Gyan Ranjan

@uef.fi

Postdoctoral Researcher, PhD
A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland

Gyan Ranjan


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https://researchid.co/gyan.ranjan

EDUCATION

1. PhD in Biological Science
Distinction
Thesis: Exploring sequence independent functional conservation of lncRNAs
Supervisor: Dr. Vinod Scaria and Dr. Sridhar Sivasubbu
Institute: CSIR-Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, New Delhi, India
2. B.Tech in Genetic Engineering
First Class with Distinction
Main topics: Genetic engineering, recombinant technology, genetics, molecular biology
SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, India

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Molecular Medicine, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine, Genetics
15

Scopus Publications

829

Scholar Citations

11

Scholar h-index

11

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • NFATc1 drives Orai3 transcription and proteolysis by harnessing epigenome differences in the MARCH8 promoter
    Sharon Raju, Akshay Sharma, Sakshi Dahiya, Gyan Ranjan, Rajender K Motiani
    EMBO Journal, 2025
    Several autonomous mechanisms regulate protein expression, such as transcription, translation, post-translational modifications, and epigenetic changes. Rarely, these processes are controlled by the same molecular player with overlapping roles. Here, we reveal that transcription factor NFATc1 regulates both transcription and degradation of the Ca2+ channel Orai3 in a context-dependent manner. We demonstrate that NFATc1 drives Orai3 transcription in non-metastatic pancreatic cancer cells. In invasive and metastatic pancreatic cancer cells, NFATc1 induces Orai3 lysosomal degradation by transcriptionally enhancing MARCH8 E3-ubiquitin ligase. We show that MARCH8 physically interacts with Orai3 intracellular loop eventually resulting in its ubiquitination at the N-terminal. Mechanistically, the dichotomy in the regulation of Orai3 expression emerges from the differences in MARCH8 epigenetic landscape. We uncover that MARCH8 promoter is hyper-methylated in non-metastatic cells. Importantly, we demonstrate that MARCH8 restricts pancreatic cancer metastasis by targeting Orai3 degradation, thereby highlighting the pathophysiological importance of this signaling module. Taken together, we report a unique and clinically relevant scenario wherein the same transcription factor both enhances and curtails the expression of a target protein in cancer.
  • Syntenic lncRNA locus exhibits DNA regulatory functions with sequence evolution
    Gyan Ranjan, Vinod Scaria, Sridhar Sivasubbu
    Gene, 2025
  • Development of an In Silico Platform (TRIPinRNA) for the Identification of Novel RNA Intramolecular Triple Helices and Their Validation Using Biophysical Techniques
    Isha Rakheja, Vishal Bharti, S Sahana, Prosad Kumar Das, Gyan Ranjan, et al.
    Biochemistry, 2025
  • SCAR-6 elncRNA locus epigenetically regulates PROZ and modulates coagulation and vascular function
    Gyan Ranjan, Paras Sehgal, Vinod Scaria, Sridhar Sivasubbu
    EMBO Reports, 2024
    In this study, we characterize a novel lncRNA-producing gene locus that we name Syntenic Cardiovascular Conserved Region-Associated lncRNA-6 (scar-6) and functionally validate its role in coagulation and cardiovascular function. A 12-bp deletion of the scar-6 locus in zebrafish (scar-6gib007Δ12/Δ12) results in cranial hemorrhage and vascular permeability. Overexpression, knockdown and rescue with the scar-6 lncRNA modulates hemostasis in zebrafish. Molecular investigation reveals that the scar-6 lncRNA acts as an enhancer lncRNA (elncRNA), and controls the expression of prozb, an inhibitor of factor Xa, through an enhancer element in the scar-6 locus. The scar-6 locus suppresses loop formation between prozb and scar-6 sequences, which might be facilitated by the methylation of CpG islands via the prdm14-PRC2 complex whose binding to the locus might be stabilized by the scar-6 elncRNA transcript. Binding of prdm14 to the scar-6 locus is impaired in scar-6gib007Δ12/Δ12 zebrafish. Finally, activation of the PAR2 receptor in scar-6gib007Δ12/Δ12 zebrafish triggers NF-κB-mediated endothelial cell activation, leading to vascular dysfunction and hemorrhage. We present evidence that the scar-6 locus plays a role in regulating the expression of the coagulation cascade gene prozb and maintains vascular homeostasis.
  • Mitochondrial calcium uptake orchestrates vertebrate pigmentation via transcriptional regulation of keratin filaments
    Jyoti Tanwar, Kriti Ahuja, Akshay Sharma, Paras Sehgal, Gyan Ranjan, et al.
    Plos Biology, 2024
    Mitochondria regulate several physiological functions through mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics. However, role of mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling in melanosome biology remains unknown. Here, we show that pigmentation requires mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. In vitro gain and loss of function studies demonstrate that mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) is crucial for melanogenesis while MCU rheostat, MCUb negatively control melanogenesis. Zebrafish, MCU+/- and MCUb-/- mice models show that MCU complex drives pigmentation in vivo. Mechanistically, MCU silencing activates transcription factor NFAT2 to induce expression of keratin (5, 7, and 8) filaments. Interestingly, keratin5 in turn augments mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and potentiates melanogenesis by regulating melanosome biogenesis and maturation. Hence this signaling module acts as a negative feedback loop that fine-tunes both mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling and pigmentation. Notably, mitoxantrone, an FDA approved drug that inhibits MCU, reduces pigmentation thereby highlighting therapeutic potential of targeting mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake for clinical management of pigmentary disorders. Taken together, we reveal an MCU-NFAT2-Keratin5 driven signaling axis that acts as a critical determinant of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and pigmentation. Given the vital role of mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling and keratin filaments in cellular physiology, this feedback loop could be operational in a variety of other patho-physiological processes.
