Mistranslation
and
Resistance to Antibiotics
![mira [Recovered]](https://miralab.co.in/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/mira-Recovered-2-ptxukm5xgjw6j97wxqixi5w7c6b3tld88ouw6n6pvs.png "mira [Recovered]")
About MIRA LABS
Welcome to MIRA Labs! While we understand how DNA based changes contribute to adaptation and evolution, the impact of non-genetic variation has remained controversial. We work with mistranslation, one of the biggest and most widespread contributors to non-genetic variation. In prior work, we found that specific protein changes may be unimportant, instead, stress responses triggered by mistranslated proteins could aid in adaptation. How does mistranslation contribute to survival under stress? Do all cells in a population mistranslate to the same degree, what does this mean for adaptation? Can protein-only changes feed back into DNA changes and contribute to evolution? Most assessments of antibiotic resistance explore only genetic resistance. How can we identify non-genetic drivers of resistance and quantify their contribution to the AMR problem? How do translation rate and accuracy impact resistance to antibiotics? Can we design drugs to target non-mutational tolerance? We use a combination of molecular biology and biochemistry techniques, experimental evolution, microscopy, various NGS methods and collaborations as needed to address these questions!
About the pI
I completed my PhD at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and subsequently worked as a Wellcome Trust/DBT early career fellow at NCBS, Bengaluru, with a short stint at Uppsala University, Sweden. I am excited about understanding the role of non-genetic variation in adaptation: how can non-DNA based variation influence evolutionary outcomes? We focus on mistakes that occur while translating the genetic code: mistranslation. Do cells make ‘useful’ mistakes? If so, when and how? Can we re-code specific portions of the genome and arrive at something novel? Using my prior training in molecular genetics, I am also keen on understanding molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and their interplay with protein mistranslation. Between my PhD and postdoctoral work, I worked freelance as a science writer for one year, writing for popular science magazines like New Scientist, The Scientist, Discover, and in the newspaper (Deccan Herald). Writing and science communication remain close to my heart, and the lab will endeavor to contribute to this area as best as it can. I enjoy reading, in particular old British and Japanese detective fiction, listening to Indian classical music and other genres, and gardening.
After years of delay and with a baby and new job in between, I am extra happy that this long pending work is finally out in MBE! Read here: https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/42/12/msaf312/8382663 It ended up involving people from two labs, Deepa’s at NCBS and ours here at Ashoka. The work was chosen for a research highlight in the same issue
As we bid farewell to 2025 and plan for the year ahead, we had a few more wastewater samples to collect. Sometimes, the locations elevate rather than depress our moods- see the attached images!
Speaking at and participating in the NDMC meeting was a novel experience. Given our complete lack of knowledge and experience in anything modelling related, it was enriching to understand what factors feed into building disease and epidemiology models. Asha Kiran from our lab presented her work analysing wastewater-based AMR both metagenomically and from E.coli isolates in the Delhi-NCR
ASM held its first India-based meeting, and the topic was bang in our area- a One health approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Besides presenting some of our work and meeting new people, it was a nostalgic trip for me, a return to the IISc campus after many years. Harshit Arya from our lab presented a poster on his
Our first lab member Aabeer Basu leaves soon. Aabeer joined us before the lab existed and has helped build it in more ways than one. We are sure he will excel at whatever he chooses to take on (including the occasional Pokemon) and wish him a fantastic journey ahead!
Kushal and I just got back from the SMBE Satellite Meeting on Origin, Maintenance and Evolution of Biological Noise, held in Tuebingen, Germany. Besides being one of the best small meetings I have attended, it was also great to be amongst people who didn’t think studying errors needed an explanation 🙂 The meeting venue overlooked the Neckar river
Very happy that we received one of the 10 IPSN catalytic grants from WHO, for an ambitious attempt to link environmental with clinical AMR. We will now foray more deeply into public health problems, using our basic science expertise to try and bridge some gaps. https://www.who.int/news/item/26-11-2024-international-pathogen-surveillance-network-announces-first-recipients-of-grants-to-better-understand-disease-threats We are collaborating with Shraddha Karve (Ashoka), Mahesh Dharne (NCL, Pune), Priyanki
As the lab navigates its second year, Aabeer and Kushal will present their work at ISEB-5, the upcoming meeting of evolutionary biologists in India. If you attend, do walk over and talk with them! Harshit and I will be at IISER Pune on 27th and 28th September for the Rockefeller foundation/APSI meeting, and I will be at NCBS,
Very happy that our commentary about GXE interactions in AMR is out in Proceedings of the Royal Society B! Aabeer and I discuss the implications of a very interesting study by Soley et al which appeared last year in the same journal. How well do we detect and quantify AMR across different environments? Can we generalize patterns of
Our first lab paper is out! This one will always be memorable. It details a protocol and we thank JoVE for including it in a special issue on AMR. It is a joint effort by Jyostna, Sreya, Harshit and Gulafsha, detailing a protocol for enhanced extraction of low molecular weight DNA from the environment. We came up with
Seed funds from TSB
Rockefeller foundation (via APSI: https://data.ccmb.res.in/apsi/about/)
Axis bank
SERB start-up grant
IPSN catalytic grant (via WHO)