rajinder-chauhan

Dr. Rajinder Singh Chauhan

Professor & Dean
Centre for Life Sciences
 rajinder.chauhan@mahindrauniversity.edu.in

Prof. R.S. Chauhan has 30 yrs post-PhD academics experience in spearheading educational and research programmes in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. He is recipient of national awards, Jawahar Lal Nehru Academic Award of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Govt. of India and the Pran Vohra Award of the Indian Science Congress Association for his significant research contributions in Agriculture Biotechnology. He was awarded overseas fellowships by the DBT and DST, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt of India to pursue advanced research in genomics and bioinformatics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA (1997-2004).

Prof. Chauhan is a prolific researcher with 6 patents granted by the GoI, 23 PhDs awarded, 110 national and international publications and close to 25 Crs R&D funding through competitive research grants from GoI agencies, DBT, DST, DRDO, ICMR, MoEF, including one Programme support in Centres of Excellence & Innovation in Biotechnology from the DBT, GoI. He has implemented research-enabled project-based learning with focus on Curriculum-to-Career in UG programmes.

2004 - 1997

  • Post-Doctorate Fellow: University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA (1997-2004)

1991

  • Ph.D. HP Agriculture University, Palampur, HP (1991)

1988-91

  • Ph.D. HP Agriculture University, Palampur, H.P. in Agriculture Biotechnology Thesis on “Genetic variation for disease resistance among somaclones of wheat for resistance to a fungal disease”: (1988-91)

1986-88

  • M.Sc. HP Agriculture University, Palampur, H.P. in Mycology & Plant Pathology Thesis on “Epidemiology of pea rust disease caused by Uromyces viciae fabae”: (1986-88)

1982-86

  • 4-yrs B.Sc. HP Agriculture University, Palampur, H.P. in Agriculture with specialization in Mycology & Plant Pathology: 1982-86

Position Institution Period
Dean and Professor
Center for Life Sciences
Mahindra University
 2022- Present
Dean (R&D) Bennett University, Greater Noida 2018 – 2022
Prof. & Head (Biotechnology) Bennett University, Greater Noida 2017 – 2022
Dean (Biotechnology) Jaypee University of IT, Solan, H.P. 2013 – 2017
Professor & Head (Biotech & Bioinformatics) Jaypee University of IT, Solan, H.P. 2006 – 2017
Visiting Scientist University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA 1997 – 2004
Asstt. & Associate Professor HP Agriculture University, Palampur, India 1992 – 2006

Journals :

2022

  • Kharb Anjali, Shilpa Sharma, Ashish Sharma, Neeti Nirwal, Roma Pandey, Dipto Bhattacharyya, Rajinder Singh Chauhan. 2022. Capturing acyltransferase(s) transforming final step in the biosynthesis of a major iridoid glycoside, (Picroside-II) in a Himalayan medicinal herb, Picrorhiza kurroa. Molecular Biology Reports doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07489-9
  • Pandey Roma, Ashish Sharma, Hemant Sood, Rajinder Singh Chauhan. 2022. ABC Transporters Mined Through Comparative Transcriptomics Associate With Organ-Specific Accumulation of Picrosides in a Medicinal Herb, Picrorhiza kurroa. Protoplasma DOI : 10.1007/s00709-022-01786-7
  • Sharma Ashish, Shilpa Sharma, Hemant Sood, Rajinder Singh Chauhan. 2022. Comparative coexpression networks pinpoint acyltransferases decorating structures of major iridoid glycosides in a medicinal herb, Picrorhiza kurroa. Plant Gene. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2022.100366

2021

  • Kharb, A. and RS Chauhan. 2021. Complexity of gene paralogues resolved inbiosynthetic pathway of hepatoprotective iridoid glycosides in a medicinal herb, Picrorhiza kurroathrough differential NGS transcriptomes. Mol Genet Genomics 296: 863-876
  • Sharma Ashish, Dipto Bhattacharyya, Shilpa Sharma, Rajinder Singh Chauhan. 2021.Transcriptome profiling reveal key hub genes in co-expression networks involved in Iridoid glycosides biosynthetic machinery in Picrorhiza kurroa. Genomics 113: 3381-94
  • Sharma Shilpa, Dipto Bhattacharyya, Ashish Sharma, Rajinder Singh Chauhan. 2021. Computational identification of potential inhibitory compounds in Indian medicinal and aromatic plant species against major pathogenicity determinants of SARS-CoV-2. J Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics  doi: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2000500

