Dr. Kannan V. M.
Professor

Department of Zoology, University of Calicut,
Calicut University PO, Malappuram District, Kerala 673635 India
Phone : 0494-2407419, 
Mobile: +91 9388157623 
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Biography

A native of Kannore, Koyilandi, Kozhikode District. Completed M.Sc in Zoology from St.Joseph’s College, Devagiri  with Rank (University of Calicut). Qualified UGC-CSIR JRF. Passed B.Ed natural science with Rank from University of Calicut. Ph.D from Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum. Worked as a faculty in the Dept. of Zoology of St.Joseph’s College, Devagiri, Calicut from 1997-2000. Worked as a Post doctoral fellow at the Medical School of University of Michigan, Ann arbour, USA from 2000 to 2005. In 2006 Joined University of Calicut as Reader in Zoology and promoted to Professor.  Worked as the Director of School of Distance Education, University of Calicut. Currently working as Professor Dept. of Zoology, Director of Center for Advances in Molecular Biology, University of Calicut, Director of School of Biosciences, University of Calicut, and  Chairman Board of Studies in Zoology (PG).

Current Research 

         Our lab is mainly interested in proteins/molecules with potential applications and current research include

Isolation of anti-cancer molecules from plants:

         Many chemotherapeutic agents currently used in the clinic against cancer are of plant origin. Plants offer a vast chemical library of molecules and we are interested in identifying molecules with anti-cancer properties using cancer cell lines.

Isolation and characterization plant protease inhibitors against gut proteases of agricultural pests and mosquito larvae:

            Plant protease inhibitors are natural defence molecules, mainly proteins, in plants to protect from herbivores , like insect pests and pathogens. Isolations of such plant protease inhibitors inhibiting the gut proteases of insects will help in cloning the gene coding for it and production of transgenic plants expressing such plant protease inhibitors will protect the plants from pest attack. We are interested in isolating plant protease inhibitors against gut proteases of agricultural pests and mosquito larvae.

Effect of insect growth regulators on regulation of haemolymph proteins in insects:

           Haemolymph proteins are crucial for insect development. We are interested in looking at the alteration in haemolymph proteins on exposure to insect growth regulators in agricultural pests and identification of such proteins by mass spectrometry. The knockdown of such proteins in insects helps us to understand the role played by those proteins in toxicity or resistance to the pesticides.

Gene cloning, expression and purification of proteins for large scale production:

           Proteins with therapeutic or other applications can be produced by cloning the gene and expressing the proteins. Purification is aided by addition of tags to the proteins and enzymatic removal of tags after purification.

Gene cloning for selection of proteins with insecticidal activity against mosquito larvae:

           Proteins or peptides with toxicity to pests or mosquito larvae can be altered to increase their toxicity.  We are interested in this as one application will be to express them in bacteria or microorganisms upon which the larvae feed so as to use as a larvicide.

Projects 

Sl. No.	Title of the project/Role	Funding agency	Year/duration	Amount sanctioned
1.	Center for Advances in Molecular Biology (for establishing a new center) Director	State Plan Grant to University of Calicut, Kerala	2016-18	Rs 100, 00000
2.	Study of toxicity of nanoparticle-insect growth regulator conjugate on mosquito larvae. Principal Investigator	UGC- Industry linked Research Project UGC fund University of Calicut	2016-17	Rs 5,05,000
3.	Characterization of proteases in the gut of mosquito larvae.   Principal Investigator	UGC-Innovative research UGC fund University of Calicut	2014-15	Rs 1,50,000
4.	" Identification and Characterization of Ecdysone analogue responsive proteins from the larval haemolymph of Spodoptera mauritia Boisd.(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Principal Investigator	KSCSTE,  Government of Kerala..	2014-17	Rs 19,30,600
5	Characterization of juvenile hormone analogue- responsive protein from the haemolymph of Spodoptera mauritia Boisd. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae. Principal Investigator	UGC, Govt. of India	2012-16.	Rs 10,84,800

  

