concept.
Thirugnanasambantham P, Bashian E, Zaleski R, Gopalan V
Glycobiology
July 15, 2022Elucidation of structure-function relationships in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii RNase P, a multi-subunit catalytic ribonucleoprotein.
Phan HD, Norris AS, Du C, Stachowski K, Khairunisa BH, Sidharthan V, Mukhopadhyay B, Foster MP, Wysocki VH, Gopalan V
Nucleic Acids Res
May 1, 2022Elucidating the catalytic mechanism of a bacterial deglycase essential for utilization of fructose-lysine, an Amadori product.
Kovvali S, Di Capua A, Wysocki VH, Bell CE, Gopalan V
FASEB J
March 8, 2022Structural basis for impaired 5' processing of a mutant tRNA associated with defects in neuronal homeostasis.
Lai LB, Lai SM, Szymanski ES, Kapur M, Choi EK, Al-Hashimi HM, Ackerman SL, Gopalan V
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 29, 2021Sugar-Phosphate Toxicities.
Boulanger EF, Sabag-Daigle A, Thirugnanasambantham P, Gopalan V, Ahmer BMM
Microbiol Mol Biol Rev
September 9, 2021The many faces of RNA-based RNase P, an RNA-world relic.
Phan HD, Lai LB, Zahurancik WJ, Gopalan V
Trends Biochem Sci
August 13, 2021Protein cofactors and substrate influence Mg2+-dependent structural changes in the catalytic RNA of archaeal RNase P.
Marathe IA, Lai SM, Zahurancik WJ, Poirier MG, Wysocki VH, Gopalan V
Nucleic Acids Res
June 8, 2021Analysis of Tagged Proteins Using Tandem Affinity-Buffer Exchange Chromatography Online with Native Mass Spectrometry.
Busch F, VanAernum ZL, Lai SM, Gopalan V, Wysocki VH
Biochemistry
January 1, 2021Correction to: Using an L7Ae-Tethered, Hydroxyl Radical-Mediated Footprinting Strategy to Identify and Validate Kink-Turns in RNAs.
Lai SM, Gopalan V
Methods Mol Biol
January 1, 2021Use of tandem affinity-buffer exchange chromatography online with native mass spectrometry for optimizing overexpression and purification of recombinant proteins.
Lai SM, Thirugnanasambantham P, Sidharthan V, Norris AS, Law JD, Gopalan V, Wysocki VH
Methods Enzymol
January 1, 2021Purification, reconstitution, and mass analysis of archaeal RNase P, a multisubunit ribonucleoprotein enzyme.
Zahurancik WJ, Norris AS, Lai SM, Snyder DT, Wysocki VH, Gopalan V
Methods Enzymol
September 2, 2020Alternative Protein Topology-Mediated Evolution of a Catalytic Ribonucleoprotein.
Lai LB, Phan HD, Zahurancik WJ, Gopalan V
Trends Biochem Sci
June 3, 2020Ramping Recombinant Protein Expression in Bacteria.
Zahurancik WJ, Szkoda BE, Lai LB, Gopalan V
Biochemistry