Malarmathi Muthusamy

@tanuvas.ac.in

Professor, Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding
Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University

Malarmathi Muthusamy


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https://researchid.co/malarmathi

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Animal Genetics
10

Scopus Publications

75

Scholar Citations

4

Scholar h-index

1

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Genetic Resistance to Newcastle Disease in Poultry: A Narrative Review
    Thiruvenkadan Aranganoor Kannan, Srinivasan Palani, Saravanan Ramasamy, Sivakumar Karuppusamy, Sunday Olusola Peters, et al.
    Poultry, 2025
    Newcastle Disease (ND) is an important and notable disease among the avian infectious diseases, because of its high contagiousness, and the most virulent strains of ND virus (NDV) have impacted poultry breeders all over the world. Immunization and biosecurity measures are used to reduce ND; however, vaccination has been shown to offer protection against clinical signs but not against virus proliferation and shedding, which could have an adverse effect on the environment. The genetic basis for inherent resistance to NDV has been established, and genetic selection on existing resistance-related genetic variation can help to mitigate virus propagation. Further, understanding the genes and processes that drive the response to NDV will lay the groundwork for genetic improvement in poultry. The majority of studies on NDV susceptibility make use of phenotypic indicators such as body weight, morbidity, mortality, antibody response, and viral load. According to recent advancements in molecular genetic research, many different genes are diversely regulated in different chicken lines to NDV infection, which might be used in the future to establish disease-resistant breeding approaches. It is possible that many more genes linked to illness and resistance are still to be discovered, because the precise mechanism of resistance is not entirely understood. The enhanced genetic knowledge of chickens and the development of more advanced transgenic techniques would lead to pathogen resistance. Hence, this paper summarizes the current understanding of genetic resistance to Newcastle Disease, and we additionally highlight a few possible genes/markers connected with NDV that may improve chicken resistance to NDV infections and can be used to produce NDV-resistant chicken breeds/strains in the near future.
  • Genomic Prediction of Milk Fat Percentage Among Crossbred Cattle in the Indian Subcontinent
    Raghavendran Vadivel Balasubramanian, Murali Nagarajan, Marimuthu Swaminathan, Raja Angamuthu, Muralidharan Jaganadhan, et al.
    Animals, 2025
    This study focused on improving the milk fat percentage for crossbred dairy cows in smallholder systems, using GEBV. The data were collected from 2507 animals between 2016 and 2023 under BAIF’s Enhanced Genetic Gains program in Pune, India. After refining the dataset, 33,845 records from 1896 animals were analyzed. The result showed that 75.54% of farms had either one or two animals. Prior to quality control, the mean milk fat percentage was 3.94%, but it decreased to 3.83% after data pruning, which necessitated removing the outliers. Genetic analysis involved 1478 animals genotyped for 49,911 SNPs after applying a rigorous quality control process, and imputation improved the accuracy of genomic data, boosting allele frequency correlation from 0.594 to 0.882. The study revealed that the additive genetic variance, phenotypic variance, and error variance were calculated as 0.012, 0.118, and 0.106, respectively. The heritability was estimated at 0.10, suggesting cautious use for breeding improvements. The GEBV ranged from 0.096 to 3.10%, which offers breeders a practical tool for selecting high-fat-producing cows. This research provides valuable insights into optimizing milk quality and advancing genetic improvement strategies in smallholder dairy systems.
  • Comparative genomic insights into adaptation, selection signatures, and population dynamics in indigenous Indian sheep and foreign breeds
    Malarmathi Muthusamy, Oludayo Michael Akinsola, Pritam Pal, Chitra Ramasamy, Saravanan Ramasamy, et al.
    Frontiers in Genetics, 2025
