Ramesh Chandra Nayak

Research in my laboratory is focused around understanding the epigenetic landscape and regulation of transcriptomic programs critical for quiescence, self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation, and malignant transformation of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors (HSC/Ps). In addition, we model hematopoietic disorder using patient derived and gene-edited isogenic iPSCs, and hematopoietic cells regeneration from directed differentiation of healthy donor iPSCs.
Our research in the area of normal HSC/P biology,  leukemic stem cells (LSCs), hematopoietic cell regeneration and disease modeling using iPSCs  have been published in peer reviewed journals including Journal of clinical investigation, Blood, Nature communications, Cell reports, Stem cells translational medicine and Leukemia.
 

MSc: Utkal University Odisha, India, 2000 (Botany (specialization-Plant Biochemistry))

PhD: Jawahar Lal University New Delhi, 2008 (Molecular and Cell Biology)

BSc: Utkal University Odisha, India, 1998 (Botany (Hons), Zoology, Chemistry)

Grant: #1020352 Investigators:Nayak, Ramesh 01-01-2024 -06-30-2025 CancerFree Kids SATB2, a novel target to eradicate leukemic initiating cells (LIC) in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) Role:PI 50000.00

Grant: #AABB, NBF Investigators:RAMESH C Nayak 07-01-2014 -06-30-2016 AABB, NBF “Angiotensin in stem cell recruitment and mobilization” Role:PI 150,000 Completed Type:Fellowship

Grant: #1020172 Investigators:Nayak, Ramesh 04-01-2024 -03-31-2025 ACS IRG-23-1141524 Chromatin regulator SATB2 controls epigenetic landscape, B-cell precursor reprogramming and progression of Ph+ and Ph-like B-ALL Role:PI 80,000 Active Type:Grant Level:University

Grant: #BM240071 Investigators:Nayak, Ramesh; Rai, Shesh 07-01-2025 -06-30-2028 Department of the Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity Nuclear translocation of mutant NE confers G-CSF resistance in severe congenital neutropenia Role:PI 0.00 Hold Level:Federal

Published Abstracts

Smith S, Kotliar M, Das S, Wellendorf AM, Wunderlich M, Mizukawa B, Barski A, Rai SN, Apostolova G, Cancelas JA, Nayak RC (2025) Chromatin Remodeler SATB2 thorough Bmi1/PRC1 Activity Controls Transformation and Reprogramming of Ph+ B-cell Progenitors. [Abstract]Blood, 146 (Supplement 1) ,

Nayak RC, Trump L, Emberesh S, Lee Y, Singh AK, Wellendorf AM, Horwitz MS, Kalfa TA, Lutzko C, Cancelas JA (2021) SERF1 is required for G-CSF resistance of start-codon mutant ELANE granulocytic precursors. Oral presentation. [Abstract]Blood, 138 (Suppl 1) , -433-434

Peer Reviewed Publications

Menéndez-Gutiérrez, María Piedad; Porcuna, Jesús; Nayak, Ramesh; Paredes, Ana; Niu, Haixia; Núñez, Vanessa; Paranjpe, Aditi; Gómez, Manuel J; Bhattacharjee, Anukana; Schnell, Daniel J; Sánchez-Cabo, Fátima; Welch, John S; Salomonis, Nathan; Cancelas, Jose A; Ricote, Mercedes  (2023). Retinoid X receptor promotes hematopoietic stem cell fitness and quiescence and preserves hematopoietic homeostasis. Blood, 141 (6) , 592-608More Information

Nayak, R C; Chang, K H; Singh, A K; Kotliar, M; Desai, M; Wellendorf, A M; Wunderlich, M; Bartram, J; Mizukawa, B; Cuadrado, M; Dexheimer, P; Barski, A; Bustelo, X R; Nassar, N N; Cancelas, J A  (2022). Nuclear Vav3 is required for polycomb repression complex-1 activity in B-cell lymphoblastic leukemogenesis. Nature communications, 13 (1) , 3056More Information

