Professional Profile

Metabolism of Omega-3 fatty acids and Endocannabinoids by CYP epoxygenases to yield Anti-Inflammatory Lipid Metabolites

Our laboratory focuses on understanding how dietary fatty acids gets converted to anti-inflammatory lipid signaling molecules by epoxygenases. Recently, we have been investigating about biotransformation of both endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids. Research in our laboratory is highly interdisciplinary and collaborative. 

Please visit Das Laboratory website

VM 602 (Biochemistry) 

VM603 (GI Physiology) 

CB 449/FSHN 480 Basic Toxicology 

2017. NIH R01 Grant from NIGMS

2016. Platform Speaker, Microsomal and Drug Oxidations

2015. American Heart Association, National Scientist Development Grant

2015. Lightening Talk LIPID MAPS meeting

2014. Lightening Talk LIPID MAPS meetig

2014. NIEHS funded travel award for International Winter Eicosanoid Conference 

2013. Moog Lecture Series, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute

2013. ACS Workshop Travel Award

2012. Pew Scholar Nominee, UIUC campus

2010. ACS Biological Division Travel Award  

2007. Outstanding Researcher Award, NSF-NSEC.  

2006-11. NSF-(NSEC) Postdoctoral Fellowship. 

2005. FMC Corporation Graduate Fellowship, Princeton.  

2004. Dean’s List Finalist for Honorific Fellowship, Princeton. 

2001. Science and Engineering First Year Princeton Graduate Fellowship. 

1998. CSIR-JRF Fellowship, India.  

1993-96. Merit List Scholarship, Delhi University, India. 

Awards to Students

2015, Albert Doby award to Daniel McDougle

2015, Fulbright Scholarship to Ms. Susan Zelasko

2015, American Heart Association Fellowship to John Krapf

2015, Highest Distinction Awarded to Mr. Amogh Kambalyal and Ms. Susan Zelasko

2014, Best poster award to Ms. Susan Zelasko

2014, American Heart Association Fellowship to Daniel McDougle

2014, American Heart Association Fellowship to John Rouck

2014, William and Lycman Biochemistry Award to Amogh Kambalyal

2013, American Heart Association Fellowship to Susan Zelasko

2013. High Distinction for Undergraduate Thesis - Christopher Mularcyzk

2013. MCB Summer Fellowship - Susan Zelasko

Mechanisms of Eicosanoid Synthesizing Enzymes

 Metabolism of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids by epoxygenases in the heart

Dietary consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have been linked to cardiovascular health benefits in humans. The central hypothesis is that the cardiovascular physiological effects of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are partly mediated by the synthesis of eicosanoids via the epoxygenase (EPOX) pathway and also via reduction of platelet aggregation. The goal is to provide support to this central hypothesis through biochemical and physiological studies. 

Novel Endocannabinoid Epoxide Metabolites

Omega-3 and omega-6 endocannabinoids ellicit similar response to Cannabis in the body. Our lab is studying the metabolism of these endocannabinoids through the epoxygenase pathway.

* denotes corresponding author or first author

2017

37. Maroutsos, D., Huff, H., and Das, A*, "N-terminal modification to increase expression of Eukaryotic P450s in E.Coli - CYP5alpha Hydroxylase and CYP2J2 epoxygenase" Methods in Molecular Biology, Book Chapter. Submitted

36. McDougle, D.R., Abdeen,A., Adili, R., Caputo, M., Krapf, J., Johnson, R., Kilian, K., Holinstat, M., Das, A*, "Anti-inflammatory Omega-3 Endocannabinoid Epoxides", PNAS (Direct Submission), Accepted with Minor Revisions

35. Roy, J. Pondenis, H., Fan T.*, Das, A*, "Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Metastatic and Non-metastatic Osteosarcoma of Human and Canine Origin" PLOS One, Accepted with Minor Revisions 

32. Rouck*, J.E., Bradley*, WB.,Kambalyal, A.,Parayil, A*. and Das, A*., "Expression and Purification of cytochrome P450 taxadiene 5alpha-hydroxylase in E.Coli", Protein Expression and Purification, Protein Expr Purif. 2017 Jan 18;132:60-67. doi: 10.1016/j.pep.2017.01.008.

2016

33. Arnold, W., Baylon, J, Tajkorshid, E.* and Das, A.*,"Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) preferentially binds to cardiovascular CYP2J2 and inhibits arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism" Biochemistry. 2016, 55(50):6969-6980

32. Biochemistry, 2015, 54 (41), pp 6299–6302. Plucinski, L., Gartia, M., Arnold, W., Ameen, A., Chang, T., Hsiao, A., Liu, G.*, Das, A.*, "Substrate Binding to CYP2J2- Nanodiscs Detected by Nanoplasmonic Lygurcus Cup Arrays" Biosens Bioelectron., 2016, 337-46.  

31. Lim, SJ, McDougle, D., Das, A* and Smith, A.*, "Lipoprotein Nanoplatelets: Fluorescent, Zwitterionic Probes for Molecular and Cellular Imaging." Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2016 ASAP. 

