Bhanu Pratap Jena (born November 1, 1955) is an American cell biologist and the "George E. Palade University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Physiology" at the

Wayne State University School of Medicine The Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) is the medical school of Wayne State University, a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It enrolls more than 1,500 students in undergraduate medical education, master's degree, Ph ...

, who discovered

porosome 440px 280px Porosomes are cup-shaped supramolecular structures in the cell membranes of eukaryotic cells where secretory vesicles transiently dock in the process of vesicle fusion and secretion. The transient fusion of secretory vesicle membra ...

in mid 1990s & demonstrated it to be the universal secretory machinery in

Plasma Membrane The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment (t ...

Biography

Jena was born in

Jajpur, Odisha Jajpur (also known as Jajapur) is a town and a municipality in Jajpur district in the Indian state of Odisha. It was the capital of the Kesari dynasty, later supplanted by Cuttack. Now, it is the headquarter of Jajpur district. Etymology an ...

, India on November 1, 1955, to Manju and Prafulla Jena. He majored in Chemistry, Zoology and Botany from BJB College (B.Sc.,1975) and studied Zoology (Endocrinology) at

Utkal University Utkal University (UU) is a Public university in Bhubaneswar, Khordha district, Khordha, Odisha, and is the oldest university in Odisha, the state, and the 17th-oldest university in India. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating university. The pre ...

(M.Sc.,1978). Following four years of lectureship at various colleges in Utkal University (1978–82), he received a teaching and research fellowship from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

in 1982 to pursue studies leading to a doctorate degree. In December 1988, he received his PhD in Zoology (Molecular Endocrinology) from Iowa State. Followed by postdoctoral studies at Iowa State and Yale Universities (1988–1994), he joined

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

as an Assistant Professor, and in 2000, joined as Professor in the Department of Physiology, at

Scientific career

Using

Atomic force microscope Atomic force microscopy (AFM) or scanning force microscopy (SFM) is a very-high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy (SPM), with demonstrated resolution on the order of fractions of a nanometer, more than 1000 times better than the diffr ...

on live cells, Jena was the first to report the discovery of a new cellular structure the

Porosome 440px 280px Porosomes are cup-shaped supramolecular structures in the cell membranes of eukaryotic cells where secretory vesicles transiently dock in the process of vesicle fusion and secretion. The transient fusion of secretory vesicle membra ...

in the mid 1990s. The

are permanent supramolecular structures at the

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

Plasma membrane The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment (t ...

, where secretory

Vesicle (biology and chemistry) In cell biology, a vesicle is a structure within or outside a cell, consisting of liquid or cytoplasm enclosed by a lipid bilayer. Vesicles form naturally during the processes of secretion (exocytosis), uptake ( endocytosis) and transport of mate ...

dock and fuse to release intravesicular contents to the outside of the cell. This discovery was a major breakthrough in our understanding of cell secretion. The

, has been determined as the universal secretory machinery in cells, from

exocrine Exocrine glands are glands that secrete substances on to an epithelial surface by way of a duct. Examples of exocrine glands include sweat, salivary, mammary, ceruminous, lacrimal, sebaceous, prostate and mucous. Exocrine glands are one of two ...

cells of the

pancreas The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an end ...

, to

neuroendocrine cells Neuroendocrine cells are cells that receive neuronal input (through neurotransmitters released by nerve cells or neurosecretory cells) and, as a consequence of this input, release messenger molecules (hormones) into the blood. In this way they bri ...

, and

neurons A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. N ...

. Jena and his research team has determined the structure and dynamics of the

in live cells, at nm resolution and in real time. The structure of the

was further confirmed by electron microscopy in whole cells, and in isolated

preparations. The isolated

has been both structurally and functionally reconstituted in

lipid membrane The lipid bilayer (or phospholipid bilayer) is a thin polar membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules. These membranes are flat sheets that form a continuous barrier around all cells. The cell membranes of almost all organisms and many vir ...

and live cells, and its composition determined. The discovery of the

, and an understanding of its structure, function, composition, and reconstitution, has opened a new field in

cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

; nano cell biology

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jena, Bhanu Pratap 1955 births Living people Indian emigrants to the United States Iowa State University people Wayne State University faculty 21st-century American biologists