Faculty

Faculty Details


Faculty Details

  • Name: Prof. Rahul Kumar
  • Mail: rksluohyd.ac.in
  • Contact: 040-23134567
  • Area Of Research:Plant Biotechnology, Mineral nutrition, Functional Genomics, Genome-editing
Rahul Kumar completed his bachelor’s degree in Botany (Hons.) from Botany Department, Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi. After completing his masters degree from the Department of Botany, the University of Delhi in 2005, he joined the group of Prof. Akhilesh K. Tyagi and Dr. Arun K. Sharma, in the Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi South Campus, to pursue his doctoral research.  During his Ph.D, he contributed towards the completion of the sequencing of a part of chromosome 5 of tomato and genetic manipulation of tomato for altered fruit ripening. From 2014-16, he worked as a BELSPO Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the group of Prof. Jenny Jussinova, PSB/VIB, UGent, Belgium. During his postdoctoral research, his work focused on probing the molecular mechanisms controlling AP2-mediated BRI1 internalization in Arabidopsis. He is a recipient of many prestigious national and international awards and recognition, including UoH Chancellor's Award (2023), NASI-Scopus Award (2022), Y.S. Murty medal (2021), SPBB-SPRINGER young investigator award (2019), NASI Platinum Jubilee Young Scientist Award (2015), FWO (Flanders Research Foundation, Belgium) Travel award (2015), CSIR Travel Award (2013), BELSPO (Belgian) postdoctoral fellowship (2013), DST INSPIRE Young Faculty Award (2013), ENEA International Fellowship, Italy (2012), DST International Travel Support (2011, 2022), DBT Research Associate (2012-2013), Delhi University Merit Scholarship (2001-2003) and Dr. Harjinder Grover Memorial ZHDC Merit Scholarship (2003). Currently, he is a faculty of Plant Sciences at the University of Hyderabad. The main research interests of his laboratory are, first; to improve fruit ripening traits in tomato and, second;  to improve phosphate use efficiency and acquisition in crop species.

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Students/Projects Trainees

Name Joined As Mail Contact
Abhishek Roychowdhury Ph.D. Student meabhi1995@gmail.com ---
Akash Postdoctoral fellow akashpatelkni@gmail.com ---
Rajat Srivastava Postdoctoral fellow rajat.sri27@gmail.com ---
Stuti Kujur Ph.D. student stutikujur@gmail.com ---
Henjunaha Naorem Ph.D. student henjunahanaorem@gmail.com ---
Harshita Srivastav M.Sc. Student dollysrivastav97@gmail.com ---
Vishal Thakur M.Sc. Student 22LPMS18@uohyd.ac.in ---
Aishwarya M PhD student aishwaryabalakrishnan131@gmail.com ---
Mukesh Ph.D. 20lpph11@uohyd.ac.in ---

