ANNUAL REPORT - Department of Biotechnology

Plant Biotechnology
A segment of Rice Catalase-B indica gene promoter
was cloned and sequenced which showed 99%
homology with Japonica rice cultivar. Bioinformatics
analysis suggested that the footprint signature of rice
CAT-B, Indica variety is a Myb-5 type transcription
factor binding site, a novel finding of the study. CAT-C
gene of Indica Rice cultivar, Ratna was also cloned
and sequenced which showed nearly 98%
identity/homology with CAT-C of Japonica rice
cultivar but only 70% identity in translated protein
(amino acid) sequence. Homology modeling of the
CAT-C using a flexible docking study with the H2O 2
indicated that Arg 310, Asp 343 and Arg 346 are three
important determinant residues in binding which play
an important role in the stability of the complex.
Studies on structural and functional changes of
photo-system II in response to changing light
intensities indicated that the photo-system II activity
in submerged leaf, as compared to the floating leaf, is
highly susceptible to photo-inhibition and also
maintain a slower kinetics of recovery in dark. The
issue of dearth of tissue specific and functionally
efficient constitutive promoters in plant
biotechnology was addressed since existing
promoters are patent protected. A protocol for DNA
shuffling was standardized - the shuffled promoter
fragments were cloned into pBSK for sequencing
purpose and pUCPMA vectors for their transient
assay in protoplast. Several respective promoter
fragments were amplified from MMV-Flt and FMV-Flt
clone DNA as template using newly designed
synthetic primers to carry out the finer deletion
analysis of MMV-Flt and FMV-Sgt promoter fragment
and were used to carry out EMSA and DNA-shuffling
reaction.
Environmental Biotechnology
Biochemical and molecular basis of tolerance in
plants to metals, drought and salts was investigated
with the objective of improving tolerance of the plants
of interest to abiotic stresses. Studies revealed that
dicot plants differed more in their ability to
accumulate proline in response to metal and salt
stress in a calcium dependent fashion. Several
isoforms of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and
peroxidases were induced in the salt tolerant and
moderately salt tolerant species upon their exposure
to salinity. Enhanced accumulation of
malondialdehyde (MDA) in N gramenia and Chlorella
upon exposure to salinity (1.5%) resulting in
maximum accumulation of H O suggest that there is
2 2
involvement of this compound in oxidative damage.
+
The response of H ATPases to salt treatment in rice
cultivars differing in salt tolerance indicated that salt
tolerant Lunishri exhibited constitutively higher level
+
of H ATPase activity when compared to the nontolerant
Badami.
During the year, three workshops on training were
organized on DNA technologies, functional
genomics and proteomics research and studies of
abiotic stress responses and stress inducible genes.
Ten publications have been brought out in November
2006 with an average impact factor of 3.02.
Administration and Finance
The total faculty strength of the Institute is nine. Six
additional non technical posts were also sanctioned
during the year. The process of filling up of these and
the 7 vacant scientific posts has been initiated. The
Institute also finalized its recruitment and promotion
rules during the year. The construction activities for
the new research building, animal house and
research scholar's hostel have been initiated and the
contract awarded to M/s RITES Ltd. The process for
tendering etc. has been completed and the
construction activity is likely to begin in February
2007.
193 Autonomous Institutions