National Institute of Plant Genome Research
Digital India   Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav     
 
    Dr. Amar Pal Singh
    Staff Scientist IV    
    Tel: 91-11-26741612,14,17 Ext. - 182
    Direct - 26735182
    Fax: 91-11-26741658    
    Email: amar@nipgr.ac.in, amartechnion@gmail.com
 Professional and Academic Background
Staff Scientist IV (July 2020 - Present): National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, India.
Staff Scientist III (June 2017 - June 2020): National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, India.
Post- doctoral Research Fellow (2012 to 2017): Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Ph.D. (2005-2012): CSIR-NBRI and Lucknow University, Lucknow India.
M.Sc. (2002-2004): CSJM University Kanpur India.
B.Sc. (1999-2001): CSJM University Kanpur India.
 Awards and Honors
2019: SERB-Early Career Research Award from Department of Science and Technology, India
2018: Innovative Young Biotechnology Award
2017: ILANIT Prize from Federation of the Israel Societies from Experimental Biology. 
2015: ISPS Prize from the Israeli Society of Plant Sciences.
2012-2015: PBC Fellow (The Planning and Budgeting Committee Program for Outstanding Post-Doctoral Researchers from China and India) by Council for higher education, Israel.
2012: Blaustein Postdoctoral Fellowships from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev-Not availed.
2008-2012: Senior Research Fellowship from CSIR India.
2005: GATE in Life Science.
 Research Area
Nutrient sensing, Molecular Biology and Development Biology.
 Research Interest

The remarkable feature of a multicellular organism is their ability to coordinate the information from different cells and tissues into one functional unit known as an organ. Plants develop different strategies to cope up with different environmental conditions throughout their life span. For example during low phosphate (Pi) availability, the model plant Arabidopsis reprograms its root system architecture in such a way (increased lateral roots and root hair density) that it can absorb more phosphate (Pi) from the soil for better survival. The cross talk of environmental signals to the developmental signals such as growth hormones in plants is a complex process. The coordination of these environmental and hormonal cues during the growth process is still a big question to be addressed. Despite a lot of studies in understanding the abiotic stresses such as drought, cold, heat and nutrient signaling in plants, our knowledge about how these environmental signals coordinate with the hormonal signals to maintain the growth is still scant.

We are interested in exploring and develop better understanding of context specific developmental plasticity of root system architecture under the limiting environmental conditions such as nitrogen and iron availability and their interaction with the developmental signals (growth promoting hormones such as auxin and steroid hormone, brassinosteroid) in Arabidopsis and tomato. It will enhance our knowledge to understand the growth processes under adverse environmental conditions and will be helpful in developing the plants with better productivity under limiting nutrient availability. To address the above objectives we will use advanced molecular and development biology tools and techniques such as live cell imaging, tissue specific translatome and proteome, yeast two hybrid system, CRISPR/Cas9 system of genome editing etc.

 Interested to join the lab?

Highly motivated candidates with keen interest in molecular biology, development biology and nutrient sensing are welcome to contact via e-mail for Post-doctoral Fellow/ Research Associate/ Research Fellow position that may be available immediately.

 Group Members
 
 Publications
Devi LL, Pandey A, Gupta S, Singh AP (2022). The interplay of auxin and brassinosteroid signaling tunes root growth under low and different nitrogen forms, Plant Physiology, kiac157, https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiac157
Kumari P, Devi LL, Kumar A, Pandey A, Sinha SK, Singh AP (2022). Differential response of rice genotypes to nitrogen availability is associated with the altered nitrogen metabolism and ionomic balance, Environmental and Experimental Botany,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2022.104847.
Singh, P., Bharti, N., Singh, A.P. et al. Petal abscission in fragrant roses is associated with large scale differential regulation of the abscission zone transcriptome. Sci. Rep. 10, 17196 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-74144-3
Pandey A, Devi LL, Singh AP (2020) Emerging roles of brassinosteroid in nutrient foraging. Plant Science, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2020.110474.
Khandal H, Singh AP and Chattopadhyay D (2020). MicroRNA 397b-LACCASE2 module regulates root lignification under water- and phosphate deficiency. Plant Physiology, DOI:10.1104/pp.19.00921.
P Singh, AP Singh, SK Tripathi, V Kumar, AP Sane (2019) Petal abscission in roses is associated with the activation of a truncated version of the animal PDCD4 homologue, RbPCD1. Plant Science.
Pandey SP, Singh AP, Srivastava S, Chandrashekar K, Sane AP (2019). A strong early-acting wound-inducible promoter, RbPCD1pro, activates cryIAc expression within minutes of wounding to impart efficient protection against insects. Plant Biotechnology Journal. DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13071.
Singh P, Singh AP and Sane AP (2018). Differential and reciprocal regulation of ethylene pathway genes regulates petal abscission in fragrant and non-fragrant roses. Plant Science. DOI.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.12.013
Singh AP, Fridman Y, Holland N, Ackerman-Lavert M, Zananiri R, Jaillais Y, Henn A and Savaldi-Goldstein S (2018). Interdependent nutrient availability and steroid hormone signals facilitate root growth plasticity. (Developmental Cell-Accepted).
Singh AP and Savaldi-Goldstein S (2015). Growth control: brassinosteroid activity gets context. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66: 1123–1132.
Singh AP, Fridman Y, Friedlander-Shani L, Tarkowska D, Strnad M and Savaldi-Goldstein S (2014). Activity of the Brassinosteroid Transcription Factors BRASSINAZOLE RESISTANT1 and BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-ETHYL METHANESULFONATE-SUPPRESSOR1/ BRASSINAZOLE RESISTANT2 Blocks Developmental Reprogramming in Response to Low Phosphate Availability. Plant Physiology, 166: 678-688.
Singh AP, Dubey S, Khan K, Lakhwani D, Dwivedi U, Nath P (2013). Transcriptome sequencing of rose petal abscission zone cDNA reveals differential expression of several XTH genes in petal abscission zones of R. bourboniana and R. hybrida. AoB plants, doi: 10.1093/aobpla/plt030.
Singh AP, Sane AP, Tripathi SK and Nath P (2011). Petal Abscission in Rose is associated with the enhanced expression of a xyloglucan transglucosylase/hydrolase, RbXTH1 and RbXTH2. Journal of Experimental Botany, 62 (14) 5091–5103.
Singh AP, Pandey SP, Rajluxmi, Pandey S, Nath P and Sane AP (2011). Transcriptional activation of a pectate lyase gene, RbPel1, during petal abscission in rose. Post Harvest Biology and Technology, 60: 143-148.
Tripathi SK *, Singh AP*, Sane AP and Nath P (2009) Transcriptional activation of a 37 kDa ethylene responsive cysteine protease gene, RbCP1, is associated with protein degradation during petal abscission in rose. Journal of Experimental Botany, 60:  2035-2044.  (*Equal contribution)
 
 Book Chapters
Loitongbam LD, Pandey A, Singh AP (2020) Root Plasticity under Low Phosphate Availability: A Physiological and Molecular Approach to Plant Adaptation under Limited Phosphate Availability. (Improving Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants, CRC press).
Gupta S, Devi LL, and Singh AP (2022). Nitric Oxide: Interaction with Auxins, Brassinosteroids, and Abscisic Acid, Wiley ISBN: 978-1-119-80014-9
 
 Patents
Savaldi-Goldstein S and Singh AP (2016). Plants adapted to low phosphorus soils. (WIPO Patent Application WO/2016/024280)
Pandey SP, Singh AP, Sane AP (2016). A wound inducible expression construct and a method of its preparation. (WO/2016/103279)