Udaya C Kalluri

Plant Systems Biology
Environmental Sciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Phone: (865)576-9495
u6k@ornl.gov

Education

• Ph.D., Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Michigan Technological University, 2003
• M.S., Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad, India, 1999
• B.S., Microbiology, Botany, Chemistry, Osmania University, India, 1997

Research Interests:

• Characterization and modeling of biological phenomenon across single cell to whole plant levels using nanotechnology, neutron sciences and computational sciences.
• Plant imaging, analysis and modeling
• Plant cell wall biosynthesis and remodeling
• Genome-enabled study of carbon biosequestration genes
• Molecular mechanism of auxin action and response

Recent Publications:

• Kalluri U, Melechko A and McKnight T, Invention 2211, DOE S-115,242, "Platform for Immobilization and Observation of Subcellular Processes", elected to PFTT portfolio of UT-Battelle, LLC. 2009. [Invention Disclosure].
• Kalluri U, Hurst G, Lankford P, Ranjan P and Pelletier D, “Shotgun profiling of Populus developing xylem proteome”, Proteomics Journal 2009. In press
• Kalluri U.C., Basu M.M., Jawdy S.S., and Tuskan G.A. “Auxin Signaling and Response Mechanisms and Roles in Plant Growth and Development”. In Joshi, C.P., and S.P. DiFazio (eds). Genetics, Genomics and Breeding of Crop Plants: Poplar. Science Publishers, Enfield, New Hampshire. 2009. In press
• Yang X, Kalluri U.C, DiFazio S.P, Wullschleger S. D., Tschaplinski T. J., Cheng Z-M, and Tuskan G. A., “Populus genomics: State of the science” Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 2009. Accepted
• The International Brachypodium Initiative*. “Genome sequence analysis of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon: insights into grass genome evolution”. 2009. Under Review
• Jansson C, Wullschleger S, Kalluri U and Tuskan G, “Phytosequestration: Carbon Biosequestration by Plants and the Prospects of Genetic Engineering”. 2009. Under Review
• Ranjan P, Yin T, Zhang X, Kalluri U C, Yang X, Jawdy S, Tuskan G A “Bioinformatics-based identification of candidate genes from QTLs associated with cell wall traits in Populus”. 2009. Under Review
• Yang, X., Kalluri, U. C., Jawdy, S., Gunter, L. E., Yin, T., Tschaplinski, T. J., Weston, D. J., Ranjan, P., and Tuskan, G. A., “The F-box gene family is expanded in herbaceous annual plants relative to woody perennial plants”, Plant Physiology.148 (3), 1189 (2008).
• Kalluri, U. C., DiFazio, S. P., Brunner, A. M., and Tuskan, G. A., “Genome-wide analysis of Aux/IAA and ARF gene families in Populus trichocarpa”, BMC Plant Biology. 7 (2007).
• Filichkin, S. A., Difazio, S. P., Brunner, A. M., Davis, J. M., Yang, Z. K., Kalluri, U. C., Arias, R. S., Etherington, E., Tuskan, G. A., and Strauss, S. H., “Efficiency of gene silencing in Arabidopsis: direct inverted repeats vs. transitive RNAi vectors”, Plant Biotechnology Journal. 5 (5), 615 (2007).
• Tuskan, G. A., DiFazio, S., Jansson, S., ., Kalluri, U., … (~100 co-authors) and Rokhsar, D. “The genome of black cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray)”, Science. 313 (5793), 1596 (2006).
• Kalluri, U. C., and Joshi, C. P., “Differential expression patterns of two cellulose synthase genes are associated with primary and secondary cell wall development in aspen trees”, Planta.220 (1), 47 (2004).
• Joshi, C. P., Bhandari, S., Ranjan, P., Kalluri, U. C., Liang, X., Fujino, T., and Samuga, A., “Genomics of cellulose biosynthesis in poplars”, New Phytologist. 164 (1), 53 (2004).
• Kalluri, U. C., and Joshi, C. P., “Isolation and characterization of a new, full-length cellulose synthase cDNA, PtrCesA5 from developing xylem of aspen trees”, Journal of Experimental Botany. 54 (390), 2187 (2003).

Awards and Activities

• Session Chair, ‘Cell wall Architecture and Display’, Gordon Research Conference on Cellulosomes, Cellulases and Other Carbohydrate Modifying Enzymes, July 2009.
• Mentor, Tennessee Governors Academy, 2009
• YWCA Tribute to Women Honoree in Science and Technology Category, Aug 2008.
• Session Chair, ‘Wood Nanobiotechnology’, International Conference on Nanotechnology for Forest Product Industry, June 2008.
• Co-organizer, Workshop on ