1. Shafinaz Rahman Sarah, Abhishek Garg, Shaleen Korch, Amita Gupta, Vandana Malhotra (2023). Ser/Thr Phosphorylation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Type II Rel TA module by Protein Kinase K interferes with toxin neutralization: A novel mode of TA regulation. bioRxiv 2023.12.15.571532; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.15.571532.

2. Abhishek Garg, Mansi Pandit, Vandana Malhotra, Deepak Kumar Saini (2023). Anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen interferes with Mycobacterium tuberculosis PhoPR mediated signaling and inhibits mycobacterial growth. bioRxiv 2023.12.19.571805; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.19.571805; https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.19.571805

3. Garg et al., 2022 (2022) In silico evidence for extensive Ser/Thr phosphorylation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis two-component signalling systems. Current Science vol. 123, No. 9, 10 November 2022. www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/123/09/1164.pdf 

4. Malhotra, V., Okon, B. P., Satsangi, A. T., Das, S., Waturuocha, U. W., Vashist, A., Clark-Curtiss, J. E., & Saini, D. K. (2022). Mycobacterium tuberculosis PknK Substrate Profiling Reveals Essential Transcription Terminator Protein Rho and Two-Component Response Regulators PrrA and MtrA as Novel Targets for Phosphorylation. Microbiology spectrum, 10(2), e0135421. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01354-21 https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01354-21

5. Waturuocha, U. W., P. J., A., Singh, K. K., Malhotra, V., Krishna, M. S., & Saini, D. K. (2021). A high-frequency single nucleotide polymorphism in the MtrB sensor kinase in clinical strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis alters its biochemical and physiological properties. PLoS ONE, 16(9), e0256664. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256664

6. Waturuocha, U. W., Krishna, M. S., Malhotra, V., Dixit, N. M., & Saini, D. K. (2021). A Low-Prevalence Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism in the Sensor Kinase PhoR in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Suppresses Its Autophosphatase Activity and Reduces Pathogenic Fitness: Implications in Evolutionary Selection. Frontiers in microbiology, 12, 724482. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.724482

7. Hariharan, V.N., Yadav, R., Thakur, C., Singh, A., Gopinathan, R., Singh, D.P., Sankhe, G., Malhotra, V., Chandra, N., Bhatt, A. and Saini, D.K. Cyclic di-GMP sensing  histidine kinase PdtaS controls mycobacterial adaptation to carbon sources (2021)  FASEB J. https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fj.202002537RR

8. Singh KK, Bhardwaj N, Sankhe GD, Udaykumar N, Singh R, Malhotra V, Saini DK. 2019. Acetylation of Response Regulator Proteins, TcrX and MtrA in M. tuberculosis Tunes their Phosphotransfer Ability and Modulates Two-Component Signaling Crosstalk. J Mol Biol doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2019.01.004.

9. Malhotra, V., A. Vashist,* G. Sharma, J.S. Tyagi and J. E. Clark-Curtiss. 2018. Interplay of PhoP and DevR response regulators defines expression of the dormancy regulon in virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J. Biol. Chem. jbc.RA118.004331. 10.1074/jbc.RA118.004331. (*equal first author contribution)

10. Korch, S., V. Malhotra, H. Contreras and J.E.Clark-Curtiss. 2015. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis relBE toxin:antitoxin genes are stress-responsive modules that regulate growth through translation inhibition. J. Microbiol. 2015 Nov;53(11):783-95. doi: 10.1007/s12275-015-5333-8. Epub 2015 Oct 28 

11. Malhotra, V., R. Agrawal*, T. R. Duncan, D. K. Saini, and J. E. Clark-Curtiss. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Response Regulators, DevR and NarL Interact In Vivo and Co-Regulate Gene Expression during Aerobic Nitrate Metabolism. J. Biol. Chem. published February 6, 2015 as doi:10.1074/jbc.M114.591800. (*equal first author contribution)

12. Malhotra, V., B. Okon and J. E. Clark-Curtiss. 2012. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protein Kinase K enables growth adaptation through translation control. J Bacteriol. 2012. 194: 4184-96. 

13. Haydel, S. E., V. Malhotra, G. L. Cornelison, and J. E. Clark-Curtiss. 2012. The prrAB Two-Component System Is Essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Viability and Is Induced under Nitrogen-Limiting Conditions. J Bacteriol. 194: 354-61. 

14. Malhotra, V., L. T. Arteaga-Cortes, G. Clay and J. E. Clark-Curtiss. 2010. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protein Kinase K confers survival advantage during early infection in mice and regulates growth in culture and during persistent infection: implications in immune modulation. Microbiology 156: 2829-2841.

15. Malhotra, V., J. S. Tyagi and J. E. Clark-Curtiss. 2009.  DevR-mediated adaptive response in Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra: Links to asparagine metabolism.  Tuberculosis 89: 169-174. 

16. Malhotra, V., D. Sharma, V. Ramanathan, H. S. Shakila, D. K. Saini, S. Chakravorty, T. K. Das, Q. Li, R. F. Silver, P. R. Narayanan and J.S. Tyagi. 2004. Disruption of response regulator gene, devR leads to attenuation in virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 231:237-245. 

17. Saini, D. K., V. Malhotra, D. Dey, N. Pant, T. K. Das and J. S. Tyagi. 2004. DevR-DevS is a bona fide two-component system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is hypoxia responsive in the absence of the DNA binding domain of DevR. Microbiology 150: 865 - 875.

18. Saini, D. K., V. Malhotra, J.S. Tyagi. 2004. Cross Talk between DevS sensor kinase homologue, Rv2027c, and DevR response regulator of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. FEBS Lett. 565: 75 - 80. 

19. Dasgupta, N., V. Kapur, K.K. Singh, T. K. Das, S. Sachdeva, K. Jyothisri and J. S. Tyagi. 2000. Characterization of a two-component System, devR-devS, of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberc. Lung Dis. 80: 141 – 159. 

Books/e-Lessons/Chapters

• Contributed two chapters in Life Science Protocol Manual. Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India. January 2018, ISBN No. 978-93-5300-545-0 Page numbers: 227-243; 145-148

• Editor for two topics in Life Science Protocol Manual. DBT. January 2018, ISBN No. 978-93-53000-545

• E-Lesson Plan (2018): Teaching about Microbial Life and Climate Change as a part of the project Trans disciplinary Research Oriented Pedagogy for Improving Climate Studies and Understanding (TROP ICSU) funded by International Council of Science available at https://tropicsu.org/lesson-plan-teaching-about-microbial-life-and-climate-change/

“A process for identifying a novel target for the development of therapeutic modalities and drugs effective against tuberculosis”

Vandana Kapur and Jaya Sivaswami Tyagi

US patent no. 7,332,340 granted in 2008 for 20 years with effect from 8.2.2002