Profile
Research
Interests
Nitrogen is essential for life, and only prokaryotes have the ability to reduce gaseous nitrogen to ammonia, which can then be utilized by eukaryotes. Legumes, which can host biological nitrogen-fixing bacteria, have a unique advantage as they are able to generate their own supply of nitrogen. These bacteria reside within specialized structures known as nodules. The de novo development of nodules involves the de-differentiation of already differentiated tissue and significant changes in gene expression.
The lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying root nodule symbiosis (RNS) in legumes. It explores the diversity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and their mechanisms of nitrogen fixation. Additionally, the lab aims to understand the evolution of RNS in legumes and to uncover the genetic blueprint in cereals that supports other beneficial symbioses, specifically arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. |
Some specific questions we are addressing include:
What genetic adaptations have enabled rhizobia to infect plant tissues intercellularly?
What mechanisms determine nodule identity?
How does the host plant suppress its defense responses to accommodate the symbiont?
How can we optimize the efficiency of biological nitrogen fixation in microbes?
What genetic differences account for variations in nitrogen fixation efficiency among legumes?
Awards and Fellowships
| ASPIRE Award from the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, India (2024). |
| SERB-Early Career Research Award from the Department of Science and Technology, India (2019). |
| Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India (2013-2014). |
Review
| Kang Y, Li M, Sinharoy S and Verdier J (2016) A Snapshot of Functional Genetic Studies in Medicago truncatula. Front Plant Sci. 2016; 7: 1175. |
| D Gupta, O Bhattacharjee, D Mandal, MK Sen, D Dey, Dasgupta A, Kazi TA, Gupta R, Sinharoy S, Acharya K, Chattopadhyay D, Ravichandiran V, Roy S, Ghosh D (2019) CRISPR-Cas9 system: A new-fangled dawn in gene editing. Life sciences. 232: 116636. |
| A Sharma, S Sinharoy, NC Bisht (2023) The mysterious non‐arbuscular mycorrhizal status of Brassicaceae species. Environmental Microbiology. 25 (5), 917-930. |
| S Sinharoy, CF Tian, J Montiel (2024). Plant-rhizobia symbiosis and nitrogen fixation in legumes. Editorial. Frontiers in Plant Science 15, 1392006. |
Edited Book
'The Medicago truncatula Genome' as a part of Compendium Plant Genomes. https://link.springer.com/book/9783030907563. ISBN 978-3-030-90756-3. Expect to be online January 2022.
PhD from the Lab
| S No. |
Name |
Thesis Title |
Year |
| 1. |
Dr. Bikash Raul |
Determination of the role of CAPs (Cystein-rich Secretory Proteins, Antigen 5 and Pathogenesis related 1 proteins) in Arachis-Bradyrhizobium Symbiosis |
2023 |
| 2. |
Dr. Deevita Srivastava |
Understanding the molecular mechanism behind nutrient exchange between host and symbiont during root nodule symbiosis of Inverted Repeat Lacking Clade Legumes |
2024 |
| 3. |
Dr. Akanksha Bharadwaj |
Understanding the transcriptional network during the nodule development of Medicago truncatula |
2024 |
Book Chapters
| Bhardwaj, A., Sinharoy, S.* (2022). Understanding of Root Nodule Development at Level of System Biology as Obtained by High Throughput Transcriptomic Approach. In: Sinharoy, S., Kang, Y., Benedito, V. (eds) The Medicago truncatula Genome. Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer, pp 91-101. |
| Bhardwaj, A., Sinharoy, S.* (2022). Transcriptional Networks in Medicago truncatula: Genomic and Functional Overview During Root Nodule Symbiosis. In: Sinharoy, S., Kang, Y., Benedito, V. (eds) The Medicago truncatula Genome. Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer, pp 71-90. |
