Educational Background
Ph. D., Plant Sciences,
2003, Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University
of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, AP. India.
M. Sc. (Ag) Molecular Biology
and Biotechnology, 1997, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and
Technology, Pantnagar. UP. India.
B. Sc. (Ag), 1995, University
of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Research Interests
Molecular mechanisms of
biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. Analysis of various
stress-responsive signal transduction networks and cross-talk in plant
stress response and tolerance.
My research is focused
on understanding the molecular mechanisms of cyst nematode feeding
cell (syncytia) development as well as mechanisms of resistance in
soybean. I am using laser capture microdissection (LCM) coupled with
microarray analysis to investigate the gene expression changes during
induction and development of syncytia in both resistant and susceptible
soybean roots. Gene profiling at different stages of syncytium development
has identified genes and pathways modulated by nematode invasion for
syncytium induction, development and maintenance and new genes potentially
involved in SCN resistance. An extensive molecular characterization
of differentially regulated genes in developing syncytia in resistant
and susceptible host plants is underway to identify host targets for
engineered resistance.
Publications
Ithal, N., Recknor, J., Nettleton, D., Hearne, L.,
Maier, T., Baum, T.J., and Mitchum, M.G. 2006. Parallel genome-wide
expression profiling of host and pathogen during soybean cyst nematode
infection of soybean. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. (in press).
Ithal N.,
and Reddy A. R. 2004. Rice flavonoid pathway genes, OsDfr
and OsAns, are induced by dehydration, high salt and ABA,
and contain stress responsive promoter elements that interact with
the transcription activator, OsC1-MYB. Plant Science 166,1505-1513.
Babu P. R., Sekhar A. C.,
Ithal N., Markandeya G., and Reddy A. R. 2002. Annotation,
and BAC/PAC localization of non redundant ESTs from drought stressed
seedlings of an indica rice. J. Genetics 81, 25-44.
Reddy A. R., Ramakrishna
W., Sekhar A C., Ithal N., Babu P. R., Bonaldo M.
F., Soares M. B., and Bennetzen J. L. 2002. Novel genes are enriched
in normalized cDNA libraries from drought stressed seedlings of indica
rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nagina 22) seedlings. Genome 45,
204-211.
Madhuri G., Kochko de A.,
Chen L., Ithal N., Fauquet C., and Reddy A. R. 2001.
Development of transgenic rice plants expressing maize anthocyanin
genes and an improved blast resistance. Molecular Breeding 7, 73-83.
Professional Memberships
American Society of Plant Biologists
