Research Projects

::Rationale and scientific objective:: Global warming poses a severe threat to both the productivity and sustainability of agriculture worldwide. Chickpea is a cool, seasoned legume crop sensitive to warm temperatures. As grain legumes, chickpeas possess specialized organs called root nodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen through the rhizobia in exchange for carbon. Chickpea fix 140kg/ha of atmospheric nitrogen to obtain 60-103 kg/ha of nitrogen into the soil (Jukanti et al., 2012). High temperature (HT) affects the growth rate and colonization of rhizobia and the activity of nitrogenase enzyme, which eventually leads to lower nodule number, delayed nodulation, and reduced nitrogen fixation [(Figure 1, data from our lab) (Gopalakrishnan et al., 2015; Hungria and Vargas, 2000)]. In legumes such as peas and common beans, the alteration in nodule structure was seen at elevated temperature conditions (Serova et al., 2023; Kitaeva et al., 2023). In plants, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are identified and characterized at an unprecedented rate as the master regulator of core cellular activities during various processes. Under high temperature conditions, RBPs can stabilize or destabilize the mRNAs, however the detailed mechanism remains elusive (Yan et al., 2022). The role of RBPs in root nodule symbiosis has been poorly explored, with only a limited number of RBPs such as SNARPs and RBP1 being investigated during nodule organogenesis. The RBPs have been identified through routine proteome experiments during HT stress (Zhao et al., 2018). However, the number of RBPs identified is way lower than that of the techniques recently developed to capture RBPs. Although a few RBPs have been characterized for their role governing the intricacies of mRNA during root nodule symbiosis, however, there is a dire need to mine out the RBPs at the genome-wide level, which remains unexplored till now. Moreover, there is a complete lack of knowledge about the role of RBPs regulating root nodule symbiosis under high temperatures. ::Hypothesis::RBPs play a crucial role in root-nodule development under high temperature stress. ::Experimental Strategy::In the present investigation, we will use the RNA interactome capture (RIC) technique to identify the HT-responsive RBPs during root-nodule symbiosis. We would choose the potential RBP(s) to deduce its underlying HT-mediated stress response through overexpression, knockdown/knockout and using the Medicago Tnt1 insertion mutant approach. Further, potential RBPs will be immunoprecipitated to detect the interacting targets and how the binding of RBPs on the target is altered under HT stress. This analysis would provide an in-depth understanding of the post transcription gene regulation against HT and molecular insights to generate HT-tolerant, nitrogen-fixing chickpea plants. ::Significance:: The present investigation will be the first study showing the role of RBPs during root-nodule organogenesis under HT stress.