Research Summary

After translation, proteins undergo post-translational modifications (PTMs) that regulate their conformation, stability, activity, and localisation to ensure proper cellular function. PTMs involve the covalent attachment of chemical groups such as acetyl, methyl, or phosphate or small peptides such as ubiquitin or SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier), to specific amino acid residues, thereby modulating protein fate. This mechanism acts as a critical molecular switch that enables plants to precisely decode the environmental cues, including biotic and abiotic stresses. It integrates these environmental cues with intrinsic signalling networks to coordinate downstream physiological responses. Light and temperature are two major environmental factors that profoundly influence plant growth, development, and interactions with pathogens. The impact of temperature on plant immunity is particularly complex, with elevated temperatures often suppressing immune responses and increasing susceptibility to infection. Understanding how plants integrate these environmental cues to balance growth and defence remains a central challenge in plant biology.

The “Srivastava Lab” investigates how PTMs regulate plant–pathogen interactions, particularly under varying light and temperature conditions. We aim to understand how these PTM-mediated signalling networks fine-tune immune responses and stress adaptation, enabling plants to dynamically adjust to environmental fluctuations. Ultimately, our long-term vision is to leverage these mechanistic insights to engineer climate-resilient, disease-resistant crops, bridging fundamental molecular discoveries with real-world agricultural impact.

To achieve this vision, the lab is currently engaged in several interrelated research projects that explore distinct facets of PTM-mediated regulation, including ER stress management, RNA processing, and crop resilience under environmental challenges.

Project 1: ER stress Response: PTMs are central to maintaining protein quality and function within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through tight ER-mediated quality control. When this system is overwhelmed, misfolded proteins accumulate, triggering ER stress and activating the unfolded protein response (UPR). Such stress is amplified under biotic, abiotic, or combinatorial environmental challenges, directly affecting plant growth and immunity. We investigate how plants integrate these combinatorial stresses to fine-tune UPR signalling and immune responses. We are particularly focused on the role of PTMs, especially SUMOylation, in regulating protein folding in the ER lumen under diverse stress conditions. In recent studies, we have identified a novel transcription factor that orchestrates ER stress responses (unpublished data). This work is now supported by the Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant (PM-ECRG-2025) from the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), New Delhi, India, enabling us to uncover fundamental mechanisms of stress resilience and translate these insights into strategies for engineering robust and resilient crops. 

Project 2: RNA Processing: Our lab is also exploring how post-translational modifications (PTMs) shape gene expression by regulating RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that control splicing and poly(A) tailing. Alternative splicing is a vital regulatory mechanism that enhances proteome diversity and allows plants to rapidly reprogram transcription in response to stress. Through mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses, we have identified several RBPs that undergo distinct PTMs (unpublished data). We aim to understand how these modifications affect RBP dynamics, interactions, and stability, and how they ultimately influence stress-responsive gene expression. 

Project 3: Translational Research: Our lab aims to bridge fundamental plant signalling research with real-world agricultural impact in the coming years. By uncovering how PTM networks regulate plant responses to light and temperature cues as well as immunity, we aim to develop strategies for enhancing disease resistance and productivity in agriculturally important crops. This translational vision drives our ongoing research on potato immunity to Phytophthora infestans under elevated temperature and on enhancing black pepper (Piper nigrum) resilience against Phytophthora capsici, two major crop-pathogen systems of global and regional importance. Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), known as the “king of spices,” is a globally important crop with culinary, medicinal, and industrial applications, but it is highly vulnerable to foot rot disease caused by the oomycete P. capsici. No cultivated variety offers complete resistance, leading to severe yield losses. In the “Srivastava Lab”, we are primarily screening the susceptibility of various cultivated varieties against the P. capsici. We have identified the role of WRKY transcription factors such as PnWRKY40 in mediating resistance to P. capsici. We further aim to delineate the mechanism by utilising molecular, biochemical, and functional genomics approaches to decipher WRKY-regulated defence networks and uncover strategies for developing disease-resistant black pepper varieties. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, New Delhi, India, now recommend this work for a research grant. 

Together, our research aims to uncover how the PTM machinery can be reprogrammed and harnessed to enhance plant protection, stress resilience, and agricultural productivity. By combining fundamental discovery with applied innovation, the lab aims to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations that accelerate the development of climate-smart, stress-resilient crops. Through this integrated vision, the lab aims not only to advance scientific understanding but also to provide tangible solutions that ensure sustainable agriculture and global food security.