Jyoti Ranjan Behera

@etsu.edu

Faculty Research Assistant, Department of Biology
East Tennessee State University, TN, USA

Jyoti Ranjan Behera


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https://researchid.co/behera_26

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, TN, USA: 2018-2023
Integrated BS-MS: Biological Sciences major, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India: 2013-2018

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Plant Science, Biotechnology, Agricultural and Biological Sciences
9

Scopus Publications

76

Scholar Citations

4

Scholar h-index

3

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Establishment of Iris laevigata Tissue Culture Using Hypocotyl and Root Explants
    Nuo Xu, Haijing Fu, Yujia Liu, Aruna Kilaru, Jyoti R. Behera, Ling Wang
    Plants, 2025
    Iris laevigata is an ornamental plant and so its wild genetic resources need to be protected. However, traditional inefficient propagation limits its landscape applications. In this study, we assessed the effects of phytohormones on growth of I. laevigata at various culture stages using roots and hypocotyls as explants and established an efficient micropropagation system. The highest callus induction of hypocotyl (75.0%) was obtained using Murashige and Skoog medium containing 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA), 0.5 mg L−1 + 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 1.0 mg L−1 + 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA), and 0.4 mg L−1. Similarly, the highest callus induction (73.3%) of roots was achieved with 6-BA 0.5 mg L−1 + 2,4-D 0.5 mg L−1 + NAA 0.4 mg L−1. The calli induced from hypocotyl and root tissues achieved 39.7% and 49.5% adventitious shoot induction on a medium containing indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) 0.5 mg L−1 + 6-BA 1.5 mg L−1 + NAA 1.0 mg L−1 and 6-BA 2.0 mg L−1 + NAA 0.4 mg L−1 + kinetin (KT) 1.0 mg L−1, respectively. The rooting of adventitious shoots reached 93.3% in the medium supplemented with NAA 0.2 mg L−1. The survival of regenerated plants reached 90.0% after being transplanted into soil. This study provides an efficient and reliable propagation method for I. laevigata for landscape applications and the preservation of wild genetic material.
  • Functional role of DFR genes in various blue Iris for the regulation of delphinidin synthesis
    Huijun Liu, Gongfa Shi, Wangbin Ye, Jyoti R. Behera, Aruna Kilaru, Ling Wang
    Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 2025
  • Dynamic Membrane Lipid Changes in Physcomitrium patens Reveal Developmental and Environmental Adaptations
    Deepshila Gautam, Jyoti R. Behera, Suhas Shinde, Shivakumar D. Pattada, Mary Roth, Libin Yao, Ruth Welti, Aruna Kilaru
    Biology, 2024
    Membrane lipid composition is critical for an organism’s growth, adaptation, and functionality. Mosses, as early non-vascular land colonizers, show significant adaptations and changes, but their dynamic membrane lipid alterations remain unexplored. Here, we investigated the temporal changes in membrane lipid composition of the moss Physcomitrium patens during five developmental stages and analyzed the acyl content and composition of the lipids. We observed a gradual decrease in total lipid content from the filamentous protonema stage to the reproductive sporophytes. Notably, we found significant levels of very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly arachidonic acid (C20:4), which are not reported in vascular plants and may aid mosses in cold and abiotic stress adaptation. During vegetative stages, we noted high levels of galactolipids, especially monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, associated with chloroplast biogenesis. In contrast, sporophytes displayed reduced galactolipids and elevated phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidic acid, which are linked to membrane integrity and environmental stress protection. Additionally, we observed a gradual decline in the average double bond index across all lipid classes from the protonema stage to the gametophyte stage. Overall, our findings highlight the dynamic nature of membrane lipid composition during moss development, which might contribute to its adaptation to diverse growth conditions, reproductive processes, and environmental challenges.
  • Differential expression of gluconeogenesis-related transcripts in a freshwater zooplankton model organism suggests a role of the Cori cycle in hypoxia tolerance
