Research Groups
Plant Biology: Plant Transformation
Research Interests and Description
Research Interests
Transgenic crops with improved agronomic traits, chloroplast genetic engineering, molecular farming, biofuels, cotton genomics.
Description of Research
Molecular farming based on chloroplast genetic engineering to overexpress recombinant proteins of interest in human health, biofuels and genomics of cotton, with the emphasis on the identification of genes associated with fibre development. Working on cotton and rice crop plants, we use tobacco as our model system. We actively collaborate with the Insect Resistance Group, ICGEB New Delhi, for the development and evaluation of transgenic cotton and rice expressing various Bt. toxins for insect resistance.
Molecular farming
Plant based production is considered to be cost-effective for large-scale production of recombinant proteins. We follow chloroplast genetic engineering and have expressed a number of foreign proteins useful in agriculture, industry and human health, for example xylanase, an enzyme that degrades xylan, used in paper pulp, baking and animal feed industries and in the biofuel industry to convert lignocelluloses into ethanol. We are studing the feasibility of producing monoclonal antibodies and other cell wall degrading enzymes in tobacco plants using chloroplast genetic engineering and are also developing strategies to purify plant expressed recombinant proteins. We study Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergilliosis (ABPA), a lung hypersensitivity disease mediated by an allergic inflammatory response to allergens of Aspergillus fumigatus and certain proteins in cow’s milk. Asp f1, one of the major and well-characterized allergens and a monoclonal antibody that can neutralize milk allergin protein, are the focus of our research. These projects are pursued in collaboration with VTT, Finland.
Biofuel from plant biomass
We explore alternate energy sources in the production of fuels from biomass. A major, funded collaborative research program with the University of Pavia is in progress and a number of gene coding for cellulases, pectinases, xylanases and lignases have been cloned and transformed into tobacco chloroplasts for the overexpression of these enzymes, with a view to convert lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars that can be further converted into ethanol through fermentation. Results obtained suggest the feasibility to produce biologically active enzymes using genetically engineering chloroplasts, capable of releasing sugars from a variety of plant biomass.
Genomics of cotton fibre development
From phenomenal biological model systems to study molecular events that control fibre morphogenesis, we characterize the fibre transcriptome and proteome to identify genes involved in the fibre development and elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying fibre morphogenesis, which in turn have major impact on molecular approaches to cotton breeding. A major, funded program under NAIP in collaboration with NRCPB, New Delhi and UAS Dharwad is underway. Based on a combined approach of transcriptome and proteome we have identified about thirty candidate genes that are highly active during the fibre development and are proceeding to clone and functionally validate these.
Bt. Cotton and Rice
We have developed an efficient Agrobacterium mediated transformation protocol for cotton and rice and introduced several Bt genes in collaboration with the Insect Resistance Group. Transgenic lines showing stable expression of Bt. proteins show promising protection and are being further evaluated through collaboration with partners from industry and agricultural universities. The effect of the bacterial signal molecules of the N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) class when over expressed in rice plant is being pursued in collaboration with Dr. Venturi (ICGEB Trieste).
Recent Publications
Leelavathi, S., Bhardwaj, A., Kumar, S., Das, A., Pathak, R., Pandey, S.S., Tripathy, B.C., Padmalatha K.V, Dhandapani, G., Kanakachari, M., Kumar, P.A., Cella, R., Reddy, V.S. 2011. Genome-wide transcriptome and proteome analyses of tobacco psaA and psbA deletion mutant. Plant Mol Biol 76, 407-423 PubMed link
Obembe, O.O., Popoola J.O., Leelavathi, S., Reddy, S.V. 2011. Advances in plant molecular farming. Biotechnol Adv 29, 210-222 PubMed link
Bharadwaj, A., Leelavathi, S., Mazumdar-Leighton, S., Ghosh, A., Ramakumar, S., Reddy, V. S. 2010. The Critical Role of N- and C-Terminal Contact in Protein Stability and Folding of a Family 10 Xylanase under Extreme Conditions. PLOS One 5, e11347 PubMed link
Bharadwaj, A., Leelavathi, S., Mazumdar-Leighton, S., Ghosh, A., Ramakumar, S., Reddy, V.S. 2008. The Critical Role of Partially Exposed N-Terminal Valine Residue in Stabilizing GH10 Xylanase from Bacillus sp.NG-27 under Poly-Extreme Conditions. PLOS One 3, e3063 PubMed link
