Mandal Laboratory

Rabindra Mandal,  Assistant Professor of Biology Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Office: Room 803 Phone: (212) 772-5171 Lab Web Page http://Mandal.bioweb.hunter.cuny.edu

Education:

• B. V. Sc & A. H. (DVM), 2010 Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University (TU)
• Ph.D., 2016, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.
• Postdoc, 2019, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY
• Postdoc, 2021, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

Research Interest:

The role of the gut microbiome in human health
The overarching goal of my lab is to unlock the potential of the gut microbiome for the benefit of human health, aiming to prevent and cure diseases. Currently, I am focused on three main projects:

• Project 1: Investigating the Role of Gut Bacteroides in Severe Malaria Malaria is a devastating disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite transmitted through the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes that continue to pose a significant global health threat. Despite progress, the disease remains a burden, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, affecting young children which cause more than 600,000 deaths and 240 million cases annually. Our research has revealed that gut Bacteroides act in a microbial consortium to cause susceptibility to severe malaria. Bacteroides, normally beneficial gut commensals providing nutrition and supporting host immunity, are implicated in the severity of malaria. However, the mechanisms behind their involvement remain poorly understood. In this project, I aim to decipher how gut Bacteroides influence both gut and systemic immunity, exacerbating severe malaria, using a murine malaria model. Additionally, I am interested in developing a precision gut microbiota editing tool for fine-tuning gut Bacteroides levels to promote host health and mitigate severe malaria.
• Project 2: Exploring the Impact of Gut Microbiome on RBC Tension, Hematopoiesis, and Severe Malaria Our preliminary data indicate that naïve mice susceptible to hyperparasitemia caused by Plasmodium yoelii (Py) infection exhibit increased genetic potential for the alpha hemolysin/cyclolysin transport system in their gut microbiota, compared to mice resistant to hyperparasitemia. Moreover, hyperparasitemia susceptible naïve mice show enhanced expression of genes related to heme metabolism and increased RBC surface tension compared to resistant mice. This project aims to investigate the link between alpha toxin, heme metabolism, and severe malaria.
• Project 3: Studying the Role of Gut Microbiome in Sickle Cell Vaso-Occlusive Crises Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects millions of people globally each year and can be life-threatening, especially in children and in low- and middle-income countries. In Africa, approximately 240,000 children are born with SCD annually, which accounts for 75% of all cases of SCD. SCD is characterized by abnormal hemoglobin, leading to sickle-shaped RBCs prone to hemolysis, resulting in sickle cell anemia (SCA). Vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) are common complications of SCD, and the factors contributing to their incidence are not fully understood. Recent studies suggest a association between the gut microbiome, aged neutrophils, and VOC in SCD patients. However, the specific bacteria involved remain unknown. In this project, we will investigate differences in gut microbiota between children with and without SCD and explore how these differences relate to an increased presence of aged neutrophils and VOC. This research could pave the way for novel gut microbiota-based approaches to reduce SCD complications.
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My Bibliography
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1VUb-VoIelmAp/bibliography/public/

Google Scholar
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NvlodRAAAAAJ&hl=en

ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rabindra-Mandal/

Selected Publications:

• Mandal RK, Mandal A, Denny JE, Namazii R, John CC, Schmidt NW. Gut Bacteroides act in a microbial consortium to cause susceptibility to severe malaria. Nat Commun . 2023 Oct 13; 14 (1) :6465 . doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-42235-0. PubMed PMID: 37833304; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10575898
• Mandal RK, Schmidt NW. Mechanistic insights into the interaction between the host gut microbiome and malaria. PLoS Pathog . 2023 Oct; 19 (10 ) :e 1011665 . doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011665. eCollection 2023 Oct. Review. PubMed PMID: 37824458; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10569623
• Van Den Ham KM, Little MR, Bednarski OJ, Fusco EM, Mandal RK, Mitra R, Li S, Doumbo S, Doumtabe D, Kayentao K, Ongoiba A, Traore B, Crompton PD, Schmidt NW. Creation of a non-Western humanized gnotobiotic mouse model through the transplantation of rural African fecal microbiota. Microbiol Spectr . 2023 Oct 11, e0155423 . doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01554-23. [ Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 37819130
• Bloodworth JC, Hoji A, Wolff G, Mandal RK, Schmidt NW, Deshane JS, Morrow CD, Kloepfer KM, Cook-Mills JM. Dysbiotic lung microbial communities of neonates from allergic mothers confer neonate responsiveness to suboptimal allergen. Front Allergy . 2023; 4 :1135412 . doi: 10.3389/falgy.2023.1135412. eCollection 2023. PubMed PMID: 36970065; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10036811
• Tiwari UP, Mandal RK, Neupane KR, Mishra B, Jha R. Starchy and fibrous feedstuffs differ in their in vitro digestibility and fermentation characteristics and differently modulate gut microbiota of swine. J Anim Sci Biotechnol . 2022 May 3; 13 (1) :53 . doi: 10.1186/s40104-022-00699-y. PubMed PMID: 35501888; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9063073
• Mandal RK, Jiang T, Kwon YM. Genetic Determinants in Salmonella enterica Serotype Typhimurium Required for Overcoming In Vitro Stressors in the Mimicking Host Environment. Microbiol Spectr . 2021 Dec 22; 9 (3 ) :e 0015521 . doi: 10.1128/Spectrum.00155-21. Epub 2021 Dec 8. PubMed PMID: 34878334; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8653844
• Mandal RK, Denny JE, Namazzi R, Opoka RO, Datta D, John CC, Schmidt NW. Dynamic modulation of spleen germinal center reactions by gut bacteria during Plasmodium infection. Cell Rep . 2021 May 11; 35 (6) :109094 . doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109094. PubMed PMID: 33979614; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8141963
• Singh AK, Mandal RK, Bedford MR, Jha R. Xylanase improves growth performance, enhances cecal short-chain fatty acids production, and increases the relative abundance of fiber fermenting cecal microbiota in broilers. Animal Feed Science and Technology. 2021 April; 277 :114956
• Mandal A, Mandal RK, Yang Y, Khatri B, Kong BW, Kwon YM. In vitro characterization of chicken gut bacterial isolates for probiotic potentials. Poult Sci . 2021 Feb; 100 (2) :1083-1092 . doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.11.025. Epub 2020 Nov 20. PubMed PMID: 33518067; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7858158
• Mandal RK, Jiang T, Wideman RF Jr, Lohrmann T, Kwon YM. Microbiota Analysis of Chickens Raised Under Stressed Conditions. Front Vet Sci . 2020; 7 :482637 . doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.482637. eCollection 2020. PubMed PMID: 33134343 PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7575692
• Mandal RK, Denny JE, Waide ML, Li Q, Bhutiani N, Anderson CD, Baby BV, Jala VR, Egilmez NK, Schmidt NW. Temporospatial shifts within commercial laboratory mouse gut microbiota impact experimental reproducibility. BMC Biol . 2020 Jul 3; 18 ;(1) :83 . ;doi: 10.1186/s12915-020-00810-7. ;PubMed PMID: 32620114; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7334859
• Poudel A, Kang Y, Mandal RK, ;Kalalah A, Butaye P, Hathcock T, Kelly P, Walz P, Macklin K, Cattley R, Price S, ;Adekanmbi F, Zhang L, Kitchens S, Kaltenboeck B, Wang C. Comparison of microbiota, antimicrobial resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in flies and the feces of sympatric animals. FEMS Microbiol Ecol . 2020 Apr 1; 96 (4) . doi: 10.1093/ femsec /fiaa027. PubMed PMID: 32105329
• Mandal RK, Crane RJ, Berkley JA, Gumbi W, Wambua J, Ngoi JM, Ndungu FM, Schmidt NW. Longitudinal Analysis of Infant Stool Bacteria Communities Before and After Acute Febrile Malaria and Artemether-Lumefantrine Treatment. J Infect Dis . 2019 Jul 19; 220 (4) :687-698 . doi: 10.1093/ infdis /jiy740. PubMed PMID: 30590681; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6639600
• Chakravarty S, Mandal RK, Duff ML, Schmidt NW. Intestinal short-chain fatty acid composition does not explain gut microbiota-mediated effects on malaria severity. PLoS One . 2019; 14 (3 ) :e 0214449 . doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214449. eCollection 2019. PubMed PMID: 30917184; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6436795
• Yang Y, Wolfenden A, Mandal RK, Faulkner O, Hargis B, Kwon YM, Bielke L. Evaluation of recombinant Salmonella vaccines to provide cross-serovar and cross-serogroup protection. Poult Sci . 2017 Dec 1; 96 (12) :4352-4360 . doi: 10.3382/ ps /pex144. PubMed PMID: 29253276
• Mandal RK, Kwon YM. Global Screening of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Genes for Desiccation Survival. Front Microbiol . 2017; 8 :1723 . doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01723. eCollection 2017. PubMed PMID: 28943871; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5596212
• Mandal RK, Jiang T, Kwon YM. Essential genome of Campylobacter jejuni . BMC Genomics . 2017 Aug 14; 18 (1) :616 . doi: 10.1186/s12864-017-4032-8. PubMed PMID: 28806924; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5557513
• Mandal RK, Jiang T, Al- Rubaye AA, Rhoads DD, Wideman RF, Zhao J, Pevzner I, Kwon YM. An investigation into blood microbiota and its potential association with Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis (BCO) in Broilers. Sci Rep . 2016 May 13; 6 :25882 . doi: 10.1038/srep25882. PubMed PMID: 27174843; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4865835
• Kwon YM, Ricke SC, Mandal RK. Transposon sequencing: methods and expanding applications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol . 2016 Jan; 100 (1) :31-43 . doi: 10.1007/s00253-015-7037-8. Review. PubMed PMID: 26476650
• Jiang T, Mandal RK, Wideman RF Jr, Khatiwara A, Pevzner I, Min Kwon Y. Molecular survey of bacterial communities associated with bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) in broilers. PLoS One . 2015; 10 (4 ) :e 0124403 . doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124403. eCollection 2015. PubMed PMID: 25881241; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4400152