  • Functional long non-coding and circular RNAs in zebrafish
    Gyan Ranjan, Paras Sehgal, Disha Sharma, Vinod Scaria, Sridhar Sivasubbu
    Briefings in Functional Genomics, 2021
    The utility of model organisms to understand the function of a novel transcript/genes has allowed us to delineate their molecular mechanisms in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Organisms such as zebrafish have contributed a lot in the field of developmental and disease biology. Attributable to advancement and deep transcriptomics, many new transcript isoforms and non-coding RNAs such as long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified and cataloged in multiple databases and many more are yet to be identified. Various methods and tools have been utilized to identify lncRNAs/circRNAs in zebrafish using deep sequencing of transcriptomes as templates. Functional analysis of a few candidates such as tie1-AS, ECAL1 and CDR1as in zebrafish provides a prospective outline to approach other known or novel lncRNA/circRNA. New genetic alteration tools like TALENS and CRISPRs have helped in probing for the molecular function of lncRNA/circRNA in zebrafish. Further latest improvements in experimental and computational techniques offer the identification of lncRNA/circRNA counterparts in humans and zebrafish thereby allowing easy modeling and analysis of function at cellular level.
  • Asymptomatic Reinfection in 2 Healthcare Workers from India with Genetically Distinct Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2
    Vivek Gupta, Rahul C Bhoyar, Abhinav Jain, Saurabh Srivastava, Rashmi Upadhayay, et al.
    Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2021
  • LncRNA VEAL2 regulates PRKCB2 to modulate endothelial permeability in diabetic retinopathy
    Paras Sehgal, Samatha Mathew, Ambily Sivadas, Arjun Ray, Jyoti Tanwar, et al.
    EMBO Journal, 2021
  • Rapid and accurate nucleobase detection using FnCas9 and its application in COVID-19 diagnosis
    Mohd. Azhar, Rhythm Phutela, Manoj Kumar, Asgar Hussain Ansari, Riya Rauthan, et al.
    Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2021
  • Initial Insights Into the Genetic Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 Isolates From Kerala Suggest Local Spread From Limited Introductions
    Chandni Radhakrishnan, Mohit Kumar Divakar, Abhinav Jain, Prasanth Viswanathan, Rahul C. Bhoyar, et al.
    Frontiers in Genetics, 2021
    Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly spread from a city in China to almost every country in the world, affecting millions of individuals. The rapid increase in the COVID-19 cases in the state of Kerala in India has necessitated the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 genetic epidemiology. We sequenced 200 samples from patients in Kerala using COVIDSeq protocol amplicon-based sequencing. The analysis identified 166 high-quality single-nucleotide variants encompassing four novel variants and 89 new variants in the Indian isolated SARS-CoV-2. Phylogenetic and haplotype analysis revealed that the virus was dominated by three distinct introductions followed by local spread suggesting recent outbreaks and that it belongs to the A2a clade. Further analysis of the functional variants revealed that two variants in the S gene associated with increased infectivity and five variants mapped in primer binding sites affect the efficacy of RT-PCR. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and most comprehensive report of SARS-CoV-2 genetic epidemiology from Kerala.
  • High throughput detection and genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 using COVIDSeq next-generation sequencing
    Rahul C. Bhoyar, Abhinav Jain, Paras Sehgal, Mohit Kumar Divakar, Disha Sharma, et al.
    Plos One, 2021
  • Asymptomatic reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in a child with neuroblastoma characterised by whole genome sequencing
    Satya Prakash Yadav, Dhwanee Thakkar, Rahul C. Bhoyar, Abhinav Jain, Teena Wadhwa, et al.
    Idcases, 2021
  • Insights from genomes and genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the state of Andhra Pradesh
    Pallavali Roja Rani, Mohamed Imran, J. Vijaya Lakshmi, Bani Jolly, S. Afsar, et al.
    Epidemiology and Infection, 2021
  • Knockdown of calcium-binding calb2a and calb2b genes indicates the key regulator of the early development of the zebrafish, Danio rerio
    Rahul C. Bhoyar, Arun G. Jadhao, Ankit Sabharwal, Gyan Ranjan, Sridhar Sivasubbu, et al.
    Brain Structure and Function, 2019
  • Novel LINS1 missense mutation in a family with non-syndromic intellectual disability
    Jayesh Sheth, Gyan Ranjan, Krati Shah, Riddhi Bhavsar, Frenny Sheth
    American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 2017

