Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Cell Biology, with particular interest in the biological functions and mechanisms of macrophages activation in vitro, apoptosis and signal transduction, role of Toll Like Receptors and NOD proteins, and 2nd signaling molecules; Macrophage-Tumor cell interactions.
Our current research focus:

1. Cisplatin, a Potent anti-tumor drug, induces the activation of macrophages in vitro.
2. The activated macrophages interact with tumor cells in vitro, and induce cell to cell contact dependent as will contact independent death of tumor cells by process of adoptions.
3. Cisplatin and other biological response modifies induce the expression and as well as enhanced function of Toll like receptors and Nucleotide olizmerization domain proteins in macrophages.
4. reacombinant Yesinia pestis proteins induce activation or apoptosis of macrophages .
5. Mycobacterium w (Mw) induces activation of macrophages in vitro, whereas a secreted component of Mw induces apoptosis in macrophages.
6. Different signaling pathways have been elucidated in the macrophage function on activation in Vitro.

1. Senior Scientist Oration Award, 2009, Indian Immunology Society.
2. U.G.C. Career Award, 1980,
3. Indo-US (Fulbright) Fellowship, 1989-90,
4. Fujii-Otsuka Fellowship, Japan, 1997,

"Studies on the Expression and Function of 'Nucleotide Binding Oligomerization Domain' Proteins in Macrophages on treatment with Peptidoglycans." DBT, Rs. 42.98 lakh  

List of 10 major Publications:

1. Ajit Sodhi and Puja Chauhan (2007) Interaction between cisplatin treated murine peritoneal macrophages and L929 cells: Involvement of adhesion molecules, cytoskeletons, upregulation of Ca2+ and nitric oxide dependent cytotoxicity, Molecular Immunology, 44, 2265-2276.
2. Varun Kesherwani and Ajit Sodhi ( 2007) Differential activation of macrophages in vitro by lectin Concanavalin A, Phytohemoagglutinin and Wheat germ agglutinin: Production and Regulation of Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry. 16, 294-305.
3. Ajit Sodhi, Shikha Tarang and Varun Kesherwani (2007) Concanavalin A induced expression of Toll-like receptors in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro. International Immunopharmacol. , 7(4), 454-463.
4. Varun Kesherwani and Ajit Sodhi (2007) Involvement of Tyrosine kinases and MAP kinases in the production of TNF-a and IL-1� by macrophage in vitro on treatment with Phytohemagglutinin. J. Interferon & Cytokine Research, 27(6), 497-505.
5. Ajit Sodhi and Varun Kesherwani (2007) Production of TNF-a, IL-1�, IL-12 and IFN-? in murine peritoneal macrophages on treatment with wheat germ agglutinin in vitro: involvement of tyrosine kinase pathways. Glycoconjugate Journal, 24 (9), 573-582.
6. Shikha Tarang and Ajit Sodhi (2007) Expression of Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) and Nucleotide-binding Oligomerization Domain (NODs) in murine peritoneal macrophages on in vitro treatment with Thymosin a 1. Amer. J Immunology , 3 (1), 15-24.
7. Ajit Sodhi and Varun Kesherwani (2007) Signaling molecules involved in production and regulation of IL-1? by murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro on treatment with Concanavalin A. International Immunopharmacol. 7, 1403-1413.
8. Ajit Sodhi and Anurag Tripathi (2008) Prolactin and Growth hormone induce differential cytokine and chemokine profile in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro: involvement of p-38 MAP kinase, STAT3 and NF-?B . CYTOKINE, 41, 162-173.
9. Anurag Tripathi and Ajit Sodhi (2008) Prolactin induced production of cytokines in macrophages in vitro involves JAK/STAT and JNK MAP kinase pathways. International Immunology, 20(3), 327-336.
10. Ajit Sodhi and Anurag Tripathi (2008) Prolactin induced production of cytokines in macrophages involves Ca++ and p42/44 MAP kinase signaling pathway. Growth Factors, 26 (04), 212-219.
11. Puja Chauhan, Ajit Sodhi and Anju Shrivastava (2009) Cisplatin primes murine peritoneal macrophages for enhanced expression of nitric oxide, proinflammatory cytokines, TLRs, transcription factors and activation of MAP kinases upon co-incubation with L929 cells. Immunobiology, 214 (3):197-209.
12. Anurag Tripathi and Ajit Sodhi (2009) Growth hormone induced production of cytokines in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro: role of JAK/STAT, PI3K, PKC and MAP kinases. Immunobiology, 214, 430-440.
13. Ashok Kumar Pandey and Ajit Sodhi (2009) Recombinant YopJ induces apoptosis in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro: Involvement of mitochondrial death pathway. International Immunology, 21 (11), 1239 - 49.
14. Kunal H. Bhatt, Rajeev Kumar Pandey, Yogesh Dahiya and Ajit Sodhi (2010) Protein kinase Cd and Protein tyrosine kinase regulate Peptidoglycan induced Nuclear Factor-?B activation and inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase expression in Mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro. Molecular Immunology, 47, 861-870.
    
