Dr. Ramalingam B

SCIENTIST 'E', 
Clinical Microbiology


Email:  bramalingam@gmail.com
Contact:  +91-40-271797228

Brief Profile

Had received PhD degree in Bio-Medical Sciences, from TN Dr. MGR medical University, chennai and obtained post-doctoral training at Institute Pasteur de Lille, France and Columbia University, Manhattan, New York, USA. Employed earlier as Assistant Investigator in Feinstein Institute of Medical Research, New York, USA. His major research interests have been in the field of Molecular Immunology, particularly Innate Immune function across autoimmune and infectious diseases. Studied extensively on the key role played by the renal macrophages/dendritic cells towards activation of renal endothelium in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis, identified them as an unique marker for disease onset, progression and relapse of Lupus nephritis among varied murine models and human kidneys. His current research focus is to study the molecular analysis of monocyte subsets within patients infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis and to decipher the role of vitamin D and micronutrients as a modulator of immune response in Tuberculosis

Publications
  1. Ayyanar S, Pattarayan D, Rajasekar N, Kannan A,  Loganathan L, Bethunaickan R, Mahapatra SK.  Palanichamy R, Muthusamy K, Rajasekaran S. Tannic acid prevents macrophage-induced pro-fibrotic response in lung epithelial cells via suppressing TLR4-mediated macrophage polarization. Inflammation research. 2019. PMID: 31489459
  2. Chandramohan Y, Padmanaban V, Bethunaickan R, Tripathy S, Swaminathan S, and Ranganathan UD. In vitro interaction profiles of new anti-TB drugs Bedaquiline, Delamanid with Moxifloxacin against clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance.  June -2019. PMID:31226332
  3. Harishankar M, Selvaraj P and Bethunaickan R. Influence of Genetic polymorphisms towards pulmonary tuberculosis susceptibility.Frontiers in Medicine.2018; Aug16; 5: 213. DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2018.00213. eCollection 2018.PMID:30167433
  4. Sampath P, Mohideen K, Ranganathan UD, and Bethunaickan R. Monocyte subsets: Phenotypes and function in tuberculous infection. Frontiers in Immunology. Jul 30; 9:1726.DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01726. eCollection 2018. PMID: 30105020
  5. Moideen K, Kumar N P, Nair D, Banurekha V V, Bethunaickan R, Babu S. Heightened systemic levels of neutrophil and eosinophil granular Proteins in pulmonary tuberculosis and reversal following treatment.2018; 86(6). pii: e00008-18. Infection and Immunity. PMID:29632246
  6. Dhamotharan P, Ayyanar S, Bethunaickan R, Palanichamy R, Subbiah R. Tannic acid modulates fibroblast proliferation and differentiation in response to pro-fibrotic stimuli". of Cellular Biochem. 2018;119(8):6732-6742. DOI: 10.1002/jcb.26866. PMID: 29665059.
  7. Harishankar M, Ravikrishnan H, Ravishankar A, Hanna LE, Swaminathan S, Selvaraj P and Bethunaickan R. IL-10 promoter-592 polymorphism may influence resistance to HIV infection in South   Indian population. HIV. Res. 2018;16(1): 58-63. PMID: 29468971
  8. Gopalan A, Raghu B, Chandra N, Savithri HS, Raja A and Bethunaickan R. Biophysical and Biochemical Characterization of Rv3405c, a tetracycline repressor from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 2018.Feb12; 496(3):799- 805.doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.01.152.    PMID: 29395080
  9. Sivaprakasam R, Anuradha R, Bethunaickan R, and Manoharan G.Successful Multi-Modal Treatment of Grade IV lymphedema in lymphatic Filariasis: A case study.Lymphology. 2018.Vol 51, No 2; 89-92.
  10. Rajasekaran S, Anuradha R, Manokaran G and Bethunaickan R. An overview of Lymphatic Filariasis Lymphedema. Lymphology 2017:50(4)164-182.PMID:30248721
  11. Rajasekaran S, Anuradha R, and Bethunaickan R. TLR Specific Immune Responses against Helminth Infections. Journal of Parasitology Research. 2017, DOI:10.1155/2017/6865789.PMID: 29225962
  12. Chandrasekaran P, Saravanan N, Bethunaickan R, and Tripathy S. Malnutrition: Modulator of Immune Responses in Tuberculosis. Frontiers in Immunology. 2017 Oct 18; 8:1316. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01316. eCollection 2017. PMID: 29093710 
  13. Pathakumari B, Bethunaickan R. Biomarker and Therapeutic Targets for Tuberculosis: Role of Micro RNAs. Investig. Genomics. 2016:3(3): 00050. DOI: 10.15406/jig.2016.03.00050
  14. Davidson A, Bethunaickan R, Berthier C, Sahu R, Zhang W, Kretzler M. Molecular studies of lupus nephritis kidneys. 2015; Res. Sept. 16. PMID:26376897
  15. Boneparth A, Huang W, Bethunaickan R, Woods M. Sahu R, Arora S, Akerman M, Lesser M, and Davidson A. TLR7 influences germinal center selection in murine SLE. PLoSONE. 2015; 10(3); e0119925. PMID: 25794167.
  16. Bethunaickar R, Berthier CC, Zhang W,Eksi R, Li H, Guan Y, Kretzler M, and Davidson A. Identification of stage-specific genes associated with lupus nephritis and response to remission induction in NZB/W and NZM2410 mice. Arthritis and Rheum.2014. PMID: 24757019.
  17. Sahu R, Bethunaickan R, Singh S and Davidson A. Structure and function of renal macrophages and dendritic cells from SLE prone mice. Arthritis Rheum. 2012: 64 (10):3399–3408. PMID: 22674120.
  18. Bethunaickan R, Berthier C, Zhang W, Kretzler M, and Davidson A. Comparative transcriptional profiling of 3 murine models of SLE nephritis reveals both unique and shared regulatory networks. PLoS ONE - 01/2013; 8(10):e77489. PMID: 24167575
  19. Liu Z, Bethunaickan R, Sahu R, Brenner M, Laragione T, Gulko PS, Davidson A.The multiple chemokine-binding Bovine Herpesvirus 1 Glycoprotein G (BHVIgG) inhibits polymorphonuclear cell by not monocyte migration into inflammatory sites.Mol Med. 19: 276-285.PMID: 23979709.
  20. Mosini I, Huang W, Bethunaickan R, Sahu R, Ricketts PG, Akerman M, Eilat D, Lesser M,  Davidson A. The Yaa locus and IFNα fine-tune germinal center B cell selection in murine SLE. The Journal of Immunology.  2012: 189: 4305–4312. PMID: 23024275.
  21. Bethunaickan R, Sahu R, Liu Z, TangYT, Huang W, Edegbe O, Tao H, Ramanujam M, Madaio MP and Davidson A. Anti-TNF treatment of IFN induced lupus nephritis reduces the renal macrophage response but does not alter glomerular immune complex formation. Arthritis Rheum. 2012: 64 (10):3399–3408. PMID: 22674120.
  22. Bethunaickan R, Sahu R and Davidson A. Analysis of renal mononuclear phagocytes in murine models of SLE. Methods Mol Biol. 2012; 900:207-32.PMID:
  23. Berthier C *, Bethunaickan R *, Gonzalez-Rivera T *, Nair V, Ramanujam M, Zhang W, Bottinger EP, Segerer S, Cohen CD, Davidson A, and Kretzler M. Cross-species transcriptional network analysis defines shared inflammatory responses in murine and human lupus nephritis. The Journal of Immunology. 2012: 189: 988-1001.PMID:22723521. (* - Authors contributed equally to the work)
  24. Bethunaickan, R. and Davidson, A. Process and Analysis of Kidney Infiltrates by Flow Cytometry from Murine Lupus Nephritis. Bio-protocol. 2012; 2(9): e167.
  25. Bethunaickan, R. and Davidson, A. (2012). Isolation of Dendritic Cells and Macrophages from the Murine Kidneys of Lupus by Cell Sorter. Bio-protocol. 2012;2(8): e168.
  26. Ranganathan, U. D., Bethunaickan, R. and Raja, A. Isolation of Circulating Immune Complexes from TB Patient Serum for Serodiagnosis. Bio-protocol.2(11): e188.
  27. Huang W, Moisini I, Bethunaickan R, Sahu R, Akerman M, Eilat D, Lesser M, Davidson A. BAFF/APRIL Inhibition Decreases Selection of Naive but Not Antigen- Induced Autoreactive B Cells in Murine Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. The Journal of Immunology. 2011: 187: 6571–6580.PMID:22102726.
  28. Liu Z, Bethunaickan R, Huang W, Ramanujam M, Madaio MP and Davidson A. Interferon-α confer resistance to SLE nephritis to therapy to NZB/W F1 mice. The Journal of Immunology. 2011: 187; 1506-1513.PMID:21705616.
  29. Bethunaickan R, Berthier C, Ramanujam M, Sahu R, Zhang W, Sun Y, Bottinger E, Ivashkiv L, Kretzler M, and Davidson A. A unique hybrid renal mononuclear phagocyte activation phenotype in murine SLE Nephritis. The Journal of Immunology. 2011; 186; 4994-5003.PMID:21411733.
  30. Liu Z, Bethunaickan R, Huang W, Lodhi U, Solano I, Madaio MP, Davidson A. Interferon-α accelerates murine systemic lupus erythematosus in a T cell-dependent manner. Arthritis Rheum. 2011; 63(1):219-29. PMID: 20954185.
  31. Ramanujam M, Bethunaickan R, Huang W, Tao H, Madaio MP, Davidson A. Selective blockade of BAFF for the prevention and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus nephritis in NZM2410 mice. Arthritis Rheum. 2010 May; 62(5):1457-68. PMID: 20131293.