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • NFATc1 drives Orai3 transcription and proteolysis by harnessing epigenome differences in the MARCH8 promoter
    S Raju, A Sharma, S Dahiya, G Ranjan, RK Motiani
    The EMBO Journal 44 (21), 6137 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • Orai3 orchestrates gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer via NFATc1-SLIT3 axis
    S Arora, A Tanwar, G Ranjan, RK Motiani
    bioRxiv, 2025.08. 22.671673 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Syntenic LncRNA locus exhibits DNA regulatory functions with sequence evolution
    G Ranjan, V Scaria, S Sivasubbu
    Gene 933, 148988 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 6
  • Development of an In Silico Platform (TRIPinRNA) for the Identification of Novel RNA Intramolecular Triple Helices and Their Validation Using Biophysical Techniques
    I Rakheja, V Bharti, S Sahana, PK Das, G Ranjan, A Kumar, N Jain, ...
    Biochemistry 64 (1), 250-265 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 1
  • Mitochondrial calcium uptake orchestrates vertebrate pigmentation via transcriptional regulation of keratin filaments
    J Tanwar, K Ahuja, A Sharma, P Sehgal, G Ranjan, F Sultan, A Agrawal, ...
    PLoS biology 22 (11), e3002895 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 17
  • SCAR-6 elncRNA locus epigenetically regulates PROZ and modulates coagulation and vascular function
    G Ranjan, P Sehgal, V Scaria, S Sivasubbu
    EMBO reports 25 (11), 4950-4978 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 1
  • LncRNA TAAL is a Modulator of Tie1-Mediated Vascular Function in Diabetic Retinopathy
    G Ranjan, S Arora, S Sharma, L Sharma, RC Bhoyar, V Senthivel, ...
    bioRxiv , 2024
    2024
  • Functional long non-coding and circular RNAs in zebrafish
    G Ranjan, P Sehgal, D Sharma, V Scaria, S Sivasubbu
    Briefings in Functional Genomics 20 (6), 348-360 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 8
  • Asymptomatic reinfection in 2 healthcare workers from India with genetically distinct severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
    V Gupta, RC Bhoyar, A Jain, S Srivastava, R Upadhayay, M Imran, B Jolly, ...
    Clinical Infectious Diseases 73 (9), e2823-e2825 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 229
  • LncRNA VEAL2 regulates PRKCB2 to modulate endothelial permeability in diabetic retinopathy
    P Sehgal, S Mathew, A Sivadas, A Ray, J Tanwar, S Vishwakarma, ...
    The EMBO journal 40 (15), EMBJ2020107134 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 59
  • Rapid and accurate nucleobase detection using FnCas9 and its application in COVID-19 diagnosis
    M Azhar, R Phutela, M Kumar, AH Ansari, R Rauthan, S Gulati, N Sharma, ...
    Biosensors and Bioelectronics 183, 113207 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 179
  • Initial insights into the genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from Kerala suggest local spread from limited introductions
    C Radhakrishnan, MK Divakar, A Jain, P Viswanathan, RC Bhoyar, ...
    Frontiers in genetics 12, 630542 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 20
  • High throughput detection and genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 using COVIDSeq next-generation sequencing
    RC Bhoyar, A Jain, P Sehgal, MK Divakar, D Sharma, M Imran, B Jolly, ...
    PloS one 16 (2), e0247115 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 190
  • Insights from genomes and genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the state of Andhra Pradesh
    PR Rani, M Imran, JV Lakshmi, B Jolly, S Afsar, A Jain, MK Divakar, ...
    Epidemiology & Infection 149, e181 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 4
  • Genetic epidemiology of variants associated with immune escape from global SARS-CoV-2 genomes
    B Jolly, M Rophina, A Shamnath, M Imran, RC Bhoyar, MK Divakar, ...
    BioRxiv, 2020.12. 24.424332 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 16
  • Asymptomatic reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in a child with neuroblastoma characterised by whole genome sequencing
    SP Yadav, D Thakkar, RC Bhoyar, A Jain, T Wadhwa, M Imran, B Jolly, ...
    IDCases 23, e01018 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 13
  • A rapid and sensitive method to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus using targeted-mass spectrometry
    P Singh, R Chakraborty, R Marwal, VS Radhakrishan, AK Bhaskar, ...
    Journal of Proteins and Proteomics 11 (3), 159-165 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 58
  • Knockdown of calcium-binding calb2a and calb2b genes indicates the key regulator of the early development of the zebrafish, Danio rerio
    RC Bhoyar, AG Jadhao, A Sabharwal, G Ranjan, S Sivasubbu, C Pinelli
    Brain Structure and Function 224 (2), 627-642 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 11
  • Novel LINS1 missense mutation in a family with non‐syndromic intellectual disability
    J Sheth, G Ranjan, K Shah, R Bhavsar, F Sheth
    American journal of medical genetics Part A 173 (4), 1041-1046 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 14

