Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics Lab

IISER Kolkata - Department of Biological Sciences

Exploring Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics

Our research focuses on understanding epigenetic mechanisms, protein engineering, and photochemical approaches to study chromatin dynamics in human health and disease.

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Principal Investigator

Dr. Babu Sudhamalla

Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata

Dr. Sudhamalla's research focuses on epigenetic mechanisms including reversal of DNA methylation and epigenetic readers/erasers of histone acetylation. His lab uses multidisciplinary approaches including protein engineering, unnatural amino acid mutagenesis, and mechanistic biochemistry to understand epigenetic mechanisms in human health and disease.

Current Position

Associate Professor, IISER Kolkata

Assistant Professor

IISER Kolkata (2018-2024)

Postdoctoral Fellow

University of Pittsburgh, USA (2014-2018)

Ph.D. Biochemistry

University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad (2014)

M.Tech. Bioinformatics

University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad (2009)

B.Tech. Biotechnology

JNTU, Hyderabad (2006)

Dr. Babu Sudhamalla

Research Overview

The research in our laboratory focuses on epigenetic mechanisms that are at best partially understood: (i) reversal of DNA methylation (ii) epigenetic readers and erasers of histone acetylation. Dysregulation in these processes can cause chromosomal instability, and eventually lead to multiple disorders including cancer and neurological diseases.

Epigenetics and Gene Regulation

We investigate the molecular rationale linking epigenetic events to disease states, particularly how mutations in various gene products play roles in tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis.

Chemical Biology

We focus on the expansion of the genetic code: genetic incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins in live cells and their applications.

Photochemical Approaches

We develop photochemical approaches toward understanding epigenetic mechanisms in human biology and disease.

To address these questions, we take a multidisciplinary approach that integrates protein engineering, unnatural amino acid mutagenesis, mechanistic biochemistry, mammalian cell culture systems, proteomics, and bioinformatics to interrogate cellular machineries toward a molecular understanding of epigenetic mechanisms in human health and disease.

Our Team

Current Members

Jyotirmayee Padhan

Senior Research Fellow

Soumyajit Chakraborty

Junior Research Fellow

Alfiya N

Junior Research Fellow

Navya Sree Ponnaganti

Junior Research Fellow

Smrutimayee Prusty

5th year BS-MS Project Student

Alumni

Dr. Yogita Yadav

PhD, 2025

Dr. Ishita Bardhan

PhD, 2025

Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Denmark

Dr. Anirban Roy

PhD, 2024

Postdoctoral Associate at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Texas, USA

Dr. Soumen Barman

PhD, 2024

Postdoctoral Associate at National Institute on Aging-NIH, Baltimore, USA

Sowmya

MS-Thesis, 2025

Graduate student at the University of Stuttgart, Germany

Rashik A

MS-Thesis, 2025

Project Assistant at Lund University, Sweden

Phibarisha Chyne

MS-Thesis, 2023

Project Based Student Trainee at CCMB, Hyderabad

Snehasudha Sahu

MS-Thesis, 2022

Graduate student at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNCCH) USA

Pragyan Dash

MS-Thesis, 2021

System Engineer at Tata Consultancy Services, Kolkata

Ravi Kiran Putchala

MS-Thesis, 2021

Project Associate, CSIR, IICT Hyderabad

Shivani

MS-Thesis, 2020

Graduate student at the University of Göttingen, Germany

Lab News

May 2025

Ms. Ishita Bardhan starting her postdoctoral research

Congratulations to Dr. Ishita Bardhan on starting her postdoctoral research position at the Institute for Molecular Medicine, Denmark from July 14, 2025.

July 2025

Ms. Yogita Yadav receives International Travel Support

Ms. Yogita Yadav has been awarded the International Disease Models & Mechanisms Conference Travel Grant (CTG-DMM25022022) from The Company of Biologists Limited and will attend to present a poster at the Gordon Research Conference on Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics 2025, held from May 17-23, 2025, at Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco, Lucca (Barga), Italy..

October 2023

Ms. Ishita Bardhan receives SERB International Travel Support

Ms. Ishita Bardhan (PhD Student) received the International Travel Support (ITS) grant from SERB (Grant Number: ITS/2023/004259) to attend and present her poster in the 1st Epigenetics Society (ES) International Meeting: Epigenetics of Disease and Development, Rome, Italy, October 12-14 2023.

