Archana Singh

Associate Professor

Education and Research Experience: 

B.Sc. (H) Botany, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi, India (1999)
M.Sc. Botany, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India (2001)
Ph.D., DBT- National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi (2008)
Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi (2009-21)
Post-doctoral Research, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky, USA (2016); Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany (2019)
Associate Professor, Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi (2021-23)

E. mail: archanasingh@pmb.du.ac.in

Research Interests:

Plants, being immobile, make tempting targets for pests and pathogens. However, they have developed sophisticated defense mechanisms to ward off herbivores and pathogenic invaders. They employ both direct and indirect defenses, including physical barriers, defensive chemicals, extrafloral nectars, and volatile compounds. Plants employ two types of defense mechanisms based on the timing of deployment: constitutive and induced defenses. Compared to constitutive defenses, inducible defenses are more efficient and long-lasting as plants maintain a fine-tuned regulatory system to balance defense and growth.
          Understanding the mechanism of induced plant defense against herbivores and pathogens can be achieved through functional genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics approaches. Our laboratory's primary objective is to unravel the molecular intricacies of induced plant defense. We employ transcriptomic, proteomic, and bioinformatic techniques, and we also conduct in silico, in vitro, and transgenic analyses to functionally characterize defense-related genes.
         Our research primarily focuses on three plant species: Glycine max, Cicer arietinum, and Zea mays, and their interactions with insect herbivores and pathogens. Our aim is to identify and characterize candidate genes that play pivotal roles in plant defense against pests and pathogens. This knowledge can pave the way for innovative strategies to enhance crop resistance through targeted genetic modifications, leading to more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and sustainable pest and pathogen management.

Select Publications:
  1. Negi H, Saxena H, Singh IK*, Singh A* (2023). Herbivory-inducible lipid-transfer proteins (LTPs) of Cicer arietinum as potential human allergens. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 41(22), 12863–12879.  [IF 2022 - 4.4]
  2. Kumari M, Naidu S, Kumari B, Singh IK*, Singh A* (2023). Comparative transcriptome analysis of Zea mays upon mechanical wounding. Molecular Biology Reports, 50(6), 5319–5343. [IF 2022 - 2.8]
  3. Singh A*, Jain D, Pandey J, Yadav M, Bansal KC*, Singh IK* (2023). Deciphering the role of miRNA in reprogramming plant responses to drought stress. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, 43(4), 613–627. [IF 2022 - 9.0]
  4. Yadav M, Singh IK*, Singh A* (2023). Dhurrin: A naturally occurring phytochemical as a weapon against insect herbivores. Phytochemistry, 205, 113483. [IF 2022 - 3.8]
  5. Yadav M, Pandey J, Chakraborty A, Hassan MI, Kundu JK, Roy A*, Singh IK*, Singh A* (2022). A comprehensive analysis of calmodulin-like proteins of Glycine max indicates their role in calcium signaling and plant defense against insect attack. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 817950. [IF 2022 - 5.6]
  6. Singh A*, Singh S, Singh R, Kumar S, Singh SK, Singh IK* (2021). Dynamics of Zea mays transcriptome in response to a polyphagous herbivore, Spodoptera litura. Functional & Integrative Genomics, 21, 571–592. [IF 2022 - 2.9]
  7. Keshan R, Singh IK*, Singh A* (2021). Genome wide investigation of MAPKKKs from Cicer arietinum and their involvement in plant defense against Helicoverpa armigera. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 115:101685. [IF 2022 - 2.7]
  8. Singh A, Kumar A, Hartley S*, Singh IK* (2020). Silicon: its ameliorative effect on plant defense against herbivory. Journal of Experimental Botany, 71(21), 6730–6743. [IF 2022 - 6.9]
  9. Arora R, Kumar A, Singh IK*, Singh A* (2020). Pathogenesis related proteins: A defensin for plants but an allergen for humans. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 157, 659–672. [IF 2022 - 8.2]
  10. Singh S, Singh A*, Kumar S, Mittal P, Singh IK* (2020). Protease inhibitors: recent advancement in its usage as a potential biocontrol agent for insect pest management. Insect Science, 27(2), 186–201. [IF - 4]
  11. Singh A*, Jain D, Tyagi C, Singh S, Kumar S, Singh IK* (2018). In silico prediction of active site and in vitro DNase and RNase activities of Helicoverpa-inducible pathogenesis related-4 protein from Cicer arietinum. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 113, 869–880. [IF 2022 - 8.2]
  12. Singh A, Tyagi C, Nath O, Singh IK* (2018). Helicoverpa-inducible Thioredoxin h from Cicer arietinum: structural modeling and potential targets. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 109, 231–243. [IF 2022 - 8.2]
  13. Singh A, Lim GH, Kachroo P* (2017). Transport of chemical signals in systemic acquired resistance. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 59(5), 336–344. [IF 2022 - 11.4]
  14. Jaiswal P, Cheruku JR, Kumar K, Yadav S, Singh A, Kumari P, Dube SC, Upadhyaya KC, Verma PK* (2012). Differential transcript accumulation in chickpea during early phases of compatible interaction with a necrotrophic fungus Ascochyta rabiei. Molecular Biology Reports, 39, 4635–4646. [IF 2022 - 2.8]
  15. Singh A, Singh IK, Verma PK* (2008). Differential transcript accumulation in Cicer arietinum L. in response to a chewing insect Helicoverpa armigera and defence regulators correlate with reduced insect performance. Journal of Experimental Botany, 59(9), 2379–2392. [IF 2022 - 6.9]

Web Tools Developed:

Links for complete publication list:  ORCiD    Scopus   ResearchGate   Google Scholar