The primary goal of the Natarajan Lab is to elucidate the cytoprotective roles of dietary nutrients in combating against placental complications that can occur during pregnancy such as acute fatty liver of pregnancy, Zika virus infection, and maternal obesity.
Cytoprotection is a process by which chemical compounds provide protection to cells against harmful agents. Through our research, we have identified palmitoleate, an omega-7 monosaturated fatty acid as a cytoprotective nutrient. Foods such as macadamia nuts contain high levels of palmitoleate which can be used as a potential dietary therapy against placental complications as well as a preventative measure against the adverse consequence of placental damage to unborn babies.
Our long-term goals:
- Develop a nutraceutical approach to mitigate liver and placental lipotoxicity that occurs during acute fatty liver of pregnancy and maternal obesity, respectively
- Elucidating the protective role of dietary-palmitoleate supplementation in preventing against Zika virus-induced placenta and fetal brain infection
Lab Members
Sathish Kumar Natarajan
Associate Professor
snatarajan2@unl.edu
Bio
Caden Anderjaska
UCARE Student Worker
canderjaska2@huskers.unl.edu
Research: Investigating the neuroprotective effects of palmitoleate in a cellular model of West Nile Virus-induced neuronal injury, with a focus on reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress and preventing apoptosis.
A junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in Biology, Caden aspires to become a physician-scientist.
Isabelle Berlin
iberlin2@huskers.unl.edu
Now a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Isabelle is currently pursuing the pre-dental track.
Chandan Krishnamoorthy
Graduate Research Assistant
ckrishnamoorthy2@huskers.unl.edu
Research: Zika virus and West Nile virus induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis to neuronal cells.
In November 2022, Chandan delivered an oral presentation showcasing his research on Zika virus at the first annual meeting of the Child Health Research Institute, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Maddy Nelsen
mnelsen8@huskers.unl.edu
With the goal of becoming a physician, Maddy is now a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience and minoring in Biochemistry.
Kaylee Natho
Work Study/Student Worker PM
knatho2@huskers.unl.edu
Research: Investigating the protective effect of dietary palmitoleate (PO) supplementation. Our approach is to utilize humanized Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 2 Knock-in (hSTAT2KI) mice and test the protective role of palmitoleate against ZIKV infection in the placenta.
Aiswariya Ravi
Graduate Research Assistant
ar2@huskers.unl.edu
Research: Elucidating the protective role of dietary macadamia nut or palmitoleate-containing diet against animal models of maternal obesity and Metabolic-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD).
Aiswariya is studying the role of Long-Chain Hydroxy Acyl CoA Dehydrogenase (LCHAD) deficiency in cardiolipin remodeling and mitochondrial dysfunction.
In January 2025, she was named recipient of the Larrick Student Travel Award.
Deekshika Sekar
Graduate Research Assistant
ds2@huskers.unl.edu
Research: Examining the protective role dietary macadamia nut supplementation against maternal obesity-induced altered gut microbiota.
Deekshika is studying maternal obesity-induced placenta and fetal liver complications.
Gabrielle White
UCARE Student Worker
gwhite7@huskers.unl.edu
Research: Determining the lipotoxic role of lysophosphatidyl choline on biliary epithelial cells (cholangiocytes) in the liver.