    BackgroundIndia’s indigenous sheep breeds have evolved under extreme and diverse agro‐ecological pressures, yet the genomic basis of their resilience and local adaptation remains poorly understood.MethodThis study combines genomic inbreeding estimates, runs of homozygosity (ROH), population structure analyses, and composite selection scans to investigate three native Indian breeds—Changthangi, Deccani, and Garole—within a panel of nine breeds that also includes populations from Africa (Ethiopian Menz), East and South Asia (Tibetan, Chinese Merino, Bangladesh Garole, Bangladesh East), and Europe (Suffolk).ResultsROH and heterozygosity estimates revealed strong contrasts: Bangladesh East sheep exhibited high genomic inbreeding (FROH≈14.4%) and low observed heterozygosity (∼30.6%), whereas Deccani sheep showed low inbreeding (FROH≈1.1%) and high observed heterozygosity (∼35.6%), consistent with broader gene flow and larger flock sizes. Changthangi and Garole showed moderate inbreeding and distinct ROH length profiles. Population structure analyses confirmed ecological clustering and gene flow shaped by geography and husbandry practices: high‐altitude breeds clustered together, while directional migration edges traced admixture from European Suffolk into Changthangi and from Chinese Merino into Ethiopian Menz. Historical effective population sizes showed sharp declines in most breeds, especially those under recent selection. Selection scans identified 118 significant genomic regions across breeds. In Changthangi, key pathways included purinergic signaling, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, and autophagy—consistent with cold and hypoxia adaptation. Deccani showed enrichment for immune adhesion and epidermal regeneration, reflecting parasite resistance and heat stress. Garole displayed signals for gap-junction communication and skeletal development, aligned with high fertility and compact stature.ConclusionThese findings reveal ecotype‐pecific adaptive nature shaped by polygenic selection, gene flow, and demography, offering actionable insights for sustainable smallholder breeding strategies.
  • Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals Altered Expression of Genes Involved in Metabolic and Immune Processes in NDV-Infected Chicken Embryos
    Malarmathi Muthusamy, Kannaki T. Ramasamy, Sunday Olusola Peters, Srinivasan Palani, Vasudevan Gowthaman, et al.
    Metabolites, 2024
    Objective: The poultry industry is significantly impacted by viral infections, particularly Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), which leads to substantial economic losses. It is essential to comprehend how the sequence of development affects biological pathways and how early exposure to infections might affect immune responses. Methods: This study employed transcriptome analysis to investigate host–pathogen interactions by analyzing gene expression changes in NDV-infected chicken embryos’ lungs. Result: RNA-Seq reads were aligned with the chicken reference genome (Galgal7), revealing 594 differentially expressed genes: 264 upregulated and 330 downregulated. The most overexpressed genes, with logFC between 8.15 and 8.75, included C8A, FGG, PIT54, FETUB, APOC3, and FGA. Notably, downregulated genes included BPIFB3 (−4.46 logFC) and TRIM39.1 (−4.26 logFC). The analysis also identified 29 novel transcripts and 20 lncRNAs that were upregulated. Gene Ontology and KEGG pathways’ analyses revealed significant alterations in gene expression related to immune function, metabolism, cell cycle, nucleic acid processes, and mitochondrial activity due to NDV infection. Key metabolic genes, such as ALDOB (3.27 logFC), PRPS2 (2.66 logFC), and XDH (2.15 logFC), exhibited altered expression patterns, while DCK2 (−1.99 logFC) and TK1 (−2.11 logFC) were also affected. Several immune-related genes showed significant upregulation in infected lung samples, including ALB (6.15 logFC), TLR4 (1.86 logFC), TLR2 (2.79 logFC), and interleukin receptors, such as IL1R2 (3.15 logFC) and IL22RA2 (1.37 logFC). Conversely, genes such as CXCR4 (−1.49 logFC), CXCL14 (−2.57 logFC), GATA3 (−1.51 logFC), and IL17REL (−2.93 logFC) were downregulated. The higher expression of HSP genes underscores their vital role in immune responses. Conclusion: Comprehension of these genes’ interactions is essential for regulating viral replication and immune responses during infections, potentially aiding in the identification of candidate genes for poultry breed improvement amidst NDV challenges.
