Inhaltspezifische Aktionen

Augustine, Sruthy Maria

 Postdoc

 

Research overview

The focus of my research is to develop abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants using genome editing.  I have working experience in different plant species such as sugarcane, rice, wheat, tobacco, tomato, petunia, N benthamiana and A thaliana as well as wild relatives of sugarcane Erianthus spp. and Spontaneum spp. For the development of abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants 1) overexpression of drought responsive genes under the control of stress inducible promoter and 2) genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9. Now I am focusing more on Triticum durum and Vicia faba.

 

Research experience

  • July 2020 – Present   Postdoctoral researcher, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
  • July 2018 – June 2020 Project coordinator (Postdoctoral researcher), Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
  • June 2016 – June 2018 Postdoctoral researcher, Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
  • June 2016 – June 2020 Visiting scientist, Fraunhofer IME, Aachen, Germany
  • July 2015 – March 2016 Postdoctoral researcher, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany

 

Grants and Fellowships

  • 2020 – 2023 WheatAdapt: Adapting wheat to abiotic stress via stress-responsive membrane stabilization (DFG, AOBJ: 668916).
  • 2020 – 2022 Just’us fellowship.
  • 2018-2020 ASTRA: Delivery of Ribonucleoproteins through Cavitation Bubble Induced Shock Wave and Improved Event Screening for Fast Regeneration of Abiotic Stress Tolerant Crop Plants (BMBF, FKZ- 031B0536).

 

Skills/Expertise/Interests

  • Genome editing for the development of abiotic stress tolerance using CRISPR-Cas9 technique
  • Development of abiotic stress tolerance using transgenic technology
  • Development of tissue culture methods
  • NGS data analysis
  • Advanced microscopy

 

Patents

Bortesi L, Augustine SM, Fischer R, Sack M, Zischewski J (2017) EU3392339. Improved genome editing in plant cells. (Patent application no. 17166753.8.).

Augustine SM, Cherian AV, Seiling K, Di Fiore S, Raven N, Schillberg S, Commandeur U (2020). Cavitation bubble-induced shock waves for efficient DNA-free genome editing in plants (EP20196437.6).

Augustine SM, Cherian AV, Seiling K, Di Fiore S, Raven N, Schillberg S, Commandeur U (2020). Methods for producing transformed plants (EP20196444.2).

 

Publications

Augustine SM, Tzigos S, Snowdon R (2022). Heat-Killed Tobacco Mosaic Virus Mitigates Plant Abiotic Stress Symptoms. Microorganisms. 11, 87.

Augustine SM, Cherian AV, Seiling K, Di Fiore S, Raven N, Commandeur U, Schillberg S (2021). Targeted mutagenesis in Nicotiana tabacum ADF gene using shockwave-mediated ribonucleoprotein delivery increases osmotic stress tolerance. Physiologia Plantarum. 173(3):993-1007.

Jansing J, Sack M, Augustine SM, Fischer R, Bortesi L. (2018). CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of six glycosyltransferase genes in Nicotiana benthamiana for the production of recombinant proteins lacking β-1,2-xylose and core α-1,3-fucose. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 17(2):350-361.

Reischauer S, Stone OA, Villasenor A, Chi N, Jin SW, Martin M, Lee MT, Fukuda N, Marass M, Witty A, Fiddes I, Kuo T, Chung WS, Salek S, Lerrigo R, Alsiö J, Luo S, Tworus D, Augustine SM, Mucenieks S, Nystedt B, Giraldez AJ, Schroth GP, Andersson O, Stainier DY(2016). Cloche is a bHLH-PAS    transcription    factor    that    drives    haemato-vascular    specification.    Nature.535 (7611):294-8.

Cherian AV, Fukuda R, Augustine SM, Maischein H-M, and Stainier DY (2016).   N-cadherin relocalization during cardiac trabeculation.   Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (27):7569-74.

Augustine SM, Cherian AV, Syamaladevi DP, Subramonian N. (2015): Erianthus arundinaceus HSP70 (EaHSP70) acts as a key regulator in the formation of anisotropic interdigitation in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid) in response to drought stress. Plant and Cell Physiology. 56 (12):2368-80.

Augustine SM,  Narayan  JA,  Syamaladevi  DP,  Appunu  C,  Chakravarthi  M, Ravichandran V, Subramonian N. (2015): Erianthus arundinaceus HSP70 (EaHSP70) overexpression increases drought and salinit y tolerance in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid). Plant Science. 232: 23–34.

Augustine    SM,   Narayan   JA,   Syamaladevi   DP,   Appunu   C,   Chakravarthi   M, Ravichandran V, Tuteja N, Subramonian N. (2015): Overexpression of EaDREB2 and pyramiding with the pea DNA Helicase gene PDH45 enhance drought and salinity tolerance in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid). Plant Cell Reports. 34:247-263.

Augustine SM,   Narayan   JA,   Syamaladevi   DP,   Appunu   C,   Chakravarthi   M, Ravichandran V, Tuteja N, Subramonian N. (2015): Introduction of Pea DNA Helicase 45 into sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid) enhances cell membrane thermostability and abiotic stress tolerance. Molecular Biotechnology. 57:475–488.

Augustine SM, Syamaladevi DP, Premachandran MN,  Ravichandran  V,  Subramonian N. (2015): Physiological and Molecular Insights to Drought Responsiveness in Erianthus spp. Sugar Tech. 17(2):121-129.

Chakravarthi  M.,  Syamaladevi  DP.,  Harunipriya  P,  Augustine  SM,  Subramonian  N. (2015).  A novel PR10 promoter from Erianthus arundinaceus directs high constitutive transgene expression and is enhanced upon wounding in heterologous plant systems. Molecular Biology Reports. 43(1):17-30.

 

Contact information

Justus Liebig University

Department of Plant Breeding

IFZ Research Centre for Biosystems, Land Use and Nutrition

Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32

35392 Giessen, Germany

Phone: (0641) 99 37423

E-mail: 

Room: B320