Peer Reviewed Journals

1. Sumisha NK, Shiji TM and Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Malathion exposure alters the level of major soluble proteins in the larvae of Aedes aegypti. International Journal of Mosquito Research 2021; 8(2): 30-33
2. Smrithy PS, Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Isolation of soya bean trypsin inhibitor-binding protease from the gut of Aedes albopictus(Diptera: Culicidae) larvae. International Journal of Entomology Research. Volume 5; Issue 5; 2020; Page No. 32-35.
3. Bindu Punathumparambath and Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal Generalized p-value approach for multiple hypothesis testing in microarray. JP Journal of Biostatistics. Volume 17, Number 2, 2020, Pages 443-451.
4. Anju Sara Prakash, Ashitha Kormath, Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Identification of plant extracts inhibiting trypsin-like larval gut proteases of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae. International Journal of Entomology Research,Volume 5; Issue 3; 2020; Page No. 01-04
5. Sajitha R. and Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Identification of Plant extracts containing protease inhibitor against the larval gut proteases of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Pestology Feb 2020 .Vol.XLIV , Issue 2 pp 42-48
6. Sajitha R. and Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Screening of Plant Extracts to Identify Extracts containing Inhibitors Against Larval Gut Proteases of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). International Journal of Research in Agricultural Sciences. Feb 2020, Vol.7, Issue 1 pp 47-53.
7. Remya p.p. and Kannan Vadakkadath meethal. Screening of plant seeds for protease inhibitor against larval gut proteases of Spodoptera mauritia (boisd.) (lepidoptera: noctuidae) International Journal of Agriculture SciencesVolume 11, Issue 2, 2019, pp.-7773-7776.Volume 11, Issue 2, 2019, pp.-7773-7776    
8. Sajna TK, Shiji TM and Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Effect of serine protease inhibitors on gut protease activity of Aedes albopictus fourth instar larvae. International Journal of Mosquito Research 2019; 6(5): 06-09.
9. P.P. Remya, Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Identification of Plant extracts containing Trypsin inhibitor. International Journal of Life Sciences Research. Vol. 6, Issue 3, pp: (287-293), July - September 2018.
10. Amrutha M, Shiji TM, Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Serine proteases represent the predominant protease in the gut of Culex pipiens mosquito larvae. International Journal of Entomology Research. Volume 3; Issue 1; January 2018; Page No. 92-94.
11. Linvy Vincent, Sridhu Prakash, Reshma RM, Resmitha C, Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal Storage protein in the haemolymph of 6^th   instar larvae of  Spodoptera mauritia  Boisd.(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is  increased by the Ecdysone mimic, Methoxyfenozide.  International Journal of Entomology Research. Volume 3; Issue 2; March 2018; Page No. 01-04
12. C.Resmitha, and Kannan.Vadakkadath Meethal. The juvenile hormone mimic, pyriproxyfen, increases the level of the major haemolymph protein in the larvae of Spodoptera mauritia Boisd. Lepidoptera: Noctuidae. International Journal of Entomology Research. Volume 2; Issue 6; November 2017; Page No. 11-15
13. C.Resmitha, and Kannan.Vadakkadath Meethal. Toxicity of Insect Growth Regulator, Pyriproxyfen, on larvae of Spodoptera mauritia Boisd (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). International Journal of Agriculture Innovations and Research. Volume 5, Issue 1, ISSN (Online) 2016,  2319-1473
14. C.Resmitha, R.M. Reshma. Bindu.Punathumparambath and Kannan.Vadakkadath Meethal. The ecdysone mimic, methoxyfenozide, alters the level of major haemolymph proteins in the larvae of Spodoptera mauritia. Acta Biologica Indica 2014, 3(2):726-73
15. C.Divya, Srrejina Sreedharan, Bindu Punathumparambath and Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Identification of plant extracts expressing trypsin Inhibitor. Acta Biologica Indica 2014 3(1):522-526
16. Bindu Punathumparambath and Kannan .V.M. Error distribution for Microarray gene expression data. VIRJ for Pure and Applied Science- ISSN Vol : 1 Issue :1. 41-57, September, 2013
17. Bindu Punathumparambath, Sebastian George and Kannan .V.M Statistical methods for identifying differentially Expressed genes in microarray data International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 4, Issue 9, September- 2013
18. Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Adenylyl cyclase Structure and Regulation. VIRJ for Pure and Applied Science- ISSN Vol : 1 Issue :1. 41-57, September, 2013
19. Ramya P.P., Sameena U., Sasi S., Shamiyath A., Bindu.P.P, Kannan V.M. Identification of plant extracts containing protease inhibitors against the gut protease of Spodoptera mauritia Boisdual (Lepidoptera: Nuctuidae). Acta Biologica Indica (2013) 2(2):451-455
20. Abilash P.Land Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal. Extracts from Jack fruit seed and Areca nut inhibits gut protease activity of Spodoptera mauritia Boisd. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Acta Biologica Indica (2012), 1(1):129-131.
21. Bindu Punathumparambath, Sebastian George and Kannan.V.M Statistical Techniques for Microarray Technology. Journal of Informatics and Mathematical Sciences. (2011) 3(3) 257-275
22. Vadakkadathmeethal K, Cunliffe JM, Swift J, Kennedy RT, Neubig RR, Sunahara RK. Fluorescence-based adenylyl cyclase assay adaptable to high throughput screening. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen. 2007 May;10(4):289-98.(Listed under Vadakkadathmeethal K)
23. Vadakkadathmeethal K, Felczak A, Davignon I, Collins J, SunaharaRK. Cloning and characterization of the G protein betagamma subunits from Trichoplusia ni (High Five cells). Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2005 Apr;35(4):333- 45.(Listed under Vadakkadathmeethal K)
24. V.M.Kannan and P.S. Appukuttan. Relative affinities of bovine brain 14 kDa  galactose  lectin binding to individual Endogenous gangliosides.   Indian  Journal of    Biochemistry  and Biophysics. 34.,249-252  (1997). (Listed under Kannan VM)
25. V.M.Kannan and P.S. Appukuttan. Major bovine brain stem glycoproteins sugar-specifically recognised by endogenous14kDa  galactose-binding lectin. Indian  Journal   of Biochemistry and  Biophysics. 31.,160-164 (1994). (Listed under Kannan VM)
26. V.M.Kannan and P.S.Appukuttan .Sugar specific interaction of bovine brain beta-galactoside binding lectin with endogenous gangliosides. Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics.30, 111-116 (1993). (Listed under Kannan VM)
27. Jaison.P.L., Kannan, V.M., Geetha, M. and Appukuttan.P.S. Epitopes recognised by serum anti alpha-galactoside antibody are present on brain  glycoproteins in man. Journal of Bioscience.18, 187-193 (1993).  (Listed under Kannan VM)

