Dr. Senjuti Sinharoy, Ph.D. is a distinguished Staff Scientist V at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, whose pioneering research focuses on the molecular mechanisms governing root nodule symbiosis (RNS) in legumes. Her work explores the intricate evolutionary, genetic, and molecular bases of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in crop legumes such as chickpea, Medicago, and peanut. Dr. Sinharoy’s research has significantly advanced the understanding of how host plants regulate bacterial infection, repress defense responses, and optimize nitrogen fixation efficiency. She has led and co-led numerous nationally funded projects aimed at improving legume productivity and sustainability through genomics, transcriptomics, and functional studies. Her scientific journey began with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Calcutta, followed by impactful postdoctoral research at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, where she contributed to the Medicago genome project and the development of mutant collections for functional genomics. Her research publications in leading international journals such as Nature, Plant Cell, Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, Plant Physiology, FEBS Letters, and New Phytologist highlight her expertise in plant-microbe interactions, symbiosome differentiation, transcriptional regulation, transporter biology, and genetic transformation in legumes. She developed efficient hairy root transformation systems and genomic tools for studying nodule development and signaling. Through her innovative work on cystathionine beta synthase domain-containing proteins, symbiosis receptor kinases, sucrose transporters, and calcium-calmodulin dependent kinases, Dr. Sinharoy has illuminated key pathways essential for symbiotic establishment and nutrient exchange. Recognized with prestigious fellowships including the CSIR-ASPIRE Award, Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship, and SERB Early Career Award, she continues to mentor emerging scientists under national fellowship programs while leading transformative research on plant symbiosis, nitrogen metabolism, and sustainable crop improvement in legumes.
Featured Publications:
Young, N. D., Debellé, F., Oldroyd, G. E. D., Geurts, R., Cannon, S. B., Udvardi, M. K., Benedito, V. A., Mayer, K. F. X., Gouzy, J., Schoof, H., Van de Peer, Y., Proost, S., Cook, D. R., Meyers, B. C., Spannagl, M., Cheung, F., De Mita, S., Krishnakumar, V., Gundlach, H., Zhou, S., … Roe, B. A. (2011). The Medicago genome provides insight into the evolution of rhizobial symbioses. Nature, 480(7378), 520–524.
Bertioli, D. J., Jenkins, J., Clevenger, J., Dudchenko, O., Gao, D., Seijo, G., Leal-Bertioli, S. M. C., Ren, L., Farmer, A. D., Pandey, M. K., Samoluk, S. S., Abernathy, B., Agarwal, G., Ballén-Taborda, C., Cameron, C., Campbell, J., Chavarro, C., Chitikineni, A., Chu, Y., Dash, S., … Schmutz, J. (2019). The genome sequence of segmental allotetraploid peanut (Arachis hypogaea). Nature Genetics, 51(5), 877–884.
Gupta, D., Bhattacharjee, O., Mandal, D., Sen, M. K., Dey, D., Dasgupta, A., Kazi, T. A., Sinharoy, S., & Bhattacharyya, D. (2019). CRISPR-Cas9 system: A new-fangled dawn in gene editing. Life Sciences, 232, 116636.
Dai, X., Sinharoy, S., Udvardi, M., & Zhao, P. X. (2013). PlantTFcat: An online plant transcription factor and transcriptional regulator categorization and analysis tool. BMC Bioinformatics, 14(1), 321.
Kryvoruchko, I. S., Sinharoy, S., Torres-Jerez, I., Sosso, D., Pislariu, C. I., Guan, D., Benedito, V. A., Frommer, W. B., & Udvardi, M. K. (2016). MtSWEET11, a nodule-specific sucrose transporter of Medicago truncatula. Plant Physiology, 171(1), 554–565.