Prof. Ananda K. Sarkar
Plant Developmental Biology Laboratory
Room No.: 305, School of Life Sciences,
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi-110067, Bharat.
Email: anandaksarkar@mail.jnu.ac.in
Phone: +91-1126704523 (Office)
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RESEARCH AREA
RESEARCH AREA
We are working towards unravelling the intricate molecular mechanisms that govern plant growth and development. Our research focuses on understanding the genetic, epigenetic, and small RNA-mediated regulation that shapes plant shoot and root architectures and relevant abiotic stress responses. We also address how plant-microbe interaction positively regulates plant growth and physiology.
1) Small RNAs mediated regulation in Plant development
Plant shoot and root architecture is achieved through the maintenance of the activity of shoot and root meristems. Besides protein coding genes, small non-coding regulatory RNAs (e.g. miRNAs and siRNAs) have recently been implicated in various aspects of plant development and stress responses. For example, miR165/6 and target ClassIII HD-ZIP module regulate shoot and root development and abiotic stress responses. We have identified small RNAs potentially involved in meristem function through the functional genomics approach. We are exploring the role of miRNAs and other small RNAs in shoot and root meristem and architecture though molecular genetic approaches such as gene knockout, overexpression lines, target mimic, reporter gene assays etc. We further test the role of these miRNAs in responses to abiotic stresses.
2) Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of Plant Development and Stress Responses.
In higher plants, the continuous post-embryonic growth and lateral organ formation or branching are ultimately controlled by the root and shoot apical meristems through the activity of their respective stem cells. Adaptive development under environmental stress conditions contributes to the stress tolerance of plants. Precise spatiotemporal regulation between diverse regulatory gene networks and their dynamic balance is quintessential for normal plant development. Multiple layers of regulation achieve this balance at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and translational levels. Epigenetic modifications play an important role in gene transcription through DNA methylation and histone modifications. We are interested to understand the role of novel genes and epigenetic factors in regulation of plant stem cells, meristems, and patterning of root (and shoot) architecture. We use experimental approaches like targeted mutagenesis, transgenics, various molecular markers, ChIP-seq (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation sequencing), histone modification studies, Yeast one/two-hybrid assay etc. We further assess the transgenics and mutants of respective genes for their role in abiotic stress responses (salinity, drought, heat, etc.).
3) Crop Improvement Through CRISPR/Cas9-Based Genome Editing/Transgenics.
Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and submergence are significant challenges to the growth and yield of crop plants, such as rice. We have identified genes potentially involved in root/shoot growth and physiology of rice (A. K. Sarkar and P. Kumar et al., Sci Rep. 2016). We are taking transgenics and CRISPR/Cas9-based targeted genome editing approaches to understand gene function and develop rice varieties with better shoot/root architecture and enhanced tolerance to abiotic stresses like salinity, drought, and extreme temperature. Several such candidate genes like AP2-like gene, GASA/GASR etc are being used for above purposes. Besides protein-coding genes, we are also tweaking miRNA pathways in rice for improvement of growth and stress tolerance in rice.
4) Plant-microbes interaction and plant growth promotion
In the rhizosphere, a specialized niche where plant roots interact with a diverse group of microbes, several microbes colonize in the root interfaces and exhibit beneficial, neutral, or harmful effects on their host plants. Our current research aims to investigate the role of beneficial microbes and the underlying molecular mechanism involved in plant-microbe crosstalk/communication, plant growth, fitness, and alleviation of plant biotic and abiotic stresses. We have isolated and characterized several bacterial and fungal strains for their potential beneficial effects on model and crop plants.
Our Approaches
To investigate plant development and relevant stress physiology, our group uses a multidisciplinary strategy that combines molecular biology, genetics, analytics, transgenics, CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing, genomics, NGS, and advanced imaging techniques (SEM, CLSM, LCM etc.). By combining multi-disciplinary experimental techniques and computational biology, we are expanding the knowledge in field of plant science.
