School of Biotechnology

Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai

Photograph




  		 Dr.Aditya Kumar Gupta
Professor
Dept.of Plant Biotechnology
 mail : akg54sify.com
Publications Projects People

Research Interests

  • Understanding the regulation of gene expression in higher plants: Detection of stable and stored mRNA of nitrate reductase and the regulation of its translation by phenolic compounds in dry seed embryos have been demonstrated.
  • Genetic Engineering of agronomically important crop plants for agronomically important traits like salinity and drought tolerance. Towards this in vitro regeneration and biolistic transformation protocols for rice, ground nut and Casuarina equisetifolia have been standardized. Rice cultivar IR-50 was transformed with a construct that over expresses P5CS gene which regulates the production of proline in the plant cells. Over-production of proline in the plant cells confers tolerance to salinity and drought stress. Insect resistant Rice plants were also developed by developing transgenic rice plants harboring CryIAc and CryIAb genes.
  • Isolation of genes that are induced by several abiotic stresses and their characterization to understand their role in conferring stress tolerance. Towards this two novel genes were isolated. One is a drought inducible gene with novel PPR motifs (Penta tricopeptide Repeats). Another gene is OsSAP3 (Oryza sativa Stress Associated Protein 3). OsSAP3 was shown to be inducible with all kind of Abiotic stresses and its functional characterization by transgenic approach is in progress.
  • Isolation and characterization of genes having role in plant development.: We have isolated a novel gene encoding for a protein homologous to Wall Associated Kinase. This gene was shown to effect anther dehiscence by RNAi analysis.
  • Study of root specific ESTs from tomato: This work was started as a part of Solanaceae Genome Intiative project taken up by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India. We have developed root specific library from tomato by using Suppression Subtractive Hybridization. EST database would be generated soon. Subtractive library for root developmental genes would be developed soon.
Patents under process:

       For Zn finger gene and PPR motif gene. Submitted in mailbox.


publications


  1. Ramesh.N and Aditya.K.Gupta (2005) Transient expression of beta-glucuronidase gene in indica and japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.) callus cultures after different stages of co-bombardment, African journal of Biotechnology Vol 4 (7), pp 596-600.
  1. K. Veluthambi, Aditya K Gupta and Arun Sharma (2003) The current status of plant transformation technologies, Current Science, Vol 84,No:3.
  1. Anoop N and Aditya K Gupta (2003) Transgenic Indica rice cv IR-50 over-expressing Vigna aconitifolia D1-Pyrroline -5- Carboxylate             Synthetase cDNA shows tolerance to  high soil salinity, Journal of plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology.
  1. K.Gupta, N.Anoop, A.Mushtaaq and V.Mathangi (1999) Transgenic Legumes – a mini Review JPAS Vol1: 27-34

Projects

Current Projects


Title of the project Funding Agency Duration Total Cost
Study of root specific EST’s in tomato DBT, Govt. of India 2005 to
2008 		   38,00,000/-

Research projects completed

Title of the project Funding Agency Duration Total Cost
Genetic engineering of Casuarina equisetifolia  for salinity and drought  tolerance Tamilnadu State Department of Forests, Government of Tamilnadu April 2000 to
April 2003		 10 lacs
Transformation of Jk parental rice lines for salinity and drought tolerance JK seeds, JK Agrigenetics 2 Years 10 lacs
Development of transgenic indica rice for salinity and drought tolerance Rockefeller foundation,USA July 1998 to June 2001 USD 20,000
Development of transgenic indica rice with drought and salinity tolerance:overexpression of Δ pyroline 5 carboxylase synthase genes. DBT New Delhi 1997 to
2002 		   30,00,000/-
Development of transgenic plants with useful genes in economically important crop plants and to understand molecular mechanism of Abiotic stress (salinity and drought) tolerance D.B.T , Government of India April 1991 to March 1997 450 lacs
Molecular mechanism of Nitrate Reductase induction by light and nitrate implants. UGC, New Delhi
Selection of Cadmium tolerant cell line in Glycine max and Phaseolus Vulgaris by tissue culture techniques. CSIR, New Delhi


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People

M.Phil students guided           

1.      O.R.Yatheeswaran (1989), “Induction of callus formation in rice and cowpea”, M.Phil degree awarded by Bharathidasan University, Thiruchirapalli.

2.      K.Rajendran (1989), “Regulation of nitrate reductase by IAA and Kinetin in etiolated green gram seedlings” M.Phil degree awarded by Bharahidasan University, Thiruchrapalli

3.      S.Shanthini (1989 ), “Ammonium regulation of nitrate reductase induction in etiolated rice seedlings”, M.Phil degree awarded by Bharathidasan University, Thiruchirapalli.

Ph.D students guided

1.      C. Raghunath “Molecular mechanisms of nitrate reductase induction by light and nitrate in higher plants”, Degree awarded by Madurai Kamaraj University, INDIA.

2.      M.Ramesh “Genetic transformation of Indica rice using biolistic gene delivery system”, Degree awarded by Madurai Kamaraj University, INDIA.

3.      V.Mathangi “Development of transgenics in economically important crop plants”, Degree awarded by Madurai Kamaraj University, INDIA.

4.      P.Theriappan “Molecular mechanism of abiotic stress tolerance in higher plants”, Degree awarded by Madurai Kamaraj University, INDIA.

5.      Anoop,N “Genetic Engineering of Oryza sativa v indica for salinity and tolerance and insect resistance” Thesis submitted  to Madurai Kamaraj University , India

6.      A.Mushtaaq – “Identification of genes conferring abiotic stress tolerance in indica rice” thesis submitted to Madurai Kamaraj University, India.

 Ph.D students currently working

1.      Satheesh Kumar -Genetic engineering of Casuarina eqisetifolia for salinity and drought tolerance.

2.      K.Vydehi -Functional Genomics of cellular differentiation in Rice.

3.      Joseph vijay – Isolation and characterization of abiotic stress induced genes from Oryza sativa.

4.      Kalidhasan.N- Study of root specific EST’s from tomato.

5.      SivaPriya: Characterization of root developmental genes from tomato.

 

 


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