Ranjana Pal

Assistant Professor

2011 - 2013: Post Doctoral fellow at The Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal working on “Prognostic and predictive testing for Estrogen Receptor positive breast cancer patients” and “Involvement of CUX1 and CUX2 homeobox proteins in DNA damage repair” (Mentor: Prof. Alain Nepveu)

2010: Ph.D. from National Centre of Applied Human Genetics at School Of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on “Genotypic, expression and methylation status analysis of apoptotic pathway genes in sporadic breast cancer patients” (Mentor: Prof. R.N.K Bamezai)

2005:  M.Sc. Human Genetics from Calcutta University, Kolkata

M.Sc. Dissertation from Human Genetics Department at Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata on “Genetic variation in Glutathione S-transferase genes associated with arsenic toxicity” (Mentor: Dr. Kunal Ray)

2003:  B.Sc. Physiology from Presidency College, Kolkata 

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Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Technologies for genetic, expression, methylation, and metabolic analysis are being applied to breast cancer to identify new prognostic biomarkers, to predict response to therapy, and to discover target for the development of novel therapies.

Reduced BER efficiency has been implicated in a number of health disorders, notably cancer, neurodegeneration and aging. Using single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) and in vitro base excision repair assays with purified proteins, I demonstrated that the CUX2 homeodomain protein functions as an ancillary factor that stimulates the activity of oxoguanine glycosylase 1, OGG1. Thus my study raises the attractive possibility that small molecules might change the conformation of OGG1 to increase its activity, thereby delaying carcinogenesis and neurodegeneration in affected patients.

During my Ph.D. research I showed the involvement of DNA Damage Response (DDR) and TRAIL apoptotic pathway genes in tumor pathogenesis. I demonstrated that in addition to TRAIL SNP functionally modulating the gene, progressive epigenetic alterations and expression changes in advancing tumors result in aberrant DDR-apoptotic pathway. My study suggests, since pathological epigenetic changes are reversible modifications they could be targeted for therapeutic interventions. It also cautions to consider the TRAIL SNP status in patients undergoing TRAIL therapy. 

As a teacher I believe in making my students learn the basic concepts in biology and generate in them an interest in studying as well as exploring it. My lectures interactive and illustrative aiming to make the students analytical so that they develop an aptitude to identify and elucidate biological problems. They are encouraged to participate in classroom interactions and problem solving thus allowing them to better understand the subject. They are encouraged to ask questions.

I am involved in teaching immunology, molecular biology, renal and nerve physiology, cancer biology and bioinformatics at both B.Sc. and/or M.Sc. levels. I am also involved in teaching Ph.D. course.

Current Ph.D. students

• Mr. Nirajan Ghosal (CSIR-JRF)
• Mr. Jeet Maity

Lab Alumni

Ph.D. scholar

• Dr. Poulami Tapadar (Title of Thesis: Investigating the relationship between pro-apoptotic, anti-apoptotic and proliferation pathways mediated by TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL); Current position: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Texas, US)

Project assistant

• Ms. Ambika Pal

M.Sc. Dissertation students 

• Ms. Ranita Basu (2024)
• Mr. Spandan Banerjee (2024)
• Ms. Divisha Biswas (2023) - Accepted to pursue Ph.D. at University of Illinois, USA
• Ms. Suravi Kirtan (2023)
• Mr. Sunandan Chakrabarti (2022) - Pursuing Ph.D. at Indiana University, USA
• Ms. Puspita Banerjee (2021)
• Ms. Jannatul Firdous (2021)
• Ms. Upasana Sardar (2020)
• Ms. Umaimah Iqbal (2020)
• Ms. Srimoyee Koner (2019) - Pursuing Ph.D at National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, India
• Ms. Benjir Yeasmin (2018)
• Ms. Priyanka Sarkar (2018) - Pursuing Ph.D at University of Calcutta, India

• Indian Association for Cancer Research (Life Membership)
• Indian Science Congress (Life Membership)
• Indian Association of Biomedical Scientists (Life Membership)