2018

  • Pal Tarun, Jibesh Kumar Padhan, Pawan Kumar, Hemant Sood , Rajinder S. Chauhan (2018) Comparative transcriptomics uncovers differences in physiological/biochemical processes between photoautotrophic and photoheterotrophic modes of nutrition vis-à-vis secondary metabolites biosynthesis in Swertia chirayita. Molecular Biology Reports 45:77-98
  • Vashisht I., T. Pal, A. Bansal and RS Chauhan. 2018. Uncovering interconnections between kinases vis-à-vis physiological and biochemical processes contributing to picroside-I biosynthesis in a medicinal herb, Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex. Benth. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum DOI : 10.1007/s11738-018-2689-5 (IF:1.43)
  • Gangwar M., A. Sood, Ankush Bansal and RS Chauhan. 2018. Comparative transcriptomics reveals a reduction in carbon capture and flux between source and sink in cytokinin treated inflorescences of Jatropha curcas L. 3 Biotech DOI: 10.1007/s13205-018-1089-2)
  • Bansal A., Tiratha Raj Singh and Rajinder S. Chauhan. 2018. A novel miRNA analysis framework to analyze differential biological networks. Scientific Reports Sci Rep 8(1): 2584; DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-14973-x

2017

  • Kumar V, Bansal A and Chauhan RS. 2017. Modular design of Picroside-II biosynthesis deciphered through NGS transcriptomes and metabolic intermediates analysis in naturally variant chemotypes of a medicinal herb, Picrorhiza kurroa. Front. Plant Sci. 8:564. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00564
  • Kumar P, V Jaiswal, T Pal, RS Chauhan (2017). Comparative whole-transcriptome analysis in Podophyllum species identifies key transcription factors contributing
to biosynthesis of podophyllotoxin in P. hexandrum. Protoplasma 254:217-228

2016

  • Kumar V, N Sharma, H Sood, RS Chauhan (2016). Exogenous feeding of immediate precursors reveals synergistic effect on picroside-I biosynthesis in shoot cultures of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth. Sci Rep 6:29750 10.1038/srep29750
  • Padhan Jibesh, Kumar Pawan, Sood Hemant, Rajinder S. Chauhan. 2016. Prospecting NGS-transcriptomes to assess regulation of miRNA-mediated secondary metabolites biosynthesis in Swertia chirayita, a medicinal herb of the North-Western Himalayas. Medicinal Plants; DOI: 10.5958/0975-6892.2016.00029.0
  • Vashisht I, T Pal, H Sood, RS Chauhan (2016). Comparative transcriptome analysis in different tissues of a medicinal herb, Picrorhiza kurroa pinpoints transcription factors regulating picrosides biosynthesis. Mol Biol Rep 43:1395-1409
  • Sharma T, RS Chauhan (2016). Comparative transcriptomics reveals molecular components associated with differential lipid accumulation between microalgal sp., Scenedesmus dimorphus and Scenedesmus quadricauda. Algal Res 19:109-122.
  • Sood A, RS Chauhan (2016). Comparative NGS Transcriptomics Unravels Molecular Components Associated with Mosaic Virus Infection in a Bioenergy Plant Species, Jatropha curcas L. Bioenerg Res. 10: 129–145
  • Kumar P, R Sharma, V Jaiswal, RS Chauhan (2016). Identification, validation, and expression of ABC transporters in Podophyllum hexandrum and their role in podophyllotoxin biosynthesis. Biol Plantarum 60:452-458.
  • Gangwar M, H Sood, RS Chauhan (2016). Genomics and relative expression analysis identifies key genes associated with high female to male flower ratio in Jatropha curcas L. Mol Biol Rep 43:305-322.

