Dr. Riddhi Datta

Research Interests

• Dissecting plant response to nutrient deficiency: Iron and phosphate are essential nutrients for plants and play indispensable role in different metabolic functions. To improve their absorption, plants exhibit specific iron and phosphate sensing and signaling mechanisms that regulate specific transporters and nutrient homeostasis associated genes. We are currently focusing on how small RNAs and secondary metabolites like glutathione function to acclimatize plants under iron deficient condition. Under phosphate deficiency, several phosphate transporters are regulated to maintain the homeostasis. In our recent study, we have found that one of the PHT family members is critically regulated by glutathione under depleted phosphate condition. We are actively engaged to unravel this regulatory mechanism.
• Understanding the role of lectins in stress tolerance: Food security is a major challenging issue in India. Several abiotic stress factors like drought, salinity, and temperature stress hamper the crop production thus affecting food security. Lectins are known to play crucial role in biotic stress response in plants. However, only limited efforts have been made to explore their role in abiotic stress tolerance. Our lab focusses on understanding the involvement of lectins in imparting drought and salt stress tolerance in rice.
• Biofortification and development of climate resilient crops: With the changing climatic conditions, ensuring food security to the ever-increasing population is a major challenge. Our group exploits the novel CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing technique to develop climate resilient rice with improved traits. We are also working with the underutilized legume, grass pea which contains the potent neurotoxin β-ODAP as well as some allergens. We have developed transgene-free genome-edited grass pea lines with significantly reduced β-ODAP content in the seeds. We are further working on various trait improvement of these grass pea lines.

Research Projects

POWER Research Grant, Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India
Project title: Investigating the role of miR393 in regulating iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana (Principal Investigator); 2023-2026

WEA Research Grant, Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India
Project title: Designer legume: Development of genome-edited grass pea for neurotoxin free seeds (Principal Investigator); 2020-2023

ECRA Research Grant, Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India
Project title: Dissecting the molecular mechanism of glutathione-mediated regulation of iron
homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana (Principal Investigator); 2018-2021

EMR Research Grant, Department of Biotechnology (DHESTBT), Government of West Bengal
Project title: Molecular regulation of drought tolerance in rice with special reference
to functional aspect of OsR40C1 protein (Co-Principal Investigator); 2017-2020

Research Publications

Cumulative Impact factor: 70; Citations (Google scholars): 649; h-index: 14; i-10 index: 18