1. Sailesh Gochhait, Surabhi Dar, Ranjana Pal, Pawan Gupta and Rameshwar.N.K. Bamezai (2009). Expression of DNA damage response genes indicate progressive breast tumors. Cancer Letters, 273(2):305-11 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18805634 (IF: 8.67)
2. Ranjana Pal, Niloo Srivastava, Rupali Chopra, Sailesh Gochhait, Pawan Gupta, Neeraj Prakash, Gaurav Agarwal and Rameshwar N.K. Bamezai (2010). Investigation of DNA damage response and apoptotic gene methylation pattern in sporadic breast tumors using high throughput quantitative DNA methylation analysis technology.  Molecular Cancer, 9:303 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21092294 (IF: 41.44)
3. Niloo Srivastava, Siddharth Manvati, Archita Srivastava, Ranjana Pal, Ponnusamy Kalaiarasan, Shilpi Chattopadhyaya, Sailesh Gocchait, Raina Dua and Rameshwar N.K. Bamezai (2011). miR-24-2 controls H2AFX ex-pression regardless of gene copy number alteration and induces apoptosis by targeting anti-apoptotic gene BCL-2 - A potential for therapeutic intervention. Breast Cancer Research, 13(2): R39 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21463514 (IF: 6.46)
4. Ranjana Pal, Sailesh Gochhait, Shilpi Chattopadhyay, Pawan Gupta, Neeraj Prakash, Gaurav Agarwal, Arun Chaturvedi, Nuzhat Husain, Syed Akhtar Husain, Rameshwar N.K. Bamezai (2011). Functional implication of TRAIL –716 C/T promoter polymorphism on its in-vitro and in-vivo expression and the susceptibility to sporadic breast tumor. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 126:333 – 343  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20443055 (IF: 4.87)
5. Zubaidah M. Ramdzan, Charles Vadnais, Ranjana Pal, Guillaume Vandal, Chantal Cadieux, Lam Leduy, Sayeh Davoudi, Laura Hulea, Lu Yao, Anthony N. Karnezis, Marilène Paquet, David Dankort, Alain Nepveu (2014). RAS transformation requires CUX1-dependent repair of oxidative DNA damage. PLoS Biology, 11;12(3)  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24618719 (IF: 9.59)
6. Zubaidah M. Ramdzan, Ranjana Pal, Simran Kaur, Lam Leduy, Ginnette Bérubé, Sayeh Davoudi, Charles Vadnais, Alain Nepveu (2015). The function of CUX1 in oxidative DNA damage repair is needed to prevent premature senescence of mouse embryo fibroblasts. Oncotarget. Feb 28;6(6):3613-26  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25682875 (IF: 5.16)
7. Ranjana Pal, Zubaidah M. Ramdzan, Simran Kaur, PM Duquette, Richard Marcotte, Lam Leduy, Sayeh Davoudi, Nathalie Lamarche-Vane, Angelo Iulianella, Alain Nepveu (2015). CUX2 protein functions as an accessory factor in the repair of oxidative DNA damage. J Biol Chem. Sep 11;290(37):22520-31  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26221032 (IF: 5.48)
8. Ambika Pal, Poulami Tapadar, Ranjana Pal* (2021). Exploring the Molecular Mechanism of Cinnamic Acid-Mediated Cytotoxicity in Triple Negative MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells. Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry. Anticancer Agents Med Chem 21(9):1141 1150. * Corresponding author. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32767960/ (IF: 2.50)
9. Poulami Tapadar, Ambika Pal, Siddhartha Dutta, Ranjana Pal* (2022). Enhanced expression of death receptor 5 is responsible for increased cytotoxicity of theophylline in combination with recombinant human TRAIL in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. * Corresponding author. Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics. Apr-Jun;18(3):754-759 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35900550/ (IF:1.33)
10. Poulami Tapadar, Ambika Pal, Nirajan Ghosal, Siddhartha Dutta, Ranjana Pal* (2022). Reactive oxygen species-dependent upregulation of death receptor, tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, is responsible for theophylline-mediated cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Anticancer Drugs. Sep 1;33(8):731-740. * Corresponding author.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35946512/ (IF: 2.38)
11. Rajneesh Singhal, Ranjana Pal, Siddhartha Dutta (2022). Chloroplast Engineering: Fundamental Insights and Its Application in Amelioration of Environmental Stress. Appl Biochem Biotechnol. doi: 10.1007/s12010-022-03930-8. Online ahead of print.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35484466/ (IF: 2.97)
12. Poulami Tapadar, Ambika Pal, Nirajan Ghosal, Bhupender Kumar, Tamalika Paul, Nabendu Biswas, Ranjana Pal* (2023). CDH1 overexpression sensitizes TRAIL resistant breast cancer cells towards rhTRAIL induced apoptosis. Molecular Biology Reports, doi: 10.1007/s11033-023-08657-1. Online ahead of print. * Corresponding author. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37422537/ (IF: 2.8)
13. Ranjana Pal*, Siddhartha Dutta (2023). Association Study of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1+ 29 T/C exon 1 Polymorphism in Breast Cancer Patients from North Indian Population. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 195 (6), 3671-3680. * First and corresponding author. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36951937/ (IF:3)
14. Nithun Ranjan Pandit,   Sourav Bej,   Riyanka Das,   Nirajan Ghosal,   Ananya Mondal,   Ranjana Pal,   Meenakshi Ghosh,   Priyabrata Banerjee,  Biplab Biswas  (2023). Anion directed structural tuning of azomethine derived two Zn2+-complexes with optoelectronic recognition of Cu2+ from aqueous medium with Anti-cancer activities: Expedition from micromolar to femtomolar sensitivity with DFT revelation. Dalton Transactions. Online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3DT01901B (IF: 4)
15. Jeet Maity, Satyabrata Majumder, Ranjana Pal, Bhaskar Saha, Prabir Kumar Mukhopadhyay (2023). Ascorbic acid modulates immune responses through Jumonji?C domain containing histone demethylases and Ten eleven translocation (TET) methylcytosine dioxygenase. BioEssays. 45(11):e2300035.  https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.202300035 (IF: 4)
16. Jeet Maity, Priyankar Pal, Ranjana Pal, Prabir Kumar Mukhopadhyay (2024) Co-administration of L-Ascorbic Acid and α-Tocopherol Alleviates Arsenic-Induced Immunotoxicities in the Thymus and Spleen by Dwindling Oxidative Stress-Induced Inflammation.  Biological Trace Element Research. Vol 202 (2199–2227). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12011-023-03841-7#Fun (IF: 3.9)
17. Nirajan Ghosal, Poulami Tapadar, Divisha Biswas, Ranjana Pal* (2024) ELF3 plays an important role in defining TRAIL sensitivity in breast cancer by modulating the expression of decoy receptor 2 (DCR2). Mol Biol Rep 51(1):671. * Corresponding author. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11033-024-09615-1 (IF: 2.8)

Book Chapter

1. Narendra K. Bairwa, Anjana Saha, Sailesh Gochhait, Ranjana Pal, Vibhuti Gupta, and Rameshwar N. K. Bamezai (2014). Microsatellite instability: an indirect assay to detect defects in the cellular mismatch repair machinery. Methods in Molelular Biology, 1105:497-509 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24623249