Biography
Pushpa Mitra Bhargava, Indian biochemist (Ajmer District, Rajasthan State 22 February 1928 – Hyderabad 01 August 2017)
Authored over 125 research papers
ACHIEVEMENTS
First report on the identification of genus Pseudomonas from Continental Antarctica
With S. Shivaji, N. Shyamala Rao, L. Saisree, V. Sheth & G.S.N. Reddy. Isolation and identification of Pseudomonas spp. from Schirmacher Oasis, Antarctica. Appl. Environ. Microb. 55:767-70, 1989
With V.N. Rao. Isolation, characterisation and possible mode of action of antiseminalplasmin, a new protein that inhibits the antimicrobial activity of seminalplasmin. Biochem. J. 227:609-19, 1985
Four new and unusual proteins from bovine seminal plasma. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 9:540-3, 1981
Discovered semilplasmin or caltrin
With E.S.P. Reddy. Seminalplasmin: an antimicrobial protein from bovine seminal plasma which acts in E. coli by specific inhibition of rRNA synthesis. Nature 279:725-8, 1979
Regulation of cell division and malignant transformation. A new mode of control by uptake of nutrients. J. Theor. Biol. 68:103-37, 1977
With T. Pallaiah & E. Premkumar. Aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetase recognition code-words in yeast transfer RNAs: a proposal. J. Theor. Biol. 29:447-69, 1970
Showed a new type of RNA in extracellular zone of normal tissues (1960s)
Co-discovered the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil
With C. Heidelberger, K.C. Leibman & E. Harbers. The comparative utilization of uracil-2-C14 by liver intestinal mucosa and Flexner-Jobling carcinoma in the rat. Cancer Research 17(5):399-404, 1957
With C. Heidelberger discovered the nature of chemical bond between carcinogen and tissue proteins (1955-6)
METHODS
With S. Shankarnarayan, C.B.S. Dutt, S. Shivaji & R. Manchanda. A cryosampler payload for aseptic air sample collections at stratospheric altitudes using balloons (2006)
Developed a simple computer program to locate repeating subsequences of all possible lengths in a given nucleic acid
With M.W. Panditr, A. S. Kolaskar & T.A. Thanaraj. Analysis of repeating oligonucleotide sequences in ribonucleic acids using an Apple II microcomputer (1986)
With S.T. Jacob. A new method for the preparation of liver cells in suspension. Exper. Cell Research 27:453-67, 1962
With S.H. Zaheer. A new synthesis of some derivatives of 4,4′-stilbenediol. Nature 171:746-7, 1953
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
Discovered 9 new bacterial species from Antarctic Continent and stratosphere
With K.H. Scheit & E.S.P. Reddy. Seminal plasmin is a potent inhibitor of E. coli RNA polymerase in vitro. Nature 279:728-31, 1979
Incorporation of radioactive aminoacids into the proteins of bull spermatozoa. Nature 179:1120-1, 1957
HONORS
Bhargavaea Shivaji, Manorama, Pindi & Reddy 2009 (Bacteria)
