Group Leader, Plant Transcription Regulation
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Aruna Asaf Ali Marg
110 067 New Delhi, India
E-mail: [email protected]
Education
Department of Marine Biotechnology, Goa University, India, MSc, 1996
Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi, India, MPhil, 1999
Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi, India, PhD, 2003
Career History
Since 2021 – Group Leader, Plant Transcription Regulation, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
2009-2021, Staff Scientist, National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India
2014 – Visiting Faculty, Department of Biochemistry & Cellular & Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
2008-2009, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Science and Education Research – Kolkata, India
2004-2008, Research Associate, Harvard Medical School/MGH Cancer Center, Boston, USA
Scientific Activity
The main interest of the group is to understand transcriptional regulation of gene expression in plants focusing mainly, but not limited to, on the functioning of Mediator complex. We employ tools of molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics and bioinformatics for this purpose. Arabidopsis and rice are used as the model systems in our studies. The group is also interested in understanding the epigenetics landscape during seed development.
Selected publications
Agrawal R, Singh A, Giri J, Magyar Z and Thakur JK (2023). MEDIATOR SUBUNIT 17 is required for transcriptional optimization of root system architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiology https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiad129
Singh J, Das S, Kapuganti JG, Ranjan A, Foyer CH and Thakur JK (2023) Physiological implications of SWEETs in plants and their potential applications in improving source-sink relationships for enhanced yield. Plant Biotechnology Journal https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.13982
Agrawal R, Sharma M, Dwivedi N, Maji S, Thakur P, Junaid A, Fajkus J, Laxmi A and Thakur JK (2022) MEDIATOR SUBUNIT 17 integrates jasmonate and auxin signaling pathways to regulate thermomorphogenesis. Plant Physiology doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiac220
Bhardwaj, R., Thakur, J.K., Kumar, S. 2021. MedProDB: A database of Mediator proteins. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 19, 4165-4176
Agrawal R, Fajkus J and Thakur JK 2021 Kinase module of Mediator complex: Important signalling processor for development and survival of plants. Journal of Experimental Botany 72: 224-240.
Kumar A, Daware A, Kumar A, Kumar V, Krishnan S Gopala, Mondal S, Patra BC, Singh AK, Tyagi AK, Parida SK and Thakur JK (2020). Genome-wide analysis of polymorphisms identified domestication-associated low diversity region carrying important grain size QTL. Plant Journal 103: 1525-1547.
Dwivedi N, Maji S, Waseem M, Kumar V, Parida SK and Thakur JK (2019) The Mediator subunit OsMed15a is a transcriptional co-regulator of seed size/weight-modulating genes in rice. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta – Gene Regulatory Mechanism 1862: 194432.
Maji S, Dahiya P, Waseem M, Dwivedi N, Bhat DS, Dar T and Thakur JK (2019) Interaction map of Arabidopsis Mediator complex expounding its topology. Nucleic Acids Research 47: 3904-3920.
Kumar, V., Waseem, M., Dwivedi, N., Maji, S., Kumar, A., Thakur, J.K. 2018. KIX domain of AtMed15a, a Mediator subunit of Arabidopsis is required for its interaction with different proteins. Plant Signal Behav 13, e1428514 PubMed link
Nagulapalli M, Maji S, Dwivedi N, Dahiya P and Thakur JK (2016) Evolution of disorder in Mediator complex and its functional relevance. Nucleic Acids Research 44: 1591-1612.
Thakur JK, Yadav A and Yadav G (2014) Molecular recognition by the KIX domain and its role in gene regulation. Nucleic Acids Research 42: 2112-2125.
Naar AM and Thakur JK (2009) Nuclear Receptor-Like transcription factors in fungi. Genes & Development 23:419-32.
Thakur JK, Arthanari H, Yang F, Pan S, Fan X, Breger J, Frueh DP, Gulshan K, Li DK, Mylonakis E, Struhl K, Moye-Rowley SW, Cormack BP, Wagner G and Naar AM (2008) A nuclear-receptor-like pathway regulating multidrug resistance in fungi. Nature 452: 604-609.
Patent:
Recombinant microorganisms and uses thereof. Inventors; Thakur JK, Dahiya P and Bhat D. Patent No. 326127, Application No. 3699/DEL/2012.