Indian Institute of Science Alumni Association 5 PROFESSOR M. VIJAYAN LECTURE Alumni The Prof M, Vijayan lecture was initiated by an endowment from the friends and co-workers of Professor M Vijayan. Professor M. Vijayan i leading Indian structural biologist with considerable international presence. He has been largely instrumental in iniating and nurturing biological macromolecular crystallography in Inds A majority ofthe research groups this area in the country are Ted by his students an thelr descendants He has made sigalfcant contributions pertaining to supramolecular association and its impliatios to chemical evolution nd origin of if; lectins and protein ~ carbohydrate interactions; protein hydration and its consequences, and mycobacteria, especialy TB, Digphysics. Hs extensive engagement with science academies has encompassed the Prsidentship of the Indian NaUanal Science Academy. ‘He has been deeply nvolved inthe activities ofthe scence and technology departments of the government and dozens of institutions across the country, Professor Vijayan’ efforts have been characterized by national commitment and emphasis on mentoring Online Lecture By : JOIN BY GR CODE Ee Prof. G. Padmanaban NASI Honorary Scientist/Hon. Professor, Dept. of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore On “60 Years of Science at IISc” Chair: Prof. Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc Date : Saturday, August 28,2021 ‘Time : 7.30 p.m. (IST) Venue: MS Teams Online Meeting (nttps:imsteams.link/B9CY) Moderator : Prof. B. Gopal, MBU, IISc ABSTRACT: ‘consider itasa privilege and honor tobe giving the Vijayan Lecture. Vaan has been a dear colleague and co-traveller nts journey. One tends to gather multiple things, fone has to summarize 60. essentially at single place But, can finda common thread in terms of cience, although there are ‘enongh ditractionst joined the Sin 1961 as a RF/student forthe PhD. degree. The common thread is his mol ‘Studied its biosynthesis, regulation and cellular funetion in varied systems from Neurospora (Kings), yeast, mammalian (rat and mouse) lve (P falciparum and Pberghet). It is well own that heme i the prosthetic roup of heme-protens, hemoglobin and cytochromes being standard examples. was not looking at structural aspects but my studies ed to unraveling its role as second messenger, but the Editor TIBS (Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 1989) would only Jetme summarize the function of idem asa mnlt-nctonal regulator! We could show that Heme regulates gene transcription, Protein translation, transport across Geese ce ed pte eee ee Tholeet 25 yee of my Jeurmey conectrd ane be the malaria parasite; a teat slettlcresoun bung tat era plays a contra role in parasite metabolism nthe blood stage, the malaria parasite is esentaly in ase of hemoglobin. The heme derived from host hemoglobin forleto the parasite andi converts itto a polymer, referred to as Hemozoi, to escape the toxicity We discovered thatthe parasite makes heme trough a unique set ‘fenzymea, although Itgets tons of heme rom host hemoglobin, We could show that biosynthetic heme s required fer parasite development in the mosquito, More recent studies (a ILS, Bhubaneswar) have established that parasite heme is essential to sustain virulence, cause Experimental Cerebral Malaria (ECM), in Particalar We have shown that an fahibitor of parasite heme biosynthesis, Giseofulvn, iz an effective adjunct drug fo prevent ECM. This is an FDA-approved Antifungal drugand its repurposing potential to treat human cerebral malaria loks very promising, Outside ofthis theme, we could alsa show that curcumin from {urmerte can alse be an adjunct drug to prevent ECM. This study hasled us to mount a eine ial by collaborators. SPEAKER: professor Padmanabanisthe first student ofthe Indian Intute of Science, Bangalore tohave cones Director: Me contributed sigan tthe iniaton of ecombinant DNA research athe county with his tues on ver cjtochrome-P4SO gene expression, which play crucial role In drug metabolism The mleele HEME has Seen atthe centre of is malaria parasite biology for the lar three decade ie group dscvered tad aria ran ajc ug played an integral part in the growth of Life Sciences and Biotechnology in the country He [eteraton of Student, anior and senior stents and eat {he National Academy of Sclenc (NASI im 2039