Govindarajah, Vinothini; Lee, Jung-Mi; Solomon, Michael; Goddard, Bryan; Nayak, Ramesh; Nattamai, Kalpana; Geiger, Hartmut; Salomonis, Nathan; Cancelas, Jose A; Reynaud, Damien  (2020). FOXO activity adaptation safeguards the hematopoietic stem cell compartment in hyperglycemia. Blood advances, 4 (21) , 5512-5526More Information

Althoff, Mark J; Nayak, Ramesh C; Hegde, Shailaja; Wellendorf, Ashley M; Bohan, Breanna; Filippi, Marie-Dominique; Xin, Mei; Lu, Q Richard; Geiger, Hartmut; Zheng, Yi; Diaz-Meco, Maria T; Moscat, Jorge; Cancelas, Jose A  (2020). Yap1-Scribble polarization is required for hematopoietic stem cell division and fate. Blood, 136 (16) , 1824-1836More Information

Nayak, Ramesh C; Cancelas, Jose A  (2019). Ubiquitination is not omnipresent in myeloid leukemia. Haematologica, 104 (9) , 1694-1696More Information

Trump, Lisa R; Nayak, Ramesh C; Singh, Abhishek K; Emberesh, Sana; Wellendorf, Ashley M; Lutzko, Carolyn M; Cancelas, Jose A  (2019). Neutrophils Derived from Genetically Modified Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Circulate and Phagocytose Bacteria In Vivo. Stem cells translational medicine, 8 (6) , 557-567More Information

Nayak, R C; Hegde, S; Althoff, M J; Wellendorf, A M; Mohmoud, F; Perentesis, J; Reina-Campos, M; Reynaud, D; Zheng, Y; Diaz-Meco, M T; Moscat, J; Cancelas, J A  (2019). The signaling axis atypical protein kinase C λ/ι-Satb2 mediates leukemic transformation of B-cell progenitors. Nature communications, 10 (1) , 46More Information

Liu, Shutong; de Castro, Luis F; Jin, Ping; Civini, Sara; Ren, Jiaqiang; Reems, Jo-Anna; Cancelas, Jose; Nayak, Ramesh; Shaw, Georgina; O'Brien, Timothy; McKenna, David H; Armant, Myriam; Silberstein, Leslie; Gee, Adrian P; Hei, Derek J; Hematti, Peiman; Kuznetsov, Sergei A; Robey, Pamela G; Stroncek, David F  (2017). Manufacturing Differences Affect Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cell Characteristics and Function: Comparison of Production Methods and Products from Multiple Centers. Scientific reports, 7, 46731More Information

Chang, Kyung Hee; Nayak, Ramesh C; Roy, Swarnava; Perumbeti, Ajay; Wellendorf, Ashley M; Bezold, Katie Y; Pirman, Megan; Hill, Sarah E; Starnes, Joseph; Loberg, Anastacia; Zhou, Xuan; Inagami, Tadashi; Zheng, Yi; Malik, Punam; Cancelas, Jose A  (2015). Vasculopathy-associated hyperangiotensinemia mobilizes haematopoietic stem cells/progenitors through endothelial AT₂R and cytoskeletal dysregulation. Nature communications, 6, 5914More Information

Chang, Kyung Hee; Sengupta, Amitava; Nayak, Ramesh C; Duran, Angeles; Lee, Sang Jun; Pratt, Ronald G; Wellendorf, Ashley M; Hill, Sarah E; Watkins, Marcus; Gonzalez-Nieto, Daniel; Aronow, Bruce J; Starczynowski, Daniel T; Civitelli, Roberto; Diaz-Meco, Maria T; Moscat, Jorge; Cancelas, Jose A  (2014). p62 is required for stem cell/progenitor retention through inhibition of IKK/NF-κB/Ccl4 signaling at the bone marrow macrophage-osteoblast niche. Cell reports, 9 (6) , 2084-97More Information

