2. Genesis
A manpower development programme in Biotechnology
initiated during 1988 through PG-Biotechnology
programme with the support of DBT, GoI.
Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Major activities
Education
Research

3. Education
Under Graduate Education
B. Tech. (Biotechnology)
B. Tech. (Bioinformatics)
Post Graduate Education
M.Sc. (Biotechnology)
M.Tech (Biotech & Business
Management)
PhD (Biotechnology)

4. Major Areas of Biotech Research
 Isolation of genes conferring agronomic traits
 Novel genes to overcome IPR issues
 Genetic transformation of crops for improved
agronomic traits
 Wider choice of genes for incorporation into crops
 Marker Assisted Breeding for improving agronomic
traits in crop plants
 Improves the efficiency with which breeders can
select plants with desirable combinations of genes

5. Major Target Traits
Abiotic stress resistance
Drought resistance
Submergence tolerance
Salt tolerance
Biotic stress resistance
Insect resistance
Disease resistance
Nutritional quality

6. Abiotic Stress Resistance

7. • Duration– 100 -105 days
• Season– September-October (NE Monsoon)
• Yield (from 40 OFTs) – 3900 kg/ha (rainfed)
– 6600 kg/ha (semi dry)
• Grain type – Long slender white rice
• Increase in yield over PMK (R) 3 - 14.40 %
• Suitable for cultivation under rainfed
condition in Ramnad and Sivagangai Districts
• Moderately resistant to sheath rot and blast
diseases

8. Submergence Tolerance
About 3 lakh ha paddy is affected frequently by submergence
in cauvery delta zone
Necessitates the development of submergence tolerant rice
varieties
Marker Assisted Introgression of Sub1 locus conferring
tolerance to flooding into elite rice varieties of Tamil Nadu

9. Submergence Tolerance
FR13A Sub1 locus was introgressed into a widely grown Asian
rice cultivar “Swarna” using marker-assisted selection
Submergence tolerant versions of CR1009, Savithri, Samba
Mahsuri and IR 64 are already available for cultivation
Submergence tolerant versions of CO 43 and White Ponni are
being developed to target flooding prone areas
White Ponni Co43 FR13A
Recovery after 13 days of submergence

10. Salt Tolerance
Introgression of salT locus conferring tolerance against salinity
stress into elite rice varieties of Tamil Nadu
A major QTL called salT located on chromosome 1 of a salt
tolerant variety “FL 478” controlling salinity tolerance will be
targeted for introgression
Development of salinity tolerant versions of ADT 36 and White
Ponni
White Ponni FL 478
Control 80mM 150 mM Control 80 mM 150 mM
10 days after treatment

11. Genetic engineering of sugarcane for abiotic
stress tolerance
AtDREB1a gene from Arabidopsis thaliana
BcZAT12 gene from Brassica carinata
Co86032 transformed with AtDREB1a
20 transgenic lines obtained
CoC671 transformed with BcZAT12
11 transgenic lines obtained

12. Cotton Varieties with Drought Tolerance
and Extra Long Staple Fibre
Objectives
To characterize cotton germplasm for drought tolerance
using biochemical, physio-morphological traits and
molecular markers
To identify DNA markers linked to drought tolerance and
fibre quality traits
Development of mapping populations in progress
MCU5 X KC3
MCU5 X TCH1218
KC3 X Suvin and
TCH1218 X Suvin

13. Insect & Disease Resistance

14. Development of DNA markers linked to
plant-hopper resistance in rice
A Mapping population involving from IR50 and
Rathu-Heenathi (a genotype resistant to BPH)
developed and now in F8 stage
 Two SSR markers viz., RM3180 (18.22 Mb) and 25
RM2453 (20.19 Mb) showed significant association
with BPH resistance in the Bulked Segregant Analysis
at F7 stage

15. Developing bacterial blight resistant rice
Xa genes conferring resistance to bacterial blight are
routinely transferred to elite rice cultivars through
maker assisted breeding
Pyramiding resistance genes Xa4,xa5, xa13 and Xa21
into high yielding adopted rice varieties (ADT 43 and
ADT 47) through MAS using IRBB60-1-5 (resistant) as
donor is in progress
30 genotypes showing higher level of resistance were
identified with three genes (xa5, xa13 and Xa21) in
homozygous state.
Resistance reaction of susceptible (A) and
pyramided (B) lines against Xoo isolates A B

16. Development of gall midge, blast and
bacterial blight resistant rice varieties
Gall midge resistant version of Co43
pyramided with GM1 and GM4 developed
through marker assisted breeding
Bacterial blight resistant version of ASD16
pyramided with xa13 and Xa21 developed
through markers assisted selection
Gall midge resistant Co43 and bacterial
blight resistant ASD16 will be crossed with
a DRR line (BPT5204 X Tetap) and VRP1
for incorporation of blast resistant genes
Pikh and Pi9 respectively
Silver shoot in ratoon crop

