Small RNA Biology and Protein Engineering Lab
Exploring the molecular mechanisms of small noncoding RNA-mediated gene regulation
Our lab aims to understand how small noncoding RNAs control gene expression in bacteria. The discovery and characterization of small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) in bacteria has exploded in recent years. These sRNAs act either by modulating protein activity or by base pairing with target mRNAs with which they share limited or extended complementarity. Mechanistic insights into how sRNAs bind mRNAs and proteins, how they compete with each other and how they function to regulate different physiological processes are active areas of our research. Three different bacteria, Escherichia coli, Deinococcus radiodurans and Mycobacterium tuberculosis were used as model microorganisms for our study
Small RNA Mechanisms:
Exploitation of Extremophilic Laccase for Industrial Processing
Various industries like textiles, paper and pulp, electroplating, tanneries, and paint widely utilize more than 100,000 commercial dyes with an approximate annual production of 7 × 105–1 × 106 tons. Many of these dyes are carcinogenic, intractable, and highly stable, and thus cannot be entirely eliminated from the effluents by conventional physicochemical methods. To subside these issues, environment-friendly dye-degrading enzymes, especially laccase, have been introduced with increasing interest for the treatment of industrial effluents and denim bleaching in the textile industry.