The focus of my research lab is on elucidating the molecular responses of plants towards drought and salinity stress.  The importance of Cytochrome Oxidase (COX) and Alternative Oxidase (AOX) pathways of mitochondrial electron transport chain for the photosynthetic performance of plants under salinity and drought stress conditions was elucidated. Further, the beneficial role of root rhizospheric bacteria in protection of photosynthesis and amelioration of salinity stress responses in rice and tomato plants was recently shown. The importance of intracellular trehalose in mimicking the stress responses in plants by modulating the expression of stress responsive dehydrin genes and antioxidant genes thereby equipping the plants with early defense during drought stress conditions was recently shown.

1. Mohanan A, Gandhi S, Ain A NA, Challabathula D (2023) Intracellular trehalose modulates oxidative responses and dehydrin gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh during dehydration. Brazilian Journal of Botany, 46: 255-267 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-023-00877-w (Impact Factor: 1.6).

2. Challabathula D, Analin B, Mohanan A, Bakka K (2022) Differential modulation of photosynthesis, ROS and antioxidant enzyme activities in stress-sensitive and -tolerant rice cultivars during salinity and drought upon restriction of COX and AOX pathways of mitochondrial oxidative electron transport. Journal of Plant Physiology 268:153583. (Impact factor: 4.3).

3. Xu X, Legay S, Sergeant K, Zorzan S, Leclercq CC, Charton S, Giarola V, Liu X, Challabathula D, Renaut J, Hausman JF, Bartels D, Guerriero G (2021) Molecular insights into plant desiccation tolerance: transcriptomics, proteomics and targeted metabolite profiling in Craterostigma plantagineum. Plant Journal, 107:377-398. (Impact Factor: 7.091).

4. Taj Z, Challabathula D (2021) Protection of photosynthesis by halotolerant staphylococcus sciuri et101 in tomato (lycoperiscon esculentum) and rice (oryza sativa) plants during salinity stress: possible interplay between carboxylation and oxygenation in stress mitigation. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11: 547750. (Impact Factor: 5.2).

5. Analin B, Mohanan A, Bakka K, Challabathula D. (2020) Cytochrome oxidase and alternative oxidase pathways of mitochondrial electron transport chain are important for the photosynthetic performance of pea plants under salinity stress conditions. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 154: 248-259. (Impact Factor: 6.5).

6. Dhanya Thomas TT, Dinakar C, Puthur JT. (2020)  Effect of UV-B priming on the abiotic stress tolerance of stress-sensitive rice seedlings: Priming imprints and cross-tolerance. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry147:21-30. (Impact Factor: 6.5).

7. Thomas DTT, Challabathula D, Puthur JT. (2019) UV-B priming of Oryza sativa var. Kanchana seedlings augments its antioxidative potential and gene expression of stress-response proteins under various abiotic stresses. 3 Biotech 10:375. (Impact Factor: 2.893).

8. Sen A, Challabathula D, Puthur (2021) UV-B Priming of Oryza sativa Seeds augments the innate tolerance potential in a tolerant variety more effectively toward NaCl and PEG stressors. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation. 40:3. (Impact Factor: 4.169)

9. Liu X, Challabathula D, Quan W, Bartels D. (2019) Transcriptional and metabolic changes in the desiccation tolerant plant Craterostigma plantagineum during recurrent exposures to dehydration. Planta 249: 1017-1035.(Impact Factor  4.540)

10. Challabathula D, Zhang Q, Bartels D (2018) Protection of photosynthesis in desiccation -tolerant resurrection plants. Journal of Plant Physiology, 227: 84-92. (Impact Factor 4.3).