1. 1. Sahid S, Roy C, Shee D, Shee R, Datta R*, Paul S (2023) ZFP37, C3H, NAC94, and bHLH148 transcription factors regulate cultivar-specific drought response by modulating r40C1 gene expression in rice. Environmental and Experimental Botany 214: 105480
   2. Shee R, Ghosh S, Khan P, Sahid S, Roy C, Shee D, Paul S, Datta R* (2022) Glutathione regulates transcriptional activation of iron transporters via S-nitrosylation of bHLH factors to modulate subcellular iron homoeostasis. Plant Cell & Environment 45: 2176-2190
   3. Sahid S, Roy C, Shee D, Datta R*, Paul S (2021) Jacalin domain containing protein OsSalT interacts with OsDREB2A and OsNAC1 to impart drought stress tolerance in planta. Environmental and Experimental Botany 183: 104362
   4. Sahid S, Roy C, Paul S, Datta R* (2020) Rice lectin protein r40c1 imparts drought tolerance by modulating S-adenosylmethionine synthase 2, stress associated protein 8 and chromatin associated proteins. Journal of Experimental Botany 71:7331-7346
   5. Datta R, Paul S (2019) Long non-coding RNAs: Fine-tuning the developmental responses in plant. Journal of Biosciences 44:77
   6. Datta R, Kumar D, Chattopadhyay S (2018) Membrane proteome profiling of Mentha arvensis leaves in response to Alternaria alternata infection identifies crucial candidates for defense response. Plant Signaling & Behavior 13: e1178423
   7. Datta R*, Chattopadhyay S (2018) Glutathione as a crucial modulator of phytohormone signaling during pathogen defense in plants. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy 84: 581-597
   8. Kumar D, Hazra S, Datta R, Chattopadhyay S (2016) Transcriptome analysis of Arabidopsis mutants suggests a crosstalk between ABA, ethylene and GSH against combined cold and osmotic stress. Scientific Reports 6: 36867
   9. Bhattacharyya D, Hazra S, Banerjee A, Datta R, Kumar D, Chakraborti S, Chattopadhyay S (2016) Transcriptome-wide identification and characterization of CAD isoforms specific for podophyllotoxin biosynthesis from Podophyllum hexandrum. Plant Molecular Biology 92: 1-23
   10. Datta R, Kumar D, Sultana A, Hazra S, Bhattacharyya D, Chattopadhyay S (2015) Glutathione regulates ACC synthase transcription via WRKY33 and ACC oxidase by modulating mRNA stability to induce ethylene synthesis during stress. Plant Physiology 169: 2963-2981
   11. Datta R, Chattopadhyay S (2015) Changes in the proteome of pad2-1, a glutathione depleted Arabidopsis mutant, during Pseudomonas syringae infection. Journal of Proteomics 126: 82–93
   12. Datta R, Paul S (2015) Plant microRNAs: master regulator of gene expression mechanism. Cell Biology International 39: 1185–1190
   13. Sarkar Y, Das S, Datta R, Chattopadhyay S, Ray A, Parui PP (2015) Exploitation of a new Schiff-base ligand for boric acid fluorescent sensing in aqueous medium with bio-imaging studies in a living plant system. RSC Advances 5: 51875–51882
   14. Kumar D, Datta R, Hazra S, Sultana A, Mukhopadhyay R, Chattopadhyay S (2015) Transcriptomic profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana mutant pad2.1 in response to combined cold and osmotic stress. Plos One 10: e0122690
   15. Sinha R, Kumar D, Datta R, Hazra S, Bhattacharyya D, Mazumdar AB, Mukhopadhyay R, Sultana A, Chattopadhyay S (2014) Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to glutathione unravels its role in plant defense. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) 120: 975–988
   16. Kumar D, Datta R, Sinha R, Ghosh A, Chattopadhyay S (2014) Proteomic profiling of γ-ECS overexpressed transgenic Nicotiana in response to drought stress. Plant Signaling & Behavior 9: e29246
   17. Ghanta S, Datta R, Bhattacharyya D, Sinha R, Kumar D, Hazra S, Mazumdar AB, Chattopadhyay S (2014) Multistep involvement of glutathione with salicylic acid and ethylene to combat environmental stress. Journal of Plant Physiology 171: 940–950
   18. Bhattacharyya D, Sinha R, Hazra S, Datta R, Chattopadhyay S (2013) De novo transcriptome analysis using 454 pyrosequencing of the Himalayan Mayapple, Podophyllum hexandrum. BMC Genomics 14: 748
   19. Datta R, Sinha R, Chattopadhyay S (2013) Changes in leaf proteome profile of Arabidopsis thaliana in response to salicylic acid. Journal of Biosciences 38: 317–328
   20. Sinha R, Bhattacharyya D, Majumdar AB, Datta R, Hazra S, Chattopadhyay S (2013) Leaf proteome profiling of transgenic mint infected with Alternaria alternata. Journal of Proteomics 93: 117–132
   21. Datta R, Sarkar J, Acharya K; (2012) An insight into the kinships of the fungi. Nature Precedings
   22. Chatterjee S, Datta R, Dey A, Pradhan P, Acharya K (2012) In vivo hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extract of Russula albonigra against carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology 5(8): 1034-1039
   23. Chatterjee S, Dey A, Datta R, Dey S, Acharya K (2011) Hepatoprotective effect of the ethanolic extract of Calocybe indica on mice with CCl4-induced hepatic intoxication. International Journal of PharmTech Research 3(4): 2162-2168

Research Guidance

• • • Research fellow
      • PhD awarded: 01
      • Pursuing PhD: 04
    • Summer research fellow
      • Sponsored by Indian Science Academies: 02
      • Sponsored by SERB, Govt. of India: 01
      • Others: 01

Membership of Learned Societies

1. 1. 1. Life Member, Indian Society for Plant Physiology
      2. Life Member, Indian Science Congress Association
      3. Life Member, Society of Biological Chemists (India)
      4. Life Member, Botanical Society of Bengal
      5. Life Member, The Indian Botanical Society
      6. Life Member, Archana Sharma Foundation of Calcutta
      7. Life Member, Probir Chatterjee Research Foundation

