Education

Post-doctoral Fellowship, University of North Carolina

Dual-PhD, Michigan State University, 2009

MVSc, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (India), 2003

DVM, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, CSK HP Agricultural University (India) 2001

Research Interest

Pulmonary Immunology And Toxicology Laboratory: The focus of our research is to understand multiple aspects of lung biology and inflammatory lung diseases. Broadly, the research employs murine models of pathogens- and toxicant-induced inflammation. Using these models of lung inflammation, the research aims to understand the roles of macrophages in the orchestration of inflammatory responses. Unlike traditional view, emerging evidences suggest macrophage as a highly plastic cell type with likely roles in regulation of initiation, progression and resolution of inflammatory responses. Ongoing research in the laboratory has established several tools to characterize macrophage responses. Currently active projects include, understanding macrophage number maintenance in lung, studying macrophage activation heterogeneity, and understanding roles of macrophages in different murine models of lung inflammation. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop diagnostic biomarker of lung diseases and therapeutic interventions to modulate inflammatory responses. The laboratory uses wide range of in vitro and in vivo models and techniques including confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, clinical biochemistry, immunochemical staining, magnetic-associated cell sorting, cellular and proteomic analyses of biological samples, molecular biology (PCR, RT-PCR, Gene expression analyses etc.) and cytokine assays.

Experimental In Vivo Models: Cystic Fibrosis: The laboratory employs, Scnn1b-Tg mouse, a model of muco-obstructive lung disease that recapitulate human cystic fibrosis lung disease. We have crossed these mice to several other strains to introduce various defects in immune responses. We are focused on understanding how innate, innate lymphoid, and adaptive immune systems interact to shape mucobstructive lung disease in these mice.

Allergic Asthma: We are interested in understanding how myeloid cells, including macrophages and cDCs, orchestrate allergic asthma responses.

Ozone-induced Airway Disease: Our laboratory is investigating how ozone exposures modulate muco-obstructive airway diseases.

Second hand smoke (SHS)-induced COPD: We have recently published a manuscript highlighting the effect of early postnatal second hand smoke exposure on the development of muco-obstructive airways disease. Moving forward, we are interested in studying interactions between second hand smoke, airway bacterial clearance, and myeloid cell-mediated immune responses.

Teaching Interest

Respiratory Physiology (DVM Curriculum)

Mechanisms of host responses to infection (Graduate Course)

Inhalational Toxicology (Graduate Course)

Lunch and Science Seminar Series

Awards & Honors

2021 Environmental Toxicologic Pathology Special Interest Group (ETP-SIG) Student Research Award (Ishita Choudhary, Graduate Student)

2021 Young Investigator Award, Society of Toxicologic Pathology (Ishita Choudhary, Graduate Student)

2021 First Place Presentation Award at 8th Annual Louisiana Biomedical Research Network Conference on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (Ishita Choudhary; PhD Candidate)

2021 SVM Distinguished Research Scholar Award

2021 Dean's Teacher Merit Honor Award (Class of 2024)

2021 First Place Phi Zeta Presentation Award (Ishita Choudhary; PhD Candidate)

2021 First Place Phi Zeta Presentation Award (Kshitiz Paudel)

2021 Second Place Presentation Award (Ishita Choudhary; PhD Candidate)

2021 Third Place Phi Zeta Presentation Award (Thao Vo; PhD Candidate)

2020 Dean's Teacher Merit Honor Award (Class of 2023)

Publications

Vesicular and extravesicular protein analyses from the airspaces of ozone-exposed mice revealed signatures associated with mucoinflammatory lung disease.Choudhary I, Vo T, Paudel K, Wen X, Gupta R, Kesimer M, Patial S, Saini Y.Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 1;11(1):23203. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-02256-5.PMID: 34853335 Free PMC article.

