Neelam Prakash Bodhale

Hardworking Postdoctoral Research Fellow with demonstrated record of research success in. Self-directed and motivated professional with highly-ethical, meticulous and thorough approach.

• Animal Handling: Oral drug treatment, Intraperitoneal inhibitor and antibody treatments, Intravenous parasite infection, Subcutaneous parasite infection, Intramuscular DNA immunization.
• Animal models of Leishmania infection, tumor and GvHD
• Collection of organs/tissues: Spleen, Liver, Lymph node, Tumor, Blood, Bone marrow, Relative Leishmania susceptibility assays including immunological assays in different inbred mouse strains [BALB/c, C57BL/6, FVB/N, DBA/1, DBA/2, 129/Sv], Use of different gene-deficient or immune-deficient mouse strains- IL-10KO, IL-12 KO, iNOS KO, CD40 KO, SCID- for different immunological assays in relation to Leishmania infection
• Immunological techniques: Isolation of T cells by Nylon Wool column, Isolation of T cell subsets by MACS, Macrophages by adherence, Neutrophils and PBMC by Density gradient centrifugation, ELISA for cytokine assays, Methylcellulose-based Colony-forming unit (CFU) assay, T cell phenotype assays
• Cell Culture:

     Primary cells: Mouse peritoneal and bone marrow-derived macrophages, T-cells from lymph nodes and spleen, Macrophage-T cell cocultures,    

     Cell lines: RAW264.7, HEK293, RM1 prostate and B16F10 melanoma cells, 

     Pathogens: Leishmania strains: Avirulent and virulent, Leishmania: drug-resistant clinical isolates, Cell Proliferation assay: CFSE-labelled 

      FACS-based assays

• Protein Chemistry and Proteomic Techniques: Interacting partners by pull-down assays, e.g., Immunoprecipitation, Resolution of proteins in polyacrylamide gel and detection by Western blotting
• Molecular Biology Techniques: RNA/DNA isolation, PCR assays: normal, gradient, and quantitative, Competent cell preparation, DNA transfection, Plasmid isolation and DNA immunization, Restriction digestion for confirmation of IL-7 clones
• Lentivirus-mediated gene expression: Gene expression via lentiviral transduction for gene silencing and overexpression
• FACS, BD Canto II and Cytek Aurora: Multi-color (7-color) FACS analyses, FACS software: Diva, FlowJo, OMIQ
• Cell Biology techniques: Confocal imaging for tracking the subcellular distribution of the target proteins, Ultracentrifugation for Raft/Non-raft isolation
• Immunometabolic techniques: Metabolic Flux analyses using Agilent’s Sea Horse [8-well and 24-well set-up]
• Statistical software: GraphPad prism and Sigma-plot
• Scientific illustration software: Power-point presentation, Inkscape
• Lab Management Skills: Training post-graduate and junior research students, Cataloguing, Organizing, and managing reagents, Plasticware and other consumables: maintaining stocks, Instrument maintenance through the I&M section, Manage cleanliness of the Lab and tissue culture rooms, Liaising with accounts, administration, and purchase departments to keep all official processes updated

11/15/2022 - 05/05/2024, Worked as ICMR-research associate at National Centre for Cell Science, Pune. Focused on studying the expression of metabolic genes. Guided graduate students.

• Resistance to Leishmania infection is associated with host metabolism, Bodhale N, Saha B, Chattopadhyay D, Bhattacharya M, National Young Scientist Convention, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar, India, 12/27-29/2018
• Mouse strains differentially susceptible to Leishmania infection differ in their immune cell metabolism, Bodhale N, Saha B, Chattopadhyay D, Chattopadhyay N, Bhattacharyya M, National Level Seminar on Perspectives of Human Health, Microbial Biotechnology, and Innovation, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, India, 03/27-29/2018
• Resistance to Leishmania donovani is associated with host metabolism, Bodhale N, Sarkar A, Kumar S, Chattopadhyay D, Bhattacharyya M, 17th International Congress of Immunology (IUIS 2019), Beijing, Chaoyang, China, 10/19-23/2019

• Date of Birth: 04/17/89
• Gender: Female

• UGC JRF, University Grant Commission (UGC), 05/2014
• ICAR JRF, Agricultural scientists’ recruitment board, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 02/2014
• Maharashtra SET for Lecturership, Savitribai Phule Pune University, 06/2014
• UGC-Lecturership, University Grant Commission, 05/2015

1. Bodhale N, Saha S, Gurjar D, Grandchamp N, Sarkar A, Saha B. Leishmania donovani mitogen-activated protein kinases as a host-parasite interaction interface. Cytokine. 2024 Jul;179:156627. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2024.156627. Epub 2024 May 3. PMID: 38703436.

