Archana graduated with a bachelors degree in Biotechnology at the Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, India in May 2006. She joined the CMB program in the Fall of the same year and will continue her research with Dr. Chris Huston.

Research Interests

Phagocytosis plays a key role in Entamoeba histolytica pathogenesis. Mass spectrometry analysis of E. histolytica phagosomes revealed the presence of ER proteins, including calreticulin. Cell surface calreticulin functions as a phagocytosis receptor in macrophages, with C1q as the ligand. Accordingly, we have shown that C1q can serve as a ligand that stimulates E.histolytica phagocytosis, and that amebae over-expressing calreticulin are more phagocytic than wild-type amebae. Calreticulin being an ER protein, we are also interested in addressing the controversy over ER fusion with the plasma membrane during phagocytosis. These results collectively led us to hypothesize that i) calreticulin may function as a surface receptor in E. histolytica, thus initiating phagocytosis, and ii) the ER membrane fuses with the plasma membrane while forming the phagosome. Currently, I'm working on developing the tools to address these hypotheses, which include using RNAi to silence calreticulin and confocal microscopy to look for the source of phagosomal membrane components.