Johan Ajnabi

About Me

Johan Ajnabi

I am a PhD candidate at the BRIC-Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) in Bengaluru, where I work in the Jamora laboratory on questions in skin biology and regeneration. I am especially interested in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cell biology, mechanobiology, and epigenetics.

PhD Candidate BRIC-Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) Bengaluru, India
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Research Overview

How cells interpret injury-associated mechanics

My work sits at the interface of mechanobiology, cell biology, and epigenetics, with a focus on how wounded skin converts physical cues into durable changes in cellular behavior.

At the Jamora laboratory, I study how actin-dependent mechanics, signaling pathways, and chromatin regulators coordinate epidermal cell-state transitions during tissue repair. I am especially interested in questions where physical microenvironments meet nuclear decision-making.

Flagship Work

Representative projects and outputs

2026 preprint

Mechanotransduction and DNMT3A during cutaneous wound repair

Defined how wound-induced mechanical cues regulate nucleocytoplasmic partitioning of DNMT3A through actin remodeling and ERK1/2 signaling during epidermal repair.

Open project page View preprint

Spatial transcriptomics

Immune-state mapping in vitiligo skin after NB-UVB treatment

Profiled treatment-associated remodeling of the cutaneous immune landscape using spatial transcriptomic analysis complemented by validation in patient tissue.

Open project page View article

Stemness and signaling

Mindin-integrin-STAT3 control of keratinocyte stemness

Contributed to work uncovering a signaling axis that sustains keratinocyte stemness through integrin endocytosis and downstream transcriptional activation.

Open project page View preprint

Prefer a narrative view of the work? Browse the flagship project pages.

Research Experience

Research experience and training

Training across epidermal repair, stem cell biology, tissue analysis, and plant molecular biology.

Research Assistant
Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence (Deemed to be University), Delhi–NCR, India
July 2024 – Present
Supervisor: Prof. Colin Jamora

  • Investigating epigenetic and mechanical regulation of the cutaneous wound response, with a focus on wound-induced regulation of DNMT3a.
  • Working extensively with primary mouse keratinocytes to study mechanotransduction-driven nuclear localization and function of epigenetic regulators.

Research Scholar
BRIC–Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Bengaluru, India
August 2019 – Present
Supervisor: Prof. Colin Jamora

  • Investigated how wound-induced mechanical cues regulate the subcellular localization and activity of the de novo DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A during epidermal repair, integrating molecular biology, biochemistry, fluorescence microscopy, and genetic engineering approaches.
    bioRxiv (preprint), 2026 [Ajnabi et al., 2026]
  • Profiled immune cell states in patient skin before and after narrowband UV-B (NB-UVB) treatment using spatial transcriptomic approaches to resolve transcriptional heterogeneity within tissue, complemented by immunofluorescence and qPCR validation.
    Clinical & Translational Immunology, 2026 [Dutta et al., 2026]
  • Studied a Mindin–integrin–STAT3 signaling axis that sustains keratinocyte stemness through integrin endocytosis and downstream transcriptional activation.
    bioRxiv (preprint), 2025 [Dam et al., 2025]
  • Investigated the role of the extracellular matrix protein Mindin in skin fibrotic conditions.
    Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2023 [Rana et al., 2023]
  • Studied antimicrobial peptide–mediated antiviral responses to SARS-CoV-2.
    Frontiers in Immunology, 2023 [Bhatt et al., 2023]
  • Explored maintenance of epithelial stem/progenitor states via autocrine matricellular signaling.
    Cell Reports, 2022 [Badarinath et al., 2022]

AIEEA-PG Scholar (Master's Research)
ICAR–National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
January 2018 – July 2019
Supervisor: Dr. Monika Dalal

  • Master's research focused on identifying cis-regulatory regions controlling PM19 gene expression in wheat.
    MSc Thesis, ICAR – Indian Agricultural Research Institute, 2019 [Ajnabi, 2019]
  • Experience in in-silico genome analysis, gene/promoter cloning, transient GUS assays, plant tissue culture, and plant transformation.

Publication Record

Complete list of publications and preprints

Filter by article type or sort chronologically below. A PDF version is also available in CV (PDF).

2026

Ajnabi, J., Dam, B., Gupta, E., Saha, T., Dutta, A., Kumar, S., Gupta, A., Palakodeti, D., Jamora, C. ★ First author
Actin-dependent mechanotransduction controls nucleocytoplasmic partitioning of DNMT3a through ERK1/2 signaling during cutaneous wound healing
bioRxiv (preprint), 2026

This study demonstrates how wound-induced mechanical cues regulate DNMT3a nucleocytoplasmic localization through actin remodeling and ERK1/2 signaling, revealing a mechanotransduction-driven epigenetic control mechanism during cutaneous wound healing.

