Chhandak Basu

Chhandak Basu

Assistant Professor of Plant Biology and Plant Biotechnology (2005- present)

Contact information

  • Email: chhandak.basu@unco.edu
  • Phone: 970-351-2716
  • Fax: 970-351-2335
  • Office: 1546 Ross Hall, UNC west campus
  • Laboratory: 1641 Ross Hall, UNC west campus
  • Office hours: By appointment
  • Lab webpage: http://www.unco.edu/biology/cbasu/

Courses Taught

  • Bio 100 (Exploring Biology)
  • BIO 101 (Biological Perspectives)
  • BIO 210 (Cell Biology)
  • BIO 354/ BIO 554 (General Plant Physiology)
  • BIO 422 (Directed Study; Titles: Plant Biotech, Plant Biology, Biotechnology, Gene Cloning)
  • BIO 524 (Genomics)
  • BIO 591 (Biology Roundtable)

News releases

Research Interests and Professional Activities

I am interested in the molecular aspects of how  plants cope with environmental stress and genomic adaptation. Plant stress is a big problem in plant agriculture, such as those caused by abiotic stresses (cold, drought, salinity etc.). This problem can be addressed through transgenic approaches, however, useful genes will have to be first identified. Candidate stress regulated genes can be identified by cDNA microarray technology and by bioinformatics. We use reporter genes such as jellyfish GFP (green fluorescent protein) and E. coli GUS (beta-glucuronidase) under the control of stress inducible promoters to study gene expression in response to stress in transgenic plants.  Characterizing how plant cells respond to stress will help us to better understand genomic adaptation The ultimate goal of this research is the production of genetically engineered stress tolerant plants. The research will have significant value for understanding the physiological mechanism of the signal cascade in plants due to abiotic stress. This will also open the door for further research for functional analysis of stress tolerant genes and genes activated in plants in response to environmental changes. Genetically modified stress tolerant food crops will increase crop production and will help to partially solve world hunger and food crisis especially in the developing countries. Please visit my lab webpage to learn more about my research.

Besides dealing with DNA, RNA and plants my other interests are: music, singing, guitar playing, cooking and traveling.

Academic Awards/ Professional Honors

NATIONAL
  • Undergradute Research Mentor of the year 2006-2007: Awarded by the College of Natural and health Sciences, UNC
  • Housing and Residential Life, UNC Academic Recognition Award (2007)
  • August, 2002- May, 2003: University of Rhode Island Graduate Fellowship
  • April, 2002:Student Travel Award: Awarded by the Society for In Vitro Biology, Largo, Maryland
  • December, 2001: International Association for Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology (IAPTC and B) Fellowship
  • January, 2000: Travel Grant Award (to attend the 3rd. International Crop Science Congress in Hamburg, Germany, August, 2000): Awarded by the Crop Science Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin.
  • 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995: University Merit Scholarship: Awarded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, Government of India.
  • 1989 and 1991: National Scholarship: Awarded by Government of West Bengal, India.
INTERNATIONAL

Grants

  1. Agency name: Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Business Finance Division, State of Colorado
    Program area: Bioscience Discovery and Evaluation Grant Program
    Grant proposal title: Diesel tree (Copaifera langsdorfii): A novel source of biofuel?
    Principal Investigator: Chhandak Basu
    Funding status: Funded in the amount of $99,268
  2. Agency name: Sponsored Programs & Academic Research Center, University of Northern Colorado (Program area: Research Enrichment & Development Initiative program)
    Grant proposal title: Cloning and Characterization of Terpene Synthase Genes from Diesel Tree
    Principal Investigator: Chhandak Basu
    Funding status: Funded in the amount of $15,000.00 (2007)
  3. Agency name: Department of Education
    Grant proposal title: Improving Doctoral Education in Biology at UNC
    Program area: Graduate Assistance in the Areas of National Need (GAANN)
    Principal Investigator: Catherine Gardiner
    Co Principal Investigators:Greg DeKrey and Chhandak Basu
    Funding status: Funded in the amount of $380,016 (2006)
  4. Agency name: Sigma-Xi, North Carolina.
    Program area: Sigma-Xi Grant in Aid Research
    Grant Proposal title: Microarray-Based Technology to Study Pathogen-Induced Gene Expression in Turfgrass (2002)
    Principal Investigator: Chhandak Basu. (293 awards were made out of 1100 applicants applied from 25 countries)   
  5. Dr. Noel Jackson Research Fellowship Award: Awarded by Rhode Island Turfgrass Foundation, Newport, Rhode Island. Grant Proposal: Promoter Analysis for Genetic Enhancement of Turfgrass. Principal Investigator: Chhandak Basu (February, 2002)
  6. Dr. Noel Jackson Research Fellowship Award: Awarded by Rhode Island Turfgrass Foundation, Newport, Rhode Island. Grant Proposal: Evaluation of an Arabidopsis bidirectional promoter in Turfgrass. Principal Investigator: Chhandak Basu (March, 2001)

Peer-Reviewed Publications and Book Chapters

Publications list

Published Abstracts (Presented in National Conferences)

