Manjula Reddy
{{short description|Indian bacterial geneticist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox scientist
| image= Dr. Manjula Reddy.tif
| name = Manjula Reddy
| doctoral_advisor = Jayaraman Gowrishankar
| alma_mater = St Francis College for Women (BSc)
University of Hyderabad (MSc)
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (PhD)
| known_for = Discovery of a key hydrolytic enzyme involved in bacterial cell wall growth
| fields = Microbiology, Bacterial Genetics
| awards = Infosys Prize in Life Sciences (2019)
| Institutions =
| nationality = Indian
}}
Manjula Reddy (born 1965) is an Indian bacterial geneticist. She is the chief scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, India. In 2019, she won the Infosys Prize in Life Sciences for her work on bacterial cell wall structure and synthesis. She is a Fellow of the Telangana Academy of Sciences and the Indian Academy of Sciences.
Education and career
Manjula Reddy earned her PhD from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in 2002. She started her own lab at the institution in 2007.{{Cite news|last1=Jayaraj|first1=Nandita|last2=Shah|first2=Mrinal|date=2020-02-07|title=Meet the two women scientists who won the Infosys Prize this year|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/meet-the-two-women-scientists-who-won-the-infosys-prize-this-year/article30760728.ece|access-date=2020-06-28|issn=0971-751X}}
Research
Manjula Reddy conducts research on bacterial cell walls.
She identified a novel "spacemaker" enzyme encoded by the open reading frame called MepK in Escherichia coli. She found that this enzyme hydrolyses certain cross-links in peptidoglycan thereby allowing the bacterial cell wall to expand.{{Cite journal|last1=Chodisetti|first1=Pavan Kumar|last2=Reddy|first2=Manjula|date=2019-04-16|title=Peptidoglycan hydrolase of an unusual cross-link cleavage specificity contributes to bacterial cell wall synthesis|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=116|issue=16|pages=7825–7830|doi=10.1073/pnas.1816893116|pmc=6475434|issn=0027-8424|pmid=30940749|bibcode=2019PNAS..116.7825C |doi-access=free}} She aims to develop novel antimicrobials that can target the peptidoglycan synthesis pathway.{{Cite web|title=Infosys Prize - Laureates 2019 - Manjula Reddy|url=http://www.infosys-science-foundation.com/prize/laureates/2019/manjula-reddy.asp|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.infosys-science-foundation.com}} She uses the model organisms Mycobacterium smegmatis and Escherichia coli.{{Cite web|title=CCMB {{!}} Research-Group|url=http://www.ccmb.res.in/People/Research-Group/Manjula-Reddy|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.ccmb.res.in}}
She was part of the team of scientists who patented the process for identifying mutagens and anti-mutagens. This process was patented from 1999 to 2018 in the United States. The other scientists in the team were Jayaraman Gowrishankar and Shanti M. Bharatan.{{Cite patent|title=Process for identifying mutagens and antimutagens|gdate=1998-10-19|country=US|number=5981191
|assign=Council of Scientific & Industrial Research|inventor1-last=Reddy|inventor1-first=Manjula|inventor2-last=Gowrishankar|inventor2-first=Jayaraman|inventor3-last=Bharatan|inventor3-first=Shanti M.}}{{Cite web|title=CCMB {{!}} Patents|url=http://www.ccmb.res.in/Patents|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.ccmb.res.in|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607163003/http://www.ccmb.res.in/Patents}}
Awards and honors
- Infosys Prize in Life Sciences (2019){{Cite web|date=2019-11-08|title=CCMB scientist Manjula Reddy wins 2019 Infosys Prize for Life Sciences|url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/ccmb-scientist-manjula-reddy-wins-2019-infosys-prize-life-sciences-562121|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-28|website=www.indiatvnews.com|language=en}}
- Asian Scientist 100, Asian Scientist (2020){{cite web |url=https://www.asianscientist.com/as100/ |title=The Asian Scientist 100 |author= |date= |website= |publisher= Asian Scientist |access-date= 13 March 2025 |quote= |language= }}
- Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (2020){{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Fellowship {{!}} Indian Academy of Sciences|url=https://fellows.ias.ac.in/profile/v/FL2020019|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.ias.ac.in}}
- Fellow of the Telangana Academy of Sciences{{Cite web|title=Telangana Academy of Sciences (TAS) Hyderabad|url=http://www.tasc.org.in/updated-fellows.html|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.tasc.org.in}}
- Editorial board member of the Journal of Bacteriology{{Cite web|title=Editorial Board {{!}} Journal of Bacteriology|url=https://jb.asm.org/content/board-editors|access-date=2020-06-07|website=jb.asm.org}}
Personal life
She has stated in an interview that her father, Mohan Reddy, and her mother were supportive of her career as a scientist.{{Citation|title=Interview with Infosys Award 2019 Winner - Smt. Manjula Reddy - CCMB - Trishakti - Acchamga Telugu| date=12 November 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0vJhZQo3D8|language=en|access-date=2020-06-07}} She is married to a cardiologist and has two sons.
Selected publications
{{external media|float=right|video1=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlaqsjhsWuo
Dr.Manjula Reddy presents her research at the first edition of the Infosys Prize 2019 Winners’ Symposium}}
- Chodisetti, Pavan Kumar, and Manjula Reddy. "Peptidoglycan hydrolase of an unusual cross-link cleavage specificity contributes to bacterial cell wall synthesis." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116.16 (2019): 7825-7830.
- Singh, Santosh Kumar, et al. "Regulated proteolysis of a cross-link–specific peptidoglycan hydrolase contributes to bacterial morphogenesis." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112.35 (2015): 10956-10961.{{Cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Santosh Kumar|last2=Parveen|first2=Sadiya|last3=SaiSree|first3=L.|last4=Reddy|first4=Manjula|date=2015-09-01|title=Regulated proteolysis of a cross-link–specific peptidoglycan hydrolase contributes to bacterial morphogenesis|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=112|issue=35|pages=10956–10961|doi=10.1073/pnas.1507760112|issn=0027-8424|pmid=26283368|pmc=4568209 |bibcode=2015PNAS..11210956S |doi-access=free}}
- Reddy, Manjula. "Role of FtsEX in cell division of Escherichia coli: viability of ftsEX mutants is dependent on functional SufI or high osmotic strength." Journal of bacteriology 189.1 (2007): 98-108.{{Cite journal|last=Reddy|first=Manjula|date=2007-01-01|title=Role of FtsEX in Cell Division of Escherichia coli: Viability of ftsEX Mutants Is Dependent on Functional SufI or High Osmotic Strength|journal=Journal of Bacteriology|language=en|volume=189|issue=1|pages=98–108| pmc=1797223| doi=10.1128/JB.01347-06|issn=0021-9193|pmid=17071757|doi-access=free}}
== References ==
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Category:21st-century Indian women scientists
Category:21st-century Indian scientists