Former Lab Members
| Swetha Ashokkumar As a Summer Redox Biology Center REU program fellow in 2021, Swetha contributed significantly to the Natarajan Lab's research on interferon alpha signaling in Zika virus-induced placental trophoblasts. Her preliminary findings, developed in collaboration with Dr. Murali Ganesan from UNMC, proved pivotal in securing seed grant funding from the NU collaborative initiative. Swetha currently continues her research training through the NIH Postbaccalaureate program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. |
| Taylor Bruett Taylor's work as a member of the Natarajan Lab included securing competitive UCARE funding to investigate 3-hydroxy fatty acid-induced trophoblast lipoapoptosis at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Following her 2018 graduation with a BS in Biological Sciences and a minor in Fisheries and Wildlife from UNL, she transitioned to her current position as lab manager in Dr. Zimmerman's laboratory at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. |
| Tony Delaney With the Natarajan Lab, Tony examined the protective effects of macadamia oil supplementation (a high palmitoleate diet) against Zika virus infection-induced complications in humanized STAT2 KI mice. Beyond his own research contributions, he provided essential support to numerous lab members in advancing their respective projects. He currently serves as Research Project Manager I with the UNL Office of Research and Innovation. |
| Mona Hadidi A 2019 University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate with an MS in Nutrition, Mona spent her time with the Natarajan Lab researching the damaging role of 3-hydroxy fatty acids on retinal pigment epithelial cells. |
| Taija Hahka Taija's contributions to the Natarajan Lab included investigating the antioxidant properties of Resolvin D2, a pro-resolving mediator, in mitigating tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced reactive oxygen species. Additionally, she was involved comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of human placental tissue from pregnant individuals with normotensive pregnancies, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia. Taija now serves as an instructor at Dakota College at Bottineau in North Dakota. |
| Kathryn Hammer During her time with the Natarajan Lab, Kathryn investigated the novel role of long chain hydroxy acyl CoA dehydrogenase in cardiolipin synthesis within trophoblasts and cardiomyocytes. A 2022 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a BS in Nutrition and Health Sciences, she was accepted to the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, where she is currently a member of the Class of 2028. |
| Taylor Heng After earning her BS in Veterinary Science from the University of Nebraska in 2017, Taylor completed the Nebraska-Iowa Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine in 2021 (a collaborative program between UNL and Iowa State University). She is now a veterinarian with Columbus Small Animal Hospital in Columbus, NE. |
| Madison Kraus Madison's research with the Natarajan Lab focused on investigating Zika virus-induced apoptosis in retinal pigment epithelial cells. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2020 with a BS in Nutrition and Health Sciences and currently serves as Project Manager at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation in New York City, NY. During her undergraduate career, Madison received multiple prestigious awards, including consecutive Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experience (UCARE) funding from UNL (2018-2019 and 2019-2020), the Milton Mohr Scholarship from the Center for Biotechnology at IANR in 2018, and the Gates Center Summer internship to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in 2019. |
| Xingzhi (Alan) Li Under the mentorship of Dr. Natarajan and Dr. Jjiujiu Yu, Alan's research in the Natarajan Lab centered on dietary interventions in aging and obesity. Upon completing his PhD in Nutrition from the University of Nebraska in 2025, he transitioned to his current postdoctoral position in the College of Food Science and Engineering at Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University. |
| Philma Glora Muthuraj Philma received travel grants to attend the Gilbert Greenwald Symposium at the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, KS, in both 2017 and 2018, and was selected to deliver an oral presentation at the same symposium in October 2018. After earning her PhD in Nutrition from the University of Nebraska in 2021, she joined the Veterinary Microbiology Residency Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she trained from August 2021 through 2024. |
| Kyung Ho Park Working in the Natarajan Lab, Kyung's research examined the metabolic benefits of plant-based n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on brown adipocyte thermogenesis. Kyung is a 2020 University of Nebraska graduate with an MS in Nutrition. |
