Contact Information:
Research Interest:
With a professional degree in Microbiology from Pune, the cultural capital of India, I stepped into the United States in 2005, to realize my passion for infectious disease. For my doctoral and my previous post-doctoral work, as a “Molecular parasitologist”, I aimed at developing an experimental challenge for vaccine development towards malaria. With my experience in gene expression, DNA recombination, replication, damage and repairs I came to Duke to continue my research on infectious diseases by looking at various aspects at a molecular, biochemical and immunological level. Lack of convenient genetic tools has hampered the identification of Chlamydia virulence molecules. My present study in the Valdivia lab involves developing and optimizing genetic tools in Chlamydia to investigate how these virulence molecules are regulated to cause pathology.
Personal Interests:
When I am not in lab, I am most definitely relaxing with my husband and my 3 year old boy. Other than that, I am heavily involved in the Indian cultural groups in the Triangle area. As a board member, you will see me cleaning the roads with “Adopt a highway” program, teaching dance to young kids or enacting a role or 2 with the Indian drama troupe in the triangle.
Publications List:
Antimalarial action of artesunate involves DNA damage mediated by reactive oxygen species. Gopalakrishnan AM, Kumar N. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2015 Jan;59(1):317-25. doi: 10.1128/AAC.03663-14. Epub 2014 Oct 27. PMID: 25348537 Related citations Select item 238005752.
Detection and species identification of malaria parasites by isothermal tHDA amplification directly from human blood without sample preparation.Li Y, Kumar N, Gopalakrishnan A, Ginocchio C, Manji R, Bythrow M, Lemieux B, Kong H. J Mol Diagn. 2013 Sep;15(5):634-41. doi: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2013.05.005. Epub 2013 Jun 22. PMID: 23800575 Free Article Related citations Select item 236319193.
Opposing roles for two molecular forms of replication protein A in Rad51-Rad54-mediated DNA recombination in Plasmodium falciparum.Gopalakrishnan AM, Kumar N. MBio. 2013 Apr 30;4(3):e00252-13. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00252-13. PMID: 23631919 Free PMC Article Related citations Select item 235250384.
Novel nanosomes for gene delivery to Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells. Gopalakrishnan AM, Kundu AK, Mandal TK, Kumar N. Sci Rep. 2013;3:1534. doi: 10.1038/srep01534. PMID: 23525038 Free PMC Article Related citations Select item 204298665.
Comparative analysis of stage specific gene regulation of apicomplexan parasites: Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii. Gopalakrishnan AM, López-Estraño C. Infect Disord Drug Targets. 2010 Aug;10(4):303-11. Review. PMID: 20429866 Related citations Select item 201273616.
Role of cis-regulatory elements on the ring-specific hrp3 promoter in the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Gopalakrishnan AM, López-Estraño C. Parasitol Res. 2010 Mar;106(4):833-45. doi: 10.1007/s00436-010-1738-9. Epub 2010 Feb 3. PMID: 20127361 Related citations Select item 189518957.
Plasmodium falciparum: Preinitiation complex occupancy of active and inactive promoters during erythrocytic stage. Gopalakrishnan AM, Nyindodo LA, Ross Fergus M, López-Estraño C. Exp Parasitol. 2009 Jan;121(1):46-54. doi: 10.1016/j.exppara.2008.09.016. Epub 2008 Oct 7. PMID: 18951895 Related citations Select item 175705418.
An enhancer-like region regulates hrp3 promoter stage-specific gene expression in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. López-Estraño C, Gopalakrishnan AM, Semblat JP, Fergus MR, Mazier D, Haldar K. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2007 Jul-Aug;1769(7-8):506-13. Epub 2007 May 8. PMID: 17570541 Free PMC Article Related citations Select item 173677829.
Plasmodium falciparum: hrp3 promoter region is associated with stage-specificity and episomal recombination. López-Estraño C, Semblat JP, Gopalakrishnan AM, Turner L, Mazier D, Haldar K. Exp Parasitol. 2007 Jul;116(3):327-33. Epub 2007 Feb 4. PMID: 17367782 Free PMC Article
- Gopalakrishnan, Anusha M., and Nirbhay Kumar. “DNA Damage and Repair in Plasmodium.” (2013).
- Gopalakrishnan, Anusha M., and Nirbhay Kumar. “DNA Replication and Recombination in Plasmodium.” (2013).