DEPARTMENT.FACULTY
- DEPARTMENT_STAFF.QUALIFICATION
Ph.D. (Medicine), M. Sc. (Biotechnology), B.Sc.(Hons) Chemistry
- DEPARTMENT_STAFF.DESIGNATION
Assistant Professor
- DEPARTMENT_STAFF.THRUST_AREA
Chromatin Biology & Genomic Instability
- DEPARTMENT_STAFF.ADDRESS
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202002
- DEPARTMENT_STAFF.MOBILE
9719308306
- DEPARTMENT_STAFF.EMAIL
afzalhusain1@hotmail.com
Dr. Afzal Husain has had a rich and diverse academic and professional journey, spanning various facets of molecular biology and biochemistry. His Ph.D. research, conducted under the guidance of Prof. Tomoyoshi Nozaki at Gunma University and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, focused on applying a multidisciplinary approach to identify novel metabolic pathways for developing chemotherapeutic agents against human protozoan parasites. During his doctoral studies, he employed a multidisciplinary approach, including metabolomic, transcriptomic, and enzymological methods, to elucidate novel metabolic pathways with the aim of developing chemotherapeutic agents targeting human protozoan parasites.
Following his Ph.D., Dr. Husain gained valuable experience working alongside Nobel Laureate Prof. Tasuku Honjo at Kyoto University, Japan. Here, he delved into chromatin proteomics and reverse genetic methodologies to investigate the intricate mechanisms underlying activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID)-dependent antibody gene diversification and genomic instability associated with B-cell lymphomas. His time in Honjo's lab further honed his skills in molecular biology and provided insights into fundamental processes governing immune responses and DNA damage repair and recombination.
Transitioning into industry, Dr. Husain served as a Research & Development Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Bengaluru. In this role, he led teams specializing in Epigenetics and Custom Antibody Development. His responsibilities included spearheading the development and validation of recombinant rabbit antibodies raised against small molecules, proteins, and post-translational modifications.
Throughout his career, Dr. Husain has made significant contributions to the scientific community, as evidenced by his publications in prestigious journals such as the EMBO Journal, Nature Communication, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Cell Reports, and Journal of Biological Chemistry. His current research interests centre on unravelling the mechanisms underlying genome instability, reflecting a continued commitment to advancing our understanding of fundamental biological processes with implications for human health and disease.
- Publications Refaat AM, Nakata M, Husain A, H. Kosako, T. Honjo, N.A. Begum, HNRNPU facilitates antibody class-switch recombination through C-NHEJ promotion and R-loop suppression. Cell Reports 42 (2023) 112284.
Begum NA, Haque F, Stanlie A, Husain A, Mondal S, Nakata M, Taniguchi T, Hisaaki T, Tasuku Honjo. Phf5a regulates DNA repair in class switch recombination via p400 and histone H2A variant deposition. EMBO Journal. 2021 Jun 15;40(12):e106393.
Husain A*, Begum NA, Kobayashi M, Honjo T. Native co-immunoprecipitation assay to identify interacting partners of chromatin-associated proteins in mammalian cells. Bio-protocol. 10(23): 2020. e3837.
Husain A, Xu J, Fujii H, Kobayashi M, Nakata M, Wang Ji-Yang, Rehwinkel J, Honjo T, Begum NA. SAMHD1-mediated dNTP degradation is required for efficient DNA repair during antibody class switch recombination. EMBO Journal, 2020 Aug 3;39(15): e102931.
Azza AI, Husain A, and Honjo T et al. Depletion of recombination-specific cofactors by the C-terminal mutant of the activation-induced cytidine deaminase causes the dominant negative effect on class switch recombination. International Immunology, 2017, 29, Issue 11,525–537.
Husain A, and Tasuku Honjo et al, et al. Chromatin remodeller SMARCA4 recruits topoisomerase 1 and suppresses transcription-associated genomic instability. Nature Communications. 2016 Feb 4; 7:10549.
Xu J, Husain A, and Honjo T et al. APE1 is dispensable for S-region cleavage but required for its repair in class switch recombination. Proceedings of Natural Academy of Sciences. 2014 Dec 2;111(48):17242-7.
Jeelani G, Husain A, Nozaki T et al. Biochemical and functional characterization of novel NADH kinase in the enteric protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Biochimie. 2013 Feb;95(2):309-19.
Husain A, and Nozaki T et al. Dramatic increase in glycerol biosynthesis upon oxidative stress in the anaerobic protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 2012;6(9): e1831.
Penuliar GM, Furukawa A, Nakada-Tsukui K, Husain A, and Nozaki T, et al. Transcriptional and functional analysis of trifluoromethionine resistance in Entamoeba histolytica. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 2012 Feb;67(2):375-86.
Jeelani G, Sato D, Husain A, Nozaki T et al. Metabolic profiling of the protozoan parasite Entamoeba invadens revealed activation of unpredicted pathway during encystation. PLoS One. 2012;7(5): e37740.
Husain A, Jeelani G, Sato D, and Nozaki T et al. Global analysis of gene expression in response to L-Cysteine deprivation in the anaerobic protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. BMC Genomics. 2011 May 31; 12:275.
Husain A, and Nozaki T. et al. Metabolome analysis revealed increase in S-methylcysteine and phosphatidylisopropanolamine synthesis upon L-cysteine deprivation in the anaerobic protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2010 Dec 10;285(50):39160-70.
Husain A, Jeelani G, Sato D, Ali V, Nozaki T et.al. Characterization of two isotypes of l-threonine dehydratase from Entamoeba histolytica. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology. 2010 Apr;170(2):100-4.
Jeelani G, Husain A, Nozaki T et al. Two atypical L-cysteine-regulated NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases involved in redox maintenance, L-cystine and iron reduction, and metronidazole activation in the enteric protozoan Entamoeba histolytica. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2010 Aug 27;285(35):26889-99.
Nakada-Tsukui K, Saito-Nakano Y, Husain A, Nozaki T et al. Conservation and function of Rab small GTPases in Entamoeba: annotation of E invadens Rab and its use for the understanding of Entamoeba biology. Experimental Parasitology. 2010 Nov;126(3):337-47.