    Morad C. Malek, Jyoti R. Behera, Aruna Kilaru, Lev Y. Yampolsky
    Plos One, 2023
    Gluconeogenesis (GNG) is the process of regenerating glucose and NAD+ that allows for continued ATP synthesis by glycolysis during fasting or in hypoxia. Recent data from C. elegans and crustaceans challenged with hypoxia show differential and tissue-specific expression of GNG-specific genes. Here we report differential expression of several GNG-specific genes in the head and body of a model organism, Daphnia magna, a planktonic crustacean, in normoxic and acute hypoxic conditions. We predict that GNG-specific transcripts will be enriched in the body, where most of the fat tissue is located, rather than in the head, where the tissues critical for survival in hypoxia, the central nervous system and locomotory muscles, are located. We measured the relative expression of GNG-specific transcripts in each body part by qRT-PCR and normalized them by either the expression of a reference gene or the rate-limiting glycolysis enzyme pyruvate kinase (PK). Our data show that of the three GNG-specific transcripts tested, pyruvate carboxylase (PC) showed no differential expression in either the head or body. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-C), on the other hand, is upregulated in hypoxia in both body parts. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBP) is upregulated in the body relative to the head and upregulated in hypoxia relative to normoxia, with a stronger body effect in hypoxia when normalized by PK expression. These results support our hypothesis that Daphnia can survive hypoxic conditions by implementing the Cori cycle, where body tissues supply glucose and NAD+ to the brain and muscles, enabling them to continuously generate ATP by glycolysis.
  • Acyl-CoA-dependent and acyl-CoA-independent avocado acyltransferases positively influence oleic acid content in nonseed triacylglycerols
    Jyoti Behera, Md Mahbubur Rahman, Jay Shockey, Aruna Kilaru
    Frontiers in Plant Science, 2023
    In higher plants, acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) and phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT) catalyze the terminal step of triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis in acyl-CoA-dependent and -independent pathways, respectively. Avocado (Persea americana) mesocarp, a nonseed tissue, accumulates significant amounts of TAG (~70% by dry weight) that is rich in heart-healthy oleic acid (18:1). The oil accumulation stages of avocado mesocarp development coincide with high expression levels for type-1 DGAT (DGAT1) and PDAT1, although type-2 DGAT (DGAT2) expression remains low. The strong preference for oleic acid demonstrated by the avocado mesocarp TAG biosynthetic machinery represents lucrative biotechnological opportunities, yet functional characterization of these three acyltransferases has not been explored to date. We expressed avocado PaDGAT1, PaDGAT2, and PaPDAT1 in bakers’ yeast and leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana. PaDGAT1 complemented the TAG biosynthesis deficiency in the quadruple mutant yeast strain H1246, and substantially elevated total cellular lipid content. In vitro enzyme assays showed that PaDGAT1 prefers oleic acid compared to palmitic acid (16:0). Both PaDGAT1 and PaPDAT1 increased the lipid content and elevated oleic acid levels when expressed independently or together, transiently in N. benthamiana leaves. These results indicate that PaDGAT1 and PaPDAT1 prefer oleate-containing substrates, and their coordinated expression likely contributes to sustained TAG synthesis that is enriched in oleic acid. This study establishes a knowledge base for future metabolic engineering studies focused on exploitation of the biochemical properties of PaDGAT1 and PaPDAT1.
  • Metabolic engineering of microbial and plant chasses to optimize artemisinin production
    Jyoti Ranjan Behera, Millicent N. Ekwudo, Oviavo Remi Nohoesu, Aruna Kilaru
    Cab Reviews Perspectives in Agriculture Veterinary Science Nutrition and Natural Resources, 2023
    Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone extracted from the sweet wormwood plant ( Artemisia annua ), is a crucial component in the production of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), the most effective treatment for malaria. In recent years, metabolic engineering has emerged as a powerful tool to enhance the production of artemisinin, both in microbial and plant chasses. This review article provides an overview of the recent literature on the metabolic engineering strategies employed to optimize artemisinin production, highlighting breakthroughs, challenges, and future directions.