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Asymptomatic reinfection in 2 healthcare workers from India with genetically distinct severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
    V Gupta, RC Bhoyar, A Jain, S Srivastava, R Upadhayay, M Imran, B Jolly, ...
    Clinical Infectious Diseases 73 (9), e2823-e2825 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 229
  • High throughput detection and genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 using COVIDSeq next-generation sequencing
    RC Bhoyar, A Jain, P Sehgal, MK Divakar, D Sharma, M Imran, B Jolly, ...
    PloS one 16 (2), e0247115 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 190
  • Rapid and accurate nucleobase detection using FnCas9 and its application in COVID-19 diagnosis
    M Azhar, R Phutela, M Kumar, AH Ansari, R Rauthan, S Gulati, N Sharma, ...
    Biosensors and Bioelectronics 183, 113207 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 179
  • LncRNA VEAL2 regulates PRKCB2 to modulate endothelial permeability in diabetic retinopathy
    P Sehgal, S Mathew, A Sivadas, A Ray, J Tanwar, S Vishwakarma, ...
    The EMBO journal 40 (15), EMBJ2020107134 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 59
  • A rapid and sensitive method to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus using targeted-mass spectrometry
    P Singh, R Chakraborty, R Marwal, VS Radhakrishan, AK Bhaskar, ...
    Journal of Proteins and Proteomics 11 (3), 159-165 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 58
  • Initial insights into the genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from Kerala suggest local spread from limited introductions
    C Radhakrishnan, MK Divakar, A Jain, P Viswanathan, RC Bhoyar, ...
    Frontiers in genetics 12, 630542 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 20
  • Mitochondrial calcium uptake orchestrates vertebrate pigmentation via transcriptional regulation of keratin filaments
    J Tanwar, K Ahuja, A Sharma, P Sehgal, G Ranjan, F Sultan, A Agrawal, ...
    PLoS biology 22 (11), e3002895 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 17
  • Genetic epidemiology of variants associated with immune escape from global SARS-CoV-2 genomes
    B Jolly, M Rophina, A Shamnath, M Imran, RC Bhoyar, MK Divakar, ...
    BioRxiv, 2020.12. 24.424332 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 16
  • Novel LINS1 missense mutation in a family with non‐syndromic intellectual disability
    J Sheth, G Ranjan, K Shah, R Bhavsar, F Sheth
    American journal of medical genetics Part A 173 (4), 1041-1046 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 14
  • Asymptomatic reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in a child with neuroblastoma characterised by whole genome sequencing
    SP Yadav, D Thakkar, RC Bhoyar, A Jain, T Wadhwa, M Imran, B Jolly, ...
    IDCases 23, e01018 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 13
  • Knockdown of calcium-binding calb2a and calb2b genes indicates the key regulator of the early development of the zebrafish, Danio rerio
    RC Bhoyar, AG Jadhao, A Sabharwal, G Ranjan, S Sivasubbu, C Pinelli
    Brain Structure and Function 224 (2), 627-642 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 11
  • Functional long non-coding and circular RNAs in zebrafish
    G Ranjan, P Sehgal, D Sharma, V Scaria, S Sivasubbu
    Briefings in Functional Genomics 20 (6), 348-360 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 8
  • Syntenic LncRNA locus exhibits DNA regulatory functions with sequence evolution
    G Ranjan, V Scaria, S Sivasubbu
    Gene 933, 148988 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 6
  • Insights from genomes and genetic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the state of Andhra Pradesh
    PR Rani, M Imran, JV Lakshmi, B Jolly, S Afsar, A Jain, MK Divakar, ...
    Epidemiology & Infection 149, e181 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 4
  • NFATc1 drives Orai3 transcription and proteolysis by harnessing epigenome differences in the MARCH8 promoter
    S Raju, A Sharma, S Dahiya, G Ranjan, RK Motiani
    The EMBO Journal 44 (21), 6137 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • Orai3 orchestrates gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer via NFATc1-SLIT3 axis
    S Arora, A Tanwar, G Ranjan, RK Motiani
    bioRxiv, 2025.08. 22.671673 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Development of an In Silico Platform (TRIPinRNA) for the Identification of Novel RNA Intramolecular Triple Helices and Their Validation Using Biophysical Techniques
    I Rakheja, V Bharti, S Sahana, PK Das, G Ranjan, A Kumar, N Jain, ...
    Biochemistry 64 (1), 250-265 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 1
  • SCAR-6 elncRNA locus epigenetically regulates PROZ and modulates coagulation and vascular function
    G Ranjan, P Sehgal, V Scaria, S Sivasubbu
    EMBO reports 25 (11), 4950-4978 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 1
  • LncRNA TAAL is a Modulator of Tie1-Mediated Vascular Function in Diabetic Retinopathy
    G Ranjan, S Arora, S Sharma, L Sharma, RC Bhoyar, V Senthivel, ...
    bioRxiv , 2024
    2024

