I am currently a American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship recipient awarded to study cell signaling mechanisms that underlie WNK1, angiogenesis and cell migration. 

My Ph.D. thesis work was to study the role of a novel protein- Alstrom syndrome 1 protein (ALMS1) in the underlying molecular signaling and trafficking mechanisms that regulate the renal Na/K/2Cl cotransporter (NKCC2). I found that ALMS1 KO rat and mice model arecharacterized by hypertension, salt sensitivity, decreased cardiac ejectionfraction, insulin resistance, and obesity. 

Before I started my doctoral degree, I worked in the biophysics department at the university to characterize an actin-bundling protein called TRIOBP-4 which was shown to play a role in the motility of pancreatic cancer cells via regulating actin cytoskeleton.

Peer-reviewed Journals:

1.                 BachhawatA, Mohamed SS, Thirumurugan T. Screening of fifteen ayurvedic plants foralphaglucosidase inhibitory activity and enzyme kinetics. International J of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. 3:267-274, 2011.

2.                 Bao J, Bielski E, Bachhawat A, Taha D, Gunther LK. R1 motif is the majoractin-binding domain of TRIOBP-4. JBiochem. 6: 5256-5264, 2013.

3.                 JaykumarAB, Caceres PS, Sablaban I, Bakhos TA, Ortiz PA. Real time monitoring ofNKCC2 endocytosis by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Am. J Physiol. Renal Physiol. 310:F183-F191, 2016.

4.                 JaykumarAB, Caceres PS, Ortiz PA. Mini review: Single molecule tagging to studyrenal transporter trafficking. Am JPhysiol Renal Physiol. 2017 (Invited; under revision)

5.                 JaykumarAB, Caceres PS, King-Medina K, Beierwaltes WH, Ortiz PA. Novel role ofALMS1 (Alström syndrome 1) in blood pressure regulation. JCI Insight 2018. (Manuscript under revision)

6.                 JaykumarAB, McGlynn K, Stippec S, Earnest S, Kankanamalage SG, Cobb MH. Function ofWNK1/OSR1 in cell migration and angiogenesis. FASEB journal, 2018

7.                 JaykumarAB, Caceres PS, Beierwaltes WH, Ortiz PA. Deletion of ALMS1 (Alström syndrome 1) enhances salt-sensitive hypertension,and induced insulin resistance and obesity in rats. FASEB journal, 2017.

8.                 JaykumarAB, Caceres PS, Ares G, Beierwaltes WH, Ortiz PA. ALMS1 (Alström syndrome 1), a novel gene involved in blood pressureregulation, renal Na handling & Thick Ascending Limb (TAL) function. Hypertension, 2016.

9.                 JaykumarAB, Caceres PS, Henson EL, Ares G, Beierwaltes WH, Ortiz PA. ALMS1 (Alströmsyndrome 1), a new interacting protein of NKCC2, regulates apical NKCC2trafficking, urinary concentration & blood pressure. FASEB journal, 2016.

10.             JaykumarAB, Caceres PS, Henson EL, Ares G, Beierwaltes WH, Ortiz PA. Targeting the ALMS1 gene in rats causes hypertension,obesity & enhanced NKCC2 trafficking. Hypertension,2015.

11.             JaykumarAB, Caceres PS, Ortiz PA. Real time monitoring of NKCC2 endocytosis byTotal Internal Reflection Fluorescence microscopy. FASEB journal, 2014.

12.             JaykumarAB, Ortiz PA. Sex differences inALMS1 (Alström syndrome 1) KO rat: amodel of age dependent metabolic syndrome and renal damage. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2018.(manuscript submitted)

13.             King-Medina K, Jaykumar AB, Ortiz PA. Deletion of ALMS1 (Alström syndrome 1) in rats causes salt sensitivehypertension. Hypertension. 2018.(manuscript submitted)

14.             King-Medina K, Jaykumar AB, Ortiz PA. Caloric restriction reverses insulinresistance but not hypertension in ALMS1 KOrats. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab.,2018. (manuscript submitted)