Subbaratnam Muthukrishnan, Ph.D.
University Distinguished Professor Emeritus
E-mail: smk@ksu.edu EducationB.S. 1963, Madras University |
Areas of specialty
- Characterization of enzymes and genes involved in chitin metabolism and targeting them for insect control
- Enhancing disease and insect resistance of plants by genetic engineering
Dr. Muthukrishnan is an internationally distinguished biochemist. His early research focused on mRNA processing and plant gene regulation. He continued his work on plant biochemistry by identifying and characterizing genes that protect plants from microbial pathogens, introducing defense genes into crop plants, and developing bioassays to evaluate crop plants for their ability to resist fungal pathogens and insect pests. Dr. Muthukrishnan’s subsequent research programs centered on the biosynthesis, organization, and degradation of insect chitin, and the synthesis and remodeling of insect exoskeletons. Dr. Muthukrishnan retired in 2018, but his contributions to scientific research continue, including collaborative investigations of enzymes involved in pigmentation and turnover of insect cuticle.
Selected publications
Agrawal, S., Kelkenberg, M., Begum, K., Lea, S., Williams, CE., Kramer, KJ., Park, Y., Muthukrishnan, S., and Merzendorfer, M. (2014) Two essential peritrophic matrix proteins mediate matrix barrier functions in the insect midgut. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 49:24-34 doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2014.03.00
Chaudhari, SS., Arakane, Y., Specht, CA., Moussian, B., Kramer, KK., Muthukrishnan, S., and Beeman, RW. (2013) Retroactive maintains cuticle integrity by promoting the trafficking of Knickkopf into the procuticle of Tribolium castaneum. PLoS Genetics PGENETICS-D-12-02532R1 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003268
Jasrapuria S, Specht CA, Kramer KJ, Beeman RW, Muthukrishnan S (2012) Gene Families of Cuticular Proteins Analogous to Peritrophins (CPAPs) in Tribolium castaneum Have Diverse Functions. PLoS ONE, 7(11): e49844. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049844
Muthukrishnan, S., Merzendorfer, H., Arakane, Y., and Kramer, KJ. (2012) Chitin metabolism in insects. In: Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Ed. By. Gilbert, L. I. Elsevier Inc., San Diego, ISBN:-978-0-12-384747-8. pp.193-235.
Chaudhari, SS., Arakane, Y., Specht, CA., Moussian, B., Boyle, DL., Park, Y., Kramer, KJ., Beeman, RW., and Muthukrishnan, S. (2011) The Knickkopf protein protects and organizes chitin in the newly synthesized insect exoskeleton. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA., 108:17028-17033.
Arakane, Y., and Muthukrishnan, S. (2010) Insect chitinases and chitinase-like proteins. Cellular Molecular Life Sciences, 67, 201-216.
Jasrapuria, S., Arakane, Y., Osman, G., Kramer, KJ., Beeman, RW., and Muthukrishnan, S. (2010) Genes encoding proteins with peritrophin A-type chitin binding domains in Tribolium castaneum are grouped into three distinct families based on phylogeny, expression and function. Insect Biochem Mol. Biol., 40: 214-227.
Arakane, Y., Begum, K., Dixit, R., Park, Y., Specht, CA., Kramer, KJ., and Beeman, RW. (2009) Analysis of functions of the chitin deacetylase gene family in Tribolium castaneum. Insect Biochem Molec Biol., 38: 959-962.
Zhu Q, Arakane Y, Beeman RW, Kramer KJ, and Muthukrishnan S. (2008) Functional specialization among insect chitinase family genes revealed by RNA interference. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA., 105:6650-6655.
Arakane, Y., Muthukrishnan, S., Kramer, KJ., Specht, CA., Tomoyasu, Y., Lorenzen, MD., Kanost, M., and Beeman, RW. (2005) The Tribolium chitin synthase genes TcCHS1 and TcCHS2 are specialized for synthesis of epidermal cuticle and midgut peritrophic matrix. Insect Molec. Biol., 14:453-463.
Arakane, Y., Muthukrishnan, S., Beeman, RW., Kanost, MR., and Kramer, KJ. (2005) Laccase 2 is the phenoloxidase gene required for beetle cuticle tanning. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 102:11337-11342.
Hogenkamp, DG., Arakane, Y., Zimoch, L., Merzendorfer, H., Kramer, KJ., Beeman, RW., Kanost, MR., Specht, CA., and Muthukrishnan, S. (2005) Chitin synthase genes in Manduca sexta: characterization of a gut-specific transcript and differential tissue expression of alternatively spliced mRNAs during development. Insect Biochem. Molec. Biol., 35:529-540.
Arakane, Y., Hogenkamp, DG., Zhu, Y-C., Kramer, KJ., Specht, CA., Beeman, RW., Kanost, MR., and Muthukrishnan, S. (2004) Characterization of two chitin synthase genes of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, and alternate exon usage in one of the genes during development. Insect Biochem Molec. Biol., 34: 291-304