Synthetic Biology and Bioprocessing

Due to concerns about energy security, sustainability, and global climate change, continuous research efforts are made to use renewable carbon source for production of chemicals and biofuels. Non-fodder cellulosic biomass, major source of carbon on earth, is generally used as precursor carbon. A few microorganisms have evolved to produce an array of cellulose disintegrating enzymes. We are interested in the discovery, characterization, and engineering of new biosynthetic pathways involved in cellulase production. With leads from Next Generation sequencing and proteomics, we aim at rewiring metabolic network by knock-in/out transcription factors in microbial system resulting in enhanced enzyme or metabolite production.

Proteins are natural building blocks of all living organisms. Many natural proteins are enzymes that catalyze biochemical reactions and are essential for metabolism. We conduct interdisciplinary research in the field of protein engineering. We wish to understand and improve protein functionalities for biotechnologies. Specifically, we develop enzymes using rational or directed protein engineering technique for different biotechnology application such as diet for amino acid disorders, food processing, cellulose disintegration etc.

The goal of bioprocessing research is to obtain fundamental knowledge that will provide a foundation by which biotechnology is translated into products and technologies that define human activity: food, fuel, bioproducts, and health. The research addresses unit operations that encompass bioreactors, chromatography, membrane separations, and enzyme transformations, as well as other thermochemical catalytic processes.

• INSPIRE Faculty Award (2015-2020)
• Initiated Start up company “Butacel Bioresearch Pvt Ltd” for biochemical production
• ABLE-BEST Entrepreneurship Award

• Sudipt Kumar Dalie
  PhD Student
  sudipt.kumar@rcb.res.in

• Shriya Singh
  PhD Student
  shriya.singh@rcb.res.in

• Shivam Aggarwal
  Integrated PhD Student
  shivam.aggarwal@rcb.res.in

• Kunal
  Integrated PhD Student
  kunal.meena@rcb.res.in

• Murlidhar Madhukar
  Project JRF
  murlimadhukar@gmail.com

• Siddhi Pavale
  Integrated PhD Student
  siddhi@rcb.res.in

1. Aggarwal S, Dorairaj S, Adlakha N* (2023). Stoichiometric balance ratio of cellobiose and gentiobiose induces cellulase production in Talaromyces cellulolyticus. Biotechnol Biofuels Bioprod. 2023 Mar 16;16(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s13068-023-02296-1.

2. Yadav K, Arora D, Jatain I, Dubey KK, Dhaka N, Kaur I, Adlakha N* (2023). Combining in silico and in vitro approaches to understand the involvement of MEP and shikimate pathway in Agrobacterium tumefaciens for enhanced CoQ10 production. J Appl Microbiol. 2023 May 9:lxad097. doi: 10.1093/jambio/lxad097.

3. Meena K, Alam S, Dalei SK, Khare SK, Adlakha N* (2023). Continuous preparation of low-phenylalanine formulations by treatment of edible protein with immobilized phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. Process Biochemistry. Volume 131, 2023, Pages 67-76, ISSN 1359-5113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2023.06.004.

4. Narisetty V, Adlakha N, Kumar Singh N, Dalei S, Prabhu AA, Nagarajan S, Naresh Kumar A, Amruthraj Nagoth J, Kumar G, Singh V, Kumar V (2022). Integrated Biorefineries for Repurposing of Food Wastes into Value-added Products. Bioresour Technol. Sep 1:127856. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127856.PMID: 36058538

5. Srivastava A, Nagar P, Rathore S, Adlakha N*. (2022) The Linker Region Promotes Activity and Binding Efficiency of Modular LPMO towards Polymeric Substrate. Microbiol Spectr, doi: 10.1128/spectrum.02697-21

6. Kumar Dalei S, Adlakha N*. (2022) Food Regime for Phenylketonuria: Presenting Complications and Possible Solutions. J Multidiscip Healthc, 15:125

7. Kaur C, Gupta M, Garai S, Mishra SK, Chauhan PS, Sopory S, Singla-Pareek SL, Adlakha N*, Pareek A. Microbial methylglyoxal metabolism contributes towards growth promotion and stress tolerance in plants. Environ Microbiol. 2021 Aug 25. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.15743. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34435423. (*-co-corresponding author)

8. Nidhi Adlakha, Neha Munjal. (2020) Microorganisms for enhanced production of 2,3 butanediol and uses thereof . Indian Patent No.-337873

9. Joshi H, Malik A, Aggarwal S, Munde M, Maitra SS, Adlakha N*, Bhatnagar R. (2019) In-vitro Detection of Phytopathogenic Fungal Cell Wall by Polyclonal Sera Raised Against Trimethyl Chitosan Nanoparticles. Int J Nanomedicine. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S220488 (*co-corresponding author)

10. Gupta M, Chauhan PS, Sopory SK, Singla-Pareek SL, Pareek A, Adlakha N*, Kaur C. (2019) Draft Genome Sequence of a Potential Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacterium, Pseudomonas sp. Strain CK-NBRI-02.. Microbiol Resour Announc. doi: 10.1128/MRA.01113-19 (*co-corresponding author).

11. Gupta V, Chaudhary N, Adlakha N, Gulati P, Bhatnagar R (2017). Functional analysis of BAS2108-2109 two component system: Evidence for protease regulation in Bacillus anthracis. The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology

12. Pasari N, AdlakhaN,..,Yazdani SS (2017). Impact of Module-X2 and Carbohydrate Binding Module-3 on the catalytic activity of associated glycoside hydrolases towards plant biomass. Scientific Reports

13. Adlakha N, Pfau T, Ebenhoeh O, Yazdani SS (2015). Insight into metabolic pathways of the potential biofuel producer, Paenibacillus polymyxa ICGEB2008. Biotechnology for Biofuels

14. Adlakha N, Yazdani SS (2015). Efficient production of 2,3-butanediol from cellulosic hydrolysate using Paenibacillus sp. ICGEB2008 as a model organism. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology

15. Bashir Z†, Kondapalli V†, Adlakha N, Sharma A, Bhatnagar R, Yazdani SS (2013). († first authorship shared) Diversity and functional significance of cellulolytic microbes living in the guts of termite, pill bug and stem borer. Scientific Reports

16. Adlakha N, Ritturaj H, Rajagopal R, and Yazdani SS (2013). Draft Genome sequence of the Paenibacillus sp. ICGEB2008 (MTCC 5639) Isolated from the Gut of Helicoverpa armigera. Genome Announcement

17. Gupta S, Adlakha N, Yazdani SS (2012). Efficient extracellular secretion of an endoglucanase and a β- glucosidase in E. coli. Protein Expression and Purification

18. Adlakha N, Vir P and Verma I (2012). Interaction of narrow molecular mass fraction of mycobacterial secretory proteome with Type II alveolar epithelial cells. Lung India

19. Adlakha N, Sawant S, Anil A, Lali A and Yazdani SS (2012). Fusion of 1,4-β-endoglucanase and 1,4-β- glucosidase enhances the cellulolytic activity and helps in channeling of the intermediates. Applied and Environmental Microbiology

20. Adlakha N, Rajagopal R, Kumar S, Reddy VS and Yazdani SS (2011). Synthesis and characterization of a chimeric protein based on cellulase and xylanase enzymes from insect gut bacterium. Applied and Environmental Microbiology