| Sinharoy S, Catalina I. Pislariu and Michael K. Udvardi (2015) A High-Throughput RNA Interference (RNAi)-Based Approach Using Hairy Roots for the Study of Plant–Rhizobia Interactions. Methods in Molecular Biology, Volume: 1287 Plant Gene Silencing, pp. 159-178. Edited by Kirankumar S. Mysore and Muthappa Senthil-Kumar. |
| Sinharoy S, Igor S. Kryvoruchko, Catalina I. Pislariu, Manuel González-Guerrero, Vagner A. Benedito, and Michael K. Udvardi (2015) Functional genomics of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes with a focus on transcription factors and membrane transporters. The Biological Nitrogen Fixation. Publishers: John Wiley & Sons, Inc Chapter 82, pp 823-836. Edited by Frans J. de Bruijn. |
| Catalina I. Pislariu, Sinharoy S, JiangQi Wen, Jeremy D. Murray2, Pascal Ratet3, and Michael K. Udvardi. (2015) Tobacco retrotransposon (Tnt1)-insertion mutagenesis in Medicago as a tool for genetic dissection of symbiosis in legumes. The Biological Nitrogen Fixation. Publishers: John Wiley & Sons, Inc Chapter 83, pp 837- 854. Edited by Frans J. de Bruijn. |
| Sinharoy S, Samaddar S, Dutta S, Saha S, Raichaudhuri A, Maity MK and DasGupta M (2011) Deciphering the Molecular Code that predisposed plants to Root Nodule Symbiosis. Plant Tissue Culture and Applied Plant Biotechnology. Aavishkar Publishers. |
Selected Publications
| D Srivastava, AK Ghosh, A Ranjan, S Sinharoy (2024) Genome sequencing of Mesorhizobium Spp. NI-7, an efficient nitrogen-fixing microsymbiont of chickpea with potential to unravel the molecular mechanisms of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes. Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology 33 (4), 607-614. |
| VK Jangid, M Senthil-Kumar, D Chandran, S Sinharoy (2024) Callus induction and efficient in vitro plant regeneration protocol for Chickpea. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) 156 (1), 21. |
| Bhattacharjee O, Raul B, Ghosh A, Bhardwaj A, Bandyopadhyay K, and Sinharoy S, (2022). Nodule INception-independent epidermal events lead to bacterial entry during nodule development in peanut (Arachis hypogaea). New Phytologist, 236(6):2265-2281. |
| Raul B, Sinharoy S 2022. An Improvised Hairy Root Transformation Method for Efficient Gene Silencing in Roots and Nodules of Arachis hypogaea. In: Mysore KS, Senthil-Kumar M eds. Plant Gene Silencing: Methods and Protocols. New York, NY: Springer US, 303-316. |
| Raul B, Bhattacharjee O, Ghosh A, Upadhyay P, Tembhare K, Singh A, Shaheen T, Ghosh A, Torres-Jerez I, Krom N, Clevenger J, Udvardi M, Scheffler B, Ozias Akins P, Dutta Sharma R, Bandyopadhyay K, Gaur V, Kumar S, and Sinharoy S* (2022) Microscopic and transcriptomic analyses of Dalbergoid legume peanut reveal a divergent evolution leading to Nod Factor dependent epidermal crack-entry and terminal bacteroid differentiation. Mol Plant Microbe Interact DOI/10.1094/MPMI-05-21-0122-R |
| Mandal D, Sinharoy S. (2019) A Toolbox for Nodule Development Studies in Chickpea: A Hairy-Root Transformation Protocol and an Efficient Laboratory Strain of Mesorhizobium sp. Mol Plant Microbe Interact. Apr;32(4):367-378. |
| Bertioli et al., (2019) The genome sequence of segmental allotetraploid peanut Arachis hypogaea. Nat Genet. 2019 May;51(5):877-884. |
| Pislariu CI, Sinharoy S, Torres-Jerez I, Nakashima J, Blancaflor EB, Udvardi MK. (2019) The nodule-specific PLAT-domain protein NPD1 is required for nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. Plant Physiol. (In Press). |
| Kryvoruchko IS*, Routray P*, Sinharoy S*, Torres-Jerez I, Tejada-Jiménez M, Finney LA, Nakashima J, Pislariu CI, Benedito VA, González-Guerrero M, Roberts DM, Udvardi MK. (2018) An Iron-Activated Citrate Transporter, MtMATE67, Is Required for Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation. Mar;176(3):2315-2329. *Equally contributed. |