GRANT DETAILS

1. SERB International travel grant July 2024
International Vascular biology meeting 2024 (IVBM2024), Amsterdam, Netherlands

2. EMBO Fellowship and Flash Talk Oct 2023
EMBO | EMBL Symposium The non-coding genome, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany.

RESEARCH OUTPUTS (PATENTS, SOFTWARE, PUBLICATIONS, PRODUCTS)

a) Designed and developed an In-vitro diagnostic kit for COVID-19 virus detection and licensed it to
commercial companies.
 COVIDsure Multiplex Realtime RT-PCR Kit (Licensed to Trivitron Healthcare)

rt-pcr-kit
 COVIDsure pro-Multiplex Realtime RT-PCR Kit (Licensed to Trivitron Healthcare)

pcr-kit
 IMDX SARS-CoV-2 Multiplex ORF1ab/N gene RT-PCR assay (Licensed to Siemens
Healthineers)
 IMDX SARS-CoV-2 Multiplex E/N gene RT-PCR assay (Licensed to Siemens Healthineers)



b) Designed and developed TREK/KREC in-vitro diagnostic assay to detect Primary
immunodeficiency diseases (PID) currently in use for screening at Government Medical College,
Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
c) Validated COVIDSeq assay (Illumina) for the first time on suspected SARS CoV-2 patient
samples for the first time.
d) Validated CRISPR-FnCas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay (FELUDA) for detecting
SNVs, including heterozygous carriers, and diagnosis of COVID-19. (Licensed to Tata MD
Limited)