Institutional Publications
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Item Polyphenols-rich Indian barberry berries extract alleviates inorganic arsenic exposure-induced cognitive impairments and associated gut microflora alterations(Elsevier B.V., 2026) Vandana; Gupta, Shweta; Sharma, Rajni; Pandey, Ashutosh; Bishnoi, Mahendra; Rawal, Rakesh; Das, Santasabuj; Singh, Dhirendra PratapArsenic, a globally prevalent environmental toxin that can lead to neuro-behavioural changes. Oxidative stress and activation of inflammatory cascades are prominent mechanisms underlying these effects. The present study investigated the effects of polyphenol-rich extracts from Berberis aristata (Indian barberry) against inorganic arsenic-induced cognitive impairments in a murine model and presented mechanistic insights into its functional food properties. Response Surface Methodology (RSM)-guided hydro-alcoholic extracts were prepared and chemically characterized for their antioxidant activity, total phenolic contents (TPC) and free radical scavenging activities (RSA). UHPLC and LC-MS-based profiling of polyphenols, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins was performed. In-vitro toxicity studies in hepatic and colonic cancer cell lines, followed by in-vivo evaluation of these extracts in inorganic arsenic-exposed mice for spatial navigation tasks and passive avoidance-based learning were performed. Further assessments included neurotransmitter levels, histopathological investigations, qRT-PCR-based gene expression analysis, inflammatory cytokines and oxido-nitrosative stress markers in the brain and gastrointestinal tract, Evan's blue dye-based ileum permeability, and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) estimation, along with Oxford Nanopore-based 16S rRNA metagenomics in cecal contents and PICRUSt2-based functional prediction of metagenomic data. RSM-optimized methods for polyphenol extraction yielded extracts with high TPC and RSA, with flavanols, phenolic acids, and proanthocyanidins identified as major polyphenols, and no in-vitro toxicity was observed. The extracts significantly prevented arsenic exposure-induced cognitive impairment, altered neurotransmitter turnover, neuroinflammation and gastrointestinal tract inflammation, oxidative stress-induced damage, increased ileum permeability, SCFA alteration, and gut microbial dysbiosis. These findings underscore the therapeutic/preventive potential of this polyphenol-rich extract against environmental toxicant-induced neurotoxicity, potentially involving gut microbiota-associated pathways.Item Transcriptomic and OsWAK24-MPK3 crosstalk reveal resistance mechanism of primed rice seedlings against Arsenic-Iron(Oxford University Press, 2026) Bhatia, Priyanka; Mittal, Lavanya; Pandey, Shubhangi; Khatoon, Narjis Saba; Sinha, Alok Krishna; Gupta, MeetuPriming, elucidated as "memory," refers to the preconditioning of plant's stress responses to enhance resilience toward future stressors, including arsenic (As) contamination. This adaptive preparedness becomes further complex under As-Fe(iron) interplay, which remains scarcely delineated within priming background. Here, we employed Illumina sequencing to acquire global transcriptome alterations and heterologous interaction approach to chart the molecular reprogramming associated with As and As-Fe-dynamics in primed rice. The transcriptome revealed 3005 and 3650 genes to be differentially regulated in As and As-Fe-exposed primed seedlings. Comprehensive elucidation of expression profiling revealed that key genes were involved in transportation (OsNramp, OsFCR, OsNAS), signalling (OsWRKY, OsMYB, OsAP2, OsZF-TF), and defence (OsHSP, OsPRX, OsCyt P450). The antioxidant (OsGST, OsAPX) expression correlated well with their respective physiological enzyme activity. The entire WAK module, transducing extracellular signals to intercellular pathways, was differentially regulated under As and As-Fe influence. Notably, OsWAK24 revealed higher expression under As-Fe, reflecting its association with seedlings' tolerance behaviour. The computational protein network and docking unfolded OsMPK3 as an interactor of OsWAK24. The split-ubiquitin-based yeast-hybrid assay and immunoblot revealed OsWAK24-OsMPK3 association, suggesting OsMPK3 phosphorylates OsWAK24 at serine residue. Overall, the results decoded the seedling's resilience mechanism and aid in developing rice varieties with desired traits.Item Nutrient use efficiency promoted hormonal crosstalk and stomatal dynamics in wheat under the co-impact of arsenic and drought(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Khatoon, Narjis Saba; Khan, Asna; Bhatia, Priyanka; Vadassery, Jyothilakshmi; Gupta, MeetuThis study presents the interlink of Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) influenced hormone and stomatal dynamics, in enhancing photosynthesis under the co-impact of drought (D) and arsenic (As) in wheat. We analyzed how nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) supplementation under D+As modulates these interactions with jasmonic acid (JA) and sucrose, as central regulators. Enhanced JA by NP-enrichment reduced abscisic-acid (ABA) and salicylic-acid (SA) production to promote stomatal opening via sugar-transporter-proteins; TaSTP12, TaSTP51, and TaKAT-like1. Computational docking confirms strong interaction between JA, TaMYB84 and TaSTP’s (TaSTP12, TaSTP51) suggesting a functional complex that facilitates sucrose osmoregulation. This influences stomatal opening which promotes gas-exchange for better photosynthesis. Additionally, we highlight the correlation between stomatal dynamics and NP-use efficiency. The NP-promoted photosynthesis, phosphorus-use efficiency (PnPUE), and TaPHT1. 