| Kryvoruchko I*, Sinharoy S*, Ivone Torres-Jerez, Davide Sosso, Catalina Pislariu, Vagner A. Benedito, Wolf Frommer, and Michael Udvardi. (2016) MtSWEET11, a sucrose transporter in the symbiosome membrane of Medicago truncatula root nodules is partially redundant for nitrogen fixation. Plant Physiology 171(1): 554-65, *Equally contributed. |
| Sinharoy S, Liu C., Breakspear A, Guan D, Jiangqi W, Murray J, Udvardi M, (2016). Cystathionine Beta Synthase domain-containing protein is required for infection thread propagation and nodule development in Medicago. Plant Physiology 170(4): 2204-17. |
| Veerappan V, Kadel K, Alexis N, Scott A, Kryvoruchko I, Sinharoy S, Taylor M, Udvardi M and Dickstein R (2014). Keel petal incision: a simple and efficient method for genetic crossing in Medicago truncatula. Plant Methods 10, 11. |
| Dai X*, Sinharoy S*, Udvardi M and Zhao PX (2013). PlantTFcat: an online plant transcription factor and transcriptional regulator categorization and analysis tool. BMC Bioinformatics 14, 321. * Equally contributed. |
| Sinharoy S, Torres-Jerez I, Bandyopadhyay K, Kereszt A, Pislariu CI, Nakashima J, Benedito VA, Kondorosi E and Udvardi MK (2013). The C2H2 transcription factor regulator of symbiosome differentiation represses transcription of the secretory pathway gene VAMP721a and promotes symbiosome development in Medicago truncatula. Plant Cell 25, 3584-601. |
| Samaddar S, Dutta A, Sinharoy S, Paul A, Bhattacharya A, Saha S, Chien KY, Goshe MB and DasGupta M. (2013). Autophosphorylation of gatekeeper tyrosine by symbiosis receptor kinase. FEBS Lett 587, 2972-9. |
| Young ND, Debellé F, Oldroyd GE, Geurts R, Cannon SB, Udvardi MK, Benedito VA, Mayer KF, Gouzy J, Schoof H, Van de Peer Y, Proost S, Cook DR, Meyers BC, Spannagl M, Cheung F, De Mita S, Krishnakumar V, Gundlach H, Zhou S, Mudge J, Bharti AK, Murray JD, Naoumkina MA, Rosen B, Silverstein KA, Tang H, Rombauts S, Zhao PX, Zhou P, Barbe V, Bardou P, Bechner M, Bellec A, Berger A, Bergès H, Bidwell S, Bisseling T, Choisne N, Couloux A, Denny R, Deshpande S, Dai X, Doyle JJ, Dudez AM, Farmer AD, Fouteau S, Franken C, Gibelin C, Gish J, Goldstein S, González AJ, Green PJ, Hallab A, Hartog M, Hua A, Humphray SJ, Jeong DH, Jing Y, Jöcker A, Kenton SM, Kim DJ, Klee K, Lai H, Lang C, Lin S, Macmil SL, Magdelenat G, Matthews L, McCorrison J, Monaghan EL, Mun JH, Najar FZ, Nicholson C, Noirot C, O'Bleness M, Paule CR, Poulain J, Prion F, Qin B, Qu C, Retzel EF, Riddle C, Sallet E, Samain S, Samson N, Sanders I, Saurat O, Scarpelli C, Schiex T, Segurens B, Severin AJ, Sherrier DJ, Shi R, Sims S, Singer SR, Sinharoy S, Sterck L, Viollet A, Wang BB, Wang K, Wang M, Wang X, Warfsmann J, Weissenbach J, White DD, White JD, Wiley GB, Wincker P, Xing Y, Yang L, Yao Z, Ying F, Zhai J, Zhou L, Zuber A, Dénarié J, Dixon RA, May GD, Schwartz DC, Rogers J, Quétier F, Town CD, Roe BA. (2011) The Medicago genome provides insight into the evolution of rhizobial symbioses. Nature. 480, 520. |
| Sinharoy S, Saha S, Chaudhury SR and Dasgupta M. (2009). Transformed hairy roots of Arachis hypogea: a tool for studying root nodule symbiosis in a non-infection thread legume of the Aeschynomeneae tribe. Mol. Plant Microbe. Interact 22, 132-42. |
| Sinharoy S and DasGupta M. (2009). RNA interference highlights the role of CCaMK in dissemination of endosymbionts in the Aeschynomeneae legume Arachis. Mol. Plant Microbe. Interact 22, 1466-75. |
Group Members
 |
Ms.Priya Upadhyay ((5th year Ph.D. student)
I have done B.Sc and M.Sc (Botany) from Banaras Hindu University. Currently I am trying to explore factors behind the higher nitrogen fixation efficiency in peanut.