| Jillian Power Jillian's work in the Natarajan Lab explored the apoptotic function of FoxO3, a member of the Forkhead family of transcription factors, in saturated free fatty acid-induced placental trophoblast damage during maternal obesity. She was honored with two competitive awards during her undergraduate studies: the UCARE Assistantship from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the 2018-2019 academic year and the ARD Undergraduate Scholarship Award from IANR at UNL for 2019-2020. Jillian graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2021 with a BS in Microbiology. |
| Ellie Rautio A 2022 University of Nebraska graduate with an MS in Nutrition Sciences, Ellie is currently completing her dietetic internship with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. |
| Prakash Kumar Sahoo Prakash earned recognition for his research contributions, receiving the 2018 Best Poster award for his work on 3-hydroxy fatty acids inducing placental trophoblast necroptosis at both the Gilbert Greenwald Symposium (held at Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, KS) and the NPOD Symposium. After completing his PhD in Nutrition at the University of Nebraska, he continued his research as a postdoctoral fellow in the Natarajan Lab until January 2024. He currently serves as a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, IN. |
| Mwiza Aline Uwashimimana Mwiza's research in the Natarajan Lab investigated the role of cellular stress pathways in response to 3-hydroxy fatty acid accumulation in placental trophoblasts. She was awarded the ARD Undergraduate Scholarship from IANR at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in recognition of her academic achievements. After graduating from the University of Nebraska in 2022 with a BS in Integrated Science, she is currently pursuing her PhD in the Department of Public Health at Purdue University. |
| Jenna Whitmore Jenna's research in the Natarajan Lab focused on investigating the protective role of n-3 fatty acids against particulate matter-induced inflammation in placental trophoblasts. She graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2022 with an MS in Professional Studies in Dietetics and successfully completed her Dietitian Board certification. Jenna currently works as a research dietitian at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, NE. |
|
| Yihang Zhao With the Natarajan Lab, Yihang's helped to elucidate the protective role of Betaine against palmitate-induced trophoblast lipoapoptosis. |
In the News
Learn more about each story by following the links below:
- CEHS Interim Dean Nick Pace visits with Associate Professor Sathish Natarajan's lab in University of Nebraska Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences and hears from the four graduate students about the projects they are working on studying how diet and nutrition can help prevent maternal fetal complications
- Project studying impacts of dietary macadamia nuts on prevention of maternal obesity-induced complications
- Faculty, team excellence recognized during 2023 IANR Distinguished Faculty Celebration
- Study links omega fatty acids with infant growth
- Nutrient compound shows promise for halting mother-to-fetus Zika transmission
- Blog tech roundup, April-23-2021
Selected Publications
2024
Bioactive metabolites of OMEGA-6 and OMEGA-3 fatty acids are associated with inflammatory cytokine concentrations in maternal and infant plasma at the time of delivery. Slotkowski R, VanOrmer M, Akbar A, Hahka T, Thompson M, Rapoza R, Ulu A, Thoene M, Lyden E, Mukherjee M, Yuil-Valdes A, Natarajan SK, Nordgren T, Hanson C, Berry AA. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2024 Apr; 60:223-233. doi: 10.1013/j.clnesp.2024.02.006 Epub Feb 7. PMID 38479914. Free article.
The impact of iron supplementation on the preterm neonatal gut microbiome: A pilot study. Van Ormer M, Thompson M, Thoene M, Riethoven JJ, Natarajan SK, Hanson C, Anderson-Berry A. PLoS One. 2024 Feb 21;19(2):e0297558. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297558. eCollection 2024. PMID: 38381745 Free PMC article.
Palmitate induces integrated stress response and lipoapoptosis in trophoblasts. Sahoo PK, Krishnamoorthy C, Wood JR, Hanson C, Anderson-Berry A, Mott JL, Natarajan SK. Cell Death Dis. 2024 Jan 11;151(1):31. doi: 10.1038/s41419-023-06415-6. PMID: 38212315. Free PMC article.
2023
Effects of High-intensity, Eccentric-only Muscle Actions on Serum Biomarkers of Collagen Degradation and Synthesis. Neltner TJ, Sahoo PK, Smith RW, Anders JP, Arnett JE, Ortega DG, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO, Natarajan SK, Housh TJ. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 37(9):p: 1729-1737, September 2023. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004457.
Something smells fishy: How lipid mediators impact neonatal development and the meternal-fetal interface. Thompson M, Ulu A, Yuil-Valdes AG, Mukherjee M, Thoene M, VanOrmer M, Slotkowski R, Lyden E, Anderson-Berry A, Hanson CK, Nordgren TM, Natarajan SK*. Biomedicines 2023; 10;11(1):171. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11010171. PMID: 36672679.
2022
Novel Therapeutic Nutrients Molecules That Protect Against Zika Virus Infection with a Special Note on Palmitoleate. Muthuraj PG, Krishnamoorthy C, Anderson-Berry A, Hanson C, Natarajan SK. Nutrients. 2022 Dec 27;15(1):124. doi: 10.3390/nu15010124. PMID: 36615782. Free PMC Article. Review.