  • Corrigendum: A Tree Peony Trihelix Transcription Factor PrASIL1 Represses Seed Oil Accumulation(Front. Plant Sci., (2021), 12, (796181), 10.3389/fpls.2021.796181)
    Weizong Yang, Jiayuan Hu, Jyoti R. Behera, Aruna Kilaru, Yanping Yuan, Yuhui Zhai, Yanfeng Xu, Lihang Xie, Yanlong Zhang, Qingyu Zhang, Lixin Niu
    Frontiers in Plant Science, 2022
    We are sorry that an error was found in Grant Nos in the "Funding" section of our published paper (10.3389/fpls.2021.796181).Specifically, two digital positions are reversed in Grant Nos. 31903157, and should be corrected to Grant Nos. 31901357.And that's the only thing we need to correct. Hope to get your help.
  • A Tree Peony Trihelix Transcription Factor PrASIL1 Represses Seed Oil Accumulation
    Weizong Yang, Jiayuan Hu, Jyoti R. Behera, Aruna Kilaru, Yanping Yuan, Yuhui Zhai, Yanfeng Xu, Lihang Xie, Yanlong Zhang, Qingyu Zhang, Lixin Niu
    Frontiers in Plant Science, 2021
    In many higher plants, seed oil accumulation is governed by complex multilevel regulatory networks including transcriptional regulation, which primarily affects fatty acid biosynthesis. Tree peony (Paeonia rockii), a perennial deciduous shrub endemic to China is notable for its seed oil that is abundant in unsaturated fatty acids. We discovered that a tree peony trihelix transcription factor, PrASIL1, localized in the nucleus, is expressed predominantly in developing seeds during maturation. Ectopic overexpression of PrASIL1 in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf tissue and Arabidopsis thaliana seeds significantly reduced total fatty acids and altered the fatty acid composition. These changes were in turn associated with the decreased expression of multitudinous genes involved in plastidial fatty acid synthesis and oil accumulation. Thus, we inferred that PrASIL1 is a critical transcription factor that represses oil accumulation by down-regulating numerous key genes during seed oil biosynthesis. In contrary, up-regulation of oil biosynthesis genes and a significant increase in total lipids and several major fatty acids were observed in PrASIL1-silenced tree peony leaves. Together, these results provide insights into the role of trihelix transcription factor PrASIL1 in controlling seed oil accumulation. PrASIL1 can be targeted potentially for oil enhancement in tree peony and other crops through gene manipulation.
  • Functional and Predictive Structural Characterization of WRINKLED2, A Unique Oil Biosynthesis Regulator in Avocado
    Jyoti R. Behera, Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Shina Bhatia, Jay Shockey, Aruna Kilaru
    Frontiers in Plant Science, 2021
    WRINKLED1 (WRI1), a member of the APETALA2 (AP2) class of transcription factors regulates fatty acid biosynthesis and triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation in plants. Among the four known Arabidopsis WRI1 paralogs, only WRI2 was unable to complement and restore fatty acid content in wri1-1 mutant seeds. Avocado (Persea americana) mesocarp, which accumulates 60-70% dry weight oil content, showed high expression levels for orthologs of WRI2, along with WRI1 and WRI3, during fruit development. While the role of WRI1 as a master regulator of oil biosynthesis is well-established, the function of WRI1 paralogs is poorly understood. Comprehensive and comparative in silico analyses of WRI1 paralogs from avocado (a basal angiosperm) with higher angiosperms Arabidopsis (dicot), maize (monocot) revealed distinct features. Predictive structural analyses of the WRI orthologs from these three species revealed the presence of AP2 domains and other highly conserved features, such as intrinsically disordered regions associated with predicted PEST motifs and phosphorylation sites. Additionally, avocado WRI proteins also contained distinct features that were absent in the nonfunctional Arabidopsis ortholog AtWRI2. Through transient expression assays, we demonstrated that both avocado WRI1 and WRI2 are functional and drive TAG accumulation in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. We predict that the unique features and activities of ancestral PaWRI2 were likely lost in orthologous genes such as AtWRI2 during evolution and speciation, leading to at least partial loss of function in some higher eudicots. This study provides us with new targets to enhance oil biosynthesis in plants.

