Dr. Sunita Sharma

About

Dr. Sunita Sharma is an Assistant Professor in Department of Biotechnology within the School of Engineering and Technology at Sharda University located in Greater Noida, UP, INDIA. She has research experience of nine years, with her work broadly focussing in the fields of enzymology, glycobiology and carbohydrate chemistry. She has extensively worked on protein overexpression and characterization using techniques like RP-HPLC, MS and NMR. Currently she is working on functionally elucidating more members of the pyruvyltransferase family, specifically from the Rhizobia species. Pyruvyltransferases are known to add pyruvate moiety to a carbohydrate, but are less studied. She has travelled vastly and presented her work in various international conferences and her work has been published in international peer reviewed journals. She has also mentored undergraduate students with their project work in the past, and is currently serving as a co-ordinator and mentor for 2^nd year B.Sc. Biotechnology students.

Experience

1. Teaching experience:

A. University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Teaching Assistant)

1. Animal Physiology (Spring 2011, responsible for teaching and grading laboratory section for 60 undergraduate students twice a week)
2. General Organic Chemistry (Fall 2011, Spring 2012, responsible for teaching and grading laboratory section for 64 premedical undergraduate students twice a week)

2. Research experience:

A. Graduate Research Assistant in Dr. Jerry M. Troutman laboratory (2012-2017), UNC Charlotte

Project: Characterization of the biosynthetic pathway of capsular polysaccharide A of Bacteroides fragilis

• Functionally characterized the keys enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of capsular polysaccharide A in Bacteroides fragilis

• Characterized the first pyruvyltransferase with respect to a biosynthetic assembly of bacterial polysaccharide.

B. B. Tech Honors student researcher in Dr. Amitava Mukherjee laboratory (2009-2010), VIT University

Project: Phytotoxicity of nanoparticles in flora

• Tested the phytotoxicity of nanoparticles (Silver, ZnO, Al₂O₃) in Maize, Cucumber, and Tomato

seeds.

C. Summer intern in Dr. N. Ramaiah laboratory (May‐June 2008), NIO, Goa

Project: cDNA library analysis of SSH clones from Vibrio harveyi challenged Penaeus indicus postlarvae.

 • Isolated each clone and identified the differentiated genes.

Qualification

• Ph.D. Biology (Molecular Biology and development)

Award & Recognition

• Awarded GASP fellowship from 2011-2016 at University of North Carolina, Charlotte, USA

Research

• Sunita Sharma, Katelyn M. Erickson, Jerry M Troutman, 2017, Complete tetrasaccharide repeat unit biosynthesis of the immunomodulatory Bacteroides fragilis capsular polysaccharide A, ACS Chemical Biology. Vol. 12, Pages 92-101.
• Sunita Sharma and Troutman, J.M, 2015, Characterization of the pyruvyltransferase WcfO from the CPSA biosynthetic pathway, Abstracts of papers of the American Chemical Society Volume: 249 Meeting Abstract:18
• Jerry M. Troutman, Sunita Sharma, Katelyn M. Erickson, Christina D. Martinez, 2014, Functional identification of a galactosyltransferase critical to Bacteroides fragilis Capsular Polysaccharide A biosynthesis, Carbohydrate Research. Pages 19–28.
• Sunita Sharma and Troutman, J.M, 2014, Characterization of glycosyltransferases in the biosynthetic pathway of capsular polysaccharide A, Volume:28 Issue:1 Supplement:S Meeting Abstract:970.4
• Sunita Sharma and Troutman, J.M., 2013, Mapping the biosynthetic pathway of Capsular Polysaccharide A, Abstracts of papers of the American Chemical Society Volume:245 Meeting Abstract:213-BIOL
• Mostafavi, Anahita Z., Sharma Sunita; Troutman, Jerry M. 2013, Novel Approach to the Biosynthesis of a Potentially Therapeutic Immunomodulatory Bacterial Polysaccharide FASEB JOURNAL Volume: 27 Meeting Abstract:789.1
• Donovan K. Lujan, Jennifer A. Stanziale, Anahita Z. Mostafavi, Sunita Sharma, Jerry M. Troutman, 2012, Chemoenzymatic synthesis of an isoprenoid phosphate tool for the analysis of complex bacterial oligosaccharide biosynthesis, Carbohydrate Research, Volume 359, Pages 44-53.

Conferences:

1. Sunita Sharma and Jerry Troutman (2016) Assembly of CPSA tetrasaccharide unit of Bacteroides fragilis, American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Experimental Biology conferences 2016, San Diego, April 2-6
2. Sharma, S., Troutman, J.M. (2014) Characterization of glycosyltransferases in the biosynthetic pathway of Capsular Polysaccharide A. ASBMB Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA April 26-30.
3. Sharma, S., Troutman, J.M. (2014) Glycosyltransferases of the Capsular Polysaccharide A biosynthetic pathway. UNC-Charlotte 3rd Annual Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science Retreat. Charlotte, NC. April 2014.
4. Erickson, K.M., Hazel, J.M., Dodbele, S. Sharma, S. Scott, P, Quach, J.K. Troutman, J.M. (2014) Tools for the investigation of bacterial polysaccharide biosynthesis pathways. Bacterial Cell Surfaces Gordon Conference West Dover, VT. June 22-27
5. Anahita Z Mostafavi, Sunita Sharma, and Jerry M Troutman (2013), Novel Approach to the Biosynthesis of a Potentially Therapeutic Immunomodulatory Bacterial Polysaccharide ASBMB Experimental Biology Conference, Boston, April 20-24
6. Sharma, S., Troutman, J.M. (2013) Characterization of a pyruvation enzyme WcfO from CPSA biosynthetic pathway. UNC-Charlotte 2nd Annual Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science Retreat. Charlotte, NC. March 2013.
7. Sharma, S., Troutman, J.M. (2013) Mapping the biosynthetic pathway of Capsular Polysaccharide A. ACS Enzyme Mechanisms. San Diego, CA. Jan3-7.
8. Katelyn M. Erickson, Sunita Sharma, Jerry M. Troutman (2013) Identification of the role of WcfM in the biosynthesis of the CPSA of Bacteroides fragilis. ACS National Conference, New Orleans, LA. April 7-11
9. Mostafavi, A.Z., Dodbele, S., Lujan D., Sharma, S., Troutman J.M. (2013) Glycosyltransferase characterization using chemoenzymatically synthesized bactoprenol probes. ACS Enzyme Mechanisms. San Diego, CA. January 3-7
10. Mostafavi, A.Z., Sharma, S., Lujan, D.K., Hazel, J., Troutman, J.M. (2012) Glycosyltransferase characterization by small molecule fluorescence isoprenoid probes. Poster: Gordon Conference Enzymes, Co-enzymes and Metabolic Pathways. Waterville Valley, NH. July 15-20
11. Sunita Sharma and Tapan Pancholi (2008) A Novel Approach against Bacterial Diseases in Cultured Fishes Using Ancient Forbidden Phage Therapy, Paper presented in ICFOST Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, WB, January.
11. Sunita Sharma and Shankha Satpathy (2007) Extraction and Characterization of Natural Dyes from Plant Sources, Paper presented at Nirma University Gujarat, March

Certifications

1. American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
2. American Chemical Society (ACS)

Area of Interest

• Enzymology
• Glycobiology
• Carbohydrate Chemistry
• Protein Characterization