Natarajan Lab

Overview

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

Sathish Kumar Natarajan Assistant Professor

Lab Members

	Anthony Delaney, Research Technologist II adelaney2@unl.edu
	Kathryn Hammer khammer4@unl.edu Research: Analysis of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in HADHA-mutant cardiomyocytes.
	Chandan Krishnamoorthy ckrishnamoorthy2@huskers.unl.edu Research: Zika virus induces apoptosis and ER stress in neuronal cells.
	Prakash Kumar Sahoo psahoo2@unl.edu Research: Elucidating the lipotoxicity of 3-hydroxy fatty acids in placental trophoblast and hepatocytes. Prakash received two 2018 Best Poster Awards for his research on 3-hydroxy fatty acids induced placental trophoblast necroptosis: one at the Gilbert Greenwald Symposium held at Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, KS and the second at the NPOD Symposium.

Former Lab Members

Taylor Bruett Undergraduate Student Researcher 2016	Successfully obtained funding from UCARE for her work in the Natarajan Lab.
Madison Kraus Undergraduate Student Researcher 2018-19, 2019-20	Successfully obtained funding from UCARE for her work in the Natarajan Lab. Awarded the Milton Mohr Scholarship from the Center for Biotechnology from IANR at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2018 Received the Gates Center Summer internship to the University of Colorado Anschultz Medical Campus, 2019
Philma Glora Muthuraj	Graduated with doctorate from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2021. Joined Veterinary Microbiology Residency Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia, August 2021. Received a travel grant to attend the Gilbert Greenwald Symposium at the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, KS, 2017 and 2018. Selected to give an oral presentation to the Gilbert Greenwald Symposium at the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, KS, October 2018.
Jillian Power Undergraduate Student Researcher 2019	Successfully obtained funding from UCARE for her work in the Natarajan Lab. Received ARD undergraduate Scholarship Award from IANR at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Ellie Rautio	Completing Dietetic internship with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Mwiza Aline Uwashimimana	Now pursuing master of science in nutrition and public health at Purdue University.
Jenna Whitmore Undergraduate Student Researcher from Nebraska Wesleyan	Now pursuing Professional Studies in Dietetics as a graduate student in the Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In the News

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

PubMed

Natarajan Lab publications

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. Online ahead of print.

PMID: 36546868

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.

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 Jun 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