Browsing by Author "Singh, Gourav"

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Comparative transcriptomic and metabolite profiling reveals genotype-specific responses to Fe starvation in chickpea
(John Wiley & Sons, 2023) Singh, Gourav; Ambreen, Heena; Jain, Priyanka; Chakraborty, Anirban; Singh, Baljinder; Manivannan, Abinaya; Bhatia, Sabhyata
Iron deficiency is a major nutritional stress that severely impacts crop productivity worldwide. However, molecular intricacies and subsequent physiological and metabolic changes in response to Fe starvation, especially in leguminous crops like chickpea, remain elusive. In the present study, we investigated physiological, transcriptional, and metabolic reprogramming in two chickpea genotypes (H6013 and L4958) with contrasting seed iron concentrations upon Fe deficiency. Our findings revealed that iron starvation affected growth and physiological parameters of both chickpea genotypes. Comparative transcriptome analysis led to the identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the genotypes related to strategy I uptake, metal ions transporters, reactive oxygen species (ROS) associated genes, transcription factors, and protein kinases that could mitigate Fe deficiency. Our gene correlation network discovered several putative candidate genes like CIPK25, CKX3, WRKY50, NAC29, MYB4 and PAP18, which could facilitate the investigation of the molecular rationale underlying Fe tolerance in chickpea. Furthermore, the metabolite analysis also illustrated the differential accumulation of organic acids, amino acids and other metabolites associated with Fe mobilization in chickpea genotypes. Overall, our study demonstrated the comparative transcriptional dynamics upon Fe starvation. The outcomes of the current endeavour will enable the development of Fe deficiency tolerant chickpea cultivars.
Dissecting the genetic basis of seed-iron content in Chickpea using a combinatorial approach of QTL-Seq and molecular haplotyping
(Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2026) Singh, Gourav; Chakraborty, Anirban; Singh, Sangeeta; Bhardwaj, Shubham; Parida, Swarup K.; Bhatia, Sabhyata
In order to map the QTL(s) and genes regulating the complex seed-iron content (SFC) trait in chickpea, the quantitative trait locus (QTL)-seq approach was used. Whole genome re-sequencing of DNA bulks derived from a mapping population (ICC8261 × 1CC4958) contrasting for SFC led to the identification of three QTLs, [CaqFe4.1 (0.10 Mb), CaqFe4.2 (0.54 Mb) and CaqFe7.1 (0.83 Mb)] in chickpea. In-silico expression analysis of genes underlying the QTLs revealed their varied levels during stages of seed development. Moreover, estimation of Gʹ values of the SNPs identified in the QTL region revealed a SNP that generated synonymous variant of the MAIN-like-2 gene. Haplotype analysis of MAIN-like-2 in a diverse panel of chickpea germplasm varying for SFC further exemplified its haplotypes that displayed strong association to this trait. Homology-based protein interaction analysis coupled with quantitative-real time PCR based-expression analysis revealed several co-expressing co-chaperone and heat shock proteins including P23-1, HSP 90.5 and HSP90.6, having well established roles in seed development as protein components of MAIN-like-2 proteins in chickpea. The functional loci as well as the molecular signatures defined in this study have potential to expedite marker assisted breeding of iron-rich chickpea varieties.
