Deciphering the role of monoacylglycerol lipases (MAGL) under abiotic stress and lipid metabolism in soybean (Glycine max L.) Virender Kumar, Rushil Mandlik, Surbhi Kumawat, Badal Mahakalkar, Nitika Rana, Yogesh Sharma, Nitika Rajora, Sreeja Sudhakaran, Sanskriti Vats, Rupesh Deshmukh, Henry T. Nguyen, Tilak Raj Sharma, Humira Sonah Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2025 SummaryMonoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is involved in the last step of triacylglycerol breakdown by hydrolysing the monoacylglycerol (MAG) to free fatty acid and glycerol. In the present study, 21 and 38 MAGL genes were identified in Glycine max (cultivated soybean) and Glycine soja (wild) genomes, respectively. Gene‐specific association performed using whole genome resequencing data by mixed linear model showed a significant association with total seed oil, linolenic, and oleic acid content. Subsequent haplotypic analysis revealed allelic variations for MAGL genes in soybean germplasm. Diversity analysis indicated a balancing selection of MAGL genes in cultivated soybean compared to wild soybean. Transient expression of three candidate MAGL proteins in Nicotiana tabacum leaves showed chloroplast‐specific localization, which is the site for fatty acid biosynthesis. An extensive transcriptomic evaluation revealed comparatively higher expression of five genes in soybean seeds, and nine genes showed higher expression under abiotic stress conditions like drought and heat. The quantitative real‐time PCR analysis of three candidate MAGL genes showed differential expression under arsenic and silicon supplementation. Gene co‐expression analysis showed the interaction of MAGL with diacylglycerol acyltransferase and triacylglycerol. In addition, confocal microscopy and fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis of yeast expressing four GmMAGL genes showed altered lipid deposition, leading to smaller and more dispersed lipid droplets, suggesting its significant role in lipid metabolism. Manipulation of MAGL can be a pragmatic strategy to improve abiotic stress tolerance, likely by membrane lipid remodeling under environmental stress. Similarly, MAGL could be strategically utilized to enhance oil yield by regulating lipid metabolism.
Monkeyflower (Mimulus) uncovers the evolutionary basis of the eukaryote telomere sequence variation Surbhi Kumawat, Askhan Shametov, Liia R. Valeeva, Yoonha Ju, Irene Martinez, Dhenugen Logeswaran, Hongfei Chen, Jenn M. Coughlan, Julian J.-L. Chen, Yao-Wu Yuan, James M. Sobel, Dal-Hoe Koo, Eugene V. Shakirov, Jae Young Choi Plos Genetics, 2025 Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes with crucial role of protecting chromosome ends. Because of its vital functions, components of the telomere, including its sequence, should be under strong evolutionary constraint. Yet across the tree of life there are numerous examples of telomere sequence variation and the evolutionary mechanism driving this diversification is unclear. Here, we studied the telomeres in Mimulus by investigating the noncoding telomerase RNA (TR), which is a core component of the telomere maintenance complex and determines the telomere sequence in eukaryotes. We conducted de novo transcriptomics and genome analysis of 18 species, and discovered Mimulus has evolved at least three different telomere sequences: (AAACCCT)n, (AAACCCG)n, and (AAACCG)n. We discovered several species with TR duplications, implying functional consequences that could influence telomere evolution. For instance, M. lewisii harbored two sequence-divergent TR paralogs while its sister species the paralog had pseudogenized. Nanopore-sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization indicated M. lewisii had a sequence heterogeneous telomere, and Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol combined with Terminal Restriction Fragment analysis confirmed the telomerase can use both TR paralogs for telomere synthesis. Interestingly in closely related species M. cardinalis, TR was also duplicated and both paralogs were expressed but its telomere consisted of a single telomere repeat. Evolutionary analysis indicated the TR paralogs arose from an ancient duplication, which also underlies the evolutionary origin of multiple Mimulus species with divergent telomere sequences. We propose sequence variation in eukaryotic telomeres arises from an evolutionary process involving TR duplication, sequence divergence, and loss of TR paralog.
Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) for Identifying SNPs and Genes Related to Phosphate-Induced Phenotypic Traits in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Haroon Rashid Hakla, Shubham Sharma, Mohammad Urfan, Rushil Mandlik, Surbhi Kumawat, et al. Plants, 2024 Phosphate (P) is a crucial macronutrient for normal plant growth and development. The P availability in soils is a limitation factor, and understanding genetic factors playing roles in plant adaptation for improving P uptake is of great biological importance. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become indispensable tools in unraveling the genetic basis of complex traits in various plant species. In this study, a comprehensive GWAS was conducted on diverse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) accessions grown under normal and low P conditions for two weeks. Plant traits such as shoot height, primary root length, plant biomass, shoot inorganic content (SiP), and root inorganic content (RiP) were measured. Among several models of GWAS tested, the Bayesian-information and linkage disequilibrium iteratively nested keyway (BLINK) models were used for the identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Among all the traits analyzed, significantly associated SNPs were recorded for PB, i.e., 1 SNP (SSL4.0CH10_49261145) under control P, SiP, i.e., 1 SNP (SSL4.0CH08_58433186) under control P and 1 SNP (SSL4.0CH08_51271168) under low P and RiP i.e., 2 SNPs (SSL4.0CH04_37267952 and SSL4.0CH09_4609062) under control P and 1 SNP (SSL4.0CH09_3930922) under low P condition. The identified SNPs served as genetic markers pinpointing regions of the tomato genome linked to P-responsive traits. The novel candidate genes associated with the identified SNPs were further analyzed for their protein-protein interactions using STRING. The study provided novel candidate genes, viz. Solyc10g050370 for PB under control, Solyc08g062490, and Solyc08g062500 for SiP and Solyc09g010450, Solyc09g010460, Solyc09g010690, and Solyc09g010710 for RiP under low P condition. These findings offer a glimpse into the genetic diversity of tomato accessions’ responses to P uptake, highlighting the potential for tailored breeding programs to develop P-efficient tomato varieties that could adapt to varying soil conditions, making them crucial for sustainable agriculture and addressing global challenges, such as soil depletion and food security.
No end in sight: Mysteries of the telomeric variation in plants Surbhi Kumawat, Jae Young Choi American Journal of Botany, 2023 One of the most fascinating phenomena in evolutionary biology is the rapid evolution of genes with conserved functions across the tree of life. Because the cellular and organismal development processes are highly conserved across eukaryotes, a naive evolutionary expectation is that the genes involved in those processes would also be under high selective constraint and evolve extremely slowly. However, we now know that evolutionarily young genes can rapidly acquire crucial viability functions and even evolutionarily old genes can have unexpected levels of rapid evolution within specific lineages (Talbert et al. 2004). These studies have led to novel insights of function and evolution in molecular systems that are universally important for almost all organisms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Omics advances and integrative approaches for the simultaneous improvement of seed oil and protein content in soybean (Glycine max L.) Virender Kumar, Sanskriti Vats, Surbhi Kumawat, Ashita Bisht, Vacha Bhatt, S. M. Shivaraj, Gunashri Padalkar, Vinod Goyal, Sajad Zargar, Sanjay Gupta, Giriraj Kumawat, Subhash Chandra, V. Celia Chalam, Milind B. Ratnaparkhe, Balwinder S. Gill, Martine Jean, Gunvant B. Patil, Tri Vuong, Istvan Rajcan, Rupesh Deshmukh, Francois Belzile, Tilak Raj Sharma, Henry T. Nguyen, Humira Sonah Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 2021
Deciphering the role of monoacylglycerol lipases (MAGL) under abiotic stress and lipid metabolism in soybean ( Glycine max L.) V Kumar, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, B Mahakalkar, N Rana, Y Sharma, ... Plant Biotechnology Journal 23 (10), 4318-4335 , 2025 2025 Citations: 3
Monkeyflower ( Mimulus ) uncovers the evolutionary basis of the eukaryote telomere sequence variation S Kumawat, A Shametov, LR Valeeva, Y Ju, I Martinez, D Logeswaran, ... PLoS genetics 21 (6), e1011738 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Evolutionary analysis of tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs) unraveling the role of TIP3s in plant seed development S Sudhakaran, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, G Raturi, SK Gupta, SM Shivaraj, ... Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 215, 109022 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) for Identifying SNPs and Genes Related to Phosphate-Induced Phenotypic Traits in Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) HR Hakla, S Sharma, M Urfan, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, P Rajput, ... Plants 13 (3), 457 , 2024 2024 Citations: 13
