As a graduate student in central drug research institute (CDRI) India, I over-expressed, purified, crystallized and solved crystal structure of SHMT from B. Strearothermophylus in its internal aldimine form, external aldimine with bound serine and glycine and as ternary complex with glycine and 5-formy-tetra hydrofolate (FTHF). Comparison of four catalytic intermediates provided evidence for a direct displacement mechanism for the catalytic mechanism of serine hydroxyl methyltransferase. Based on these initial findings further work is on the way to design new inhibitor of the enzyme (J. Biol. Chem. 277, 17161-17169 (2002), Biochemistry, 44 (18), 6929 -6937 (2005).

1. Drug target characterization and anti-malarial drug development 2. Host-parasite interactions