Anupama Ghosh

Anupama Ghosh
Associate Professor

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Previous appointments:

Assistant Professor, Division of Plant Biology, Bose Institute, India

DST INSPIRE Faculty, Division of Plant Biology, Bose Institute, India

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Organismic Interactions, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Germany 

Research interests:

  1. Functional studies on secreted effector proteins from different phytopathogenic fungi
  2. defense mechanisms of host plants against pathogen invasion involving apoplastic proteins

Contact:

Address: Biological Sciences
Unified Academic Campus
Bose Institute
EN-80, Sector V
Bidhan Nagar
Kolkata - 700 091, India
E-Mail: ghosh.anupama[at]jcbose.ac.in
Phone: +91-33-25693245

Research:

·         Survival strategies of corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis during host colonization

Ustilago maydis is a biotrophic fungus that infects Zea mays. During host colonization the fungus is exposed to a number of plant defense responses like for instance elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the vicinity of the invasion site. Depending upon the compatibility of the pathogen and the host strain this ROS stimuli can either initiate a cell death response in the pathogen or could be overcome by the defense responses of the pathogen itself. In this project we are engaged in dissecting these survival and death pathways of Ustilago maydis during a compatible and incompatible interaction with the host plant Zea mays.

 

·         Functional characterization of U. maydis effector proteins

Effector proteins are key factors defining the virulence of a phytopathogenic fungus like Ustilago maydis. In this project we are engaged in investigating the functions of different groups of secreted effector proteins from Ustilago maydis in the context of their role in manipulating host defense responses.

 

·         Functional proteomics of rice apoplastic fluid

This project is aimed to study the apoplastic fluid proteome of rice under conditions of pathogen invasion. Through this study we are investigating on one hand the in-planta secretome of different pathogens infecting rice and on the other hand rice secreted proteins that play crucial roles in defense against pathogen invasion.  

 

Publications:

1. Mitra A, Bhakta K, Kar A, Roy A, Mohid Sk A, Ghosh A, Ghosh A*. Insight into the biochemical and cell biological function of an intrinsically unstructured heat shock protein, Hsp12 of Ustilago maydis. Molecular Plant Pathology 2023, doi: 10.1111/mpp.13350.

2. Mukherjee S, Bhakta K, Ghosh A, Ghosh A*. Ger1 is a secreted aspartic acid protease essential for spore germination in Ustilago maydis Yeast 2022, doi: 10.1002/yea.3835.

3. Acharya U, Das T, Ghosh Z and Ghosh A*. Defense surveillance system at the interface: esponse of rice towards Rhizoctonia solani during sheath blight infection. Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions, 2022, Vol 35(12), 1081-1095, doi: 10.1094/MPMI-07-22-0153-R. 

4.Mukherjee D, Singh N P, Roy A, Mondal R, Acharya U, Chattopadhyay D, Ghosh A*. The extracellular RNA pool within Zea mays apoplast: composition and differential expression during Ustilago maydis infection. BioRxiv 2022, doi: 10.1101/2022.06.03.494492.

5. Roy M, Bhakta K, Bhowmick A, Gupta S, Ghosh A, Ghosh A. Archaeal HSP14 drives substrate shuttling between small heat shock proteins and thermosome: insights into a novel substrate transfer pathway. FEBS Journal 2022, Vol 289 (4), 1080-1104, doi: 10.1111/febs.16226. Epub 2021 Oct 24.

6. Bhattacharya C, Banerjee S, Acharya U, Mitra A, Mallick I, Haldar A, Haldar S, GhoshA, Ghosh A. Evaluation of plant growth promotion properties and induction of antioxidative defense mechanism by tea rhizobacteria of Darjeeling, India. Scientific Reports 2020, Vol 10 (1), 1-19, doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-72439-z.

7. Mukherjee D, Gupta S, GhoshA, Ghosh A*. Ustilago maydis secreted T2 ribonucleases, Nuc1 and Nuc2 scavenge extracellular RNA. Cellular Microbiology 2020, Vol 22 (12), doi: 10.1111/cmi.13256.

8. Mukherjee D, Mitra A, Ghosh A*. Detection of apoptosis like cell death in Ustilago maydis by Annexin V-FITC staining. Bioprotocol 2018, Vol 8 (15), doi:10.21769/BioProtoc.2948.

9. Mukherjee D, Gupta S, Saran N, Datta R, Ghosh A*. Induction of apoptosis-like  cell death and clearance of stress induced intracellular protein aggregates: dual roles for Ustilago maydis metacaspase Mca1. Molecular Microbiology 2017, Sep 23, doi: 10.1111/mmi.13848. 

