About Us
The Department of Gamete Immunobiology is committed towards research on the male gamete (sperm) in particular with a view to understand the functional intricacies involved in imparting sperm its ability to move/swim towards and fertilize the oocyte. Asthenozoospermia accounts for almost 50% of the cases of male infertility. Our study investigating phosphoproteins differentially expressed in asthenozoosperm has identified the phosphoproteins relevant to sperm motility and the signature molecules likely to be altered in asthenozoospermia. In-depth studies are being conducted to delineate the role of a few of these candidate proteins. We are also exploring the epigenetic influence of sperm chromatin & effect of improper chromatin compaction on sperm function and on the development of the preimplantation embryo in our quest to decipher the male factors responsible for pre-implantation loss which otherwise passes off as male infertility or idiopathic infertility. In collaboration with IIT, Mumbai, we are working towards development of a microfluidic device for good quality sperm selection on the basis of chemotaxis.
In the area of sperm epigenetics, Dr Kushaan had previously shown regulation of sperm DNA methylation and histone modifications and their respective machinery by estrogen receptors in rat models. Studies are on to investigate these epigenetic mechanisms at the genome-wide level. The role of 5hmC epigenetic marks in sperm and its association with male fertility and recurrent pregnancy loss is also being investigated.
People
| Name | Designation |
| Dr P Parte | Scientist F |
| Dr Kushaan Khambata | Scientist C |
| Mrs S Yevate | Technical Officer |
| Dr Shagufta Khan | Senior Technical Officer III |
| Mr M. More | Laboratory Assistant |
| Ms. V. Chavan | Ph.D.Student |
| Mr. A. Patankar | Ph.D.Student |
| Ms. Isha Singh | Ph.D.Student |
| Ms. Durva Panchal | Ph.D.Student |
Projects
Projects (Ongoing)
| Project title | Funding agency |
| Dr Priyanka Parte | |
| Functional significance of testis specific histone H2B variant (TH2B) in spermatozoa and early embryonic development | DBT |
| Design and development of a microfluidic chip for sperm selection/sorting based on chemotaxis (in collaboration with IIT-B) | DBT |
| Investigation of potential chemoattractant metabolites in the follicular fluid | ICMR-NIRRCH |
| Dr Kushaan Khambata | |
| Investigating sperm 5hmC landscape in male infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss | ICMR-NIRRCH |
| Unravelling sperm epigenetic landscape regulated by estrogen receptors in adult male rats | SERB-Startup Research Grant |
Projects (Completed):
| Project title | Funding agency | From | To |
| Dr Priyanka Parte | |||
| Investigation of functional sperm proteins relevant to motility using the proteomics and in silico approach | DBT | 2006 | 2011 |
| Role of HDAC6 and Cdyl gene in sperm motility | DST | 2009 | 2017 |
| Characterization of the tubulin interactome involved in the orchestration of sperm flagellar motility | DBT | 2010 | 2014 |
| Defining the role of Glucose Regulated Protein 78 (GRP78) in Sperm Motility | DBT | 2012 | 2018 |
| A study deciphering the role of HDAC6 in spermatogenesis | DST-SERB | 2017 | 2020 |
| Microtubule (MT) dynamics and sperm function: Involvement of tubulin acetylation/deacetylation | ICMR Medical Innovation Fund | 2018 | 2021 |
| Development of a microfluidic device for good quality sperm selection for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) | DBT | 2017 | 2020 |
Contact Us
Telephone: +(91-22)24192110
Email Id: gib@nirrch.res.in
| Name | Designation | Email Id | Phone no |
| Dr Priyanka Parte | Scientist F | partep@nirrch.res.in | +(91-22)24192005 |
| Dr Kushaan Khambata | Scientist C | khambatak@nirrch.res.in | +(91-22)24192006 |