Profile
Kaustubha Qanungo
Biological Sciences
Senior Lecturer
864-656-2179
Jordan Hall 165 [Office]
Educational Background
Post Doctoral Fellowship, Molecular Virology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 2004
Ph.D, Biotechnology (Molecular Virology), Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 2003
M.Sc., Zoology, Visva Bharati University, 1995
B.Sc., Life Sciences (Zoology), Visva Bharati University, 1993
Profile/About Me
Kaustubha Qanungo has been involved in research and teaching in virology, microbiology, and cell and molecular biology for more than twenty-five years. During his graduate studies at the Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, India, he isolated a novel cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (reoviridae family). The virus infects exotic silk-producing silkworms, leading to significant economic loss. For the first time, he characterized the virus through extensive electron microscopy and molecular genomic analysis. He cloned and sequenced one of the genomic segments of the virus involved in the RNA genome packaging in the virion. Based on his initial research contribution in the late 1990s, the Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, India became an authoritative center in silkworm insect virology research and received numerous grants and publications for the next two decades.
After his graduate studies, he received a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Molecular Biology of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA. While he was at the Cleveland Clinic, he discovered two entities of the viral RNA viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that carry out the transcription and replication of the vesicular stomatitis virus; a prototype negative-strand RNA virus. The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA in 2004 and remained a seminal discovery in the field.
He spent the next six years (2004-2010) as a research associate at the Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Research University. He was involved in several structural biology projects at Case Western Reserve University. One of the projects was characterizing and solving the structure of the Fructosamine oxidases (FAOX) that catalyze the oxidative deglycation of low molecular weight fructosamines (Amadori products). These proteins are of interest in developing an enzyme to deglycate proteins implicated in diabetic complications. We reported the crystal structures of FAOX-II from the fungi Aspergillus fumigatus, in free form and in complex with the inhibitor fructosyl-thioacetate, at 1.75 and 1.6A resolution. He was involved in the purification of the protein for X-ray crystallography. In addition, He was involved in mentoring many undergraduate and graduate students.
In 2011, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina. He was involved in teaching Anatomy-Physiology and Microbiology at the Trident Technical College and Cell and Molecular Biology at the College of Charleston for two years. In 2013, He was appointed full-time Microbiology faculty member at the Trident Technical College. He also continued his research at the Medical University of South Carolina as a visiting scientist.
In 2019, he moved to the Department of Biological Sciences at Clemson University and was involved primarily in teaching Virology, Cell & Molecular Biology, and Microbiology. Besides, he is also involved in collaborative clinical virology research with the Department of Nursing, College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences at Clemson University.
As he became primarily a teaching-focused faculty, his primary focus shifted from active wet bench research to teaching and pedagogy development for the next generation of students. Nonetheless, he is involved in scholarly activities in virology and has contributed to several University outreaches, invited talks, and media appearances.
Courses Taught
Spring: Cell Biology: BIOL 4610, 4610 Honors, 6610 (combined)
Understanding Microbiology: BIOL 8470
Cell Biology Laboratory Coordinator: (BIOL 4620/4621/6620/6621)
Summer: BIOL 4610: Cell Biology
Fall: Introductory Virology: MICR 4160, 4160 Honors, 6160 (combined)
Understanding Cellular Processes: BIOL 8420
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
(Mitochondria & Bioenergetics) BIOL 8010
Cell Biology Laboratory Coordinator: (BIOL 4620/4621/6620/6621)
Selected Publications
1. Collard François, Zhang Jianye, Nemet Ina, Qanungo Kaustubha R., Monnier Vincent M, Yee Vivien C. Crystal structure of the deglycating enzyme fructosamine oxidase (amadoriase II). The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2008; 284(40): 27007-16.
2. Kaustubha R. Qanungo, Daniel Shaji, Manjula Mathur and Amiya K. Banerjee. Two RNA polymerase complexes from vesicular stomatitis virus that carry out transcription and replication of genome RNA. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. USA. 2004 Apr; 101(16):5952-7.
3. Kaustubha R. Qanungo, Subhas C. Kundu, James I. Mullins, Ananta K. Ghosh. Molecular cloning and characterization of Antheraea mylitta cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus genome segment 9. Journal of General Virology 2002 Jun; 83(Pt 6): 1483-91. (Links to an external site.)
4. Kaustubha R. Qanungo, Subhas C. Kundu, Ananta K. Ghosh. Characterization of cypovirus isolates from tropical and temperate Indian saturniidae silkworms. Acta Virologica (2000) Dec; 44(6): 349-57.
Selected Talks
Qanungo, Kaustubha. Mini Lecture Series Lecture 2: Molecular Perspectives of an Amazing Nanomachine: Post Viral Infection Events in a Host Cell. Hosted by Dr. Ruchi Bharti, Dept. of Chemistry, Chandigarh University, Punjab, India, 2022
Qanungo, Kaustubha. Mini Lecture Series Lecture 1: Molecular Perspectives of Viral evolution and host invasion. Hosted by Dr. Ruch Bharti, Dept. of Chemistry, Chandigarh University, Punjab, India, 2022
Qanungo, Kaustubha. The untold story of the SARS-CoV2 vaccine development. Invited guest lecture and student interaction. Hosted by Dr. Ruch Bharti, Dept. of Chemistry, Chandigarh University, Punjab, India, 2022
Qanungo, Kaustubha. Coronavirus and the new vaccines guest lecture. Invited by Dr. Nora Espinoza, BIOL 1040 General Biology II, Clemson University, 2022:
Qanungo, Kaustubha. Coronavirus: The Untold Story. A molecular insight of replication, pathogenesis and antiviral/vaccine development. Spring seminar series, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 2022
Qanungo, Kaustubha. Coronavirus: The Untold Story. A molecular insight of replication, pathogenesis and antiviral/vaccine development. Invited by Dr. Jayanti Ray Mukherjee, Dept. of Biology, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, India, 2022
Qanungo, Kaustubha. “The power of diversity” at the Induction ceremony of the Alpha Mu Gamma Foreign Language Society; Lambda chapter, Trident Technical College, 2014
Qanungo, Kaustubha. Two RNA polymerase complexes from Vesicular stomatitis virus that carry out transcription and replication of genome RNA. Hosted by Dr. Sean Whelan, Dept.
of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 2004
Qanungo Kaustubha and Greene James. Reinforced interactive learning using publisher’s artificial intelligence-based learning modules compared to classical homework assignment-based learning. American Society of Microbiology Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE), Danvers, MA, 2014
Qanungo, K. R., Mathur Manjula and Banerjee A. K. Isolation and characterization of vesicular stomatitis virus L protein complexed with host proteins from BHK infected cells. Annual meeting of the American Society for Virology, Davis, 2003
Qanungo, K. R., Mathur Manjula and Banerjee A. K. Recombinant RNA polymerase (L)/ elongation factor EF-1a complex of vesicular stomatitis virus: a strong association of cellular guanylyltransferase with EF-1a. Annual meeting of the American Society for Virology, Lexington, Kentucky, 2002
Qanungo, K.R., Ghosh, A. K. and Kundu, S. C. Expression of a novel RNA binding protein in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. 69th Annual Meeting of Society of Biological Chemistry, Calcutta, India, 2000
Qanungo, K.R., Ghosh, A. K. and Kundu, S. C. The virus causing grasserie disease in Antheraea mylitta and Antheraea proylei is a type IV cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus. Second ICGEB Virology Symposium, New Delhi, India, 1998
Links
Expert insight into COVID vaccines
Kos Qanungo appears live on international Chinese television network
COVID -19 Q&A with two Clemson Scientists
