Institutional Publications

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ndkr-library.nipgr.ac.in/handle/123456789/11

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Targeted lipidome analysis reveals nutritionally enhanced foxtail millet genotypes across diverse grain colours
    (Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2026) Ramesh, Palakurthi; Seni, Sushmita; Singh, Roshan Kumar; Pandey, Ashutosh; Prasad, Manoj
    Foxtail millet (Setaria italica), a small-grained cereal crop, is a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, fibers, and lipids, with lipid content ranging from 1–5% of the total grain composition. Whole grain is an excellent natural source of nutraceutical properties and health-beneficial components that significantly reduce chronic inflammation, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Different grain colours in foxtail millet are associated with distinct metabolome composition. However, the relationship between lipid composition and grain colour remains largely unexplored. In this study, a comprehensive metabolomic analysis of eight differently coloured foxtail millet grains led to the identification of 352 distinct metabolites. Among these, 44 metabolites were chemically classified into categories such as fatty acids, steroids, hydrocarbons, benzenes, monoradylglycerols, quinones, and hydroquinones. Linoleic acid was identified as the predominant fatty acid, while lutein emerged as the most abundant carotenoid across all accessions. Gene expression profiling of carotenoid biosynthesis genes revealed significant genotype-specific variations, with SiPSY1, SiPSY2, SiPSY3, SiZDS, SiLCYB, and SiLCYE exhibiting markedly higher expression in the golden yellow genotype SI 101. Furthermore, several unique compounds, including decane 1-iodo, dodecane 4, 6-dimethyl, hexadecane, heptadecane, eicosane, heneicosane, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, dotriacontane, 2-methylhexacosane, hexatriacontane, squalene, tetrapentacontane, and tetracosane, were identified in foxtail millet grains. These findings provide valuable insights into the metabolic diversity and the differential accumulation of bioactive compounds in among foxtail millet grains with different colours. The study also assists in selecting foxtail millet genotypes with desirable lipid traits for sustainable crop improvement.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Genome wide investigation and transcriptional profiling of SWEET genes in two contrasting cultivars of foxtail millet under abiotic stresses
    (Elsevier B.V., 2025) Singh, Jitender; Singh, Kajol BM.; Sutar, Rashmi Ranjan; Kumar, Angad; Prasad, Manoj; Thakur, Jitendra K.
    The SWEET (Sugars will eventually be exported transporter) gene family is an important class of sugar transporters that regulates diverse aspects of plant physiology such as apoplastic phloem loading, plant-pathogen interactions and plant responses to abiotic stresses. While majority of the studies on SWEET family in plants have been performed in C3 species, there are limited reports on C4 plants. In this study we conducted genome wide investigation of the SWEET gene family in foxtail millet, a naturally stress tolerant C4 crop. In-silico analysis identified 24 SWEET genes in foxtail millet genome that were classified into 4 distinct clades. Domain analysis revealed the presence of conserved MtN3_slv/PQ-loop domains in all identified SWEET proteins. Interestingly, many SWEET proteins also harboured the prokaryotic SemiSWEET/PQ-loop domain suggesting an evolutionary link to their prokaryotic Semi-SWEET ancestors. In-silico analysis predicted the presence of abscisic acid and drought responsive cis-elements in the promoter region of SWEET genes. Transcriptional analysis under control, drought, and salinity stress revealed differential expression patterns of SWEET genes in stress resistant and stress susceptible foxtail millet cultivars. Moreover, the differential expression of SWEET genes altered the soluble sugar content in leaves and roots under stress conditions suggesting altered carbon re-allocation between source and sink tissues. This study significantly advances our understanding of the SWEET gene family in C4 plants, particularly in foxtail millet, and provides insights into its role in stress tolerance mechanisms and carbohydrate re-allocation under stress conditions.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    SiHSFA2e regulated expression of SisHSP21.9 maintains chloroplast proteome integrity under high temperature stress
    (Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2022) Singh, Roshan Kumar; Muthamilarasan, Mehanathan; Prasad, Manoj