2. Kumari S, Bodhale N, Sarode A, Jha MK, Bhadange S, Pandey SP, Selvaraj S, Chande AG, Mukhopadhyaya R, Ghosh SK, Singh S, Mukherjee D, Duffin R, Andrews P, Saha B. Leishmania major MAPK4 intercepts and redirects CD40 signaling promoting infection. Int Immunopharmacol. 2024. 134:112100. doi:v10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112100.

3. Bodhale N, Saha S, Gurjar D, Grandchamp N, Sarkar A, Saha B. Leishmania donovani mitogen-activated protein kinases as a host-parasite interaction interface. Cytokine. 2024. 179:156627. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2024.156627.

4. Parveen S, Majumder S, Bodhale N, Biswal NR, Pandey SP, Dutta A, Patra P, Bhattacharya-Majumdar S, Pal C, Majumdar S, Saha B. Myotubularin-related protein 6 is an ion channel-associated pro-leishmanial phosphatase. Int Immunopharmacol. 2024. 129:111644. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111644.

5. Jha MK, Chandel HS, Pandey SP, Sarode A, Bodhale N, Bhattacharya-Majumdar S, Majumdar S, Saha B. Myotubularin-related protein-6 silencing protects mice from Leishmania donovani infection. Int Immunopharmacol. 2024. 129:111589. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111589.

6. Kumar S, Bodhale N, Patra SK, Sarode A, Zhao L, Sarkar A, Saha B. Interleukin-7 potentiates MAPK10-elicited host-protective vaccine against Leishmania donovani. Cytokine. 2024. 174:156475. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156475.

7. Jafarzadeh A, Gurjar D, Bodhale N, Jafarzadeh S, Nemati M, Sharifi I, Saha B. Aberrant expression of SOCS impairs the anti-leishmanial immune response. Cytokine. 2024. 174:156461. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156461.

8. Patidar A, Shukla D, Bodhale N, Saha B. TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR9 and TLR11 expression on effector CD4+ T-cell subsets in Leishmania donovani infection. Exp Parasitol. 2023. 255:108645. doi: 10.1016/j.exppara.2023.108645.

9. Ghosh SK, Shukla D, Mahor H, Srivastava SK, Bodhale N, Banerjee R, Saha B. Leishmania surface molecule lipophosphoglycan-TLR2 interaction moderates TPL2-mediated TLR2 signaling for parasite survival. Immunology. 2024. 171(1):117-130. doi: 10.1111/imm.13702.

10. Chowdhury BP, Das S, Bodhale N, Prakash Pandey S, Sudan R, Srivastava N, Chisholm JD, Kerr WG, Majumdar S, Saha B. SHIP1 inhibition via 3-alpha-amino-cholestane enhances protection against Leishmania infection. Cytokine. 2023. 171:156373. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156373.

11. Bandyopadhyay S, Gurjar D, Saha B, Bodhale N. Decoding the contextual duality of CD40 functions. Hum Immunol. 2023. 84(11):590-599. doi: 10.1016/j.humimm.2023.08.142.

12. Srivastava A, Nair A, Pandey SP, Kluck GEG, Mesquita I, Ghosh T, Bose A, Baral R, Silvestre R, Bodhale N, Saha B. Toll-like receptor 2 selectively modulates Ras isoforms expression in Leishmania major infection. Cytokine. 2023. 169:156301. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156301.

13. Bodhale N, Nair A, Saha B. Isoform-specific functions of Ras in T-cell development and differentiation. Eur J Immunol. 2023. 53(7):e2350430. doi: 10.1002/eji.202350430.

14. Jafarzadeh A, Nemati M, Aminizadeh N, Bodhale N, Sarkar A, Jafarzadeh S, Sharifi I, Saha B. Bidirectional cytokine-microRNA control: A novel immunoregulatory framework in leishmaniasis. PLoS Pathog. 2022. 18(8):e1010696. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010696.