Former Students/Projects Trainees

Name Joined As Working
Veenavanka Malavika Intern student from Kakatiya University
Jayshri Bhosle Project assistant
Sanjeev Kumar Project Assistant
Laborsynrop Nongkhlaw M.Sc Student
Pranav Padmaraj MSc Student
B. Harika Project Assistant
Gayathri AG M.Sc student
GYANESH SHUKLA M.Sc. Student
39 Wang P, Siao S, Zhao X, Arora D, Wang R, Eeckhout D, Leene JV, Kumar R, Houbaert A, Winne N, Mylle E, Vandorpe M, Testerink RAK, Gevaert K, Vanneste S, De Jaeger G, Van Damme D, Russinova E (2023) , Mapping the adaptor protein complex interaction network in Arabidopsis identifies P34 as a common stability regulator , Nature Plant, ,,, IF - 15.8.
38 1. Kumar R*, Ngangkham U, and Abdullah SNA (2023) , Phosphorus Starvation in Plants , Frontiers in Plant Science , ,,, IF - 6.5.
37 Singh NRR, Roychowdhury A, Srivastava R, Akash, Gayathri AG, Parida AP, Kumar R* (2023) , Silencing of SlSPX1 and SlSPX2 promote growth and root mycorrhization in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings , Plant Science , ,333,,111723 IF - 5.5.
36 Gambhir P, Raghuvanshi U, Parida AP, Kujur S, Sopory SK, Kumar R *, Sharma AK * (2023) , Methylglyoxal controls tomato fruit ripening by regulating ethylene biosynthesis , Plant Physiology, ,,, IF - 8.
35 Gambhir P, Sharma AK, Kumar R* (2023) , The two faces of DJ-1D proteins , Trends in Plant Science, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2023.06.005,,,1-3 IF - 22.
34 Srivastava r, Roychowdhury A, Kumar R (2022) , Host SPX-PHR regulatory circuit: the molecular dynamo steering mycorrhization in plants , Plant Cell Reports, ,,, IF - 4.5.
33 Gambhir P, Singh V; Raghuvanshi U Parida, AP, Pareek, A, Roychowdhury A, Sopory SK, Kumar R*, and Sharma A*K (2022) , A glutathione-independent DJ-1/PfpI domain-containing tomato glyoxalaseIII2, SlGLYIII2, confers enhanced tolerance under salt and osmotic stresses , Plant Cell and Environment, ,,, IF - 7.9.
32 Gambhir P, Parida AP, Singh V, Raghuvanshi U, Kumar R*, and Sharma AK* (2022) , Ethylene response factor ERF.D7 activates auxin response factor 2 paralogs to regulate tomato fruit ripening , Plant Physiology, ,190,,2775-2796 IF - 8.
31 Salava H, Thula S, Mohan V, Kumar R, and Maghuly, F. (2021) , Application of Genome Editing in Tomato Breeding: Mechanisms, Advances, and Prospects , International Journal of Molecular Sciences, MDPI,22,,682 IF - 4.5.
30 Akash, Parida AP, Srivastava A, Mathur S, Sharma AK, Kumar R (2021) , Identification, evolutionary profiling, and expression analysis of F-box superfamily genes under phosphate deficiency in tomato , Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Elsevier,,, IF - 4.03.
29 Kujur S, Senthil-Kumar M, and Kumar R (2021) , Plant viral vectors: expanding the possibilities of precise gene editing in plant genomes , Plant Cell Reports, ,,, IF - 3.8.
28 Singh NRR, Sharma SS, Tata Narsinga Rao T, Pant H, Srikanth VVSS, and Kumar R* (2021) , Cryo-milled nano-DAP for enhanced growth of monocot and dicot plants. , DOI:10.1039/D1NA00283J , Nanoscale Advances, The Royal Society of Chemistry,,,.
27 Rajat Srivastava, Parul Sirohi, Harsh Chauhan, Rahul Kumar (2021) , The enhanced phosphorus use efficiency in phosphate-deficient and mycorrhiza-inoculated barley seedlings involves activation of different sets of PHT1 transporters in roots , Planta, Springer,,, IF - 4.1.
26 Mishra SK, Poonia AK, Chaudhary R, Baranwal VK, Arora D, Kumar R, Chauhan H (2020) , Genome-wide identification, phylogeny and expression analysis of HSF gene family in barley during abiotic stress response and reproductive development , The PlantGene, Elsevier B.V. ,23,,100231 IF - 1.9.