Nayak, Ramesh C; Chang, Kyung-Hee; Vaitinadin, Nataraja-Sarma; Cancelas, Jose A  (2013). Rho GTPases control specific cytoskeleton-dependent functions of hematopoietic stem cells. Immunological reviews, 256 (1) , 255-68More Information

Raman, R; Kumar, R S; Hinge, A; Kumar, S; Nayak, R; Xu, J; Szczur, K; Cancelas, J A; Filippi, M-D  (2013). p190-B RhoGAP regulates the functional composition of the mesenchymal microenvironment. Leukemia, 27 (11) , 2209-19More Information

Taniguchi Ishikawa, E; Chang, K H; Nayak, R; Olsson, H A; Ficker, A M; Dunn, S K; Madhu, M N; Sengupta, A; Whitsett, J A; Grimes, H L; Cancelas, J A  (2013). Klf5 controls bone marrow homing of stem cells and progenitors through Rab5-mediated β1/β2-integrin trafficking. Nature communications, 4, 1660More Information

Nayak, Ramesh C; Trump, Lisa R; Aronow, Bruce J; Myers, Kasiani; Mehta, Parinda; Kalfa, Theodosia; Wellendorf, Ashley M; Valencia, C Alexander; Paddison, Patrick J; Horwitz, Marshall S; Grimes, H Leighton; Lutzko, Carolyn; Cancelas, Jose A  (2015). Pathogenesis of ELANE-mutant severe neutropenia revealed by induced pluripotent stem cells. The Journal of clinical investigation, 125 (8) , 3103-16More Information

Tidwell, Timothy; Wechsler, Jeremy; Nayak, Ramesh C; Trump, Lisa; Salipante, Stephen J; Cheng, Jerry C; Donadieu, Jean; Glaubach, Taly; Corey, Seth J; Grimes, H Leighton; Lutzko, Carolyn; Cancelas, Jose A; Horwitz, Marshall S  (2014). Neutropenia-associated ELANE mutations disrupting translation initiation produce novel neutrophil elastase isoforms. Blood, 123 (4) , 562-9More Information

Nayak, Ramesh C; Keshava, Shiva; Esmon, Charles T; Pendurthi, Usha R; Rao, L Vijaya Mohan  (2013). Rab GTPases regulate endothelial cell protein C receptor-mediated endocytosis and trafficking of factor VIIa. PloS one, 8 (3) , e59304More Information

Sen, Prosenjit; Nayak, Ramesh; Clark, Curtis A; Gopalakrishnan, Ramakrishnan; Esmon, Charles T; Pendurthi, Usha R; Rao, L Vijaya Mohan  (2011). Factor X binding to endothelial cell protein C receptor: comparison with factor VIIa and activated protein C. Blood, 118 (9) , 2635-6More Information

Dhiman, Rohan; Bandaru, Anuradha; Barnes, Peter F; Saha, Sudipto; Tvinnereim, Amy; Nayak, Ramesh C; Paidipally, Padmaja; Valluri, Vijaya Lakshmi; Rao, L Vijaya Mohan; Vankayalapati, Ramakrishna  (2011). c-Maf-dependent growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a CD14(hi) subpopulation of monocyte-derived macrophages. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 186 (3) , 1638-45More Information

Kothari, Hema; Nayak, Ramesh C; Rao, L Vijaya Mohan; Pendurthi, Usha R  (2010). Cystine 186-cystine 209 disulfide bond is not essential for the procoagulant activity of tissue factor or for its de-encryption. Blood, 115 (21) , 4273-83More Information

Gopalakrishnan, R; Hedner, U; Ghosh, S; Nayak, R C; Allen, T C; Pendurthi, U R; Rao, L V M  (2010). Bio-distribution of pharmacologically administered recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa). Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis : JTH, 8 (2) , 301-10More Information

Dhiman, Rohan; Indramohan, Mohanalaxmi; Barnes, Peter F; Nayak, Ramesh C; Paidipally, Padmaja; Rao, L Vijaya Mohan; Vankayalapati, Ramakrishna  (2009). IL-22 produced by human NK cells inhibits growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by enhancing phagolysosomal fusion. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 183 (10) , 6639-45More Information