17. Bt Brinjal
• Four elite genotypes, CO2, MDU1, KKM1 and PLR1 were
converted into Bt versions by introgression of cry1Ac
gene from Mahyco’s elite event through back-cross
breeding programme
• All Bt genotypes had significantly higher fruit yield as
compared to their non-Bt counterparts.
• Bt brinjal offer adequate level of resistance to BFSB and
show potential for significantly higher marketable yield
Co2 MDU1 KKM1 PLR1

18. Indigenous Bt genes
Local isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis collected and
evaluated against major lepidopteran pests
Novel Bt genes isolated from promising isolates
Proteins from cloned Bt genes were tested by
bioassay
A novel chimeric cry2A gene made
Promising Bt genes (belonging to
cry2A group) being introduced in crops
cry2A for leaf folder in rice

19. New Bt gene discovery
S. No Gene Year Country
1 cry2Aa 1989 USA
2 cry2Ab 1989 USA
3 cry2Ac 1991 USA
4 cry2Ad 1999 Korea
5 cry2Ae 2003 USA
6 cry2Af 2007 Australia
7 cry2Ag 2008 China
8 cry2Ah 2008 China
9 cry2Ai 2009 TNAU, India
http://www.lifesci.sussex.ac.uk/home/Neil_Crickmore/Bt/intro.html

20. Bt Cotton
Insect Resistant Cotton
Standardization of regeneration and
transformation protocols for Coker
genotypes
Regeneration of
Agrobacterium-mediated transformed plants
Transformation of Coker genotypes
with a chimeric cry2A gene
In planta transformation of MCU5,
MCU12 and MCU13

21. Bt Brinjal
Indigenously isolated, synthetic cry2A genes to
control fruit and shoot borer
Target genotypes: CO2, Elavambadi Local
Transgenic plants generated using Agrobacterium
method
Regeneration of plants from cotyledons Regenerated of plants Transgenic plant

22. Engineering resistance against banana
bunchy top virus
The replication of virus is targeted
through RNA interference approach
RNAi vector targeting the BBTV Rep
gene constructed
Agrobacterium- mediated
transformation of hill banana with
developed RNAi construct to impart
BBTV resistance

23. Engineering resistance against banana bunchy top
virus
More than 75 putative
transgenic hill banana plants
were generated and established
in transgenic greenhouse.
Bioassay results showed that
BBTV resistance in all eight
transgenic hill banana lines
tested

24. Engineering resistance in papaya
against the papaya ring spot virus
Viral coat protein gene and replicase genes are suppressed
through RNA interference approach to contain virus
replication
RNAi vector targeting these genes made
Biolistic and Agrobacterium- mediated transformation of Co7
papaya with the RNAi construct is on-going

25. Genetic engineering of Cassava for
resistant to Cassava Mosaic Disease
RNAi construct targeting the ICMV and SLCMV
Replicase gene
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of cassava
with RNAi construct is on-going

26. Nutritional Quality

27. Golden Rice
IPP
• Vitamin A deficiency is prevalent
in the developing world Geranylgeranyl diphosphate
– responsible for the deaths of Phytoene synthase Maize psy
two million children annually
Phytoene
– deficiency is a leading cause of
Phytoene desaturase
blindness Erwinia crtl
• β-carotene expressed in many ξ-carotene desaturase
plants but not in cereal grains
Lycopene-beta-cyclase
• Introduction of correct
β -carotene
metabolic steps into rice (vitamin A precursor)
endosperm to facilitate β-
carotene synthesis
• ASD16 and ADT43 converted

28. Iron rice
Ferritin is a ubiquitous
protein that stores iron and
releases it in a controlled
ADT43
fashion
Over-expression of
Avecennia marina ferritin in ASD16
rice using an endosperm-
specific promoter

29. Low phytate maize
Twenty nine maize inbred lines were selected based on the
percent of phytate phosphorus content in total phosphorus
content in the maize kernels, as low and high and were
included in the crossing programme
SSR Polymorphism survey among the low and high phytate
maize inbreds for the lpa1 (10 SSR markers) and lpa2 (10 SSR
markers) regions in chromosome1 is under progress
Content (mg/g) Reported Variability Observed variability lpa1 / lpa2 mutants
( Raboy et al.2002) in UMI inbreds
Low High Low High lpa1 lpa2
Phytate P 2.50 3.50 1.12 4.30 1.10 2.60
Total P 3.50 4.50 2.04 5.07 4.60 4.70

30. Phytase maize
Expression of fungal phytase in maize grain is attempted with
a view to make more micronutrients bioavailable to the
poultry birds
Phytase gene from Aspergillus niger isolated, expressed in E.
coli and characterized
Gene construct made to express the phytase in maize
endosperm in tissue specific manner
Genetic transformation resulted in development of 26 events
Somatic embryos from Callus on shooting Shoots on rooting
Immature embryos media medium

31. Tissue culture
Micro-propagation of vegetatively propagated
crops
Secondary metabolite production in medicinal
plants through suspension culture