  • “Unveiling the genetic symphony: Diversity and expression of chicken IFITM genes in Aseel and Kadaknath breeds”
    Malarmathi Muthusamy, Murali Nagarajan, Sivakumar Karuppusamy, Kannaki T. Ramasamy, Amutha Ramasamy, et al.
    Heliyon, 2024
  • A Study on β-Casein Gene Polymorphism in Crossbred Cattle and Murrah/Graded Murrah Buffalo in Tamil Nadu
    R.S. Kathiravan, C.M. Vandana, M. Malarmathi, R. Chitra, N. Murali, et al.
    Indian Journal of Animal Research, 2023
    Background: Majority of the people believed that, only the native breeds have A2 milk than exotic or crossbred animals. There is no enough research on milk protein variants have been carried out in Indian zebu cattle. Present study was conducted to screen more number of crossbred cattles and buffaloes in Tamil Nadu to identify the frequency of A1 and A2 alleles in the population.Methods: The study was conducted on 68 cattle and 172 murrah / graded murrah buffaloes to explore the polymorphic variants of β-casein gene. Genomic DNA was extracted by phenol-chloroform method. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed with allele specific primers to amplify a 244 bp long fragment of beta-casein gene and visualized in 2% agarose gel electrophoresis. The population genetic indices were calculated based on the formulas.Result: In the present study revealed higher level of A2A2 genotype frequency (1.00) and fixation of A2 allele in kangayam cattle and murrah / graded murrah buffalo. The observed frequency of A1A1, A1A2 and A2A2 genotypes were 0.38,0.62 and 0.00 for jersey crossbred and 0.29, 0.71 and 0.00 for HF crossbred cattle. The range of Expected homozygosity (0.50 to 1.00), polymorphism information content (0.30 to 0.38), effective number of alleles (1.00 to 2.00) and level of possible variability realization value (44.54% to 100%) reflected existence of medium genetic variability in studied population.
  • In Vitro Characterization of chIFITMs of Aseel and Kadaknath Chicken Breeds against Newcastle Disease Virus Infection
    Muthusamy Malarmathi, Nagarajan Murali, Mani Selvaraju, Karuppusamy Sivakumar, Vasudevan Gowthaman, et al.
    Biology, 2023
    Newcastle disease (ND) is highly contagious and usually causes severe illness that affects Aves all over the world, including domestic poultry. Depending on the virus’s virulence, it can impact the nervous, respiratory, and digestive systems and cause up to 100% mortality. The chIFITM genes are activated in response to viral infection. The current study was conducted to quantify the mRNA of chIFITM genes in vitro in response to ND viral infection. It also examined its ability to inhibit ND virus replication in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells of the Aseel and Kadaknath breeds. Results from the study showed that the expression of all chIFITM genes was significantly upregulated throughout the period in the infected CEF cells of both breeds compared to uninfected CEF cells. In CEF cells of the Kadaknath breed, elevated levels of expression of the chIFITM3 gene dramatically reduced ND viral growth, and the viral load was 60% lower than in CEF cells of the Aseel breed. The expression level of the chIFITMs in Kadaknath ranged from 2.39 to 11.68 log2 folds higher than that of control CEFs and was consistently (p < 0.01) higher than Aseel CEFs. Similar to this, theIFN-γ gene expresses strongly quickly and peaks at 13.9 log2 fold at 48 hpi. Based on these cellular experiments, the Kadaknath breed exhibits the potential for greater disease tolerance than Aseel. However, to gain a comprehensive understanding of disease resistance mechanisms in chickens, further research involving in vivo investigations is crucial.
  • Study on wool quality and traditional pattern of wool weaving from tiruchy black sheep in Tamil Nadu
    P. Gopu, N. Murali, R. Saravanan, B. Balasundaram, M. Malarmathi
    Indian Journal of Small Ruminants, 2021
  • Genetic study on production traits of Japanese quails
    Indian Journal of Animal Research, 2012
  • Genetic study on plasma biochemical parameters in Japanese quails
    Indian Journal of Animal Research, 2009

