Courses taught / teaching/Planning to teach

• General Biology
• Biochemistry
• Palnt Biotechnology
• Genetics
• Ecology
• Molecular evolution

Research Interest

 My broad area of research is understanding regulation of gene expression in plants. The research methodology includes Computational analysis of the genome databases, synthesis and cloning of the activator module over CAMV 35S promoter, transient gene expression, development of stable transgenic plants and using various elicitors to identify cis element involved in stress responses.

Recently, I am working on the mitotic cell division in fission yeast using topoisomerase (top2 ) mutant where I have found the difference in degradation timings of cyclinB and securin in this mutant which is contrary to the existing belief. I am also studying the evolution of DNA repair proteins.

Ongoing Research Project

“Cloning and characterization of protein phosphatase 2C like promoter from Arabidopsis thaliana” is supported by Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India under SERC scheme for young scientist.

Awards/Honours

• Council of scientific and Industrial research, Government of India, Junior  Research  Fellowship  2000-2002.

• Council of scientific and Industrial research, Government of India, Senior  Research  Fellowship  2002-2005.

• Qualified  Graduate  Aptitude  test in  Engineering  (2001).

• Qualified  Indian  Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)  National  Examination  Test  in  Genetics  in  2002.

SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS

1.  Water fixing /producing bacteria for combating freshwater scarcity. Current Science, 87, 2004,1644-1646.

2.  Effect of copy number and spacing of the ACGT and GTGGTTAG cis elements on transient expression of minimal promoters in plants. J .Genetics, 84,2005, 183-187.

3.  A variety of synergistic and antagonistic interactions mediated by cis acting DNA motifs regulate gene expression in plant cells and modulate stability of the transcription complex formed on a basal promoter,. J .Exp .Botany, 56, 2005,  2345-2353.

4.  Analysis of polarity in the expression from a multifactorial bidirectional promoter designed for high level expression of transgenes in plants. J Biotechnology, 123, 2006,1-12.

5. Seed storage protein gene regulation- A jigsaw puzzle. Indian Journal of Biotechnology, 8, 2009, 147-158.

6. Dimerization of GT element interferes negatively with gene activation. Journal of Genetics, 88, 2009, 257-260.

7. Biodiesel production through lipase catalysed transesterification : An overview. Journal of molecular catalysis (under revision)

Selected Presentations in Seminars / Symposium

1.  Kanti Kiran, Rajesh Mehrotra, C.P. Chaturvedi, Suraiya Anjum Ansari, Pratibha Singh, Samir V. Sawant and Rakesh Tuli. Complex antagonistic and synergistic interactions among DNA motifs regulates gene expression in plants. Poster Presented in 10^th FAOBMB Congress held from Dec. 7-11, 2003. Bangalore, India

2.   Pratibha Singh, Niraj Lodhi, C.P. Chaturvedi, Rajesh Mehrotra, Kanti Kiran, Suraiya Anjum Ansari, Mithilesh Kumar, Shadma Ashraf, P.K.Singh, Samir Sawant and Rakesh Tuli. Regulation of pathogen inducible and constitutive promoters in plants by chromatin modeling. Poster Presented in Indo-US workshop on research development in genomics covering health, agriculture and industry (Sept, 2003). Department of Biotechnology & Department of Science Technology, Bangalore, India.

3.   R. Mehrotra., C.P. Chaturvedi., S.A. Ansari., N.Lodhi., S.V. Sawant., and R. Tuli.  Effect of copy number and spacing of the ACGT and GT cis elements on expression of minimal promoter in plants. Poster Presented at the conference, Emerging trends in Biological Sciences, organized by Deptt. of  Biotechnology and microbiology, Hindustan College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore Aug. 18^th-19^th 2005 (Received best poster award).

4.  Suraiya Anjum Ansari, Kanti Kiran, Rakesh Srivastava, C.P. Chaturvedi, Rajesh Mehrotra, Niraj Lodhi, Samir Sawant and Rakesh Tuli. The TATA box sequence in basal promoter contributes to determining the light dependent gene expression in plant. Poster Presented in 29^th AICBC held at ITRC, Lucknow, India (Jan 18^th-20^th 2006).

5.   Rajesh Mehrotra, Norihiko Nakazawa and Mitsuhiro Yanagida Prolonged localization of securin on mitotic spindle in top2-191 mutant cells presented in 2^nd international workshop on cell regulation in division and arrest held from march 25^th -29^th, 2007, Okinawa, Japan.

6.   Rajesh Mehrotra, Norihiko Nakazawa and Mitsuhiro Yanagida. Prolonged localization of securin on mitotic spindle in top2-191 mutant cells paper presented in the international symposium on applied phycology and environmental biotechnology (ISAPEB 2007) held from October 29^th-31^st ,2007 in Pilani, India.

7.   Swarna Kanchan, Rajesh Mehrotra and Shibasish Chowdhury. Retrogressive evolution of DNA repair system: A genomic study presented in Bioinformatica Indica 08,17-19^th jan  Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.  

8.   Rajesh Mehrotra, Norihiko Nakazawa and Mitsuhiro Yanagida ICRF-193 interferes with spindle elongation in dividing S pombe cells presented in 12^th  international conference on the interface of Chemistry-Biology in Biomedical research held on February 22-24, 2008

9.   Rajesh Mehrotra, Swapnil, Jitendra Panwar. Global Warming: A Monster in Action. An invited talk presented in Glowar-08 held on March 5^th 2008 in Bikaner.

10.  B.Vani, Rajesh Mehrotra Jitendra Panwar. Global Warming: An alarm to disaster presented in Glowar-08 held on March 5^th 2008 in Bikaner.

Patent

1.   Reference no: P33136ZA00

Foreign Visit

Visiting  Foreign Scientist Kyoto University, June 1^st 2008–July 25^th 2008

Visiting Foreign Scientist Kyoto University, Dec 15^th 2008  –Jan 15^th 2009

Visiting Foreign Scientist Kyoto University, May 30^th  2009  –June 30^th 2009