Email: priyaupadhyay67@gmail.com |
 |
Mr. Vikash Bhadu (3rd year Ph.D. student)
I have done my B.Sc. in Biology from MGSU and M.Sc. in Botany from Rajasthan University. In Ph.D., I am exploring the molecular mechanism of symbiosome development during nodulation in peanut (Arachis).
Email: vikashbhadu39@gmail.com |
 |
Ms. Ahana Sengupta (2nd year Ph.D. student)
I did my bachelor's in Biotechnology from Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, WB and my master's in Biotechnology from NIT Rourkela. I am studying diazotropic bacteria and their adaptation in Indian subcontinent.
Email: ahanasg@nipgr.ac.in |
 |
Mr. Rudra Narayan Sahoo (1st year PhD student)
I investigate the molecular regulation of nitrogen-fixing symbiosis in Medicago to advance
sustainable agriculture. I hold a M.Sc. degree in Botany from Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, where I worked on root stress physiology. Additionally, I have a PG Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights from Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, and a B.Sc. in Life Science at Ramjas College, University of Delhi. Outside lab, I enjoy cooking, cycling, reading, running, travelling, and volunteering.
Explore my work: rnsahoo96.github.io
Email: - |
 |
Mr. Asim Kumar Ghosh (Project Associate)
I have done my Master's and Bachelor's in Computer Applications, from Techno India (Saltlake), Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology. Currently I am working as a bioinformatician in this lab.
Email: asimghosh111@gmail.com |
 |
Dr. Nandita Pasari (MK Bhan Fellow)
After completing my Ph.D. in synthetic biology and biofuels from ICGEB New Delhi, I have joined Dr. Senjuti’s lab as a MK Bhan Fellow. In this project we aim to identify the crosstalk that modulates the immune response during plant root nodulation. We will be using transcriptomics approach to identify the differentially expressed genes as well as the small RNAs regulating the different stages of nodule formation.
Email: nanditapasari@gmail.com |
 |
Dr. Megha Gupta (MK Bhan Fellow)
I obtained my Ph.D. in Plant-Microbe Interactions from the Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad. I further deepened my expertise in this field during my postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland, College Park, USA. My work involved studying model plants such as Medicago and Arabidopsis, as well as economically important crops like wheat and peas, focusing on their interactions with pathogens such as Fusarium graminearum and Erysiphe pisi. Currently, I am working as an independent early-career researcher under the MK Bhan Fellowship, my research explores the tripartite interaction between peanut, rhizobia, and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, aiming to uncover novel insights into this complex and largely unexplored symbiotic relationship.
Email: meghagupta38@gmail.com |
Alumni
| Drishti Mandal PhD student - St. Xavier's University, Kolkata. |
| Amit Ghosh Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Adamas University, Kolkata, |
| Mr. Kunal Tembhara AI/ML Engineer, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing C-DAC Pune. |
| Ms. Tarannum Shaheen |
| Ms. Isha Joshi PhD student- Max Perutz Labs University of Vienna. |
| Dr. Deepa Teotia Assistant Prof. Kisan P.G. College Simbhaoli, Meerat. |
| Mr. Nikhil Kumar PhD Scholar at South Dakota State University |
| Ms. Farheen Saifi |
| Dr. Bikash Raul Post Doctoral Research Associate, University of Freiburg, Germany |
| Dr. Oindrila Bhattacharjee Post Doctoral Research Associate, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland. |
| Dr. Deevita Srivastava Post Doctoral Research Associate, North Dakota State University, USA. |
| Dr. Akanksha Bharadwaj |
| Dr. Vinod Kumar Jangid Research Associate, NIPGR |
Professional & Academic Background
| Staff Scientist V (2023 - Present): NIPGR, New Delhi. |
| Staff Scientist IV (2020 - 2023): NIPGR, New Delhi. |
| Staff Scientist III (2017 - 2020): NIPGR, New Delhi. |
| Ramalingwaswami Fellow (2015- 2017): University of Calcutta, Department of Biotechnology. |
| Research Scientist (2015): The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, USA. |
| Post-Doctoral Fellow (2010-2014): The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, USA. |
| Ph.D. (2004-2009): University of Calcutta, Department of Biochemistry. |
| M.Sc. (2001-2003): in Biochemistry from University of Calcutta, Department of Biochemistry. |
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