Effects of 8 Weeks of Shilajit Supplementation on Serum Pro-c1α1, a Biomarker of Type 1 Collagen Synthesis: A Randomized Control Trial. Neltner TJ, Sahoo PK, Smith RW, Anders JPV, Arnett JE, Schmidt RJ, Johnson GO, Natarajan SK, Housh TJ. J Diet Suppl. 2022 Dec 22:1-12. doi: 10.1080/19390211.2022.2157522. PMID: 36546868.
Arsenic Toxicity on Metabolism and Autophagy in Adipose and Muscle Tissues. Seung-Hyun Ro, Jiyoung Bae, Yura Jang, Jacob F. Myers, Soonkyu Chung, Jiujiu Yu, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Rodrigo Franco, Hyun-Seob Song. Antioxidants 2022; 11(4):689. doi: 10.3390/antiox11040689. PMID: 35453374. Review.
Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Derived Oxylipins from the Lipoxygenase Pathway in Maternal and Umbilical Cord Plasma at Delivery and their Relationship with Infant Growth. Thompson M, Ulu A, Yuil-Valdes AG, Mukherjee M, Thoene M, Van Ormer M, Slotkowski R, Lyden E, Anderson Berry A, Hanson CK, Nordgren TM, Natarajan SK. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 9;23(2):708. doi: 10.3390/ijms23020708. PMID: 35054892. Free PMC article.
Trophoblast Changes in Maternal Obesity. Sahoo PK, Natarajan SK. Diabesity. 2022 (Review) 8 (1); 19-22
2021
Palmitoleate Protects against Zika virus-induced Placental Trophoblast Apoptosis. Muthuraj PG, Pattnaik A, Sahoo PK, Islam MT, Pattnaik AK, Byrareddy SN, Hanson C, Anderson Berry A, Kachman SD, Natarajan SK. Biomedicines. 2021 June 4;9(6). doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9060643. PMID: 34200091. PMCID: PMC8226770.
Saturated free fatty acids induce placental trophoblast lipoapoptosis. Natarajan SK, Bruett T, Muthuraj PG, Sahoo PK, Power J, Mott JL, Hanson C, Anderson-Berry A. journals.plos.org. 2021 Apr 22;16(4):e0249907. eCollection 2021. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249907. PMID: 33886600. PMCID: PMC8062006
Zika virus infection induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in placental trophoblasts
Muthuraj PG, Sahoo PK, Kraus M, Bruett T, Annamalai AS, Pattnaik A, Pattnaik AK, Byrareddy SN, Natarajan SK. Cell Death Discov. 2021 Jan 26;7(1):24. doi: 10.1038/s41420-020-00379-8. PMID: 33500388. PMCID: PMC7838309.
2019
Omega-3 Fatty Acid-Derived Resolvin D2 Regulates Human Placental Vascular Smooth Muscle and Extravillous Trophoblast Activities. Ulu A, Sahoo PK, Yuil-Valdes AG, Mukherjee M, Van Ormer M, Muthuraj PG, Thompson M, Anderson Berry A, Hanson CK, Natarajan SK, Nordgren TM. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Sep 7;20(18):4402. doi: 10.3390/ijms20184402. PMID: 31500240. PMCID: PMC6770915.
2018
Role of 3-Hydroxy Fatty Acid-Induced Hepatic Lipotoxicity in Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy. Natarajan SK, Ibdah JA. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Jan 22;19(1):322. doi: 10.3390/ijms19010322. PMID: 29361796. PMCID: PMC5796265.
2017
FoxO3 increases miR-34a to cause palmitate-induced cholangiocyte lipoapoptosis. Natarajan SK, Stringham BA, Mohr AM, Wehrkamp CJ, Lu S, Phillippi MA, Harrison-Findik D, Mott JL. J Lipid Res. 2017 May;58(5):866-875. Epub 2017 Mar 1. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M071357. PMID: 28250026. PMCID: PMC5408604.