10. Ghosh P, Roy A, Hess D, Ghosh A,  Das S. Deciphering the Mode of Action of a Modified Allium sativum Leaf Agglutinin (mASAL), a Potent antifungal Protein on Rhizoctonia solani. BMC Microbiology 2015; Oct 26;15:237.

11. Ghosh A*, Raha S. Molecular and functional characterization of a stress responsive cysteine protease, EhCP6 from Entamoeba histolytica. Protein Expression and Purification 2015  May;109:55-61. doi: 10.1016/j.pep.2015.02.005.

12. Ghosh A*. Small heat shock proteins (HSP12, HSP20 and HSP30) play a role in Ustilago maydis pathogenesis. FEMS Microbiology Letters 2014 Sep 22; doi: 10.1111/1574-6968.12605

13. Djamei A£, Schipper K£, Rabe F, Ghosh A, Vincon V, Kahnt J, Osorio S, Tohge T, Fernie AR, Feussner I, Feussner K, Meinicke P, Stierhof YD, Schwarz H, Macek B, Mann M, Kahmann R. Metabolic priming by a secreted fungal effector. Nature 2011 Oct 5; 478(7369): 395-8. doi: 10.1038/nature10454.

14. Ghosh AS, Ray D, Dutta S, Raha S. EhMAPK, the mitogen-activated protein kinase from Entamoeba histolytica is associated with cell survival. PLoS One 2010 Oct 8; 5(10): e13291. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013291.

15. Ghosh AS, Dutta S, Raha S. Hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis-like cell death in Entamoeba histolytica. Parasitology International 2010 Jun; 59(2): 166-72. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2010.01.001. Epub 2010 Jan 15.

16. Dutta S, Sardar A, Ray D, Raha S. Molecular and functional characterization of EhPAK3 a p21 activated kinase from Entamoeba histolytica. Gene 2007 Nov 1;402 (1-2):57-67. 

 

 

Book chapters

 

1.     Bhattacharyya, C, Roy, R, Tribedi, P, Ghosh, A, Ghosh, A. (2020) Biofertilizers as substitute to commercial agrochemicals. M.N.V Prasad (Eds.), Agrochemicals Detection, Treatment and Remediation, Pesticides and Chemical Fertilizers, February 2020, 11: 263-290 (ISBN 978-0-08-103017-2). https://doi.org/10.1016/C2018-0-02947-3

2.      Mallick, I, Ghosh, A, Ghosh, A. (2019) Microbe-Mediated Removal of Heavy Metals for Sustainable Agricultural Practices. In: B. Giri et al. (eds.), Biofertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, Soil Biology, August 2019, 55: 521-544 (ISBN 978-3-030-18932-7). https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-18933-4_24

3.      Ghosh A*, Raha S. (2017) Proteases from protozoa and their role in infection. In: Chakraborti, Sajal, Dhalla, Naranjan S. (eds.), Proteases in physiology and pathology. September 2017 Springer, Singapore (ISBN 978-981-10-2513-6). https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-10-2513-6_8

4.      Ray D, Ghosh A, Banerjee Mustafi S, Raha S. (2016) Plant stress response: HSP70 in the spotlight. In: Asea A., Kaur P., Calderwood S. (eds), Heat Shock Proteins and Plants. Heat Shock Proteins, vol 10.  November 2016 Springer, Cham (ISBN 978-3-319-46340-7) https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-46340-7_7

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Recognition:

  • Fulbright Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship, 2023
  • Early Career Research Award, SERB, 2018
  • DST-INSPIRE Faculty Award, Department of Science and Technology (DST), India, 2013
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Max Planck Society, 2010-2013

Teaching:

" Plant Molecular Biology Course " in the Integrated M.Sc. PhD Programme of Bose Institute. 