Global identification of metal ion transporters in chickpea and delineating the role of CaYSL4 in orchestrating iron content
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Singh, Gourav; Manivannan, Abinaya; Pandey, Vimal; Bhatia, Sabhyata
Metal ion transporters (MITs) are vital to maintain proper metal homeostasis during growth and development of plants thereby necessitating their identification and characterization. Considering the economic importance of chickpea in human nutrition, the molecular behaviour and biological functions of the metal ion transporters (MIT) encoding gene families remains highly relevant in recent times. Global identification of MITs revealed a total of 12 CAXs, 6 CTRs, 11 MGTs, 15 MTPs, 9 NRAMPs, 16 OPTs, and 14 ZIPs responsible for metal ion transport. Assessment of phylogenetic relationships, chromosomal distribution, gene structure and motif analysis of MITs suggested their diverse functions. The yellow stripe-like (YSL) family of transporters is an important family whose members have been suggested to have a role in metal ion translocation and assimilation. Expression analysis of key YSLs including CaYSL1, CaYSL4, CaYSL6 and CaYSL16 indicated their significant involvement in conferring tolerance to Fe starvation. Notable was the expression of CaYSL4 that showed specific expression in flower, leaf, shoot, seed at 30 DAA and 40DAA after 7 and 10 day of Fe-deficiency treatment. It was found to be localized in the plasma membrane. RNAi-mediated silencing of CaYSL4 demonstrated its critical role in orchestrating Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn translocation in chickpea seeds. Collectively, the comprehensive analysis of MITs coupled with the functional role of CaYSL4 provides critical insight into the complex regulation of Fe ion transport and distribution that will enable breeding of nutritionally enhanced chickpea varieties.
Transcriptome-wide identification and expression analysis of expansin genes in big and small leaf-morphotypes of Adhatoda vasica
(Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2025) Soundararajan, Prabhakaran; Singh, Pooja; Letro, Awele; Singh, Gourav; Manivannan, Abinaya
In the present study the expansin genes were identified from Adhatoda vasica, a potential medicinal plant. It consists of two morphotypes S (small leaf bearing plants with low alkaloid content) and B (large leaf bearing plants with high alkaloid content). The difference in the leaf size influence the alkaloid content and it act as the economically important trait for this medicinal plant. Therefore, exploring the expression of expansins will facilitate the molecular regulation of leaf expansion in A. vasica. For the identification of expansins, Hidden Markov model (HMM) profiles of double-psi beta-barrel (DPBB) and pollen allergen domains were utilized and searched against the genomes of Arabidopsis thaliana, Catharanthus roseus and Camellia sinensis and confirmed with BLAST search against published expansins of A. thaliana. The resulted expansins were used for homology-based identification of expansin transcripts in A. vasica transcriptome assembly. A total of 22 expansin transcripts were identified in A. vasica leaf transcriptome. The phylogenetic tree illustrated that the expansins were clustered into four subfamily EXPA, EXPB, EXPLA, and EXPLB. Interactome analysis revealed that the expansins interacted with genes involved in cell wall modification. In addition, leaf transcriptome analysis of S and B morphotypes revealed that majority of the expansins were upregulated in B morphotype than S morphotype. Further, qPCR analysis of selected expansin genes from transcriptome were validated in the young and mature leaf tissues of both morphotypes. Overall, the outcomes of the present study will facilitate the understanding the expansins based molecular regulation of leaf size in A. vasica which will aid in the higher production of pharmaceutically important alkaloids.
Understanding abiotic stress responses in lentil under changing climate regimes
(Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2023) Singh, Baljinder; Padhy, Asish Kumar; Ambreen, Heena; Yadav, Manisha; Bhardwaj, Shubham; Singh, Gourav; Pandey, Vimal; Chakraborty, Anirban; Bhatia, Sabhyata
Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a cool-season grain legume crop that is mainly cultivated across the semi-arid regions of Australia, South Asia, Africa, and North America. The crop is highly valued for its nutritional attributes such as dietary proteins (22–35%), carbohydrates, minerals, and fiber that play a significant role in alleviating malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies across populations in developing countries. The last five decades have seen an upward trend in global production of lentils from 0.85 to 5.73 Mt. suggesting its increasing demand and utilization. However, various abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, cold, salinity, and nutrient deficiency impose severe threats to the global lentil yield and productivity. The current book chapter is an attempt to comprehend the morpho-physiological and biochemical changes occurring during these stresses and the developmental plasticity shown by the plant to counteract them. Furthermore, the current status of research focusing on the development of novel molecular and functional markers/tags, identification of candidate genes/QTLs responsible for abiotic stress tolerance, the intervention of high throughput genotyping and phenotyping platforms, development of populations and linkage maps, and omics studies have been discussed. Some tolerant germplasm and varieties developed through conventional and next-generation breeding approaches are also enlisted making the book chapter a concise platform for reports of abiotic stress tolerance in lentils.