सूक्ष्मजीव प्रोद्यौगिकी तथा सूत्रकृमिविज्ञान

सूक्ष्मजीव प्रोद्यौगिकी तथा सूत्रकृमिविज्ञान विभाग

सूक्ष्मजीव प्रोद्यौगिकी तथा सूत्रकृमिविज्ञान
Microbial Technology and Nematology Department is a close-knit and dynamic department of the crop protection division that deals with microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, AMF and nematodes. Microorganisms benefit agriculture by cycling organic and inorganic matter into useful molecules needed by the plants. The major mission of our department is to utilize strength of microbes (capable of producing siderophores, hormones, cellulase, chitinase, PSB, antibiotics etc.) as bioinoculants to enhance the production of plant secondary metabolites and to manage plant diseases caused by variety of pests and pathogens especially plant parasitic nematodes. Apart from the contributions of Microbiology to plant health, another important area where our department is engaged to discover a range of new plant based anti-ageing remedies. Ageing is an important natural reality that renders organisms progressively more likely to die and every individual experiences this process in a different way, depending upon their geographical location, culture and the culmination of life events. Ageing has been considered as the main risk factor for other prevalent diseases viz., cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes etc thereby raising the prospective to combat many diseases all at once by targeting ageing. We all are now well aware that nutrition affects aging and we are what we eat. There is now ample evidence that both healthspan and/or lifespan can be prolonged by genetic and/or dietary interventions and phytomolecules seem promising in this endeavor. Our studies have demonstrated the versatility of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) nematode model system in compound screening, drug target identiﬁcation and in deciphering mechanisms of drug action. C. elegans, a free-living soil nematode is becoming an attractive model for phytomolecule tests on aging and age-related phenotypes owing to its several awesome features. For example, ease of culture, small size (~1 mm in length), short generation time (~3 days) and ability to produce ~300 offspring in ~3 days, short lifespan (~2 weeks), genetic amenability, ample number of genetic tools available and the wealth of knowledge of its biology make this model an excellent candidate for pharmacological research. Therefore by understanding ageing in this simple animal we hope to begin to unravel the mystery of human ageing, and the wide range of diseases that it causes.