  1. Gayle Volk, Christina Walters, Ann Caspersen, Chhandak Basu. Behavior of plant shoot tips during cryopreservation.  Gordon Research Conference. (Topic: Temperature Stress in Plants).  January 21-26, 2007 (Ventura, California).
  2. Basu, Chhandak,  Volk, Gayle,  Bennett, Audrey A., and Boswell A. 2006. Differential gene expression occurs during processing for and recovery from cryopreservation in Arabidopsis thaliana shoot tips.Book of Abstracts for the Annual Meeting of American Society of Plant Biologists (Boston, August 5-9, 2006).
  3. Basu, Chhandak., Halfhill, Mathew., Burris, Jason., N., Leckie, Brian. M., Mueller, Thomas C., Halfhill, Jessica. C., and Stewart, C. Neal. Jr. 2005. Towards understanding the molecular mechanism of glyphosate resistance in horseweed (Conyza canadensis). Abstract for the Annual Meeting of Weed Science Society of America (Honolulu, Feb 7-10, 2004).
  4. Basu, Chhandak., Halfhill, Mathew., and Stewart, C. Neal. Jr. 2005. Weed genomics: new tools to defeat old enemy. Abstract for the Annual Meeting of Weed Science Society of America (Honolulu, Feb 7-10, 2004). (For the 'Weed Genomics' symposium)
  5. Chhandak Basu, Chris Main, Reginald J. Millwood, Tom Mueller and Neal C. Stewart Jr. The molecular basis for the evolution of glyphosate tolerance in Horseweed (Conyza canadensis). South-East Ecology, Population Genetics and Evolution Meeting (SEEPAGE). (Camp Sequoya, South Holston Lake, Virginia, September 19-21 2003) (Poster)
  6. Basu, C., Martin, J., Luo, H., Kausch, A. and Chandlee, J. 2002. Genetic Background and tissue age affect GUS reporter gene expression in different tissues of creeping bentgrass. Book of Abstracts for the Annual Meeting of American Society of Plant Biologists (Honolulu, July 25-30, 2003).
  7. Basu, C., Luo, H., Kausch, A. and Chandlee, J. 2002. Functional Analysis of a Reporter Gene (GUS) in Turfgrass Callus Following Microprojectile Bombardment. Book of Abstracts for the Annual Meeting of American Society of Plant Biologists (Denver, August 3-7, 2002).
  8. Basu, C., George D., Kausch, A. and Chandlee, J. 2002. Organ and Tissue Specificity of Expression of a Reporter Gene Driven by Various Promoters in Transgenic Turfgrass. In Vitro Cell and Developmental Biology. 38 (Spring 2002). Page 78-A. (Presented in the 10th. International Congress of the International Association for Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology, Orlando, Florida, June 20-24, 2002)
  9. Basu, C., Luo, H., Kausch, A. and Chandlee, J. 2002. Genotypic, Tissue Specific and Developmental Variation of a Reporter gene (GUS) in Turfgrass Species following Microprojectile Bombardment. Book of Abstracts for the Regional Meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists. Wellesley, Massachusetts (May 3-4, 2002)
  10. Basu, C., Luo, H., Kausch, A. and Chandlee, J. 2002. Genetic Engineering for Trait Improvement in Turfgrass Species. Annual Meeting of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, Massachusetts (February 14-19, 2002). AAAS List of Poster. Page 19.
  11. Longo, C., Basu, C., Pennington, S., Englander, L. and Kausch, A. 2001. Meeting the Current Educational Crisis in Biotechnology. Book of Abstracts for the Annual Meeting of American Society of Plant Biologists (July 21-25, 2001), Providence, Rhode Island. Page 28.
  12. Longo, Chip., Wang, Yuexia., Hu, Qian., Luo, Hong., Nelson, Kimberly., Basu, Chhandak., Chandlee, Joel, M. and Kausch, Albert P. Reliable Transformation of Grasses. 2001 Book of Abstracts for the Annual Meeting of American Society of Plant Biologists (July 21-25, 2001), Providence, Rhode Island. Page 164.
  13. Kausch, Albert., Basu Chhandak., Hodges, Thomas., Luo, Hong., Longo, John., and Chandlee, Joel. 2001. Characterization and Functional Analysis of a Bidirectional promoter from Arabidopsis. Book of Abstracts for the Annual Meeting of American Society of Plant Biologists (July 21-25, 2001), Providence, Rhode Island. Page 151.
  14. Wang, Y., Basu, C., Jiang, Z., and Sullivan,W.M. 2000. Characterization of nitrate uptake by Kentucky bluegrass at the whole plant and the organ levels. HortScience. 35 (5): 829. (Presented in Regional Meeting of American Society of Horticultural Science in Baltimore, Maryland, January 2000)
  15. Pote, J., Basu C., Jiang, Z.,and Sullivan, W.M. 2000. Relationship between nitrate leaching under turf and nitrate uptake by turfgrasses. HortScience. 35 (5): 827. (Presented in Regional Meeting of American Society of Horticultural Science in Baltimore, Maryland, January 2000)

D. Published Abstracts (Presented in International Conferences)

  1. Basu, C., Volk, G., Henk, A. 2007. Gene expression patterns in cryogenically stored Arabidopsis thaliana shoot tips. Book of Abstracts for the 5th. Canadian Plant Genomics Workshop, Vancouver, Canada. July 30 - August 2, 2007)
  2. Basu, C., Chandlee, J., Kausch, A. 2002. Comparative analysis of novel promoters driving reporter gene expression in turfgrass. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Vol. 132 (Supplement). (Presented in the Annual Meeting of Society for Experimental Biology, Swansea, Wales, U.K. April 8-12, 2002)
  3. Basu, C., Chandlee J., Sullivan W.M., Bushoven J., Wang Y. and Kausch A. 2000. Optimizing the methods and parameters for gene transfer in turfgrass for trait enhancement. Book of Abstracts for the 3rd. International Crop Science Congress (August 17-22, 2000), Hamburg, Germany. Page 240.

E. GenBank DNA Sequence Submitted

  1. Mitkowski, N.A. and Basu, C. Xanthomonas translucens pv. poae 16S to 23S ribosomal RNA genes (Accession No. AY253329). (sequence can be accessed at www.ncbi.nlm.gov)

Cells