Resources for Plant Biology Research - Links to Plant Physiology Journals and Plant Pathology Journals
Indian Institute of Advanced Research (IIAR)
During the year of 2007, I moved my research base to a remote Indian village of Koba in Gujarat. There is a modern biological research institute, which appears rather out of place in the idyllic surroundings. The Indian Institute of Advanced Research was founded in 2006 by Puri Foundation, an NRI*-owned foundation to promote biotech development in India. The campus is located about 10 km south of the city of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat, and sits on the Sabarmati River. This waterfront location provides the flora and fauna rich in diversity. Monkeys, deer, peacocks, parrots, owls, and butterflies are regularly seen on the campus.
*NRI stands for Non-Resident Indian. Indian citizens emigrated to other countries, or persons of Indian origin residing overseas are usually called NRIs.
Technology Transfer Initiated at IIAR
Identification of CAX Transporter Diversity
My duty at the institute was to initiate
new projects in plant science that are both forefront science and relevant to
local needs. Since 1999, I have been working on a group of plant transporters
called CAX. What it does in the plant cell is that it moves cations into the
vacuole. The vacuole can act as a garbage bag in the plant cell, and when the
heavy metals are sequestered in it, the cell function is protected from the
toxic effects of the metals. This concept makes a practical project because if
appropriate plants are engineered by genetic transformation with CAX genes to
enhance the metal accumulation in the vacuole, they can be used as biological
“sponge” to remove contaminations from soil (phytoremediation). To
identify CAX genes with unique substrate specificity, we initiated the search
for new CAXs from local plants. Our search identified two CAX proteins with an
extra transmembrane helix insertion (Jain et al., 2009), a truly unique feature
that warrants further investigation.
N. Jain, R. Nadgauda, and T. Shigaki. (2009) Mining cation (CAX) transporter
diversity for nutrition-enhanced crops and phytoremediation. International
Journal of Integrative Biology 7:22-25.
DNA Barcoding
Another project I initiated was the DNA barcoding of local plants found in the
semi-arid state of Gujarat. DNA Barcoding has been successfully used for
animals and fungi for some time using the COI (the cytochrome c oxidase subunit
1 mitochondrial region). However, this region has unacceptably low variability
as a species identification tool and the research community is looking for
alternative regions. Here, we are using several candidate DNA markers that have
been proposed by international consortia and studying the diversity of local
acacia species. Acacias are beautiful trees very well adapted in the dry and
hot Indian climate, and provide medicines, fodder, and construction materials
to locals. The IIAR campus is full of acacia trees, mainly Acacia
tortilis and Acacia nilotica. In the long term, we also plan to
barcode other economically important plants, such as medicinal and aromatic
herbs. IIAR Surroundings
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Although rich in natural beauty, modern amenities are rare around the
campus. To buy vegetables and fruits, we have to walk about half an hour to the
nearby Raisan village, or one hour to Koba village, which is bigger than
Raisan. For other necessities, we have to travel to Gandhinagar or Ahmedabad.
Since 2007, the IIAR campus area has seen a rapid development, including the
establishment of Pandit Deendayal Petroleum Univeristy by the Reliance Group.
The area is expected to be one of the major research centers in Gujarat.
Gandhinagar is the capital city of Gujarat, and one
of the few planned cities in India. Gandhinagar is probably the greenest city
of all Indian cities I have ever visited. Despite its image as an
administrative center, Gandhinagar has its share of tourist attractions,
including a unique dinosaur park (Indroda Nature Park) which boasts its
life-size dinosaur statues and real dinosaur egg fossils. The famous Akshardham
Temple is also located in the city. One of the most famous Indian stepwells,
Adalaj ni Vav is located just south of the city.
Ahmedabad is one of the seven biggest cities in India, and offers a wide
range of shopping and entertainment opportunities. Some of the local
attractions are Sidi Sayed Mosque, Sarkhej Roza, and the Swaminarayan Temple.
Sidi Sayed Mosque has ten screen windows (jalis), with beautiful carved images
of trees, which is generally regarded to represent the city. In 2009, Bus Rapid
Transit System (BRTS) was started to ease the traffic jam. The BRTS buses run
on a dedicated bus lane and the system works pretty much like a train line.
Last, but not the least, Ahmedabad is scorchingly hot in the summer with the
maximum temperatures reaching 45°C, so be prepared if you plan to visit the
city in the summer months.