Dr. Adil Nazarali

B.Sc.Pharm. (Portsmouth School of Pharmacy), M.Sc. (London), Ph.D. (AB)

Professor of Pharmacy

Thorvaldson 217
Phone: 306-966-6334
Fax: 306-966-6377
aj.nazarali@usask.ca

Laboratory of Molecular and Cell Biology - http://www.usask.ca/pharmacy-nutrition/research/groups/lab_molecular_cell_biology.php


Dr. Nazarali joined the faculty in July 1995. He has worked with Nobel Laureate, Dr. Marshall Nirenberg, at the National Institutes of Health in the United States in the cloning of murine Hox genes.

Teaching Responsibilities

Dr. Nazarali’s areas of teaching include Developmental Biology, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Toxicology.

Research Interests

Molecular biology; cell biology; pharmaceutical biotechnology; drug metabolism.

The research focus of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition is the molecular cloning and expression analysis of homeobox (Hox) genes in the developing mammalian embryo including the eye, palate and myelinating glia. Methodologies for isolation of downstream targets of homeobox genes are being developed. The mechanism of anticonvulsant drug-induced teratogenicity is also being investigated.

Dr. Nazarali’s research has been funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. Recent studies have focused on molecular cloning and expression analysis of homeobox genes in the developing mammalian embryo, and isolation of downstream targets of homeobox genes.

Recent Publications

Brown, GD and Nazarali, AJ, 2010. Matrix metalloproteinase-25 has a functional role in mouse secondary palate development and is a downstream target of TGF-b3. BMC Developmental Biology.10:93-102.

J. R. Doucette, R. Jiao, A. J. Nazarali, 2010 Age-related and cuprizone-induced changes in myelin and transcription factor gene expression and in oligodendrocyte cell densities in the rostral corpus callosum of mice. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology,30:607-629.

Zhang B, Wang X, Nazarali AJ, 2010. Ascorbic acid reverses valproic acid induced inhibition of Hoxa2 and maintains glutathione homeostasis in mouse embryos in culture. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 30:137–148.

T.M. Smith, X. Wang, B. Zhang W, Kulyk, AJ Nazarali, 2009. Hoxa2 plays a direct role in murine palate development. Developmental Dynamics, 238: 2364-2373.

L. Ji, A.J. Nazarali and P.G. Paterson, 2008. Protein-Energy Malnutrition Increases Activation of Transcription Factor, Nuclear Factor Kappa B, in Gerbil Hippocampus Following Global Ischemia, Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 19, 770-777.

D.J. Nicolay, J.R. Doucette and A.J. Nazarali, 2007. Transcriptional Control of Oligodendrogenesis, GLIA, 55, 1287-1299.

J. Booth, D.J. Nicolay, J.R. Doucette and A.J. Nazarali, 2007. Hoxd1 is Expressed by Oligondendroglial Cells and Binds to a Region of the Human Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Promoter In Vitro, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 27, 641-650.

A.J. Nazarali, B. Zhang and X. Wang, 2007. Effect of Valproic Acid on Glutathione Homeostasis in Mouse Whole Embryo Cultures, Proceedings of SECOTOX, 1, 61-66.

X. Wang, W. Zhang and A.J. Nazarali, 2007. Toxic Effects of Valproic Acid on Mouse Palatal Development In Vitro, Proceedings of SECOTOX, 1, 139-144.

Z. Akin and A.J. Nazarali, 2005. Hox Genes and their Candidate Downstream Targets in the Developing Central Nervous System, Cellular and Molecular NeuroBiology, 25, 697-741.

D. Nicolay, J.R. Doucette and A.J. Nazarali, 2004. Early Stages of Oligodendrocyte Development in the Embryonic Murine Spinal Cord proceed Normally in the Absence of Hoxa2, GLIA, 48, 14-26.

D. Nicolay, J.R. Doucette, and A.J. Nazarali, 2003. Hoxb4 in Oligodendrogenesis, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 24, 357-366.

P.L. Andersen, J.R. Doucette and A.J. Nazarali, 2003. A Novel Method of Eliminating Non-neuronal Proliferating Cells from Cultures of Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglia, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 23, 205-210.

