Muthukumaran Gunasekaran, PhD Professor of Biology, Department of Life and Physical Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Business Education  Ph.D. Plant Pathology, Texas A& M University, Texas Office Huggs-Kellogg Biology Research Laboratory Email mguna (at) fisk.edu  Address 1000 17th Ave. N., Nashville, TN, 37208, USA  Phone     (615) 329-8728

Bio

Dr Gunasekaran joined Fisk University as Professor of Biology in 1981. His overall research is in the area of plant biology, with the intent of exploiting knowledge of plant biology for biomedical and biofuel innovations. Thus, his laboratory screens higher plants ( for example, wild and herbal plants) to identify novel antimicrobial and antineoplastic compounds, and then isolating these agents for their efficacy against human pathogenic microbes or cancer initiation and progression. Earlier and continuing studies examine Candida albicans.

In addition to his studies related to biomedical uses of plants, Dr Gunasekaran , in collaboration with Dr Larry Pratt ( Department of Chemistry) is examining how to optimally utilize plant materials to support biofuel and energy. All of his research studies engage undergraduate students as part of their learning. Over his career, 165 undergraduate students, 24 graduate students, and 22 post-doctoral fellows have been trained in his laboratory.

Before joining Fisk University, Dr Gunasekaran was an assistant member of the Infectious Diseases Service at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN as well as a member of the faculty of Rust College in Holly Springs, MS. Dr Gunasekaran has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards for his research, and for funding of his research and training activities.

Sample Publications

• *= Undergraduate student
• **= Graduate student

Edited the book entitled “Molecular Biology of Biological Control of Pests and Diseases of Plants”, 1996, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.

Mycology and Medical Mycology

1. Manavathu, M., Gunasekaran, S., Porte, Q., Manavathu, E. and Gunasekaran, M. 1996. Changes in glutathione metabolic enzymes during yeast-to-mycelium (Y-to-M) conversion of Candida albicans. Can. J. Microbiol. 42: 76-79.
2. Manavathu, E.,Duncan, C*., Porte, Q* and Gunasekaran, M. 1996. Inhibition of yeast-to- mycelium conversion of Candida albicans by conjugated styryl ketones. Mycopathologia 135: 79-83.
3. Gunasekaran, U*. and Gunasekaran, M. 1998. Regulation of superoxide dismutase synthesis in Candida albicans.Mycopathologia 141: 59-63.
4. Challa, A. Johnson, S*. Robertson, K*.and M. Gunasekaran. 1999. Properties of Adenosine deaminase from Candida albicans. J. Basic. Miobiol.39: 97-101.
5. Mohan, N. and Gunasekaran, M. 2005. Effect of phenol on phenol oxidase and peroxidase of Xanthomonasoryzae. J. Plant Disease Sci. 1: 1-5.
6. Vijayanandraj, V. R., Nagendra Prasad, D., Mohan, N. and Gunasekaran, M. 2006. Effect of Ozone on Aspergillusniger Causing Black Rot Disease in Onion. Ozone Sci.&Engg. 42: 84-89.

 

Plant Physiology and Industrial Microbiology

1. Spiller, H. and Gunasekaran, M. 1990. Ammonia-excreting mutant of cyanobacteriumAnabaena variabilis supports growth of wheat. Applied Microbiol.&Biotechnol. 33:477-480.
2. Spiller, H. and Gunasekaran, M. 1991. Simultaneous oxygen production and nitrogenase activity of an ammonia-excreting mutant of the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis in co-culture with wheat. Applied Microbiol.&Biotechnol. 35:798-804.
3. Spiller, H., Stallings, W*. , Woods, T*. and Gunasekaran, M. 1993. Requirement for direct association of ammonia-excreting cyanobacteria with wheat roots for maximum growth and yield of wheat. Applied Microbiol.&Biotechnol.40: 557- 566.
4. Jayaraman, S. and Gunasekaran, M. 1991. Use of a synthetic polymer (pluronic F-127 ) as an agar substitute in culture medium to detect and measure microbial enzyme production. Biotech. Tech. 5: 483-484.
5. Subburaj, K*., Jayaraman, S. and Gunasekaran, M. 1992. A simple method to study the microbial coal solubilization using Pluronic-127 amended media. J. Industr. Microbiol. 9: 225-227.
6. Dhanasekaran, D., Thajuddin, N., Rashmi, N.M**.,Deepika, T. L*. and Gunasekaran, M. . 2009. Screening of biofouling activity in marine bacterial isolate from ship hull. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Tech., 6 (2), 197-202. ISSN: 1735-1472.
7. Mubarak Ali, D**., Divya, C**. M. Gunasekarana, M. and Thajuddin, N. 2010. Biosynthesis and Characterization of Silicon-Germanium Oxide Nanocomposite by diatom.Digest Journal of Nanomaterials and Biostructures5:921-924.
8. Thajuddin,N., Muralitharan,G., Sundaramoorthy, M., RengasamyRamamoorthy, R., Ramachandran, S., Akbarsha, M.A. and Gunasekaran, M. 2010. Morphological and genetic diversity of symbiotic cyanobacteria from cycads. Journal of Basic Microbiology 50:254-262.