Awards

1. 1. 1. Indian National Young Academy of sciences (INYAS) Membership (2024)
      2. Young Botanist Award by the Indian Botanical Society (2021)
      3. Associate Fellow elected by West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology (WAST; 2020)
      4. Women Excellence Award by Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India (2020)
      5. Young Scientists award by Indian Society of Plant Physiology (2018)
      6. INSA Medal for Young Scientists by Indian National Science Academy (2017)
      7. Best Poster Award at International symposium on Advances on plant biotechnology and genome editing & 42nd meeting of Plant Tissue Culture Association (India), ICAR-IIAB, Ranchi (2020)
      8. Best Poster Presentation Award at International Conference on Insight to Plant Biology in Modern Era (2017), Bose Institute, Kolkata
      9. Best Oral Presentation Award at 3rd International Meeting on Advanced Studies in Cell Signalling Network (CeSiN 2016), CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata
      10. S N Banerjee Memorial Gold Medal (2011) by Indian Mycological Society, for securing highest marks in M.Sc. (Botany) in University of Calcutta
      11. Professor H. L. Chakraborty Memorial Award (2011) by Botanical Society of Bengal, for securing highest marks in M.Sc. (Botany) in University of Calcutta
      12. Post Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holders (2009-2010) by U.G.C., for securing 1st Position in Botany (Hons.) at Undergraduate Level
      13. Post Graduate Indira Gandhi Scholarship for Single Girl Child (2009-2010).
      14. Swati Bose Memorial Scholarship (2009) by University of Calcutta, for securing 1st position in Botany (Hons.) at Undergraduate Level
      15. Professor J. Sen Memorial Medal (2009) by Botanical Society of Bengal, for securing 1st position in Botany (Hons.) at Undergraduate Level
      16. P. Chatterjee Memorial Award (2009) by Botanical Society of Bengal, for securing 1st position in Botany (Hons.) at Undergraduate Level
      17. C. Nag Memorial Medal (2009) by Presidency College, Kolkata, for securing 1st position in Botany (Hons.) at Undergraduate Level
      18. Dhirendra Nath Chatterjee Memorial Prize (2009) by Presidency College, Kolkata, for securing 1st position in Botany (Hons.) at Undergraduate Level
      19. Aparajita Chattopadhyay Memorial Prize (2008) for securing highest marks in Botany (Hons.) at Part I & II Examinations of the University of Calcutta

Invited Lectures

1. 1. 1. 1. Resource person at CSIR-IICB Skill development Programme 2017-2019, Kolkata.
         2. Young Scientist presentation at Indian Science Congress, Tirupati, 2017.
         3. Invited speaker at 4th International Conference on Plant Genomics, Brisbane, Australia, 2016.
         4. Invited speaker at different colleges on various occasions.

Teaching Experience

Undergraduate teaching: Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Government College, New Town, Rajarhat (2015-Present)

Postgraduate teaching: Visiting faculty, Post graduate Department of Botany, Barasat Govt. College, Barasat (Academic session 2015-2016)

Popular Science Articles

• The Sun’s anguish: Our plight. Datta R. Science Reporter. 2018
• Can Genes Make You Commit Crime. Datta R. Science Reporter. September, 2016
• Today’s special: Salad fresh from the space garden. Datta R. Science Reporter. June, 2016
• Wood wide web. Datta R, Paul S. Science Reporter. April, 2016
• Money doesn’t grow on trees, but gold can! Datta R. Science Reporter. March, 2015
• Spinning the mystery web. Datta R. Science Reporter. February, 2015
• Ebola threatens Africa: Poses international health emergency. Datta R. Science Reporter. October, 2014
• Killer in disguise. Datta R. The Statesman. August 13, 2014
• Imported plight: Invasive alien weeds of India. Datta R. Science Reporter. August, 2014
• CRISPR Cures: Technology promises to rewrite genome reversing genetic disorders. Datta R, Paul S.
  Biotecnika. July, 2014
• GM Crops: “Alternative paradigm” for food security show. Paul S, Datta R. Biotecnika. May, 2014
• RoboBee: An insect drone. Datta R. Science Reporter. February, 2014