Dutta, A., Gupta, D., Ajnabi, J., Dam, B., P, S., Jamora, C.
Spatial transcriptomic analysis of the immune landscape following NB-UVB treatment of vitiligo skin
Clinical & Translational Immunology, 2026

This study employs spatial transcriptomic approaches to resolve immune cell states in vitiligo patient skin before and after narrowband UV-B therapy, revealing treatment-induced remodeling of the cutaneous immune landscape.

2025

Dutta, S., Islam, Z., Das, S., Barman, A., Chowdhury, M., Mondal, B. P., Ajnabi, J., Manna, D.
Harmonizing plant resilience: unveiling the symphony of membrane lipid dynamics in response to abiotic stresses
Discover Plants, 2025

A comprehensive review of membrane lipid remodeling in plants under abiotic stress, highlighting lipid-mediated signaling mechanisms that contribute to stress tolerance.

Dam, B., Ajnabi, J., Saha, T., Shrivastava, A., Badarinathan, K., Hegde, A., Dutta, A., Jasoria, S., Kataria, S., Singh, A., et al.
Mindin mediated αM-Integrin endocytosis activates STAT3 to maintain keratinocyte stemness
bioRxiv (preprint), 2025

This work uncovers a Mindin–integrin–STAT3 signaling axis that sustains keratinocyte stemness through integrin endocytosis and downstream transcriptional activation.

2023

Rana, I., Kataria, S., Tan, T. L., Hajam, E. Y., Kashyap, D. K., Saha, D., Ajnabi, J., Paul, S., Jayappa, S., Ananthan, A. S. H. P., et al.
Mindin (SPON2) is essential for cutaneous fibrogenesis in a mouse model of systemic sclerosis
Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2023

This paper establishes Mindin as a critical regulator of dermal fibrogenesis, demonstrating its requirement for extracellular matrix remodeling in systemic sclerosis.

Bhatt, T., Dam, B., Khedkar, S. U., Lall, S., Pandey, S., Kataria, S., Ajnabi, J., Gulzar, S.-E.-J., Dias, P. M., Waskar, M., et al.
Niacinamide enhances cathelicidin mediated SARS-CoV-2 membrane disruption
Frontiers in Immunology, 2023

This study shows that niacinamide potentiates cathelicidin-mediated antiviral activity by enhancing membrane disruption of SARS-CoV-2, providing mechanistic insight into host defense enhancement.

2022

Badarinath, K., Dam, B., Kataria, S., Zirmire, R. K., Dey, R., Kansagara, G., Ajnabi, J., Hegde, A., Singh, R., Masudi, T., et al.
Snail maintains the stem/progenitor state of skin epithelial cells and carcinomas through the autocrine effect of matricellular protein Mindin
Cell Reports, 2022

This study identifies an autocrine Snail–Mindin signaling loop that sustains epithelial stemness in both normal skin and carcinoma contexts.

2019

Ajnabi, J. ★ First author
Identification of cis-regulatory regions regulating the expression of PM19 gene in wheat
MSc Thesis, ICAR – Indian Agricultural Research Institute, 2019

Master's thesis identifying cis-regulatory elements controlling PM19 gene expression in wheat, contributing to understanding of stress-responsive transcriptional regulation in plants.

Talks & Presentations

Talks & Presentations

Selected conference presentations tracing the development of my work in mechanobiology and wound repair.

MBI Conference 2023: Mechanobiology in Health and Disease
National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore · September 2023

Poster Presentation — Epigenetic and mechanical regulation of the cutaneous wound healing response

Johan Ajnabi giving a flash talk at MBI Conference 2023 Flash Talk · MBI Conference · 2023
Johan Ajnabi presenting poster on mechanobiology and wound healing Poster Presentation · NUS · Singapore
Johan Ajnabi with other awardees of Paeonia Foundation Travel Grant at the event Paeonia Foundation Travel Grant · 2023

10th International Conference of Laboratory Animal Scientists' Association (LASA)
Hyderabad, India · June 2022

Poster Presentation — Understanding the role of DNMT3A in the cutaneous wound healing response using a mouse model

National Agricultural Science Congress
Delhi, India · February 2019

Poster Presentation — Identification and characterization of stress responsive PM19 promoter from wheat

Contact

Contact

I welcome conversations about postdoctoral positions, collaborations, and related work in mechanobiology, regeneration, and skin biology.

Postdoctoral Opportunities

I am actively seeking postdoctoral positions at the intersection of mechanobiology and epigenetic regulation, with a focus on tissue regeneration and translational biology.

My work integrates mechanical signaling with chromatin dynamics in skin biology. I am particularly interested in interdisciplinary and translational research environments.

I welcome discussions with potential mentors and collaborators.

Currently based at:
BRIC–Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem)
Bengaluru, India
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