Chapters in books
  1. Rajasekaran S, Anuradha R, Manokaran G and Bethunaickan R. An overview of Lymphatic Filariasis Lymphedema. Huma lymphatic Filariasis: Current Understanding. Edited by  Rajasekaran S, MBBS, PhD.
  2. Bethunaickan R, SahuR and Davidson A. Analysis of renal mononuclear phagocytes in murine models of SLE. Autoimmunity: Methods and protocols. Springer Protocols: Methods in Molecular Biology 900: Humana Press; 2nd   edition 2012, Edited by Andras Perl, MD, Ph.D.  
Awards and Honors

2014  - “DBT-Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship” from DBT, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India.

2010  - Senior key personnel, NIH- R01 DK085241-01

2006  - New York SLE Foundation basic research Fellowship Grant Award from July 2006- June 2009 For ‘Mechanism of remission in Lupus Nephritis’.

2003  - CEFIPRA/IFCPAR Post-Doctoral Fellowship for two years in France.

2000  -  EGIDE Fellowship for International studies in France during Ph.D.

1999  - CSIR Senior Research Fellowship from Government of India.

1996  - Junior Research Fellowship / National Eligibility Test (JRF-NET) by CSIR, Government of India

1994 - Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Prize for Science and Technology.

1994 - Prof. (Tmt.) Susheela Clements Endowment Prize GOLD MEDAL in recognition of Performance in B.Sc., Zoology for obtaining the FIRST RANK in Bharathidasan University.