Nayak, Ramesh C; Sen, Prosenjit; Ghosh, Samit; Gopalakrishnan, Ramakrishnan; Esmon, Charles T; Pendurthi, Usha R; Rao, L Vijaya Mohan  (2009). Endothelial cell protein C receptor cellular localization and trafficking: potential functional implications. Blood, 114 (9) , 1974-86More Information

Sahasrabuddhe, Amogh A; Nayak, Ramesh C; Gupta, Chhitar M  (2009). Ancient Leishmania coronin (CRN12) is involved in microtubule remodeling during cytokinesis. Journal of cell science, 122 (Pt 10) , 1691-9More Information

Nayak, Ramesh C; Sahasrabuddhe, Amogh A; Bajpai, Virendra K; Gupta, Chhitar M  (2005). A novel homologue of coronin colocalizes with actin in filament-like structures in Leishmania. Molecular and biochemical parasitology, 143 (2) , 152-64More Information

Yang, Jun-Qi; Wang, Chen; Nayak, Ramesh C; Kolla, Manohar; Cai, Mingjun; Pujato, Mario; Zheng, Yi; Lu, Q Richard; Guo, Fukun  (2025). Genetic and epigenetic regulation of Treg cell fitness by autism-related chromatin remodeler CHD8. Cellular & molecular biology letters, 30 (1) , 36More Information

Nayak, Ramesh C; Emberesh, Sana; Trump, Lisa R; Wellendorf, Ashley M; Singh, Abhishek K; Korkmaz, Brice; Horwitz, Marshall S; Myers, Kasiani C; Kalfa, Theodosia A; Lutzko, Carolyn M; Cancelas, Jose A  (2024). G-CSF resistance of ELANE-mutant neutropenia depends on SERF1-containing truncated-neutrophil elastase aggregates. The Journal of clinical investigation, 135 (2) More Information

Rezvani, Milad; Quach, Susanna; Lewis, Kyle; Saiki, Norikazu; Xue, Chuqing; Kimura, Masaki; Iwasawa, Kentaro; Weihs, Julian; Elzobair, Tahlil; Al Reza, Hasan; Cai, Yuqi; Zhang, RanRan; Milton, Yuka; Chaturvedi, Praneet; Thorner, Konrad; Nayak, Ramesh C; Munera, Jorge; Kramer, Phillip; Davis, Brian R; Balamurugan, Appakalai N; Ahmed, Yeni Ait; Finke, Marcel; Behncke, Rose Yinghan; Guillot, Adrien; Hägerling, René; Polansky, Julia K; Bufler, Philip; Cancelas, Jose A; Zorn, Aaron; Wells, James M; Yoshimoto, Momoko; Takebe, Takanori  (2025). Modeling Immune Lineage Co-Development in Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Liver Organoids. Journal of hepatologyMore Information

González-Nieto, Daniel; Chang, Kyung-Hee; Fasciani, Ilaria; Nayak, Ramesh; Fernandez-García, Laura; Barrio, Luis C; Cancelas, José A  (2015). Connexins: Intercellular Signal Transmitters in Lymphohematopoietic Tissues. International review of cell and molecular biology, 318, 27-62More Information

Book Chapter

Daniel Gonzalez-Nieto, Kyung-Hee Chang, Ilaria Fasciani, Ramesh Nayak, Laura Fernandez-García, Luis C. Barrio, José A. Cancelas (2015). Connexins: Intercellular Signal Transmitters in Lymphohematopoietic Tissues. In INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. (pp. 27). Elsevier

Ramesh C. Nayak , Kyung-Hee Chang , and Jose A. Cancelas (2015). Regulation of the Cytoskeleton by the Rho Family of GTPases in Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Health and Disease. In The Cytoskeleton in Health and Disease. (pp. 63). Springer