Research Projects

Arsenic toxicity poses a significant threat to human health, especially in south East Asian countries. The high levels of arsenic in food and drinking water, particularly in rice, expose the population to life-threatening diseases. To address this, research is focused on studying arsenic absorption, accumulation, transport, and detoxification in rice. Glutamyl cysteine synthetase (ECs) is a potential target for modulating GsH biosynthesis. Micro RNA (miRNAs) play a crucial role in response to metal stress, and understanding their functions is crucial for developing arsenic-resistant rice varieties. The proposed project aims to target miRNAs that regulate the synthesis of the OsECs enzyme in rice, aiming to reduce arsenic uptake in grains and leaves. ECs is a pivotal enzyme in GsH biosynthesis, offering potential for manipulating the cellular GsH pool.