Dr. Dharam Singh
Research Focus
Bioprospecting genes/enzymes from higher altitude microbes. Extreme climatic conditions and topography of higher altitude affect both microbes and plants. In particular, we are interested in higher altitude microbes functional genomics with the major focus on extremozymes of industrial relevance while studying the adaptation of microbes to the extreme Himalayan niches. Currently, we are targeting therapeutic proteins and industrially relevant enzymes from higher altitude microbes. Our strategy includes multi-dimensional approaches such as whole genome sequencing, proteomics, genetics, and bioinformatics to develop a bioprocess for the industrial use.
Achievements / Awards
Selected “Assistant Director” State Forensic Science Laboratory, Junga, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh through Public Service Commission (open competition) in the year 2009.
Awarded “Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship” by Academia Sinica, Taiwan for year 2009-2011.
Awarded “Young Scientist International Travelling Fellowship” by Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS, Japan) for participation in the JSPS-DST Asian Academic Seminar 2008 held at Jawarharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India.
Awarded “International Travelling Fellowship” by Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan for the year 2007.
Selected as Scientist Gr. IV(1) at CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, India (2005)
Major Publications
- Kumar V, Kumar S, and Singh D*(2021). Metagenomic insights into Himalayan glacial and kettle lake sediments revealed microbial community structure, function, and stress adaptation strategies. Extremophiles (IF: 2.39). Accepted on Nov 13, 2021.
- Deepika Nag, Abhishek Goel, Yogendra Padwad and Singh D*(2021). In-vitro characterization revealed Himalayan dairy Kluyveromyces marxianus PCH397 as potential probiotic with therapeutic properties. Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins (IF: 4.60), accepted on Nov 09 2021
- Nag D, Kumar V, Kumar V, Kumar S and Singh D* (2021).A new extracellular β-galactosidase producing Kluyveromyces sp.PCH397 from yak milk and its applications for lactose hydrolysis and prebiotics synthesis. Indian Journal of Microbiology (IF: 2.46). Accepted in June 07, 2021.
- Thakur V, Kumar V, Kumar V. and Singh D*(2021).Genomic insights driven statistical optimization for production of efficient cellulase by Himalayan thermophilic Bacillus sp. PCH94 using agricultural waste. Waste and Biomass Valorization (IF: 3.70). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-021-01491-1. Accepted on May
- Verma S, Singh D, and Chatterjee S (2021). Malathion biodegradation by a psychrotolerant bacteria Ochrobactrum sp. M1D and metabolic pathway analysis. Letters in Applied Microbiology (IF: 2.85). https://DOI: 10.1111/lam.13517 . Accepted in May 25, 2021.
- Guleria S, Jain R, Singh D, Kumar S (2021). A thermostable Fe/Mn SOD of Geobacillus sp. PCH100 isolated from glacial soil of Indian trans-Himalaya exhibits activity in the presence of common inhibitors. Accepted March 03. Int J Biol Macromol (IF: 6.95).
- Kumar V, Darnal S, Kumar S, Kumar S and Singh D*(2021). Bioprocess for co-production of polyhydroxybutyrate and violacein using Himalayan bacterium Iodobacter sp. PCH194. Bioresource Technology (IF: 9.64). Jan 319:124235.
- Kumari M, Kumar R, Singh D, Bhatt S and Gupta M (2020). Physiological and genomic characterization of an exopolysaccharide-producing Weissella cibaria CH2 from cheese of the western Himalayas. Food Bioscience, accepted article (IF: 4.24).
- Singh D, Murashko O N, and Lin-Chao S (2020). Post-transcriptional regulation of tnaA by protein-RNA interaction mediated by ribosomal protein L4 in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol (IF: 3.49).
- Kashyap P, Kumar S and Singh D (2020). Performance of antifreeze protein HrCHI4 from Hippophae rhamnoides in improving the structure and freshness of green beans upon cryopreservation. Food Chemistry (IF: 7.51).
- Kumar V, Kumar S, and Singh D (2019). Microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates from extreme niches: bioprospection status, opportunities and challenges. Available online 15 November https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.09.253 Int J Biol Macromol (IF: 6.95).
- Kumar V, Kumar S, Darnal S, Patial V, Singh A, Thakur V, Kumar S, and Singh D (2019). Optimized chromogenic dyes-based identification and quantitative evaluation of bacterial L-asparaginase with low/no glutaminase activity bioprospected from pristine niches in Indian trans-Himalaya. 3 Biotech, online June 20, 2019. https ://doi.org/10.1007/s1320 5-019-1810-9. (IF: 2.40).
- Kumar V, Thakur V, Ambika, Kumar V, Kumar R, and Singh D (2019). Genomic insights revealed physiological diversity and industrial potential for Glaciimonas sp. PCH181 isolated from Satrundi glacier in Pangi-Chamba Himalaya. Genomics.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.04.016 , online April 22 2019. (IF: 5.73).
- Kumar V, Thakur V, Ambika, Kumar S, Singh D (2018). Bioplastic reservoir of diverse bacterial communities revealed along altitude gradient of Pangi-Chamba trans-Himalayan region. FEMS Microbiology Letters doi/10.1093/femsle/fny144/5037922 (IF: 2.74).
Patents
N.A.
Research Group
PhD Fellows: Shamli Chandel, Tamanna Negi, Matruprasad Mohanty
Project Fellows: Palak Sangrai, Shubham Thakur
PhD awarded/Submitted
1. Dr. Ambika
2. Dr. Subhash Kumar
3. Dr. Sanyukta Darnal
4. Dr. Vijeta Patial
Past Members:
Post-doctoral Fellows:
Dr. Vijay Kumar (JSPS Fellow, Japan)
Dr. Virender Kumar (Tenure Track Faculty, Denmark)
Dr. Prakriti Kashyap (Research Specialist, University of Pennsylvania, USA )
Ph.D. : Dr. Deepika Nag (Post Doc Fellow, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, USA)
Dr. Vikas Thakur (Post Doc Fellow, Indiana University, USA)
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PhD/Post Doctoral Position is available in the lab. Interested candidate may contact me on my email (dharamsingh@ihbt.res.in).