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Genetically modified plants having increased oil and oleic acid content and methods of producing same
    A Kilaru, J Behera
    US Patent App. 19/244,022 , 2025
    2025.0
  • Establishment of Iris laevigata Tissue Culture Using Hypocotyl and Root Explants
    N Xu, H Fu, Y Liu, A Kilaru, JR Behera, L Wang
    Plants 14 (17), 2733 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 1
  • Functional role of DFR genes in various blue Iris for the regulation of delphinidin synthesis
    H Liu, G Shi, W Ye, JR Behera, A Kilaru, L Wang
    Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 219, 109355 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 5
  • Over-expression of the Iris laevigata cold-resistance gene MYB97 improves photosynthetic capacity and photoprotection in tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum )
    Y Shu, R Zhao, N Xu, Y Dai, JR Bhera, A Kilaru, L Wang
    Journal of Forestry Research 35 (1), 104 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 1
  • Dynamic Membrane Lipid Changes in Physcomitrium patens Reveal Developmental and Environmental Adaptations
    D Gautam, JR Behera, S Shinde, SD Pattada, M Roth, L Yao, R Welti, ...
    Biology 13 (9), 726 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 1
  • Harnessing Avocado Oil Biosynthesis Machinery for Heart-Healthy Oils
    A Kilaru, J Behera
    PAG Asia 2024 , 2024
    2024.0
  • Metabolic engineering of microbial and plant chasses to optimize artemisinin production
    JR Behera, MN Ekwudo, OR Nohoesu, A Kilaru
    CABI Reviews , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 1
  • Differential expression of gluconeogenesis-related transcripts in a freshwater zooplankton model organism suggests a role of the Cori cycle in hypoxia tolerance
    MC Malek, JR Behera, A Kilaru, LY Yampolsky
    PLoS One 18 (8), e0284679 , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 4
  • Acyl-CoA-dependent and acyl-CoA-independent avocado acyltransferases positively influence oleic acid content in nonseed triacylglycerols
    J Behera, MM Rahman, J Shockey, A Kilaru
    Frontiers in Plant Science 13, 1056582 , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 17
  • Elucidation of the Role of Avocado WRI1 and WRI2 and Their Ability to Affect Oil Content and Composition When Co-expressed With PDAT1 and DGAT1
    JR Behera
    East Tennessee State University , 2023
    2023.0
  • Corrigendum: A tree peony trihelix transcription factor PrASIL1 represses seed oil accumulation
    W Yang, J Hu, JR Behera, A Kilaru, Y Yuan, Y Zhai, Y Xu, L Xie, Y Zhang, ...
    Frontiers in Plant Science 13, 847770 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 2
  • Novel Structural Characteristics of Oil Biosynthesis Regulator Protein Wrinkled2 in Avocado
    JR Behera, A Kilaru
    2022.0
  • A tree peony trihelix transcription factor PrASIL1 represses seed oil accumulation
    W Yang, J Hu, JR Behera, A Kilaru, Y Yuan, Y Zhai, Y Xu, L Xie, Y Zhang, ...
    Frontiers in Plant Science 12, 796181 , 2021
    2021.0
    Citations: 26
  • Functional and predictive structural characterization of WRINKLED2, a unique oil biosynthesis regulator in avocado
    JR Behera, MM Rahman, S Bhatia, J Shockey, A Kilaru
    Frontiers in Plant Science 12, 648494 , 2021
    2021.0
    Citations: 18
  • Structural and Functional Characterization of Avocado Transcriptional Factor in Oil Biosynthesis
    J Behera, A Kilaru
    Appalachian Student Research Forum , 2020
    2020.0
  • Comparative in Silico Analysis of WRINKLED1 Paralogs in Angiosperms
    J Behera, S Bhatia, A Kilaru
    American Society for Plant Biologists Southern Section Meeting , 2019
    2019.0
  • 2022 Appalachian Student Research Forum Award Winners
    E Adebayo-Abikoye, A Adenusi, T Akeemat, G Aldridge, O Asifat, ...