Identification of VrNIP2-1 aquaporin with novel selective filter regulating the transport of beneficial as well as hazardous metalloids in mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) V Thakral, Y Sharma, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, G Patil, H Sonah, P Isenring, ... Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 203, 108057 , 2023 2023 Citations: 12
Deciphering the Role of Aquaporins Under Different Abiotic Stress Conditions in Watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ) G Raturi, S Kumawat, R Mandlik, D Duhan, V Thakral, S Sudhakaran, ... Journal of Plant Growth Regulation 42 (5), 3137-3149 , 2023 2023 Citations: 10
Necessity and challenges for exploration of nutritional potential of staple-food grade soybean G Padalkar, R Mandlik, S Sudhakaran, S Vats, S Kumawat, V Kumar, ... Journal of food composition and analysis 117, 105093 , 2023 2023 Citations: 47
Tomato: Nutritional value and health benefits R Bansal, R Kour, S Kumawat, G Padalkar Agriculture Advances 1 (1) , 2023 2023
Understanding aquaporins regulation and silicon uptake in carrot ( Daucus carota ) N Rajora, V Thakral, Geetika, S Vats, G Padalkar, S Sudhakaran, ... Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology 32 (1), 51-62 , 2023 2023 Citations: 7
No end in sight: Mysteries of the telomeric variation in plants S Kumawat, JY Choi American Journal of Botany, e16244 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
Evolution of Bcl-2 Anthogenes (BAG) as the Regulators of Cell Death in Wild and Cultivated Oryza Species R Bansal, S Kumawat, P Dhiman, S Sudhakaran, N Rana, R Jaswal, ... Journal of Plant Growth Regulation 42 (1), 348-364 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
Pinpointing genomic regions and candidate genes associated with seed oil and protein content in soybean through an integrative transcriptomic and QTL meta-analysis V Kumar, V Goyal, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, S Sudhakaran, G Padalkar, ... Cells 12 (1), 97 , 2022 2022 Citations: 21
Genomic landscape highlights molecular mechanisms involved in silicate solubilization, stress tolerance, and potential growth-promoting activity of bacterium Enterobacter sp. LR6 G Raturi, Y Sharma, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, N Rana, H Dhar, DK Tripathi, ... Cells 11 (22), 3622 , 2022 2022 Citations: 11
Opportunity and challenges for nanotechnology application for genome editing in plants S Vats, S Kumawat, J Brar, S Kaur, K Yadav, SG Magar, PV Jadhav, ... Plant Nano Biology 1, 100001 , 2022 2022 Citations: 47
Recent advances and applicability of GBS, GWAS, and GS in polyploid crops V Thakral, H Yadav, G Padalkar, S Kumawat, G Raturi, V Kumar, ... Genotyping by Sequencing for Crop Improvement, 328-354 , 2022 2022 Citations: 5
Recent advances and applicability of GBS, GWAS, and GS in oilseed crops S Vats, Y Sharma, V Kumar, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, H Yadav, P Dhiman, ... Genotyping by Sequencing for Crop Improvement, 355-370 , 2022 2022 Citations: 6
Opportunity and challenges for whole‐genome resequencing‐based genotyping in plants S Kumawat, G Raturi, P Dhiman, S Sudhakarn, N Rajora, V Thakral, ... Genotyping by sequencing for crop improvement, 38-51 , 2022 2022 Citations: 17
Deciphering haplotypic variation and gene expression dynamics associated with nutritional and cooking quality in rice N Rana, S Kumawat, V Kumar, R Bansal, R Mandlik, P Dhiman, GB Patil, ... Cells 11 (7), 1144 , 2022 2022 Citations: 5
Understanding the role of SWEET genes in fruit development and abiotic stress in pomegranate ( Punica granatum L.) S Kumawat, Y Sharma, S Vats, S Sudhakaran, S Sharma, R Mandlik, ... Molecular biology reports 49 (2), 1329-1339 , 2022 2022 Citations: 16
Understanding aquaporin regulation defining silicon uptake and role in arsenic, antimony and germanium stress in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) R Mandlik, P Singla, S Kumawat, P Khatri, W Ansari, A Singh, Y Sharma, ... Environmental Pollution 294, 118606 , 2022 2022 Citations: 24
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Genome editing in plants: exploration of technological advancements and challenges S Vats, S Kumawat, V Kumar, GB Patil, T Joshi, H Sonah, TR Sharma, ... Cells 8 (11), 1386 , 2019 2019 Citations: 223
