Ratnesh Chandra Mishra: The Plant Cell
Ratnesh Chandra Mishra, co-first author of “The 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate proteome links folates with C/N metabolism and reveals feedback regulation of folate biosynthesis”
Current Position: BOF Postdoctoral Fellow at Laboratory of Functional Plant Biology, Department of Biology, Ghent University.
Education: PhD in Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi, India; MSc. Botany, University of Delhi.
Non-scientific Interests: Cooking, gardening, singing, hiking.
Brief Bio:
I effortlessly connect my fascination with plants since childhood when gardening was my favorite hobby. I have always enjoyed caring for plants, learning about their nutrient requirements, conducive growth conditions, and taken pride in maintaining a full-fledged flourishing garden solely on my efforts alongside daily chores during my school days. With the persistent quest to learn more about plant biology, I completed my B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Botany. It was then when I envisaged combining my classical knowledge with molecular research to unveil the hidden facets of the plants’ life. As a well-aspired start, I joined the lab of Prof. Anil Grover, Department of Plant Molecular Biology, Delhi University, India, and studied the plant heat-shock response mechanism in my Ph.D. During the tenure of my Ph.D., I also got to explore flooding responses in plants at Prof. Rens Voesenek’s lab, Utrecht University, Netherlands. After defending my Ph.D., I joined the lab of Prof. Hanhong Bae, Yeungnam University, South Korea, for a postdoc. Here, I pioneered molecular work in the emerging field of Plant Acoustics. During my stay in South Korea, I developed a strong interest in research lines addressing real-world agricultural needs. Finding one such opportunity in Ghent University, Belgium, I joined the team of Prof. Dominique Van Der Straeten, working at the forefront of folate biofortification research. Here, my major focus is to delineate the mechanism behind folate modulated growth and development in plants. Acquiring this knowledge, I aim at facilitating a fruitful folate biofortification program with the least perturbations in plants. My recent study (this TPC paper) unearthed folate binding proteins in plants and revealed the functional relevance of several of the interactions. I believe that it is a landmark finding in the field and has provided us several leads to approach the question of how folates modulate growth and development in plants.
