Profile
I graduated from Delhi University (1989) with a degree in plant sciences and completed my post-graduation in biosciences (1991) at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi. My PhD (1999) from JMI focused on understanding the molecular and biophysical underpinnings of protein stability in the presence of different classes of osmolytes. 2001, I joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, USA, as a visiting fellow. At NIH, our research focused on the basic biology of nucleic acids-protein interactions and protein-protein interactions and how these interactions define gene regulation. Our research also included. From 2006 onward, I worked as a research fellow at NIH, deciphering epigenetic modifications centered around cytosine methylation and its effects on gene expression. I joined the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali, as Scientist E in 2012 and became Scientist F (2017) and Scientist G (2023) subsequently. The lab focuses on seed development in plants and how genome editing can lead to desirable traits in seeds. Also, the epigenetic basis of obesity is being explored.
Current Focus Areas
To undertake research in plant seed development with the emphasis on the role of transcription factors in regulating seed-specific genes. Understanding the basic biology of seed development should lead to the development of seedless fruits with greater consumer acceptability.
To understand how gene-editing complex e.g., CRISPR/Cas nucleoprotein recognize its target sequences in genome and what role(s) divalent ions like Mg2+ play in its the specificity.
To understand the effects of extracellular vesicles of animal and plant origin on differentiation of adipocytes. Such studies may add to the understanding of adipogenesis with implications in obesity and associated co-morbidities in humans.
To study the genome-wide dynamic methylation in preadipocytes as cells differentiate into lipid-laden adipocytes. The study has direct implication in obesity and it highlights the role of nutrition in obesity
Selected Publications
Rishi V, Bhattacharya P, Chatterjee R, Rozenberg J, Zhao J, Glass K, Fitzgerald P, Vinson C(2010). CpG methylation of half-CRE sequences creates C/EBPalpha binding sites that activate some tissue-specific genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Nov 23;107(47):20311-6
Sharma N, Kaur R, Yadav B, Shah K, Pandey H, Choudhary D, Jain P, Aggarwal A, Vinson C, Rishi V
Sharma N, Kaur R, Yadav B, Shah K, Pandey H, Choudhary D, Jain P, Aggarwal A, Vinson C, Rishi V (2021) Transient delivery of AC/EBP protein perturbs differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells and induces preadipocyte marker genes. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 7, 603168
Gupta R, Singh S, Sarawagi N, Kaur G, Kaur R, Priyadarshi N, Rishi V, Goyal B, Mishra P P, Singhal NK (2023) Salmonella typhimurium detection and ablation using OmpD specific aptamer with non-magnetic and magnetic graphene oxide Biosensors and Bioelectronics 234, 115354
Kaur R, Singh D, Singh PK, Kaur G, Shah K, Pandey H, Devi SG, Pandey AK, Rishi V (2024). Identifying the genetic and epigenetic basis for asymmetric bZIP expression in temperature-stressed bread wheat. Plant Growth Regulation, 1-15