Dr. Sanju A. Sanjaya, Ph.D.
Dr. Sanju A. Sanjayas lab is leading an active research program to design photosynthetic organisms with enhanced bioenergy and industrial compounds for higher production, profitability and sustainability. Dr. Sanjaya’s research group uses bioinformatics, biochemical, molecular and cell biology and genetic engineering approaches to understand the primary metabolism mechanisms in plants and microalgae. Dr. Sanjaya’s lab also aims to advance the use of photosynthetic organisms to address water quality issues and phytoremediation.
Recent publications
Yang, Y., Munz, J., Cass, C., Sanjaya, Sedbrook, J., Ohlrogge, J. & Benning, C. (2015) Ectopic expression of WRI1 affects fatty acid homeostasis in Brachypodium distachyon vegetative tissues.Plant Physiology, Vol. 169, pp. 1836–1847.
Sanjaya, Rachel Miller, Timothy P. Durrett, Dylan K. Kosma, Bagyalakshmi Muthan, Abraham J.K. Koo, Gavin E. Reid, Gregg A. Howe, John Ohlrogge, and Christoph Benning (2013). Altered Lipid Compositio and Enhanced Nutritional Value of Arabidopsis Leaves Following Introduction of an Algal Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase 2. The Plant Cell, Vol. 25: 677–693.
Vieler, A., Wu, G., Tsai, C.-H., …… Sanjaya, ….. Benning, C. (2012). Genome, functional gene annotation, and nuclear transformation of the heterokont oleaginous alga Nannochloropsis oceanica CCMP1779. PLoS Gen., 8 (11): e1003064.
Sanjaya, Timothy P. Durrett, Sean E. Weise and Christoph Benning. (2011). Increasing the energy density of vegetative tissues by diverting carbon from starch to oil biosynthesis in transgenic Arabidopsis. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 8: 874-883.
Chia-Wen Li, Ruey-Chih Su, Chiu-Ping Cheng, Sanjaya, Su-Juan You, Tsai-Hung Hsieh, To-Chun Chao,and Ming-Tsair Chan. (2011). Tomato RAV transcription factor is a pivotal modulator involved in the AP2/EREBP-mediated defense pathway. Plant Physiology. May Vol. 156, pp. 213–227.
Sanjaya, Paoyuan Hsiao, Ruey-Chih Su, Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva and Ming-Tsair Chan. (2008). Overexpression of Arabidopsis Tryptophan Synthase Beta 1 (AtTSB1) Improves Cadmium Tolerance and Nutritional Quality in Tomato. Plant Cell and Environment, Vol. 31, issue 8, 1074-1082.
Patents
Christoph Benning, Sanjaya and Rechil Miller (2014). Method to Increase Calorific Content and Enhanced Nutritional Value of Plant Biomass for the Production of Fuel and Feed. US patent application serial number 61/928,559 filed on January 17th, 2014.
Christoph Benning, Sanjaya and Changchen Xu (2013). Production of Oil in Vegetative Tissues, PCT international application number 14/046,504 filed on October 04th 2013.
Christoph Benning and Sanjaya (2013). Genetically Engineered Plants with Increased Vegetative Oil Content 2013PCT international application number 13/938,784 filed on July 10th 2013.
Sanjaya et al., (2010). Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of Rutabaga (Brassica varnapobrassica) MSU TEC2010-0012.