Archana Unnikrishnan, Ph.D.
Education
PhD Nutrition and Food Sciences 2011, Wayne State University, Michigan
MS Biochemistry 2000, University of Madras, India
BS Biochemistry 1998, University of Madras, India
Research Overview
Dr. Unnikrishnan received her doctorate in Nutrition and Food Science from Wayne State University and pursued aging research training at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Unnikrishnan’s research focuses on various aspects of Aging, (1) the effect of dietary restriction (DR) on aging, (2) the effect of dietary restriction on DNA methylation, and (3) the role played by DNA methylation in dietary restriction mediated metabolic/cellular memory. Her preliminary work shows that DR improves glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance within days of starting the restriction reaching significance by 10 days and has a metabolic memory i.e., the effect of DR on insulin sensitivity and glucoregulation persists even when DR is discontinued. To understand the mechanism behind the metabolic memory she is studying DNA methylation and is currently using a novel technology to measure the genome-wide patterns of 5mCG and 5hmCG in specific sequences of mice fed ad libitum or a DR diet. This ongoing study is the first study to determine the role played by DNA methylation in the DR mediated cellular/metabolic memory. Her research also focuses on characterizing the effect of life-long DR on DNA methylation in intestinal stem cells and delineate the functional outcome of these methylation changes with respect to intestinal stem cell regeneration and integrity.
Unnikrishnan Lab
Archana Unnikrishnan, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Kavitha Kurup, Ph.D.
Bioinformatician
Michael Chan
Research Assistant III
Michelle Ranjo-Bishop
Research Assistant I
Christopher Ivey
Laboratory Animal Technician II
Contact
University of Oklahoma Health Science Center
975 NE 10th Street, SLY-BRC 354
Oklahoma City OK 73104
Phone: (405) 271-8000 ext.35504