15. Gurjar D, Kumar Patra S, Bodhale N, Lenka N, Saha B. Leishmania intercepts IFN-γR signaling at multiple levels in macrophages. Cytokine. 2022. 157:155956. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2022.155956.

16. Jafarzadeh A, Kumar S, Bodhale N, Jafarzadeh S, Nemati M, Sharifi I, Sarkar A, Saha B. The expression of PD-1 and its ligands increases in Leishmania infection, and its blockade reduces the parasite burden. Cytokine. 2022. 153:155839. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2022.155839.

17. Mukherjee A, Roy S, Patidar A, Bodhale N, Dandapat J, Saha B, Sarkar A. TLR2 dimer-specific ligands selectively activate protein kinase C isoforms in Leishmania infection. Immunology. 2021. (2):318-331. doi: 10.1111/imm.13373.

18. Shukla D, Patidar A, Sarma U, Chauhan P, Pandey SP, Chandel HS, Bodhale N, Ghosh SK, Guzman CA, Ebensen T, Silvestre R, Sarkar A, Saha B, Bhattacharjee S. Interdependencies between Toll-like receptors in Leishmania infection. Immunology. 2021. 164(1):173-189. doi: 10.1111/imm.13364.

19. Saha B, Bhattacharjee S, Sarkar A, Bhor R, Pai K, Bodhale N. Conundrums in leishmaniasis. Cytokine. 2021 Sep;145:155304. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2020.155304.

20. Saha B, Pai K, Sundar S, Bhattacharyya M, Bodhale NP. The drug resistance mechanisms in Leishmania donovani are independent of immunosuppression. Cytokine. 2021. 145:155300. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2020.155300.

21. Bodhale N, Ohms M, Ferreira C, Mesquita I, Mukherjee A, André S, Sarkar A, Estaquier J, Laskay T, Saha B, Silvestre R. Cytokines and metabolic regulation: A framework of bidirectional influences affecting Leishmania infection. Cytokine. 2021. 147:155267. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2020.155267.

22. Jha MK, Sarode AY, Bodhale N, Mukherjee D, Pandey SP, Srivastava N, Rub A, Silvestre R, Sarkar A, Saha B. Development and Characterization of an Avirulent Leishmania major Strain. J Immunol. 2020. 204(10):2734-2753. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1901362.

23. Mesquita I, Ferreira C, Moreira D, Kluck GEG, Barbosa AM, Torrado E, Dinis-Oliveira RJ, Gonçalves LG, Beauparlant CJ, Droit A, Berod L, Sparwasser T, Bodhale N, Saha B, Rodrigues F, Cunha C, Carvalho A, Castro AG, Estaquier J, Silvestre R. The Absence of HIF-1α Increases Susceptibility to Leishmania donovani Infection via Activation of BNIP3/mTOR/SREBP-1c Axis. Cell Rep. 2020. 30(12):4052-4064.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.098.

24. Kumar S, Zutshi S, Patidar A, Bodhale N, Roy S, Sarkar A, Saha B. LmjMAPK10 offers protection against Leishmania donovani infection. Parasite Immunol. 2020. 42(2):e12687. doi: 10.1111/pim.12687.

25. Rane D, Patil T, More V, Patra SS, Bodhale N, Dandapat J, Sarkar A. Neutrophils: Interplay between host defense, cellular metabolism and intracellular infection. Cytokine. 2018. 112:44-51. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2018.07.009.

26. 25: Patil T, More V, Rane D, Mukherjee A, Suresh R, Patidar A, Bodhale N, Mosser D, Dandapat J, Sarkar A. Pro-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) controls Leishmania infection. Cytokine. 2018. 112:27-31. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2018.06.033.

27. Bodhale NP, Pal S, Kumar S, Chattopadhyay D, Saha B, Chattopadhyay N, Bhattacharyya M. Inbred mouse strains differentially susceptible to Leishmania donovani infection differ in their immune cell metabolism. Cytokine. 2018. 112:12-15. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2018.06.003.

Completed Ph. D. in 04/2022. 

Title of the thesis: Relativity in Leishmania virulence: Relative modulation of CD40 and TLR signaling in susceptible and resistant hosts., 

Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, 

Under guidance of Dr. Debprasad Chattopadhyay, Dr. Bhaskar Saha, Prof. Maitree Bhattacharyya