Arturo Falaschi Emeritus Scientist (AFES)
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Aruna Asaf Ali Marg
110 067 New Delhi, India
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +91-11-26741242
Education
Andhra University, India, BSc, 1979
University of Hyberabad, India, MSc, 1981
University of Hyberabad, India, MPhil, 1983
University of Hyberabad, India, PhD, 1987
Career History
Since 2021, Arturo Falaschi Emeritus Scientist, ICGEB New Delhi, India
2015-2020, Group Leader, Plant Biology: Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory, International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India.
1992-2015, Senior Research Scientist, ICGEB, New Delhi, India.
1991-1992, Research Scientist, University of California, Irvine, USA.
1988-1991, Research Scientist, International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi.
1987-1988, Research Associate, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
Scientific Activity
Currently working on identification and isolation of differentially expressed genes under different abiotic stress using cDNA subtraction techniques to develop tools for gene discovery in order to investigate plant architecture and adaptation to abiotic stress. Characterization of these candidate genes that contribute positively to stress tolerance and understanding their regulated expression mechanisms in response to various stresses to understand the molecular mechanisms of stress adaptation in crop plants. All abiotic stresses such as drought, high or low temperature, salinity, heavy metals and pollutants ultimately induce oxidative stress that causes permanent damage to all macromolecules and disturbs the cellular homeostasis and drastically effects the growth and productivity of the plant. We propose to transform and over-express ascorbate-glutathione pathway into crop plants, by in vitro gene pyramiding of all the genes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) Monodedehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR), Dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) and Glutathione reductase (GR) nvolved in this pathway under stress-inducible tissue-specific promoters for effective deactivation of reactive oxygen intermediate (ROI) molecules in multiple redox reactions to protect the plant cells from the oxidative damage under the stressed environment.
Teaching Activity
Faculty member in the ICGEB Ph.D. Programme.
Awards
2007-2008, Tata Innovation Fellowship Award, Department of Biotechnology
Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Sciences
2004, DBT Biotechnology Overseas Associateship
2002, INSA-DFG Exchange of Scientists Programme
Selected publications
Pandey, P., Jitender Singh, Achary, V. M. M., Reddy, M. K. 2015. Redox homeostasis via gene families of ascorbate-glutathione pathway. Frontiers in Environmental Science (In Press)
Islam, T., Manna, M., Reddy, M.K. 2015 Glutathione peroxidase of Pennisetum glaucum (PgGPx) is a functional Cd2+ dependent peroxiredoxin that enhances tolerance against salinity and drought stress. PLOS ONE 10: e0143344 PubMed link
Manna, M., Islam, T., Kaul, T., Reddy, C. S. Fartyal, D. James, D., Reddy, M. K. 2015. A comparative study of effects of increasing concentrations of phosphate and phosphite on rice seedlings. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 37: 258
Jitender S., Reddy, P. S., Reddy, C. S., Reddy, M. K. 2015. Molecular cloning and characterization of salt inducible dehydrin gene from the C4 plant Pennisetum glaucum. Plant Gene 4: 55–63
Reddy, C. S., Achary, V. M. M., Manna, M., Singh, J., Kaul, T., Reddy, M. K. 2015. Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Thermostable Phytase from Bacillus subtilis (BSPhyARRMK33). Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 175: 3058-3067 PubMed link
Islam, T., Manna, M., Kaul, T., Pandey, P., Reddy, C. S., Reddy, M. K. 2015. Genome wide dissection of Arabidopsis and Rice for the identification and expression analysis of glutathione peroxidases reveals their stress-specific and overlapping response patterns. Plant Mol. Biol Rep. 33: 1413-1427
Achary, V. M. M., Reddy, C. S., Pandey, P., Islam, T., Kaul, T., Reddy M. K. 2015. Glutathione reductase a unique enzyme: molecular cloning, expression and biochemical characterization from the stress adapted C4 plant, Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. Mol. Biol Rep. 42: 947-962 PubMed link
Singh, J., Pandey, P., James, D., Chandrasekhar, K., Achary, V. M. M., Kaul, T., Tripathy, B.C., Reddy, M. K. 2014. Enhancing C3 photosynthesis: An outlook on feasible interventions for crop improvement. Plant Biotchnol. J. 12: 1217-1230 PubMed link
Chandrasekhar, K., Reddy, G. M., Jitender, S., Vani, K., Vijayalakshmi, M., Kaul, T., Reddy, M. K. (2014) Development of transgenic rice harbouring mutated rice 5-enolpyruvylshikimate3-phosphate synthase (Os-mEPSPS) and Allium sativum leaf agglutinin (ASAL) genes conferring tolerance to herbicides and sap sucking insects. Plant Mol. Biol Rep. 32: 1146-1157
Chandrasekhar, K., Vijayalakshmi, M., Vani, K., Kaul, T., Reddy, M. K. 2014. Phloem-specific expression of the lectin gene from Allium sativum confers resistance to the sap-sucker Nilaparvata lugens. Biotechnol Lett 36: 1059-1067 PubMed link