Geeta Narlikar

Geeta J. Narlikar is an Indian–American biochemist who is Professor and the Lewis and Ruth Cozen Chair at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research considers epigenetic regulation and genome organisation. She was elected a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2021.

Geeta Jayant Narlikar
Alma materStanford University
IIT Bombay
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of California, San Francisco
ThesisInsights into RNA folding and biological catalysis through investigations with the Tetrahymena ribozyme (1998)
WebsiteNarlikar Lab

Early life and education

Narlikar was born in India. She was an undergraduate student in chemistry at the IIT Bombay.[1] After completing her master's degree, she moved to the United States as a graduate student at Stanford University, where she studied RNA folding and biological catalysis.[2] Narlikar left California for the East Coast of the United States, joining Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral researcher.[3]

Research and career

Narlikar researches the fundamental processes that underpin epigenetic mechanisms.[4] In particular, she is interested in how nanoscale molecular motors make use of chemical energy to mechanically disrupt the genome. Beyond molecular motors, Narlikar studies the receptor-like behaviour of nucleosomes. Prior to the work of Narlikar, it was assumed that nucleosomes acted as stable and rigid docking sites for DNA. These nucleosomes change shape to regulate access to the underlying DNA. She uncovered the role of HP1a proteins in sequestering part of the genome (heterochromatinthat) and the role of liquid-liquid phase separation in nucleus reorganisation.[5]

In 2014, Narlikar started to teach a summer course on Chromatin, Epigenetics, and Gene Expression at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.[5]

Awards and honours

Selected publications
  • Geeta J. Narlikar; Hua-Ying Fan; Robert E. Kingston (22 February 2002). "Cooperation between complexes that regulate chromatin structure and transcription". Cell. 108 (4): 475–87. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(02)00654-2. ISSN 0092-8674. PMID 11909519. Wikidata Q29614769.
  • Adam G Larson; Daniel Elnatan; Madeline M Keenen; et al. (21 June 2017). "Liquid droplet formation by HP1α suggests a role for phase separation in heterochromatin". Nature. 547 (7662): 236–240. Bibcode:2017Natur.547..236L. doi:10.1038/NATURE22822. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 5606208. PMID 28636604. Wikidata Q46018754.
  • Robert E. Kingston; Geeta J. Narlikar (15 September 1999). "ATP-dependent remodeling and acetylation as regulators of chromatin fluidity". Genes & Development. 13 (18): 2339–52. doi:10.1101/GAD.13.18.2339. ISSN 0890-9369. PMID 10500090. Wikidata Q28145156.

References
  1. "Prof. Geeta Narlikar | Alumni and Corporate Relations". www.alumni.iitb.ac.in. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  2. Narlikar, Geeta Jayant (1998). Insights into RNA folding and biological catalysis through investigations with the Tetrahymena ribozyme (Thesis). OCLC 84444091.
  3. "Geeta Narlikar". IIT Bay Area Alumni. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  4. "Dr. Narlikar". Narlikar Lab @ UCSF. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  5. "Geeta Narlikar – CSHL WiSE". Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  6. "Geeta Narlikar". Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  7. "Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging". glennfoundation.org. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  8. "2021 NAS Election". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
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