2015

  • Shitiz K, N Sharma, T Pal, H Sood, RS Chauhan (2015). NGS transcriptomes and enzyme inhibitors unravel complexity of picrosides biosynthesis in Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex. Benth. PLoS One 10(12):e0144546.
  • Sharma T, RS Gour, A Kant, RS Chauhan (2015). Lipid content in Scenedesmus species correlates with multiple genes of fatty acid and triacylglycerol biosynthetic pathways. Algal Res 12:341–349.
  • Kumar V, N Sharma, K Shitiz, TR Singh, C Tandon, H Sood, RS Chauhan (2015). An insight into conflux of metabolic traffic leading to picroside-I biosynthesis by tracking molecular time course changes in a medicinal herb, Picrorhiza kurroa. Plant Cell Tissue Org Cult 123(2):435-441.
  • Sood A, RS Chauhan (2015). Regulation of FA and TAG biosynthesis pathway genes in endosperms and embryos of high and low oil content genotypes of Jatropha curcas L. Plant Physiol Biochem 94:253-267.
  • Padhan JK, V Kumar, H Sood, TR Singh, RS Chauhan (2015). Contents of therapeutic metabolites in Swertia chirayita correlate with the expression profiles of multiple genes in corresponding biosynthesis pathways. Phytochemistry 116:38-47.
  • Pal T, N Malhotra, S Chanumolu, RS Chauhan (2015). Next-generation sequencing (NGS) transcriptomes reveal association of multiple genes and pathways contributing to secondary metabolites accumulation in tuberous roots of Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. Planta 242(1):239-58.
  • Vashisht I, P Mishra, T Pal, S Chanumolu, TR Singh, RS Chauhan (2015). Mining NGS transcriptomes for miRNAs and dissecting their role in regulating growth, development, and secondary metabolites production in different organs of a medicinal herb, Picrorhiza kurroa. Planta 241(5):1255-68.
  • Kumar P, T Pal, N Sharma, V Kumar, H Sood, RS Chauhan (2015). Expression analysis of biosynthetic pathway genes vis-à-vis podophyllotoxin content in Podophyllum hexandrum Royle. Protoplasma 252(5):1253-62.
  • Kumar V, H Sood, RS Chauhan (2015). Detection of intermediates through high resolution mass spectrometry for constructing biosynthetic pathways for major chemical constituents in a medicinally important herb, Swertia chirayita. Nat Prod Res 29:1449-55

2014

  • Malhotra N, V Kumar, H Sood, TR Singh, RS Chauhan (2014). Multiple genes of mevalonate and non-mevalonate pathways contribute to high aconites content in an endangered medicinal herb, Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. Phytochemistry 108:26-34.

Prof. Chauhan’s research focus has been on gene discovery and utilization in two broad areas; molecular genetics of disease resistance in food crops and genomics of medicinal, aromatic and nutraceutical herbs. He has genetically identified and cloned one of the largest disease resistance genes cluster in rice against a fatal fungal disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae. The cluster consisted NBS-LRR genes, deciphered for the first time through combination of genetic analysis, genetic and physical mapping and finally positional gene cloning.

The research in fungal disease resistance is being taken forward to capture disease resistance genes in finger millet through comparative genomics as the same fungal pathogen causes blast disease in other economically important food crops, including wheat, barley, sorghum and all millets. With a thrust in large-scale production of millets in India, the blast disease is creating havoc, therefore, blast resistance genes are urgently needed and utilized in developing blast resistance. The second focus of his research has been deciphering biosynthetic machineries of major medicinal and nutraceutical phytochemicals in high value medicinal, aromatic and nutraceutical herbs of North-Western Himalayas through combination of approaches such as retrobiosynthesis, comparative genomics, differential NGS transcriptomics, enzyme inhibitor assays, co-expression networks analysis, etc.

The overall goal of research in medicinal and aromatic herbs has been to capture key biosynthetic pathway genes to utilize either in engineering biosynthetic machineries for developing engineered cell culture-based production platforms or for developing gene markers for genetic improvement.