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Genetic Resistance to Newcastle Disease in Poultry: A Narrative Review
    TA Kannan, S Palani, S Ramasamy, S Karuppusamy, SO Peters, ...
    Poultry 4 (3), 40 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Comparative genomic insights into adaptation, selection signatures, and population dynamics in indigenous Indian sheep and foreign breeds
    M Muthusamy, OM Akinsola, P Pal, C Ramasamy, S Ramasamy, AA Musa, ...
    Frontiers in Genetics 16, 1621960 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 4
  • Genomic Prediction of Milk Fat Percentage Among Crossbred Cattle in the Indian Subcontinent
    RV Balasubramanian, M Nagarajan, M Swaminathan, R Angamuthu, ...
    Animals 15 (7), 1004 , 2025
    2025
  • Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals Altered Expression of Genes Involved in Metabolic and Immune Processes in NDV-Infected Chicken Embryos
    M Muthusamy, KT Ramasamy, SO Peters, S Palani, V Gowthaman, ...
    Metabolites 14 (12), 669 , 2024
    2024
  • Unveiling the genetic symphony: Diversity and expression of chicken IFITM genes in Aseel and Kadaknath breeds
    M Muthusamy, M Nagarajan, S Karuppusamy, KT Ramasamy, ...
    Heliyon 10 (18) , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 2
  • In Vitro Characterization of chIFITMs of Aseel and Kadaknath Chicken Breeds against Newcastle Disease Virus Infection
    M Malarmathi, N Murali, M Selvaraju, K Sivakumar, V Gowthaman, ...
    Biology 12 (7), 919 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 6
  • A Study on β-Casein Gene Polymorphism in Crossbred Cattle and Murrah/Graded Murrah Buffalo in Tamil Nadu
    RS Kathiravan, CM Vandana, M Malarmathi, R Chitra, N Murali, ...
    Indian Journal of Animal Research 1, 6 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 7
  • Study on wool quality and traditional pattern of wool weaving from tiruchy black sheep in Tamil Nadu
    P Gopu, N Murali, R Saravanan, B Balasundaram, M Malarmathi
    Indian Journal of Small Ruminants (The), 271-274 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 3
  • POPULATION STRUCTURE AND PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE OF ASEEL PARENT POPULATION IN TIRUPPUR DISTRICT OF TAMIL NADU
    N Murali, M Malarmathi, RR Churchil
    INDIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES RESEARCH 49 (5), 23-29 , 2020
    2020
  • பறக்கக்கூடிய மற்றும் பறக்கமுடியாத பறவைகளின் பாலினக்ளை மூலக்கூறு அடையாளங்காட்டிகளைக் கொண்டு கண்டறிதல்: ஒரு …
    R Saravanan, G Mahesh Kumar, M Malarmathi, N Murali
    2019
  • Detection of Polymorphism in coding region of SLC11A1 Gene in Jersey Crossbred Cattle
    LG M. Malarmathi, N. Murali, R. Saravanan, P. Gopu
    International Journal of Livestock Research 9 (8), 263 - 267 , 2019
    2019
  • Analysis of Single-Stranded Conformational Polymorphism at 3'UTR of SLC11A1Gene in Jersey Crossbred Cattle
    M Malarmathi, N Murali, R Saravanan, P Gopu, M Jeyakumar
    Indian Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Research 48 (2), 9 -14 , 2019
    2019
  • PREDICTION OF GENETIC GAIN IN JAPANESE QUAIL POPULATION SELECTED FOR HIGH FOURTH WEEK BODY WEIGHT
    M Malarmathi
    International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology, 8 (3), 574 – 579 , 2019
    2019
  • Management of corneal ulcer in a cat-a clinical case study.
    G Kalaiselvi, M Malarmathi
    North-East Veterinarian 18 (3) , 2018
    2018
  • GENETICS BASIS OF DISEASE RESISTANCE IN CHICKEN
    M Jeyakumar, R Saravanan, M Malarmathi, P Ganapathi
    EVERYMAN’S SCIENCE, 149 , 2018
    2018
  • தமிழக வெள்ளாடுகள்
    M Jeyakumar, R Saravanan, M Malarmathi, P Ganapathi, N Murali, P Gopi
    2018
  • Marker assisted selection in livestock breeding.
    M Malarmathi, G Kalaiselvi
    2018
  • செம்மறியாடுகளில் இனப்பெருக்கமும் எடைப் பெருக்கமும்!
    M Malarmathi
    2017
  • மடிவீக்க நோயும் இனவிருத்தி மேலாணமையும்
    R Saravanan, N Murali, P Gopu, M Malarmathi, M Jayakumar
    2017
  • குறைவான மூலதனத்தில் நிறைவான வருமானம் தரும் வாத்துகள்!
    M Malarmathi, VS Vadivoo, G Kalaiselvi, TMA Senthilkumar
    2016