Advances in omics approaches for abiotic stress tolerance in tomato J Chaudhary, P Khatri, P Singla, S Kumawat, A Kumari, V R, A Vikram, ... Biology 8 (4), 90 , 2019 2019 Citations: 141
Unexplored nutritive potential of tomato to combat global malnutrition S Vats, R Bansal, N Rana, S Kumawat, V Bhatt, P Jadhav, V Kale, A Sathe, ... Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 62 (4), 1003-1034 , 2022 2022 Citations: 130
Nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide crosstalk during heavy metal stress in plants SM Shivaraj, S Vats, JA Bhat, P Dhakte, V Goyal, P Khatri, S Kumawat, ... Physiologia Plantarum 168 (2), 437-455 , 2020 2020 Citations: 125
Expanding avenue of fast neutron mediated mutagenesis for crop improvement S Kumawat, N Rana, R Bansal, G Vishwakarma, ST Mehetre, BK Das, ... Plants 8 (6), 164 , 2019 2019 Citations: 82
Applications and challenges for efficient exploration of omics interventions for the enhancement of nutritional quality in rice ( Oryza sativa L.) N Rana, MS Rahim, G Kaur, R Bansal, S Kumawat, J Roy, R Deshmukh, ... Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 60 (19), 3304-3320 , 2020 2020 Citations: 74
Necessity and challenges for exploration of nutritional potential of staple-food grade soybean G Padalkar, R Mandlik, S Sudhakaran, S Vats, S Kumawat, V Kumar, ... Journal of food composition and analysis 117, 105093 , 2023 2023 Citations: 47
Opportunity and challenges for nanotechnology application for genome editing in plants S Vats, S Kumawat, J Brar, S Kaur, K Yadav, SG Magar, PV Jadhav, ... Plant Nano Biology 1, 100001 , 2022 2022 Citations: 47
Omics advances and integrative approaches for the simultaneous improvement of seed oil and protein content in soybean ( Glycine max L.) V Kumar, S Vats, S Kumawat, A Bisht, V Bhatt, SM Shivaraj, G Padalkar, ... Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 40 (5), 398-421 , 2021 2021 Citations: 47
Understanding aquaporin transport system, silicon and other metalloids uptake and deposition in bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) S Kumawat, P Khatri, A Ahmed, S Vats, V Kumar, R Jaswal, Y Wang, P Xu, ... Journal of hazardous materials 409, 124598 , 2021 2021 Citations: 32
Understanding aquaporin regulation defining silicon uptake and role in arsenic, antimony and germanium stress in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) R Mandlik, P Singla, S Kumawat, P Khatri, W Ansari, A Singh, Y Sharma, ... Environmental Pollution 294, 118606 , 2022 2022 Citations: 24
Pinpointing genomic regions and candidate genes associated with seed oil and protein content in soybean through an integrative transcriptomic and QTL meta-analysis V Kumar, V Goyal, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, S Sudhakaran, G Padalkar, ... Cells 12 (1), 97 , 2022 2022 Citations: 21
Understanding aquaporin transport system in highly stress-tolerant and medicinal plant species Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) N Kumar, S Kumawat, P Khatri, P Singla, G Tandon, V Bhatt, S Shinde, ... Journal of Biotechnology 324, 103-111 , 2020 2020 Citations: 20
Advances in omics approaches for abiotic stress tolerance in tomato. Biology 8: 90 J Chaudhary, P Khatri, P Singla, S Kumawat, A Kumari, R Vinaykumar, ... 2019 Citations: 19
Opportunity and challenges for whole‐genome resequencing‐based genotyping in plants S Kumawat, G Raturi, P Dhiman, S Sudhakarn, N Rajora, V Thakral, ... Genotyping by sequencing for crop improvement, 38-51 , 2022 2022 Citations: 17
Understanding the role of SWEET genes in fruit development and abiotic stress in pomegranate ( Punica granatum L.) S Kumawat, Y Sharma, S Vats, S Sudhakaran, S Sharma, R Mandlik, ... Molecular biology reports 49 (2), 1329-1339 , 2022 2022 Citations: 16
Evolutionary Understanding of Aquaporin Transport System in the Basal Eudicot Model Species Aquilegia coerulea S Singh, V Bhatt, V Kumar, S Kumawat, P Khatri, P Singla, SM Shivaraj, ... Plants 9 (6), 799 , 2020 2020 Citations: 15
Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) for Identifying SNPs and Genes Related to Phosphate-Induced Phenotypic Traits in Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) HR Hakla, S Sharma, M Urfan, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, P Rajput, ... Plants 13 (3), 457 , 2024 2024 Citations: 13
Identification of VrNIP2-1 aquaporin with novel selective filter regulating the transport of beneficial as well as hazardous metalloids in mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) V Thakral, Y Sharma, R Mandlik, S Kumawat, G Patil, H Sonah, P Isenring, ... Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 203, 108057 , 2023 2023 Citations: 12
Genome editing in plants: exploration of technological advancements and challenges. Cells 8 (11): 1386 S Vats, S Kumawat, V Kumar, GB Patil, T Joshi, H Sonah, TR Sharma, ... 2019 Citations: 12
