Research Projects

The Eastern Himalaya (EH) is home to approximately 1200 species of mosses, which are the first terrestrial non-vascular members of the plant kingdom. These mosses are exposed to various forms of abiotic stresses, such as mechanical injury, chilling, and heavy metals, which can lead to alterations in their cellular mechanisms. Oxylipins, a group of volatile metabolites derived from membrane poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of polar lipids, are involved in chemical defense responses and are activated by gene expression of 9-LOX and 13-LOX against stresses like mechanical injury, chilling, and heavy metals. The oxylipin volatilome is a complex sectorial network circuitry among organalles and trading off between storage lipid and polar lipid, selected for adaptation and natural selection through evolution. The primary focus of this project is to address the trading-off mechanism for 18C fatty acid and the expression regulation of genes for de novo synthesis of jamonates and volatiles oxylipins. Two mosses will be selected as model systems to track down these events. The mechanism and activation of the JA pathway and LOX pathway in plant-environment interaction in the EH are still unclear, and intense experimental evidence is needed to understand the impact of climate change in the extreme climate of EH and assess biodiversity loss after Prof. Gangulee's observation on EH mosses over 50 years (1964-1981).