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Analysis of β-casein gene for A1 and A2 genotype using allele specific PCR in Kangeyam and Holstein Friesian crossbred cattle in Tamil Nadu.
    M Malarmathi, TMAS Kumar, M Parthiban, T Muthuramalingam, ...
    2014
    Citations: 39
  • A Study on β-Casein Gene Polymorphism in Crossbred Cattle and Murrah/Graded Murrah Buffalo in Tamil Nadu
    RS Kathiravan, CM Vandana, M Malarmathi, R Chitra, N Murali, ...
    Indian Journal of Animal Research 1, 6 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 7
  • In Vitro Characterization of chIFITMs of Aseel and Kadaknath Chicken Breeds against Newcastle Disease Virus Infection
    M Malarmathi, N Murali, M Selvaraju, K Sivakumar, V Gowthaman, ...
    Biology 12 (7), 919 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 6
  • GENETIC STUDY ON PRODUCTION TRAITS OF JAPANESE QUAILS
    M Malarmathi, BR Gupta, MG Prakash, AR Reddy
    Indian J. Anim. Res 46 (2), 164-167 , 2012
    2012
    Citations: 5
  • Comparative genomic insights into adaptation, selection signatures, and population dynamics in indigenous Indian sheep and foreign breeds
    M Muthusamy, OM Akinsola, P Pal, C Ramasamy, S Ramasamy, AA Musa, ...
    Frontiers in Genetics 16, 1621960 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 4
  • Genetic study on plasma biochemical parameters in Japanese quails.
    M Malarmathi, BR Gupta, MG Prakash, AR Reddy
    2009
    Citations: 4
  • Study on wool quality and traditional pattern of wool weaving from tiruchy black sheep in Tamil Nadu
    P Gopu, N Murali, R Saravanan, B Balasundaram, M Malarmathi
    Indian Journal of Small Ruminants (The), 271-274 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 3
  • Unveiling the genetic symphony: Diversity and expression of chicken IFITM genes in Aseel and Kadaknath breeds
    M Muthusamy, M Nagarajan, S Karuppusamy, KT Ramasamy, ...
    Heliyon 10 (18) , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 2
  • Bovine prenatal sex determination using cell free fetal nucleic acid present in maternal plasma
    M Malarmathi, VS Vadivoo, T Muthuramalingam, T Kumar, A Palanisammi
    Biolife 4, 431-436 , 2016
    2016
    Citations: 2
  • Selection indices for the improvement of production traits in Japanese quails.
    M Malarmathi, BR Gupta, MG Prakash, AR Reddy
    2010
    Citations: 2
  • Genetic Resistance to Newcastle Disease in Poultry: A Narrative Review
    TA Kannan, S Palani, S Ramasamy, S Karuppusamy, SO Peters, ...
    Poultry 4 (3), 40 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 1
  • Genomic Prediction of Milk Fat Percentage Among Crossbred Cattle in the Indian Subcontinent
    RV Balasubramanian, M Nagarajan, M Swaminathan, R Angamuthu, ...
    Animals 15 (7), 1004 , 2025
    2025
  • Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals Altered Expression of Genes Involved in Metabolic and Immune Processes in NDV-Infected Chicken Embryos
    M Muthusamy, KT Ramasamy, SO Peters, S Palani, V Gowthaman, ...
    Metabolites 14 (12), 669 , 2024
    2024
  • POPULATION STRUCTURE AND PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE OF ASEEL PARENT POPULATION IN TIRUPPUR DISTRICT OF TAMIL NADU
    N Murali, M Malarmathi, RR Churchil
    INDIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES RESEARCH 49 (5), 23-29 , 2020
    2020
  • பறக்கக்கூடிய மற்றும் பறக்கமுடியாத பறவைகளின் பாலினக்ளை மூலக்கூறு அடையாளங்காட்டிகளைக் கொண்டு கண்டறிதல்: ஒரு …
    R Saravanan, G Mahesh Kumar, M Malarmathi, N Murali
    2019
  • Detection of Polymorphism in coding region of SLC11A1 Gene in Jersey Crossbred Cattle
    LG M. Malarmathi, N. Murali, R. Saravanan, P. Gopu
    International Journal of Livestock Research 9 (8), 263 - 267 , 2019
    2019
  • Analysis of Single-Stranded Conformational Polymorphism at 3'UTR of SLC11A1Gene in Jersey Crossbred Cattle
    M Malarmathi, N Murali, R Saravanan, P Gopu, M Jeyakumar
    Indian Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Research 48 (2), 9 -14 , 2019
    2019
  • PREDICTION OF GENETIC GAIN IN JAPANESE QUAIL POPULATION SELECTED FOR HIGH FOURTH WEEK BODY WEIGHT
    M Malarmathi
    International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology, 8 (3), 574 – 579 , 2019
    2019
  • Management of corneal ulcer in a cat-a clinical case study.
    G Kalaiselvi, M Malarmathi
    North-East Veterinarian 18 (3) , 2018
    2018
  • GENETICS BASIS OF DISEASE RESISTANCE IN CHICKEN
    M Jeyakumar, R Saravanan, M Malarmathi, P Ganapathi
    EVERYMAN’S SCIENCE, 149 , 2018
    2018