Collaborations and Outreach
We believe in the power of collaboration and actively engage ourselves in partnerships with other research groups, both nationally and internationally. Our lab is dedicated to fostering the generation of quality scientists/researcher through education, research training, and outreach initiatives.
Welcome to Join Us
Whether you are a student, researcher, or collaborator, we welcome you to explore the exciting world of plant developmental biology and physiology with us. Together, we can unlock the secrets of plant growth and development and contribute to a sustainable future by improving crop plants.
AWARDS/ FELLOWSHIPS/ RECOGNITIONS
FNASc (Fellow National Academy of Sciences, India, 2021)
Ramalingaswami Re-Entry Fellowship (DBT, 2009- 2014).
Prof. Archana Sharma Memorial Award (ISCA, 2010-2011).
"Suma Cum Laude" (best grade award for Ph.D., University of Freiburg, Germany).
Member of New York Academy of Science (2007-08) & AAAS, USA (2008-10).
Postdoctoral fellowship (2006- 2009; at Cold Spring Harbor Lab, USA).
Doctoral fellowship (2001- 2006) from German/European Research Foundations (DFG/SFB/REGIA).
DBT fellowship (1998-1999) for M.Tech. (through GATE; at IIT- Kharagpur).
Academic Editor: Scientific Reports (Nature Publication Group)
TEACHING
TEACHING
M.Sc. Courses:
Plant Developmental Biology,
Plant Biotechnology
Ph.D. Courses:
Crop Genomics
LAB MEMBERS
LAB MEMBERS
CURRENT MEMBERS
Mr. Kaushik Saha
(Ph.D Scholar, CSIR –SRF)
M.Sc in Botany, Viswabharati University
Thesis Area: Role of rhizospheric microbes in plant growth and development
Ms. Pooja
(Ph.D Scholar, CSIR –SRF)
M.Sc in Botany Kumaun University
Thesis Area: Role of selected miRNA in stress response
Ms. Manobika Das
(Ph.D Scholar, UGC –JRF)
M.Sc in Botany, Viswabharati University
Thesis area: Role of miRNA in plant development
Mr. Koustov Roy
(Ph.D Scholar, UGC–JRF)
M.Sc in (Ag.) Genetics and Plant Breeding, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute
Thesis area: Molecular plant and beneficial microbe interaction.
Mr. Sourav Das
(Ph.D Scholar, CSIR –JRF)
M.Sc in Botany, Burdwan University
Thesis area: Deciphering the regulation of miRNA in Plant Development under abiotic stresses
Sourav Chatterjee
PhD (2015- Present)
Current Position: Ph.D Scholar
National Institute of Plant Genome Research
Nidhi Gandhi
PhD (2019- present)
Current Position. PhD Scholar
National Institute of Plant Genome Research
DISSERTATION
•Ms. Anamika Singh (2017)
•Ms. Rhea Subba (2018)
•Mr. Sandeep (2019)
•Mr. Manuvendra Nandan (2020)
•Ms. Roshni Sherpa (2021)
•Ms. Payyavula Ragini (2022)
•Ms. Priyanka Biswal (2023)
•Ms. Palak Gupta (2024)
•Ms. Rubi (2024)
•Ms. Sunidhi Bisht*
INTERNSHIP
•Ms. Aditi Thakur (2017)
•Mr. Divyam Singh (2017)
•Md. Abu Nasar (2018)
•Ms. Anjali (2019)
•Ms. Surbhi Mishra (2020)
•Ms. Surbhi Bihani (2021)
•Mr. Aman (2022)
•Ms. Kirti (2023)
•Mr. Vivekanand Choudhury (2023)
•Ms. Anuskha Garg (2024)
PUBLICATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
1. Lu L, Holt A, Chen X, Liu Y, Knauer S, Tucker EJ, Sarkar AK, Hao Z, Roodbarkelari F, Shi J, Chen J. miR394 enhances WUSCHEL‐induced somatic embryogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. New Phytologist. 2023 May;238(3):1059-72. doi:10.1111/nph.18801 [Impact Factor: ~10.2]
2. Mishra V, Singh A, Gandhi N, Sarkar Das S, Yadav S, Kumar A, Sarkar AK. A unique miR775-GALT9 module regulates leaf senescence in Arabidopsis during post-submergence recovery by modulating ethylene and the abscisic acid pathway. Development. 2022 Feb 15;149(4): dev199974. doi:10.1242/dev.199974 [Impact Factor: ~6.1].