25 1. Liu D, Kumar R, Claus ANC, Johnson AJ, Siao W, Vanhoutte I, Wang P, Bender KW, Yperman K, Martins S, Zhao X, Vert G, Van Damme D, Friml J, Russinova (2020) , Endocytosis of BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 is Partly Driven by a Canonical Tyrosine-based Motif , The Plant Cell, ,,, IF - 9.6.
24 Rajat Srivastava, Akash, Adwaita Prasad Parida, Pankaj Kumar Chauhan, Rahul Kumar (2020) , Identification, structure analysis, and transcript profiling of purple acid phosphatases under Pi deficiency in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and its wild relatives , International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, ELSEVIER,165,,2253-2266 IF - 5.1.
23 Rajat Srivastava,Rahul Kumar (2019) , The expanding roles of APETALA2/Ethylene Responsive Factors and their potential application in crop improvement , Briefings in Functional Genomics , ,18,,240-254 IF - 3.8.
22 Chaudhary R,Baranwal VK,Kumar R,Sircar D,Chauhan H (2019) , Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of Hsp70, Hsp90, and Hsp100 heat shock protein genes in barley under stress conditions and reproductive development , Functional , ,19,,1007–1022 IF - 2.7.
21 Gupta BB,Selter LL,Baranwal VK,Arora D,Mishra SK,Sirohi P,Poonia AK,Chaudhary R,Kumar R,Krattinger SG,Chauhan H (2019) , Updated inventory, evolutionary and expression analyses of G (PDR) type ABC transporter genes of rice , Plant Physiology and Biochemistry , ,142,,429–439 IF - 2.9.
20 Chaudhary J,Khatri P,Singla P,Kumawat S,Kumari A,Vinaykumar R,Vikram A,Jindal SK,Kardile H,Kumar R,Sonah H,Deshmukh R (2019) , Advances in Omics Approaches for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Tomato , Biology, ,8,,90.
19 Zhou, Jinggeng., Liu, Derui., Wang, Ping., Ma, Xiyu., Lin, Wenwei., Chen, Sixue., Mishev, Kiril., Lu, Dongping., Kumar, Rahul., Vanhoutte, Isabelle., (2018) , Regulation of Arabidopsis brassinosteroid receptor BRI1 endocytosis and degradation by plant U-box PUB12/PUB13-mediated ubiquitination , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences,115,8,E1906-E1915.
18 Sravankumar, Thula., Naik, NandKiran., Kumar, Rahul., (2018) , A ripening-induced SlGH3-2 gene regulates fruit ripening via adjusting auxin-ethylene levels in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) , Plant molecular biology, Springer Netherlands,98,4-5,455-469.
17 Pareek, Amit., Khurana, Ashima., K Sharma, Arun., Kumar, Rahul., (2017) , An overview of signaling regulons during cold stress tolerance in plants , Current genomics, Bentham Science Publishers,18,6,498-511.
16 Rahul Kumar, Pankaj Kumar Chauhan, Ashima Khurana., (2016) , Identification and expression profiling of DNA methyltransferases during development and stress conditions in Solanaceae , Functional and Integrative Genomics, ,16,,513.
15 Kumar, Rahul., (2016) , Evolutionary Trails of Plant Group II Pyridoxal Phosphate-Dependent Decarboxylase Genes , Frontiers in Plant Sciences, ,,,.
14 Ortiz-Morea FA, Savatin DV, Dejonghe W, Kumar R, Luo Y, Adamowski M, Van den Begin Jos, Dressano K, Pereira de Oliveira G, Zhao X, Lu Q, Madder A, Friml J, Moura D, Russinova E., (2016) , Danger-associated peptide signaling in Arabidopsis requires clathrin , PNAS, ,,,.
13 Agarwal P, Kumar R, Pareek A, Sharma AK., (2016) , Fruit preferential activity of the tomato RIP1 gene promoter in transgenic tomato and Arabidopsis. , Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Springer,,,.
12 Kumar, Rahul., (2015) , Genomic Survey, Gene Expression, and Interaction Analysis Suggest Diverse Roles of ARF and Aux/IAA Proteins in Solanaceae , Plant molecular biology reporter, ,,,.