    High temperature-induced crop failures are prominent nowadays in major staples, including rice, wheat, and maize; however, crops such as foxtail millet (Setaria italica) are resilient to temperature stress. In this study, a novel small heat shock protein of foxtail millet, SisHSP21.9, is identified and characterized for its role in conferring tolerance to high-temperature stress. SisHSP21.9 is a panicoid-specific gene, which is highly upregulated during high-temperature in leaves, and the protein is localized in the chloroplast. Its expression is directly regulated by heat shock factor, SiHSFA2e, during temperature stress. Further, overexpression of SiHSP21.9 in rice enhanced the survival of transgenics during high-temperature stress (> 80% survival frequency), and the transgenic lines showed improved plant architecture and overall grain yield. Compared to WT plants, transgenic lines maintained optimal photosynthesis rates with higher photosystem efficiencies at high temperatures, and this is conferred through protecting the components of photosystems, chlorophyll-binding proteins, and chloroplast-localized functional proteins by SisHSP21.9. Prolonged high-temperature stress showed minimal damage to chloroplast proteins resulting in comparatively lower yield loss (35–37%) in transgenic lines. Altogether, the study suggests that SisHSP21.9 is a potential candidate for designing thermotolerant crops for climate-resilient agriculture; however, further research is needed because tolerance to abiotic stresses is polygenic.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Decarboxylation mechanisms of the C4 cycle in foxtail millet observed under salt and selenium treatments
    (Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2023) Shah, Wasifa Hafiz; Rasool, Aadil; Padder, Sajad Ahmad; Singh, Roshan Kumar; Prasad, Manoj; Tahir, Inayatullah; Rehman, Reiaz ul; Hakeem, Khalid Rehman
    Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.), a millet with a smaller genome and shorter life cycle, growing in arid and semi-arid areas, is severely affected by salt stress with reduced biomass and yield. In this study, we report that salt stress poses deleterious effects on foxtail millet and in response foxtail millet shows flexibility in terms of decarboxylation under salt stress conditions. Our results indicate a significant increase in enzymatic activities as well as the expression levels of genes encoding NADP-Malic Enzyme (NADP-ME), NAD-Malic Enzyme (NAD-ME), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), NADP-Malate dehydrogenase (NADP-MDH), NAD-Malate dehydrogenase (NAD-MDH), Alanine aminotransferase (AlaAT) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT) under salt stress. Thereby, suggesting that foxtail millet switches to mixed mode of decarboxylation mechanisms for better adaptability under salt stress. We also report that lower doses of selenium (Se) alleviated the effects of salinity. 1 µM Se supplementation enhanced the activity and gene expression of NADP-ME, NAD-ME, NADP-MDH, NAD-MDH and AlaAT. The gene expression and the activity of ATP-dependent PEPCK and AspAT were reduced by Se, making the process more energy-efficient. Hence, suggests that Se alleviated the deleterious effects of salinity by enhancing the mixed mode of decarboxylation in energy-efficient way.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A comprehensive study on core enzymes involved in starch metabolism in the model nutricereal, foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.)
    (Elsevier B.V., 2021) Dhaka, Annvi; Muthamilarasan, Mehanathan; Prasad, Manoj
    Starch biosynthesis is an important process in plants as starch serves as a source of carbon and energy. In cereals, starch is the predominant constituent of the grains that provide carbohydrates in food and feed. Given its importance, the biosynthesis and accumulation of starch have been well studied in major cereals. However, in millets, no such study provides insights into the starch biosynthesis and diversity of enzymes involved in this process. In foxtail millet (Setaria italica), we have identified and characterized six classes of enzyme-encoding genes involved in starch metabolism, viz., ADP glucose phosphorylase, starch synthase, starch branching enzyme, starch debranching enzyme, phosphorylase, and disproportionating enzyme. Analysis of gene structure, chromosomal localization, phylogenetic analysis, and study of domain composition were performed to gain insights into the structure and organization of these gene families. Further, expression profiling of these genes in two cultivars contrastingly differing in grain amylose content was performed at different seed development stages. The expression data showed spatiotemporally divergent expression patterns of the genes and pinpointed several candidate genes that could be targeted for further functional characterization to study the starch metabolism in millets as well as to improve starch content through genomics approaches.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A precise method for analyzing nitrogen use in foxtail millet
    (Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2020) Bandyopadhyay, Tirthankar; Prasad, Manoj
    Optimization of biological nitrogen (N) use is instrumental in ensuring higher crop yields and preventing environmental degradation due to excessive N fertilizer application. Furthermore, understanding how genetic differences differentially influence N remobilization into seeds under contrasting nitrogen nutrition regimes is crucial to our understanding of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crops in addition to enabling a deeper mechanistic understanding of the dynamics of nitrogen metabolism in plants. In this chapter, a method is proposed to precisely measure and analyze nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in a pot-based system under different nitrogen nutrition regimes in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.), a climate change-resilient C4 model crop with great promise for food security and nutrition in the twenty-first century.