30. Roy, J. Pondenis, H., Fan T.*, Das, A*, "Direct Capture of Functional Proteins from Mammalian Plasma Membranes into Nanodiscs" Biochemistry, 2015, 6299–6302.

29. McDougle, D*., Baylon, J.* Meling D., Kambalyal, A., Tajkorshid, E.*, and Das, A*  "Incorporation of Charged Residues in the CYP2J2 F-G Loop Disrupts CYP2J2-Lipid Bilayer Interactions" Biochimica et Biophysica Acta -Biomembranes, 2015, 2060-2470.

28.  Zelasko, S, Meling, D. and Das A*. "A critical residue that controls the isomerization of prostaglandin in thromboxane synthase", Biophysical Chemistry, 2015, 34-40.

27. Wilcox, K., Das, A., Velasco, P., Sligar S.G. and Klein, W. "Nanoscale synaptic membrane mimetic allows unbiased high throughput screen that targets binding sites for Alzheimer’s-associated Aβ oligomers" 2015, PLOS ONE In Press

26. Zelasko, S., Arnold, W., Das, A* " Endocannabinoid Metabolism by Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenases.", Prostaglandins and Other Lipid Mediators. 2015, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1098882314000744

(News: Most downloaded article is at POLM) 

2014 

25. McDougle, D., Kambalayal, A., Meling, D. and Das, A*. "Endocannabinoids - Anandamide and 2- Arachidonoylglycerol are Substrates for Human CYP2J2 Epoxygenase" Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2014, 616-27. 

24. Meling, D., McDougle, D. and Das, A.*,"CYP2J2 epoxygenase membrane anchor plays an important role in facilitating electron transfer from CPR." Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 2014, 47-53. 

23. Orlando, B., McDougle, D., Lucido, M., Eng, E., Stokes, D., Das, A*., and Malkowski, M*. "Cyclooxygenase-2 Catalysis and Inhibition in Lipid Bilayer Nanodiscs" Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 2014, 546, 33-40. 

22. Srivarma, S., Mularcyzk, C. Meling, D. and Das, A*. "Substrate binding thermodynamics and kinetics to thromboxane synthase in model lipid bilayers", ChemBioChem. 2014, 15, 892

2013

21. Zelasko S., Palaria, A., and Das, A* "Modifications to produce high-level expression of mammalian cytochrome P450s in recombinant expression systems" Protein Expression and Purification,2013,92,77-87 

20. McDougle, D*., Palaria, A.*Magnetta E., Meling, D. and Das, A*. "Functional Studies of N-terminally modified CYP2J2 epoxygenase in Model Lipid Bilayers", Protein Science, 2013, 22,964 (Amrita Palaria and Daniel McDougle are equal authors)

19. Marty, M., Das, A., Sligar, S.G. “MALDI Mass Spectrometry of Membrane Proteins in Nanodiscs”, Analytical Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2012, Accepted.

18. Das, A., Wei, Y., Pelczer, I. and Hecht, M.H. “Binding of Small Molecules to Cavity Forming Mutants of a De Novo Designed Protein”, Protein Science, 2011, 20, 702–711.

(In News) Editor Highlight in Protein Science

(In News): Nanomechanical sensor can detect cholera. Nanowerk Spotlight

15. Das. A., Zhao, J. Van Duyne, R. and Sligar, S.G. “Screening of Type I and II Drug Binding to Human Cytochrome P450-3A4 in Nanodiscs by Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy”,Anal. Chem., 2009, 81 (10), 3754–3759.

11. Das. A., Grinkova, Y. and Sligar, S.G. “Redox Potential Control by Drug Binding to Cytochrome P450 3A4.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129 (45), 13778-13779

8. Zhao*, J., Das, A.*, Zhang, X, Schatz, G., Sligar, S., Van Duyne, R. “Resonance Surface Plasmon Spectroscopy: Low Molecular Weight Substrate Binding to Cytochrome P450” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128 (34), 11004-11005. (* Co-first authors)

(In News): (1) Enhanced LSPR detects binding of small molecules. Anal. Chem., 2006, 78(21), 7356. (2) Kirrill’s Café paper of the month. August 2006

• Van Duyne, R., Zhao, J., Das, A., Zhang, X., Schatz, G. and Sligar, S. (2006) “Resonance Surface Plasmon Spectroscopy: Low Molecular Weight Substrate Binding to Cytochrome P450” Patent Applied

• Klein, W., Sligar, S. G., Wilcox, K. Das, A. Velasco P., Marty, M. (2011) “An isolated set of central nervous system proteins that bind oligomers of amyloid beta (also known as ADDLs)” Invention Disclosure

NIH R01 Grant NIGMS

American Heart Association National SDG (Role: PI)

AHA - Grant Numbers- 15SDG25760064, 15UFEL25080175, 14PRE20130015, 14UFEL19990011, 13UFEL16890010

Research Board (Role: PI)

Manus Biosynthesis Industrial Funding (Role: PI)