Book Publications 

1. P. Priya and V.M Kannan.  Apolipoprotein A-1 binds to Jacalin-Sepharose in a Sugar-dependent manner. “Prospects in Bioscience: Addressing the issues" (2013).169-172. Sabu, Abdulhameed; Augustine, Anu (Eds.) Springer Publishers.
2. Kannan Vadakkadath Meethal and Shabana .K.K. Pyriproxifen and Forskolin alter the level of the major haemolymph protein in the larvae of Spodoptera mauritia Boisd. Advances in Environmental Research: an Interdisciplinary Approach (2011).59-62. Paul V.I., Subramaniyan A, Elanchezhiyan (Eds). Excell Publishers, New Delhi.
3. P.S.Appukuttan, V.M.Kannan and P.L.Jaison. Detection of terminal alpha-galactoside moiety in glycoconjugates of brain and other  tissues using jacalin and human serum     anti alpha-galactoside   antibody. In: Lectins: Biology, Biochemistry and Clinical  Biochemistry. Basu,J., Kundu, M and Chakrabati,P (eds) Vol 9 pp. 180-   186. Wiley Eastern    Ltd.India. (1993).

International Conferences

1. International conference Pune, 2014- Invited lecture
2. International Conference University of Mysore. Feb 10-12, 2011-paper presentation.
3. International conference on Stem cells, Kannur, India, 2008
4. GPCR Retreat, Quabac, Canada, 2004.
5. GPCR Retreat, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, 2003.
6. Society for Study of Reproduction, Wisconsin, USA, 2001.

National Conferences

1. Kerala science congress,2020- as Judge for evaluating presentations
2. Kerala science congress,2018- as Judge for evaluating presentations
3. Kerala science congress,2017- as Judge for evaluating presentations
4. Kerala science congress,2016
5. Kerala science congress,2015- as Judge for evaluating presentations
6. National conference Society for Applied Biotechnology, Mangalore, 2011
7. National conference AERIA 2011. Annamalai University
8. Society of Biological Chemists, India, Calcutta, India, 1991.

Research Collaborations

1. PROF. FARIDAH BINTI SONSUDIN

Chemistry Division, Centre for Foundation Studies in Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, W.Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2. PROF.CHUDA CHITTASUPHO

Chiang Mai University | CMU, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Thailand.