    

List of Select Publications:

1. Sodhi, A. and Gautam Sethi, (2005) Role of Protein Kinase C? in UV-B induced apoptosis of macrophages in vitro. Cellular Signalling, 17(3), 377-383.
2. Rajesh K Sharma, Ajit Sodhi and H.V. Batra (2005) Involvement of TLR6/1 in rLcrV-mediated immunomodulation of murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro. Molecular Immunology. 42, 695-701.
3. Rajesh K Sharma, Ajit Sodhi, H.V. Batra and Urmila Tuteja (2005 ) Phosphorylation of p42/44 MAP Kinase is required for rF1-induced activation of murine peritoneal macrophages. Molecular Immunology, 42 (11), 1385-1392.
4. . Rajesh K Sharma, Ajit Sodhi and Harsh Vardhan Batra (2005) Involvement of c-Jun N-terminal kinase in rF1 mediated activation of murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro. J. Clin. Immunology, 25(3),215-223.
5. Ajit Sodhi, Rajesh K Sharma and H.V. Batra (2005) Yersinia rLcrV and rYopB inhibits the activation of murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro. Immunology Letters, 99(2), 146-152.
6. .Puja Chauhan, Ajit Sodhi and Shikha Tarang (2007) Cisplatin treated murine peritoneal macrophages induce apoptosis in L929 cells: role of Fas-FasL and TNF-TNFR1. Anti-Cancer Drugs, 18(2), 187-196.
7. Ajit Sodhi and Puja Chauhan (2007) Interaction between cisplatin treated murine peritoneal macrophages and L929 cells: Involvement of adhesion molecules, cytoskeletons, upregulation of Ca2+ and nitric oxide dependent cytotoxicity, Molecular Immunology, 44, 2265-2276.
8. Varun Kesherwani and Ajit Sodhi ( 2007) Differential activation of macrophages in vitro by lectin Concanavalin A, Phytohemoagglutinin and Wheat germ agglutinin: Production and Regulation of Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry. 16, 294-305.
9. . Ajit Sodhi, Shikha Tarang and Varun Kesherwani (2007) Concanavalin A induced expression of Toll-like receptors in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro. International Immunopharmacol. , 7(4), 454-463.
10. Varun Kesherwani and Ajit Sodhi (2007) Involvement of Tyrosine kinases and MAP kinases in the production of TNF-a and IL-1� by macrophage in vitro on treatment with Phytohemagglutinin. J. Interferon & Cytokine Research, 27(6), 497-505.
11. Anurag Tripathi and Ajit Sodhi (2007) Production of Nitric oxide by murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro on treatment with Prolactin and Growth hormone: Involvement of protein tyrosine kinases, Ca++, and MAP kinase signal transduction pathways. Molecular Immunology, 44, 3185-3194.
12. Shikha Tarang, Ajit Sodhi and Puja Chauhan (2007) Differential expression of Toll-like receptors in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro on treatment with cisplatin. International Immunology, 19(5), 635-643.
13. Ajit Sodhi and Varun Kesherwani (2007) Production of TNF-a, IL-1�, IL-12 and IFN-? in murine peritoneal macrophages on treatment with wheat germ agglutinin in vitro: involvement of tyrosine kinase pathways. Glycoconjugate Journal, 24 (9), 573-582.
14. Shikha Tarang and Ajit Sodhi (2007) Expression of Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) and Nucleotide-binding Oligomerization Domain (NODs) in murine peritoneal macrophages on in vitro treatment with Thymosin a 1. Amer. J Immunology , 3 (1), 15-24.
15. Ajit Sodhi and Varun Kesherwani (2007) Signaling molecules involved in production and regulation of IL-1? by murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro on treatment with Concanavalin A. International Immunopharmacol. 7, 1403-1413.
16. Ajit Sodhi and Anurag Tripathi (2008) Prolactin and Growth hormone induce differential cytokine and chemokine profile in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro: involvement of p-38 MAP kinase, STAT3 and NF-?B . CYTOKINE, 41, 162-173.
17. Anurag Tripathi and Ajit Sodhi (2008) Prolactin induced production of cytokines in macrophages in vitro involves JAK/STAT and JNK MAP kinase pathways. International Immunology, 20(3), 327-336.
18. Ajit Sodhi and Anurag Tripathi (2008) Prolactin induced production of cytokines in macrophages involves Ca++ and p42/44 MAP kinase signaling pathway. Growth Factors, 26 (04), 212-219.
19. Puja Chauhan, Ajit Sodhi and Anju Shrivastava (2009) Cisplatin primes murine peritoneal macrophages for enhanced expression of nitric oxide, proinflammatory cytokines, TLRs, transcription factors and activation of MAP kinases upon co-incubation with L929 cells. Immunobiology, 214 (3):197-209.
20. Anurag Tripathi and Ajit Sodhi (2009) Growth hormone induced production of cytokines in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro: role of JAK/STAT, PI3K, PKC and MAP kinases. Immunobiology, 214, 430-440.
21. Ashok Kumar Pandey and Ajit Sodhi (2009) Recombinant YopJ induces apoptosis in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro: Involvement of mitochondrial death pathway. International Immunology, 21 (11), 1239 - 49.
22. Kunal H. Bhatt, Rajeev Kumar Pandey, Yogesh Dahiya and Ajit Sodhi (2010) Protein kinase Cd and Protein tyrosine kinase regulate Peptidoglycan induced Nuclear Factor-?B activation and inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase expression in Mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro. Molecular Immunology , 47, 861-870.
23. Ajit Sodhi and Ashok Kumar Pandey (2010) In Vitro activation of murine peritoneal ymacrophages by recombinant YopJ: Production of nitric oxide, proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Immunobiology (In Press)