Topics covered:

1. Transport of micro and macro molecules

2. Plant stress signalling during pathogen (bacterial and fungal phytopathogens) invasion 

 

                         

Students:

Image Name Designation Department Campus Contact number Email
profile image Anisha Roy Junior Research Fellow Division of Plant Biology Centenary anisharoy8@gmail.com
profile image Ankita Kar Junior Research Fellow Division of Plant Biology Unified ankitakar094@gmail.com
profile image Atreyee Sarkar Junior Research Fellow Division of Plant Biology Unified atreyeesarkar9@gmail.com
profile image Rituparna Mondal Junior Research Fellow Division of Plant Biology Unified ritusmita2804@gmail.com

Former:

Rahul Datta  

Dibya Mukherjee (Current affiliation: Postdoctoral Fellow, Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Udita Acharya (Current affiliation: Postdoctoral Researcher, Liebniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry)

Subhasish Mukherjee (current affiliation: Senior Research Scientist, Henni Innovation Private limited) 

Aroni Mitra 




Group News:

  • Opening for prospective PhD student

Students having interest in studies revealing the molecular mehanisms of interaction between phytopathogens and their respective hosts are            welcome to contact the PI at ghosh.anupama1982@gmail.com. Candidates having sound knowledge and hands on experience in different Molecular Biology techniques will be given preference. Also it is desirous that the students are having Biochemistry/Microbiology and/or Biotechnology in their undergraduate studies. 

  

  • 16th April 2024: Congratulations to Aroni Mitra for successfully defending his PhD thesis.
  • 26th September 2023: Congratulations to Subhasish Mukherjee for successfully defending his PhD thesis. 
  • 27th July 2023: Congratulations to Udita Acharya for successfully defending her PhD thesis. 
  • 26th April 2023: Our work on the role of a small heat shock protein Hsp12 in the pathogenic lifecycle of Ustilago maydis has been accepted for publication in Molecular Plant Pathology. 
  • 27th Jan 2023: The lab welcomes Ms. Atreyee Sarkar for joining the group as a doctoral student.
  • 2nd Jan 2023: Our work on the functional characterization of a secreted aspartic acid protease Ger1 from Ustilago maydis has been publised in Yeast. Congratulations to Subhasish and all the other authors!
  • 22nd Aug 2022: Our work revealing the apoplastic defense response of rice towards Rhizoctonia solani infection is accepted for publication in Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions. Congratulations to Udita and all the other authors!
  • 17th Jan 2022: The lab welcomes Ms. Rituparna Mondal and Ms. Ankita Kar for joining the group as a doctoral students.
  • 30th Aug 2020: Our work in collaboration with Dr. Abhrajyoti Ghosh on the plant growth promoting properties of tea rhizosphere microbiome has been accepted for publication in Scientific Reports. 
  • 18th Aug 2020: Our work on the secreted T2 ribonucleases of U. maydis has been accepted for publication in Cellular Microbiology
  • 12th - 17th March 2019: Dibya Mukherjee delivered a talk and presented a poster entitled " Virulence functions for two T2 type extracellular ribonucleases of Ustilago maydis" in the 30th Fungal genetics conference held at Asilomar conference grounds Pacific Grove , CA.
  • 4th Feb 2019: Dibya Mukherjee received an approval of funding support for participation in the 30th Fungal genetics conference to be held at Asilomar conference grounds Pacific Grove , CA during 12th to 17th March 2019 from DBT CTEP program.
  • 2nd Feb 2019: Dibya Mukherjee received an approval of funding support for participation in the 30th Fungal genetics conference to be held at Asilomar conference grounds Pacific Grove , CA during 12th to 17th March 2019 from "International Travel Support Scheme" of SERB .
  • 9th - 12th Dec 2018: Rahul Datta presented a poster entitled " Extracellular Defense response of rice towards Rhizoctonia solani AG1IA infection" in the 59th Annual Conference of Association of Microbiologists in India and International Symposium on Host Pathogen Interaction held at University of hyderabad. 
  • 3rd Sep 2018: Anisha Roy joined the lab as DBT JRF.
  • 6th Aug 2018: A protocol on "detection of apoptosis like cell death in Ustilago maydis by annexin V-FITC staining" is  published online in Bioprotocol.
  • 17th Mar 2018: ECRA grant from SERB is received by the PI. 
  • 11th Feb 2018: Best poster award to Dibya Mukherjee in the "10th Conference on Yeast Biology; Model Yeasts to Fungal pathogens" held at JNU, New Delhi and Amity University, Gurgaon during 08th to 11th February 2018.
  • 21st Sep 2017: Our research on the metacaspase of Ustilago maydis has been accepted for publication in Molecular Microbiology. 
  • 19th Sep 2016: Subhasish Mukherjee joined the lab as UGC-JRF
  • 4th Aug 2016: Udita Acharya joined the lab for her PhD
  • 1st July 2016: PI joined the lab as Assistant Professor, Bose Institute
  • 18th May 2015: Dibya Mukherjee joined the lab for his PhD
  • 5th Jan 2015: Rahul Datta joined the lab for his PhD
  • 10th Oct 2013: The group is started with the PI as DST INSPIRE Faculty