10 ensures Pi availability for Krebs-cycle. This improves non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), for ATP production, boosting CO2 assimilation. Moreover, the increased photosynthetic-nitrogen-use efficiency (PnNUE), along with TaNRT2.1, and TaAMT1.1 augmented rubisco activity, thereby increasing photosynthesis. NP-supplementation also boosts ASC-GSH cycle, which safeguards the rubisco enzyme and light-harvesting-complex. These processes optimize photosynthesis to maintain starch reserves and sustain wheat productivity under D+As. Our findings provide valuable insights into NP-mediated photosynthetic regulation and underscore the crucial role of NUE in optimizing this process.Item Unraveling the molecular aspects of iron-mediated OsWRKY76 signaling under arsenic stress in rice(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Mirza, Zainab; Jonwal, Sarvesh; Saini, Himanshu; Sinha, Alok Krishna; Gupta, MeetuArsenic (As) is a significant environmental element that restricts the growth and production of rice plants. Although the role of iron (Fe) to sequester As in rice is widely known, the molecular mechanism regarding As–Fe interaction remains opaque. Here, we show the differential response of two rice varieties (Ratna and Lalat) in terms of their morphological and biochemical changes in the presence of As and Fe. These results together with in-silico screening, gene expression analysis, and protein-protein interaction studies suggest the role of OsWRKY76 in Fe-mediated As stress alleviation. When OsWRKY76 is activated by MAPK signaling, it inhibits the gene expression of Fe transporters OsIRT1 and OsYSL2, which reduces the amount of Fe accumulated. However, MAPK signaling and OsWRKY76 remain down-regulated during Fe supplementation with As, which subsequently encourages the up-regulation of OsIRT1 and OsYSL2. This results in greater Fe content and decreased As accumulation and toxicity. The lower H2O2 and SOD, CAT, and APX activities were likewise seen under the As + Fe condition. Overall, results revealed the molecular aspects of Fe-mediated control of OsWRKY76 signaling and showed that Ratna is a more As tolerant variety than Lalat. Lalat, however, performs better in As stress due to the presence of Fe.Item Arsenic affects the production of glucosinolate, thiol and phytochemical compounds: A comparison of two Brassica cultivars(Elsevier B.V., 2017) Pandey, Chandana; Augustine, Rehna; Panthri, Medha; Zia, Ismat; Bisht, Naveen C.; Gupta, MeetuArsenic (As), a non-essential metalloid, severely affects the normal functioning of plants, animals and humans. Plants play a crucial role in metabolic, physiological and numerous detoxification mechanisms to cope up with As induced stress. This study aimed to examine the differential response in two Brassica juncea cultivars, Varuna and Pusa Jagannath (PJn) exposed to different doses of As (50, 150, 300 μM) for 48 h duration. Change in morphological traits, concentration of individual as well as total GSL, sulfur related thiol proteins, sulfur content, and phytochemicals were analyzed in both cultivars. Accumulation pattern of As showed dose dependent accumulation in both the cultivars, being more in PJn. Our finding revealed that both cultivars were tolerant at low concentrations of As, while at higher concentration Varuna excelled over PJn. The increased tolerance of Varuna cultivar exposed to 150 and 300 μM concentration of As, correlated with its increased thiol related proteins, sulfur content and phytochemicals, which serves as defence strategy in the plant against oxidative stress. Differential pattern of total as well as individual GSLs content was observed in both Varuna and PJn cultivars. Varuna cultivar showed higher level of total and aliphatic GSLs, which serves as defence compound with other detoxification machineries to combat As stress. Our findings provide foundation for developing metalloid tolerant crops by analyzing the role of different genes involved in GSL mechanism and signaling pathways in different organs of plant.Item Arsenic stress activates MAP kinase in rice roots and leaves(Elsevier, 2011) Rao, Kudupudi Prabhakara; Vani, Gubbala; Kumar, Kundan; Wankhede, Dhammaprakash Pandhari; Misra, Mohit; Gupta, Meetu; Sinha, Alok KrishnaThe toxic metalloid arsenite has become a potential threat to rice growing regions leading to serious contamination in food chain. In the present study effect of different physiological concentration of arsenite that is toxic and triggers the molecular events were evaluated in rice seedlings. Along with severe effect on the growth of rice seedling, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) in arsenite treated rice roots was also observed. Activation of a 42kDa mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK/MPK) by arsenite was observed in rice leaves and 42 and 44kDa in roots in dose dependent manner. The activated MAPK could be immunoprecipitated with anti-phospho-tyrosine antibody, 4G10. The kinetic of MAPK activation by arsenite was found to be dose dependent. Transcript analysis of MAPK family and immunokinase assay in arsenite treated rice seedling revealed significant level of induction in OsMPK3 transcripts in leaves and OsMPK3, OsMPK4 transcripts in roots. Among MAPK kinase (MKKs) gene family, OsMKK4 transcripts were found to be induced in arsenite treated rice leaves and roots. In-silico homology modeling and docking analysis supported OsMPK3-OsMKK4 interaction. The data indicates that arsenite stress is transduced through MAPK signaling cascade in rice.