11 Kumar, Rahul., Khurana, Ashima., Sharma, Arun K., (2014) , Role of plant hormones and their interplay in development and ripening of fleshy fruits , Journal of experimental botany, Oxford University Press,65,16,4561-4575.
10 Kumar, Rahul., Khurana, Ashima., (2014) , Functional genomics of tomato: opportunities and challenges in post-genome NGS era , Journal of biosciences, Springer India,39,5,917-929.
9 Khurana, Ashima., Kumar, Rahul., Babbar, Shashi B., (2014) , Nitric oxide is involved in salicylic acid-induced flowering of Lemna aequinoctialis Welw. , Acta physiologiae plantarum, Springer Berlin Heidelberg,36,10,2827-2833.
8 Kumar, Rahul., Khurana, Ashima., Sharma, Arun K., (2013) , Molecular regulators of fruit ripening , Stewart Postharvest Review, Stewart Postharvest Review,9,4,.
7 Kumar, Rahul., Agarwal, Priyanka., Tyagi, Akhilesh K., Sharma, Arun K., (2012) , Genome-wide investigation and expression analysis suggest diverse roles of auxin-responsive GH3 genes during development and response to different stimuli in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) , Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Springer,,,1-15.
6 Kumar, Rahul., Sharma, Manoj K., Kapoor, Sanjay., Tyagi, Akhilesh K., Sharma, Arun K., (2012) , Transcriptome analysis of rin mutant fruit and in silico analysis of promoters of differentially regulated genes provides insight into LeMADS-RIN-regulated ethylene-dependent as well as ethylene-independent aspects of ripening in tomato , Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Springer,,,1-15.
5 Sato, Shusei., Tabata, Satoshi., Hirakawa, Hideki., Asamizu, Erika., Shirasawa, Kenta., Isobe, Sachiko., Kaneko, Takakazu., Nakamura, Yasukazu., Shibata, Daisuke., Egholm, Michael., (2012) , The tomato genome sequence provides insights into fleshy fruit evolution , Nature, ,485,,635-641.
4 Kumar, Rahul., Tyagi, Akhilesh K., Sharma, Arun K., (2011) , Genome-wide analysis of auxin response factor (ARF) gene family from tomato and analysis of their role in flower and fruit development , Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Springer,285,3,245-260.
3 Sharma, Manoj K., Kumar, Rahul., Solanke, Amolkumar U., Sharma, Rita., Tyagi, Akhilesh K., Sharma, Arun K., (2010) , Identification, phylogeny, and transcript profiling of ERF family genes during development and abiotic stress treatments in tomato , Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Springer,284,6,455-475.
2 Mueller, Lukas A., Lankhorst, Rene Klein., Tanksley, Steven D., Giovannoni, James J., White, Ruth., Vrebalov, Julia., Fei, Zhangjun., van Eck, Joyce., Buels, Robert., Mills, Adri A., (2009) , A snapshot of the emerging tomato genome sequence , The Plant Genome, Crop Science Society of America,2,1,78-92.
1 Gupta, Vikrant., Mathur, Saloni., Solanke, Amolkumar U., Sharma, Manoj K., Kumar, Rahul., Vyas, Shailendra., Khurana, Paramjit., Khurana, Jitendra P., Tyagi, Akhilesh K., Sharma, Arun K., (2009) , Genome analysis and genetic enhancement of tomato , Critical reviews in biotechnology, Taylor & Francis,29,2,152-181.
Title Year Duration Amount(In Lakhs) PI/I
An Automated System for tracking Physical Characteristic Changes in Tomatoes 2022 2 100000000000 CoPI
Creation of a genetic resource of ........fruit ripening and phosphate starvation response 2019 3 200000000000 PI
Engineering of ................ traits in tomato 2019 3 408300000000 PI
Understanding genetic diversity ..... to low phosphate in tomato 2019 3 350000000000 PI
Exploring the natural .. for phosphate starvation responses 2019 2 118200000000 PI
Investigations on the carotenoids level in tomato genotypes with altered ethylene signalling 2017 1 35000000000 PI
Genetic manipulation of ripening-associated ERFs for the regulation of ripening in tomato 2013 5 350000000000 PI