ZFP36L1 Regulates Fgf21 mRNA Turnover and Modulates Alcoholic Hepatic Steatosis and Inflammation in Mice.Bathula CS, Chen J, Kumar R, Blackshear PJ, Saini Y, Patial S.Am J Pathol. 2021 Nov 11:S0002-9440(21)00478-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2021.10.017. Online ahead of print.PMID: 34774847

Postnatal Ozone Exposure Disrupts Alveolar Development, Exaggerates Mucoinflammatory Responses, and Suppresses Bacterial Clearance in Developing Scnn1b-Tg+ Mice Lungs.Choudhary I, Vo T, Paudel K, Yadav R, Mao Y, Patial S, Saini Y.J Immunol. 2021 Aug 15;207(4):1165-1179. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2001286. Epub 2021 Jul 30.PMID: 34330754

Myeloid-IL4Rα is an indispensable link in IL-33-ILCs-IL-13-IL4Rα axis of eosinophil recruitment in murine lungs.Patial S, Lewis BW, Vo T, Choudhary I, Paudel K, Mao Y, Singamsetty D, Brombacher F, Saini Y.Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 29;11(1):15465. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-94843-9.PMID: 34326406 Free PMC article.

Ozone exposure upregulates the expression of host susceptibility protein TMPRSS2 to SARS-CoV-2.Vo T, Paudel K, Choudhary I, Patial S, Saini Y.bioRxiv. 2020 Nov 11:2020.11.10.377408. doi: 10.1101/2020.11.10.377408. Preprint.PMID: 33200134 Free PMC article.

Compartment-specific transcriptomics of ozone-exposed murine lungs reveals sex- and cell type-associated perturbations relevant to mucoinflammatory lung diseases.Choudhary I, Vo T, Paudel K, Patial S, Saini Y.Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2021 Jan 1;320(1):L99-L125. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00381.2020. Epub 2020 Oct 7.PMID: 33026818 Free PMC article.

Tristetraprolin Overexpression in Non-hematopoietic Cells Protects Against Acute Lung Injury in Mice.Choudhary I, Vo T, Bathula CS, Lamichhane R, Lewis BW, Looper J, Jeyaseelan S, Blackshear PJ, Saini Y, Patial S.Front Immunol. 2020 Sep 2;11:2164. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02164. eCollection 2020.PMID: 32983182 Free PMC article.

The Innate Lymphoid System Is a Critical Player in the Manifestation of Mucoinflammatory Airway Disease in Mice.Lewis BW, Choudhary I, Paudel K, Mao Y, Sharma R, Wang Y, Deshane JS, Boucher RC, Patial S, Saini Y.J Immunol. 2020 Sep 15;205(6):1695-1708. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000530. Epub 2020 Aug 17.PMID: 32817334 Free PMC article.

The Tristetraprolin Family of RNA-Binding Proteins in Cancer: Progress and Future Prospects.Saini Y, Chen J, Patial S.Cancers (Basel). 2020 Jun 11;12(6):1539. doi: 10.3390/cancers12061539.PMID: 32545247 Free PMC article. Review.

Lung macrophages: current understanding of their roles in Ozone-induced lung diseases.Patial S, Saini Y.Crit Rev Toxicol. 2020 Apr;50(4):310-323. doi: 10.1080/10408444.2020.1762537. Epub 2020 May 27.PMID: 32458707 Free PMC article. Review.

Grants

Protective role of Activating Transcription Factor 6 (ATF6) against endothelial barrier dysfunction., NIH, $100,000.00

Understanding Myeloid Signaling in Ozone Induced Lung Diseases (2019-2024), R01, $2,672,000.00

Biomedical Research Experience for Veterinary Students, Ruth L. Kirschstein Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grants (T35) , $126,438.00

Hypoxia signaling in Muco-obstructive lung, INBRE-COBRE, $10,000.00

The roles of myeloid cells in allergic inflammation (2019-2022), NIH-P20: COBRE, $1,300,000.00

Role of AC7 and alcohol in innate immune responses during bacterial infection, NIH, $145,120.00

Targeting cell‐specific responses to treat lung infections , Louisiana Board of Regents , $199,000.00

Myeloid hypoxia signaling in muco-obstructive lung diseases (2018-2019), COBRE pilot project, $50,000.00

Young Clinical Scientist Independent Research Grant on "The role of macrophages in lung inflammation", FAMRI, $488,250.00

The role of Hypoxia signaling in bacterial clearance (2016-2017), COBRE pilot project, $50,000.00

"Identification of macrophage - and epithelium-derived inflammatory signatures in the airways of murine model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)," LSU Veterinary School - USDA CORP grant, $10,000.00