3. Gautam V, Singh A, Yadav S, Singh S, Kumar P, Sarkar Das S, and Sarkar AK. Conserved LBL1-ta-siRNA and miR165/166-RLD1/2 modules regulate root development in maize. Development. 2021 Jan 5;148(1): dev190033. doi: 10.1242/dev.190033 [Impact Factor: ~6.1]
4. Singh S, Singh A, Singh A, Mahima, Yadav S, Bajaj I, Kumar S, Jain A, and Sarkar AK. Role of chromatin modifiers in stem cell regulation and meristem maintenance in Arabidopsis. J Exp Bot. 2020 Jan 23;71(3):778-792. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erz459.. [Impact Factor: ~6.8]
5. Singh S, Yadav S, Singh A, Mahima, Singh A, Gautam V, Sarkar AK. Auxin signaling modulates LATERAL ROOT PRIMORDIUM1 (LRP1) expression during lateral root development in Arabidopsis. Plant J. 2019 Sep 4. doi: 10.1111/tpj.14520. [Impact Factor: ~7.1]
6. Kumar A, Singh A, Kumar P, Sarkar AK. GAST proteins evolved through successive conjugation of novel motifs and their sub-functionalization. Plant Physiol. 2019 Jun; 180(2):998-1012. doi: 10.1104/pp.19.00305 [Impact Factor: ~8.0]
7. Singh A, Gautam G, Singh S, Sarkar Das S, Verma S, Mishra V, Mukherjee S, and Sarkar AK. Plant small RNAs: advancement in the understanding of biogenesis and role in plant development. Planta. 2018 Sep; 248(3):545-558. doi: 10.1007/s00425-018-2927-5 [Impact Factor: ~4.3]
8. Singh A, Kumar P, Gautam V, Rengasamy B, Adhikari A, Udayakumar M and Sarkar AK. Root transcriptome of two contrasting indica rice cultivars uncovers regulators of root development and physiological responses. Sci. Rep. 2016 Dec 21;6:39266. doi: 10.1038/srep39266. [Impact Factor: ~4.3]
9. Douglas RD, Wiley D, Sarkar AK, Springer N, Timmermans MCP and Scanlon MJ. ragged seedling2 Encodes an ARGONAUTE7-Like Protein Required for Mediolateral Expansion, but Not Dorsiventrality, of Maize Leaves. Plant Cell. 2010 May;22(5):1441-51. doi: 10.1105/tpc.109.071613. PMID: 20453116 [Impact Factor: ~11.6]
10. Brooks L, Strable J, Elshire R, Zhang X, Ohtsu K, Sarkar AK, Hargreaves S., Eudy D., Pawlowska T., Nettleton D, Timmermans MCP, Schnable PS, Scanlon MJ. Microdissection of Shoot Meristem Functional Domains in Maize. PLoS Genet. 2009 May;5(5):e1000476. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000476 [Impact Factor: ~5.0]
11. Sarkar AK, Luijten M, Miyashima S, Lenhard M, Hashimoto T, Nakajima K, Scheres B, Heidstra R, Laux T. Conserved factors regulate signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana shoot and root stem cell organizers. Nature. 2007 Apr 12;446(7137):811-4 [Impact Factor: ~69.5]
12. Haecker A, Gross-Hardt R, Geiges B, Sarkar A, Breuninger H, Herrmann M, Laux T. Expression dynamics of WOX genes mark cell fate decisions during early embryonic patterning in Arabidopsis thaliana. Development. 2004 Feb;131(3):657-68. PMID: 14711878 [Impact Factor: ~6.1].
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