1.        Invited valedictory lecture entitled “Practical considerations of plant genome editing” on 30th September 2023 in a workshop on CRISPR-Cas, held at AgriBiotech Foundation, Hyderabad.

2.        Invited lecture entitle “Methylglyoxal homeostasis during tomato fruit ripening” on 28th September 2023 at IPPG, Sofia Bulgaria.

3.        Selected lecture entitled “Gene-editing of tomato F-box gene SlFBX2L1 reveals its role in phosphate starvation response and fruit ripening” on 27th September 2023 in International Conference of Plant System Biology and Biotechnology, held at Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

4.        Invited lecture entitled “Metabolic Adaptations of phosphorus starved plants” on 9th August, 2023 as a Resource Person in the Refresher Course on Life Sciences (July 31-August 12 2023), UGC-HRDC, University of Hyderabad.

5.        Invited lecture on “Genome editing in plant specific steps and reagents used in plant genome editing” on 28th July 2023 at The UoH CRISPR Workshop 2023 held at School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad.

6.        Invited lecture entitled “CRISPR/Cas9 based gene-editing of a tomato F-box gene identifies its role in phosphate starvation response and fruit ripening” in International Conference On Plant Biotechnology and Genome Editing on June 29, 2023, held at Kakatiya University, Warangal, Telangana, India.

7.        Invited lecture on ‘Plant viral vector applications in functional genomics and gene-editing’ in an ICAR sponsored winter school on “Development, Evaluation, and Biosafety Assessment of Genome Edited Crops: Hands-on Training” from 20 January to 9 February 2023 at DRR, Hyderabad.

8.        Selected lecture on “Ethylene response factor SlERF.D7 controls tomato fruit ripening by activating SlARF2 paralogs” in an International Conference “Innovations in Biology and Medicine-2023 (IBM-2023)” held from 21st to 23rd of February, 2023 at University College, Telangana University, Nizamabad, India.

9.      Invited lecture on “Viral vectors and their applications in plant functional genomics” in the International Conference on Virus Evolution, Infection and Disease Control on December 14, 2022, at the School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad.

10.  Lecture on “A ripening-associated ethylene response factor ERF.D7 positively regulates fruit ripening via controlling the transcription of ARF2 orthologs in tomato” in the XVII International Conference on the Plant Family of Solanaceae held at Thessaloniki, Greece from November 1-5, 2022.

11.  Invited talk on “Synthesis & Characterization of Nano-particles in specific to Nano DAP” in One day Workshop on “Effective use of Nano fertilizers in Agriculture” Jointly organized by ICAR-IIRR, Hyderabad and Coromandel International Ltd, Hyderabad held on Sept 1, 2022 at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

12.    Lecture on ‘Basics workflow of plant functional genomics and genes characterization’’ in the SERB-funded Online workshop on plant functional genomics techniques” on May 9-10, 2022 at Dept. of Plant Sciences, UoH under the Social scientific responsibility scheme of a SERB funded project.

13.    Lecture on ‘The basics of gene editing in plants’’ in the SERB-funded Online workshop on plant functional genomics techniques” on May 9-10, 2022 at Dept. of Plant Sciences, UoH under the Social scientific responsibility scheme of a SERB funded project.

14.    Lecture on “CRISPR/Cas based genome manipulation strategies for improving agricultural traits” in a Short term certificate course on “Climate Change and Food Security: Issues, Challenges, and Strategies” organized by Phytomics: The Botanical Society, Department of Botany, Bhaskaracharya College, University of Delhi, held online on January 5, 2022.

15.    Lecture on ‘The expanding roles of CRISPR-Cas systems’’ in the SERB funded Hands-on training on CRISPR/Cas9 mediated Gene-editing in plants workshop organized at Dept. of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad, on October 6, 2021.

16.    Lecture on ‘Agrobacterium and stable plant transformation’ in the SERB funded Hands-on training on CRISPR/Cas9 mediated Gene-editing in plants workshop organized at Dept. of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad, on October 6, 2021.

