Debarati Basu, graduate student in Environmental & Plant Biology
Environmental & Plant Biology graduate student Debarati Basu was one of five Ohio University graduate students who received Named Fellowships for the 2014-15 school year to pursue research and creative projects.
Each of the five was awarded a fellowship of $15,000, plus a full tuition scholarship for fall and spring semesters.
Basu is the Donald Clippinger Graduate Fellow. She is a fifth-year student pursuing a Ph.D. in Environmental & Plant Biology. She is from Kolkata, India.
Her project is “Identification and characterization of genes involved in the biosynthesis of arabinogalactan protein in Arabidopsis.”
“I am working with plant-specific proteins, arabinogalactan (AGP), in the model plant Arabidopsis. These sugar-coated macromolecules are used in cosmetics and as low-calorie sweetening agents,” she says.
“I am characterizing the role of enzymes in the synthesis of AGPs. Using double mutants of the enzyme galactosyltransferase (galt2galt5), we are seeking to understand which AGPs are affected by the absence of these enzymes and how this affects the physiology of the plant. Our research involves large-scale isolation of AGPs from wild-type plants and mutants, purification and detailed analysis using proteomics.
“I am grateful to receive this award, as it will allow me to concentrate on my research,” she adds.
Comments