2022

Ms. Jyotirmayee Padhan awarded Prime Minister's Research Fellowship

Ms. Jyotirmayee Padhan (PhD Student) has been selected for the prestigious "Prime Minister's Research Fellowship 2022.

Publications

Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 reads histone methylation via an aromatic cage to regulate gene expression and chromatin association

Padhan J, and Sudhamalla B.
J. Biol. Chem., 2026, 302, 111115

Mechanistic insights into DNA binding by BD1 of the TAF1 tandem bromodomain module

Yadav Y, Chyne P, and Sudhamalla B
Biochem J. 2025, 482, 1415-1429.
DOI: 10.1042/BCJ20253064

ATAD2 and TWIST1 Interaction Promotes MYC Activation in Colorectal Carcinoma

Roy A, and Sudhamalla B
Biochemistry, 2025,64, 114-126

Uncovering the non-histone interactome of the BRPF1 bromodomain using site-specific azide-acetyllysine photochemistry

Barman S, Padhan J, and Sudhamalla B
J. Biol. Chem., 2024, 300, 105551

Integrated virtual screening and MD simulation approaches toward discovering potential inhibitors for targeting BRPF1 bromodomain in hepatocellular carcinoma

Barman S, Bardhan I, Padhan J, and Sudhamalla B
J. Mol. Graph. Model., 2024, 126, 108642

Amyloid β-Peptide Segment Conjugated Side-Chain Proline-Based Polymers as Potent Inhibitors in Lysozyme Amyloidosis

Nayak K, Ghosh P, Barman S, Sudhamalla B, Theato P, De P
Bioconjug. Chem., 2024, 35, 312-323

Novel insights into the recognition of acetylated histone H4 tail by the TRIM24 PHD-Bromo module

Bardhan I, Barman S, Roy A, and Sudhamalla B
Biochem J., 2023, 480, 629-647

Insulin fibril inhibition using glycopolymeric nanoassemblies

Bera A, Ghosh P, Barman S, Bhattacharya S, Sudhamalla B, Goswami K, De P
Biomater. Sci., 2023, 11, 3574-3588

Uncovering the Domain-Specific Interactome of the TAF1 Tandem Reader Using Site-Specific Azide-Acetyllysine Photochemistry

Yadav Y, Barman S, Roy A, Padhan J, and Sudhamalla B
Biochemistry, 2023, 62, 270-280

Identification of novel natural product inhibitors of BRD4 using high throughput virtual screening and MD simulation

Barman S, Sahoo SS, Padhan J and Sudhamalla B
J. Biomol. Struct. Dyn., 2022, 1-13

Molecular Insights into the Recognition of Acetylated Histone Modifications by the BRPF2 Bromodomain

Barman S, Roy A, Padhan J and Sudhamalla B
Biochemistry, 2022, 61, 1774-1789
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00297

Hydrophobic cavity-directed azide-acetyllysine photochemistry for profiling non-histone interacting partners of bromodomain protein 1

Kuwik J, Wagner S, Sudhamalla B, Debiec R, and Islam K
RSC Chem. Biol., 2022, 3, 1061-1068

Designing of RNA aptamer against DNA binding domain of the glucocorticoid receptor: A response element-based in-silico approach

Kandasamy S, Sudhamalla B, Naskar D
J. Biomol. Struct. Dyn., 2022, 40, 1120-1127

Engineering an acetyllysine reader with a photocrosslinking amino acid for interactome profiling

Roy A, Barman S, Padhan J and Sudhamalla B
Chem. Commun., 2021, 57, 9866-9869

Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Histone Code Recognition by the BRPF3 Bromodomain

Barman S, Roy A, Bardhan I, Kandasamy T, Shivani S and Sudhamalla B
Chem. Asian. J., 2021, 16, 3404-3412

Catalytic Space Engineering as a Strategy to Activate C-H Oxidation on 5-Methylcytosine in Mammalian Genome

Sappa S, Dey D, Sudhamalla B and Islam K
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2021, 143, 11891-11896

Engineering bromodomains with a photoactive amino acid by engaging 'Privileged' tRNA synthetases

Wagner S, Sudhamalla B, Mannes P, Sappa S, Kavoosi S, Dey D, Wang S and Islam K
Chem. Commun., 2020, 56, 3641-3644

Site- and degree-specific C-H oxidation on 5-methylcytosine homologues for probing active DNA demethylation

Kavoosi S, Sudhamalla B, Dey D, Shriver K, Arora S, Sappa S and Islam K
Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 10550-10555

Complementary Steric Engineering at the Protein-Ligand Interface for Analogue-Sensitive TET Oxygenases