17.    Lecture on ‘The basics of gene-editing in plants’ in the SERB funded Hands-on training on CRISPR/Cas9 mediated Gene-editing in plants workshop organized at Dept. of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad, on October 4, 2021.

18.    Hands-on training on “Sequence Retrieval from Databases” in a National Workshop on Resources, Tools, and its Applications (for undergraduate students) organized by Department of Botany, Zakir Husain Delhi College on 22nd July 2021.

19.    Lecture on “Genomics and its applications in
Plant Research” in Webinar on “Genomics and its Applications” organized by the Department of Biochemistry and Plant Physiology in Collaboration with Center for Genetics and Genomics, Centurion University of Technology and Management on July 7th 2021.

20.    Lecture on “Phosphorus management and food security: taking cues from plants” in the Refresher Course in ‘Life Sciences’ organized by UoH HRDC, Hyderabad (Nov 16-28, 2020) on November 24, 2020.

21.    Lecture of “Cell signalling amid phosphate crisis” in the Refresher Course in ‘Life Sciences’ organized by MANUU, Hyderabad (Sept 17-30, 2020) on September 18, 2020.

22.    Lecture on “Genome editing technologies and applications” in a training course “Techniques in Molecular Biology” organized workshop organized by Agri Biotech Foundation, Hyderabad on March 18, 2020.

23.    SPBB Young Scientist Investigator Award presentation entitled “Identification and functional elucidation of ripening-associated genes in tomato” in National conference on Integrative Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology held at IIRR, Hyderabad on November 8, 2019.

24.    Lecture on “Web and reagent resources for initiation of gene editing research” in a workshop on “Gene Editing for Enhancing Plant Productivity and Stress Tolerance” held at IIRR, Hyderabad on November 11, 2019.

25.    Co-chaired a session entitled SOIL HEALTH in 4th International Conference on Advances in Agriculture & Animal Sciences towards Global Food Security Agriculture & Animal Husbandry held at SLS, University of Hyderabad on Aug 28-30, 2019

26.    Lecture entitled “Understanding and improving phosphate-use-efficiency in crops for sustainable agriculture and food security” in 4th International Conference on Advances in Agriculture & Animal Sciences towards Global Food Security Agriculture & Animal Husbandry held at SLS, University of Hyderabad on Aug 28-30, 2019.

27.    Invited lecture entitled “Applications of plant tissue culture in plant biotechnology and agronomic trait improvement” in a Workshop on \'Tissue Culture Techniques\' on March 9, 2019 at ZHDC, University of Delhi.

28.    Invited lecture to showcase ongoing research at PTRL in ‘Young Investigators’ talks on 33rd Foundation Day of Department of Biotechnology on 26th February, 2019 at National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi.

29.  Invited lecture entitled “Science, Technology and Sustainable food” at UGC-HRDC, University of Hyderabad as a resource person on July 3, 2018.

30.  Rahul Kumar: Genome engineering of tomato for improved agronomic traits. Lecture in the BioQuest-2017 at School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad on October 13, 2017.

31.    Rahul Kumar. Structural and Functional genomics of tomato fruit development and ripening. Invited lecture at Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad on 27th June, 2016.

32.  Rahul Kumar.  Genetically edited fruit crops: A way forward. Invited lecture in the National Symposium on Biotechnology in Crop Improvement: Prospects & Challenges, organized by Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi on April 1, 2016.

33.  Rahul Kumar1, Priyanka Agarwal, Manoj K. Sharma1, Sanjay Kapoor, Akhilesh K. Tyagi and Arun K. Sharma. Transcriptome analysis of wild type and rin mutant fruits for identification of the regulators of ethylene-dependent as well as ethylene-independent aspects of fruit ripening in tomato. Invited lecture at the 1st National Science Day Symposium 2012, held at University of Delhi South Campus, on Feb. 27-28, 2012.