Browsing by Author "Shridhar, Smriti"

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    PLecDom: A program for identification and analysis of plant lectin domains
    (Oxford University Press, 2009) Shridhar, Smriti; Chattopadhyay, Debasis; Yadav, Gitanjali
    PLecDom is a program for detection of Plant Lectin Domains in a polypeptide or EST sequence, followed by a classification of the identified domains into known families. The web server is a collection of plant lectin domain families represented by align- ments and profile Hidden Markov Models. PLecDom was developed after a rigorous analysis of evolu- tionary relationships between available sequences of lectin domains with known specificities. Users can test their sequences for potential lectin domains, catalog the identified domains into broad substrate classes, estimate the extent of divergence of new domains with existing homologs, extract domain boundaries and examine flanking sequences for further analysis. The high prediction accuracy of PLecDom combined with the ease with which it handles large scale input, enabled us to apply the program to protein and EST data from 48 plant genome-sequencing projects in various stages of completion. Our results represent a signif- icant enrichment of the currently annotated plant lectins, and highlight potential targets for biochemical characterization. The search algorithm requires input in fasta format and is designed to process simultaneous connection requests from multiple users, such that huge sets of input sequences can be scanned in a matter of seconds. PLecDom is available at http://www.nipgr.res.in/plecdom.html.
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    The role of lectins and HD-ZIP transcription factors in isoprenoid based plant stress responses
    (INSA, 2012) Kumari, Sangita; Shridhar, Smriti; Singh, Daljit; Priya, Piyush; Farmer, Rohit; Hundal, Jasreet; Sharma, Priyanka; Bavishi, Krutika; Schrick, Kathrin; Yadav, Gitanjali
    It was over half a century ago when the overwhelming array of chemicals found in plants was postulated to be more than just by-products of primary metabolism. Ever since, extensive research has been conducted on plant secondary metabolites which are now known to be the end points of sophisticated survival mechanisms that plants have developed as a response to various kinds of stresses. Stress, defined by its negative effect on the growth and development of an individual, can be internal (metabolic or genetic), external (biotic or abiotic), permanent or acute. To cope, organisms must develop tolerance, resistance or avoidance mechanisms. Isoprenoids, often released as volatiles from plants, constitute the most diverse groups of natural products and play an essential part in plant defense systems, both directly (as emitted volatiles) and indirectly (the principle of inviting friends to feast on foes). Research over the last decade has resulted in a significant improvement in our understanding of the isoprenoid biosynthesis but there remains much to learn about the complex regulatory network controlling the various steps of these pathways and their dynamic co-ordination. Here we identify novel plant proteins and provide a putative role for them in isoprenoid based stress responses, along with insights into future perspectives for research.