P. Kumar and A.J. Nazarali, 2001. Characterization of Hoxd1-DNA Binding Specificity using Affinity Chromatography and Random DNA Oligomer Selection, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 21, 369-388.

L. Wolf, J. Yeung, R. Doucette and A.J. Nazarali, 2001. Coordinated Expression of Hoxa2, Hoxd1 and Pax6 in the Developing Diencephalon, NeuroReport, 12, 329-333.

J.R. Dimmock, M.P. Padmanilayam, R.N. Puthucode, A.J. Nazarali, N.L. Motaganahalli, G.A. Zello, J.W. Quail, E.O. Oloo, H.-B. Kraatz, J.S. Prisciak, T.M. Allen, C.L. Santos, J. Balzarini, E. De Clercq and E.K. Manavatha, 2000. A Conformational and Quantitiative Structure-Activity Relationship Study of Cytotoxic 3,5-bis-Arylidene-4-Piperidones and Related N-acryloxyl Analogs, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 44, 586-593.

J.R. Dimmock, P. Kumar, A.J. Nazarali, N.L. Motganahalli, T.P. Kowalchuk, M.A. Beazely, J.W. Quail, E.O. Oloo, T.M. Allen, J. Szydlowski, E. De Clercq and J. Balzarini, 2000. Cytotoxic 2,6-bis(arylidene)cyclohexanones and Related Compounds, European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 35, 967-977.

J.R. Dimmock, N.M. Kandepu, A.J. Nazarali, N.L. Motaganahalli, T.P. Kowalchuk, U. Pugazhenthi, J.S. Prisciak, J.W. Quail, T.M. Allen, R. LeClerc, C.L. Santos, E. De Clercq and J. Balzarini, 2000. Sequential Cytotoxicity: A Theory Evaluated Using Novel 2-[4-(3-Aryl-2-propenoyloxy) phenylmethylene]cyclohexanones and Related Compounds, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 43, 3933-3940.

A. Nazarali, R. Puthucode, V. Leung, L. Wolf, Z. Hao and J. Yeung, 2000. Temporal and Spatial Expression of Hoxa-2 during Murine Palatogenesis, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 20, 269-290.

J.R. Dimmock, N. Murthi Kandepu, A.J. Nazarali, T.P. Kowalchuk, et al., 1999. A Conformational and QSAR Study of Cytotoxic 2-Arylidenebenzocycloalkanones, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 42, 1358-1366.

A. Nazarali and R. Puthucode, 1998. In Vivo Animal Models of Teratogenicity, Neuromethods, 32. In Vivo Neuromethods, Eds. A.A. Boulton, G.B. Baker and A.N. Bateson, Humana Press Inc., pp. 253-293.

S.C. Vashishtha, A.J. Nazarali and J.R. Dimmock, 1998. Application of Fluorescence Microscopy to Measure Apoptosis in Jurkat T Cells after Treatment with a New Investigational Anticancer Agent (N.C. 1213), Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 18, 437-445.

A. Nazarali, Y. Kim and M. Nirenberg, M., 1992. Hox 1.11 and Hox 4.9 Homeobox Genes, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 89: 2883-2887.

A.J. Nazarali and G.P. Reynolds, G. P., 1992. Monoamine Neurotransmitters and their Metabolites in Brain Regions in Alzheimer's Disease: A Postmortem Study, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 12, 581-587.

G. Kalinec, A.J. Nazarali, S. Hermouet, N. Xu and J.S. Gutkind, 1992. Mutated ? Subunit of the Gq Protein Induces Malignant Transformation in NIH 3T3 Cells, Molecular and Cellular Biology, 12: 4687-4693.

D-P. Tan, J. Ferrante, A. Nazarali, X. Shao, C.A. Kozak, V. Guo and M. Nirenberg, 1992. Murine Hox 1.11 Homeobox Gene Structure and Expression, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 89, 6280-6284.

A.J. Nazarali, J.S. Gutkind, F.M.A. Correa and J.M. Saavedra, 1989. Enalapril Decreases Angiotensin II Receptors in Subfornical Organ of SHR, American Journal of Physiology, 256, H1609-H1614.

Research Category Key Words

Homeobox Genes, Mammalian Development, Apoptosis, Protein Expression, Gene Cloning, CNS, Myelinating Glia, Palatogenesis