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • A tree peony trihelix transcription factor PrASIL1 represses seed oil accumulation
    W Yang, J Hu, JR Behera, A Kilaru, Y Yuan, Y Zhai, Y Xu, L Xie, Y Zhang, ...
    Frontiers in Plant Science 12, 796181 , 2021
    2021.0
    Citations: 26
  • Functional and predictive structural characterization of WRINKLED2, a unique oil biosynthesis regulator in avocado
    JR Behera, MM Rahman, S Bhatia, J Shockey, A Kilaru
    Frontiers in Plant Science 12, 648494 , 2021
    2021.0
    Citations: 18
  • Acyl-CoA-dependent and acyl-CoA-independent avocado acyltransferases positively influence oleic acid content in nonseed triacylglycerols
    J Behera, MM Rahman, J Shockey, A Kilaru
    Frontiers in Plant Science 13, 1056582 , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 17
  • Functional role of DFR genes in various blue Iris for the regulation of delphinidin synthesis
    H Liu, G Shi, W Ye, JR Behera, A Kilaru, L Wang
    Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 219, 109355 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 5
  • Differential expression of gluconeogenesis-related transcripts in a freshwater zooplankton model organism suggests a role of the Cori cycle in hypoxia tolerance
    MC Malek, JR Behera, A Kilaru, LY Yampolsky
    PLoS One 18 (8), e0284679 , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 4
  • Corrigendum: A tree peony trihelix transcription factor PrASIL1 represses seed oil accumulation
    W Yang, J Hu, JR Behera, A Kilaru, Y Yuan, Y Zhai, Y Xu, L Xie, Y Zhang, ...
    Frontiers in Plant Science 13, 847770 , 2022
    2022.0
    Citations: 2
  • Establishment of Iris laevigata Tissue Culture Using Hypocotyl and Root Explants
    N Xu, H Fu, Y Liu, A Kilaru, JR Behera, L Wang
    Plants 14 (17), 2733 , 2025
    2025.0
    Citations: 1
  • Over-expression of the Iris laevigata cold-resistance gene MYB97 improves photosynthetic capacity and photoprotection in tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum )
    Y Shu, R Zhao, N Xu, Y Dai, JR Bhera, A Kilaru, L Wang
    Journal of Forestry Research 35 (1), 104 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 1
  • Dynamic Membrane Lipid Changes in Physcomitrium patens Reveal Developmental and Environmental Adaptations
    D Gautam, JR Behera, S Shinde, SD Pattada, M Roth, L Yao, R Welti, ...
    Biology 13 (9), 726 , 2024
    2024.0
    Citations: 1
  • Metabolic engineering of microbial and plant chasses to optimize artemisinin production
    JR Behera, MN Ekwudo, OR Nohoesu, A Kilaru
    CABI Reviews , 2023
    2023.0
    Citations: 1
  • Genetically modified plants having increased oil and oleic acid content and methods of producing same
    A Kilaru, J Behera
    US Patent App. 19/244,022 , 2025
    2025.0
  • Harnessing Avocado Oil Biosynthesis Machinery for Heart-Healthy Oils
    A Kilaru, J Behera
    PAG Asia 2024 , 2024
    2024.0
  • Elucidation of the Role of Avocado WRI1 and WRI2 and Their Ability to Affect Oil Content and Composition When Co-expressed With PDAT1 and DGAT1
    JR Behera
    East Tennessee State University , 2023
    2023.0
  • Novel Structural Characteristics of Oil Biosynthesis Regulator Protein Wrinkled2 in Avocado
    JR Behera, A Kilaru
    2022.0
  • Structural and Functional Characterization of Avocado Transcriptional Factor in Oil Biosynthesis
    J Behera, A Kilaru
    Appalachian Student Research Forum , 2020
    2020.0
  • Comparative in Silico Analysis of WRINKLED1 Paralogs in Angiosperms
    J Behera, S Bhatia, A Kilaru
    American Society for Plant Biologists Southern Section Meeting , 2019
    2019.0
  • 2022 Appalachian Student Research Forum Award Winners
    E Adebayo-Abikoye, A Adenusi, T Akeemat, G Aldridge, O Asifat, ...