Griffith University

B Medicine/Surgery, PhD

Senior Lecturer, School of Medical Science
Research Member, Heart Foundation Research Centre

Contact details for Dr S. Niru Nirthanan

Research interests

• Molecular basis for cardiotoxicity in envenomation
• Cardiovascular drug leads from animal venoms
• Structure and function of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
  

Selected publications

• Roy A., Zhou, X., Chong, M.Z., Dhoedt, D., Foo, C.S., Rajagopalan, N., Nirthanan,S., Bertrand, D., Sivaraman, J., and Kini, R.M. (2010) Structural and functional characterization of a novel homodimeric three-finger neurotoxin from the venom of Ophiophagus Hannah (King Cobra). Journal of Biological Chemistry 285, (1), 8302-15. (Paper of the Week and Journal Cover in Vol 285, Issue 1).
• Pawlak, J., Mackessy, S.P., Sixberry, N.R., Le Du, M.H., Stura, E.A. Menez, R., Foo, C.S., Menez, A., Nirthanan, S. and Kini, R.M. (2009). Irditoxin, a novel covalently-linked heterodimeric three-finger toxin with high taxon-specific neurotoxicity. FASEB Journal 23, 534-45.
• Nirthanan, S. (2008). Judicious use of PowerPoint animations in teaching pharmacology. pA2 British Pharmacological Society 6, 1, 21-2.
  
• Nirthanan, S., Garcia III, G., Chiara, D.C., Husain, S.S. and Cohen, J.B. (2008). Identification of binding sites in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor for TDBzl-etomidate, a photoreactive positive allosteric effector. Journal of Biological Chemistry 283, 22051-62. Featured as the cover illustration of Vol. 283 Issue 32.
  
• Garcia III, G., Chiara, D.C., Nirthanan, S., Hamouda, A.K., Stewart, D.A. and Cohen, J.B. (2007). [3H]Benzophenone photolabeling identifies state-dependent changes in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor structure. Biochemistry 46, 10296-307.
  
• Andreeva, I., Nirthanan, S., Cohen J.B. and Pedersen, S.E. (2006). Site-specificity of agonist-induced opening and desensitization of the Torpedo californica nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Biochemistry 45, 195-204.
  
• Husain, S.S., Nirthanan, S., Ruesch, D., Arevalo, E., Kosterlitz, J.A., Li, G. D., Olsen, R.W., Forman, S.A., Cohen, J.B. and Miller, K.W. (2006). Two new derivatives of the general anesthetic etomidate for photolabeling ligand?gated ion channels. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 49, 4818-25.
  
• Nirthanan, S., Ziebell, M.R., Chiara, D.C., Hong, F.H. and Cohen, J.B. (2005). Photolabeling the Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor with 4-Azido-2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-benzoylcholine, a partial agonist. Biochemistry 44, 13447?56.
  
• Nirthanan, S., Pil, J., Abdel-Mottaleb, Y., Sugihara, Y., Joseph, J.S., Sato, K., Gopalakrishnakone, P., and Tytgat, J.T. (2005). Assignment of potassium channel blocking activity to k-KTx1.3, a non-toxic homologue of k-hefutoxin 1, from Heterometrus spinifer venom. Biochemical Pharmacology. 69, 669-78.
  
• Ziebell, M.R., Nirthanan, S., Hussain, S., Miller, K. and Cohen, J.B. (2004). Identification of binding sites in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor of [3H] azietomidate, a photoactivable general anesthetic. Journal of Biological Chemistry 79, 17640-9.
  
• Nirthanan, S. and Gwee, M.C.E.(2004). Three-finger neurotoxins and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, forty years on. Journal of Pharmacological Sciences 94, 1-17.
  
• Nirthanan, S., Gopalakrishnakone, P., Gwee, M.C.E., Khoo, H.E., Charpantier, E., Kini, R.M. and Bertrand, D. (2003). Neuromuscular effects of candoxin, a novel toxin from the venom of the Malayan krait Bungarus candidus. British Journal of Pharmacology 9, 832?44.
• Nirthanan, S., Gopalakrishnakone, P., Gwee, M.C.E., Khoo, H.E. and Kini, R.M. (2003). Non-conventional toxins from Elapid venoms. Toxicon 41, 397-407.
  
• Paaventhan, P., Joseph, J.S., Nirthanan, S., Rajaseger, G., Gopalakrishnakone, P., Kini, R.M., and Kolatkar, P.R. (2003). Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of candoxin, a novel reversible neurotoxin from the Malayan krait Bungarus candidus. Acta Crystallographica D 59, 584?6.
  
• Nirthanan, S., Charpantier, E, Gopalakrishnakone, P., Gwee, M.C.E., Khoo, H.E., Cheah, L.S., Bertrand, D.and Kini, R.M. (2002). Candoxin, a novel toxin from the venom of the Malayan krait (Bungarus candidus) is a reversible antagonist of muscle and a poorly reversible antagonist of neuronal a7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Journal of Biological Chemistry 277, 17811-20.
  
• Gwee, M.C.E., Nirthanan, S., Khoo, H.E., Gopalakrishnakone, P., Kini, R.M., and Cheah, L.S. (2002). Autonomic effects of some scorpion venoms and toxins (Review). Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology 29, 795-801.
• Nirthanan, S., Gao, R., Gopalakrishnakone, P., Gwee, M.C.E., Khoo, H.E., Cheah, L.S. and Kini, R.M. (2002). Pharmacological characterization of mikatoxin, an a-neurotoxin isolated from a snake (Micropechis ikaheka) venom. Toxicon 40, 863-71.
• Watanabe, L., Nirthanan, S., Ragaseger, G., Polikarpov, I., Kini, R.M. and Arini, R.K. (2002). Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of bucain, a novel toxin from the Malayan krait Bungarus candidus. Acta Crystallogr D 58, 1879-81.
  
• Cheah, L.S., Gwee, M.C.E. and Nirthanan, S. (2002). Characterization of the rat retractor penis muscle as a model for the study of nitrergic transmission. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods 47, 79-85.
  
• Nirthanan, S., Joseph, J.S., Gopalakrishnakone, P., Khoo, H.E., Cheah, L.S. and Gwee, M.C.E. (2002). Biochemical and pharmacological characterization of the venom of the black scorpion (Heterometrus spinifer). Biochemical Pharmacology 63, 49-55. Featured in New Scientist 171 (v 2304), p18 (2001).
• Srinivasan, K.N., Nirthanan, S., Sasaki, T., Sato, K., Cheng, B., Gwee, M.C.E., Kini, R.M. and Gopalakrishnakone, P. (2001). Functional site of bukatoxin, a K-type sodium channel neurotoxin from the Chinese scorpion (Buthus Martensi Karsch) venom: probable role of the 52 PDKVP 56 loop. FEBS Letters 494, 145-9.
• Torres, A.M., Kini, R.M., Nirthanan, S. and Kuchel, P.W. (2001). NMR structure of bucandin, a neurotoxin from the venom of the Malayan krait. Biochemical Journal 360, 539?48.