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Ashish Kumar, PhD

he/him/his
Postdoctoral Associate in Pharmacology

About

Titles

Postdoctoral Associate in Pharmacology

Biography

I earned my Ph.D. under the guidance of Dr. Dileep Vasudevan at the Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India. Currently, I am working as a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Pharmacology at Yale University under the mentorship of Prof. Joseph Schlessinger.

During my doctoral studies, I spearheaded diverse research projects that centered on the structural and biophysical characterization of plant chromatin and plant-specific histone chaperones. My research endeavors aimed to unravel the intricate mechanisms governing plant chromatin dynamics. Utilizing X-ray Crystallography as my primary investigative tool, in combination with complementary biophysical techniques like SAXS and AUC, I made substantial contributions to our comprehension of plant chromatin regulation, particularly concerning stress-specific histone chaperones of the NRP family and HDT family. Notably, my Ph.D. work led to the discovery that plant HDTs function as histone chaperones within the nucleoplasmin family rather than actively participating in deacetylation.

In my initial postdoctoral role, my research focused on elucidating the mechanisms governing DNA replication initiation in metazoans. Employing an integrative structural biology approach that involved the biochemical reconstitution of nucleosome complexes, mass spectrometry, and cryo-EM, I have co-authored two publications during my tenure at Yale. These studies shed light on how inhibitory signals, such as phosphorylation by cyclin-dependent kinases, can impede DNA replication initiation factor loading. Additionally, we unveiled the pivotal role played by the initiation factor ORC-associated protein, ORCA, in facilitating DNA replication initiation within the context of condensed chromatin. My primary contributions encompassed the preparation of modified histones, nucleosomes, and nucleosome arrays, as well as the execution of various biochemical experiments.

My ongoing research in Prof. Schlessinger's lab centers on solving the cryo-EM structures of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in complex with their ligands and other signaling molecules.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

PhD
Institute of Life Sciences (2020)
MSc
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Biotechnology (2013)
BSc
Patna University, Biotechnology (2011)

Research

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Ashish Kumar's published research.

Publications

2023

2022

2021

2019

2014

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Mobile Phone Number
Mailing Address

Pharmacology

Room No B286, YSM 333 Cedar Street

New Haven, Connecticut 06510

United States

Locations

  • Schlessinger's lab

    Lab

    Sterling Hall of Medicine

    333 Cedar Street, Wing B, Fl 2, Rm 286

    New Haven, CT 06510