Sudhamalla B, Wang S, Snyder V, Kavoosi S, Arora S and Islam K
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2018, 140, 10263-10269

Specific Acetylation Patterns of H2A.Z Form Transient Interactions with the BPTF Bromodomain

Gabriella T. Perell, Neeraj K. Mishra, Sudhamalla B, Peter D. Ycas, Islam K, William C.K. Pomerantz
Biochemistry, 2017, 56, 4607-4615

A rapid mass spectrometric method for the measurement of catalytic activity of ten-eleven translocation enzymes

Sudhamalla B, Dey D, Breski M, Islam K
Anal. Biochem., 2017, 534, 28-35

Site-specific azide-acetyllysine photochemistry on epigenetic readers for interactome profiling

Sudhamalla B, Dey D, Breski M, Nguyen T, Islam K
Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 4250-4256

Engineering Biological C-H Functionalization Leads to Allele-Specific Regulation of Histone Demethylases

Breski M, Dey D, Obringer S, Sudhamalla B and Islam K
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138, 13505-13508

Cysteine endoprotease activity of human ribosomal protein S4 is entirely due to the C-terminal domain, and is consistent with Michaelis-Menten mechanism

Sudhamalla B, Kumar M, Roy KR, Kumar RS, and Bhuyan AK
Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 2013, 1830, 5342-9

Enzyme dimension of the ribosomal protein S4 across plant and animal kingdoms

Sudhamalla B, Kumar M, Kumar RS, Sashi P, Yasin UM, Ramakrishna D, Rao PN, and Bhuyan AK
Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 2013, 1830, 5335-41

Arrested cell proliferation through cysteine protease activity of eukaryotic ribosomal protein S4

M Yadaiah, Sudhamalla B, Rao PN, Roy KR, Ramakrishna D, Hussain Syed G, Ramaiah KV and Bhuyan AK
FASEB J., 2013, 27, 803-10

Docking and molecular dynamics studies of peptide inhibitors of ornithine decarboxylase: a rate-limiting enzyme for the metabolism of Fusarium solani

Sanchita, Chauhan R, Soni G, Sudhamalla B and Sharma A
J. Biomol. Struct. Dyn., 2013, 31, 874-87

Cysteine protease attribute of eukaryotic ribosomal protein S4

Sudhamalla B, M Yadaiah, D Ramakrishna and Bhuyan AK
Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 2012, 1820, 1535-42

RNA-Seq and molecular docking reveal multi-level pesticide resistance in the bed bug

Mamidala P, Wijeratne AJ, Wijeratne S, Kornacker K, Sudhamalla B, Rivera-Vega LJ, Hoelmer A, Meulia T, Jones SC and Mittapalli O
BMC Genomics, 2012, 13, 6

Cloning, Escherichia coli expression, purification, characterization, and enzyme assay of the ribosomal protein S4 from wheat seedlings (Triticum vulgare)

Yadaiah M, Nageswara Rao P, Sudhamalla B, Ramakrishna D, Mahammad Yasin U and Bhuyan AK
Protein. Expr. Purif., 2012, 81, 55-62

Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Binding Studies of β-Sitosterol with Human Serum Albumin and Its Biological Relevance

Sudhamalla B, Gokara M, Ahalawat N, Amooru D G, Subramanyam R
J. Phys. Chem. B, 2010, 114, 9054-9062

Interaction studies of coumaroyltyramine with human serum albumin and its biological importance

Neelam S, Gokara, M, Sudhamalla B, Amooru DG and Subramanyam R
J. Phys. Chem. B, 2010, 114, 3005-12

Molecular interaction studies of trimethoxy flavone with human serum albumin

Gokara M, Sudhamalla B, Amooru DG and Subramanyam R
PLoS One, 2010, 5, e8834

Novel binding studies of human serum albumin with trans-feruloyl maslinic acid

Subramanyam R, Goud M, Sudhamalla B, Reddeem E, Gollapudi A, Nellaepalli S, Yadavalli V, Chinnaboina M and Amooru DG
J. Photochem. Photobiol. B, 2009, 95, 81-8

Contact Us

Get In Touch

Address

Department of Biological Sciences
Teaching and Research Complex, 2nd Floor, Room No. N-211
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata
Mohanpur, Nadia-741246, West Bengal, India.

Phone

+91-33-61360000, Ext:1337 (Office)
+91-33-61360000, Ext:1526 (Lab)

Email

s.babu@iiserkol.ac.in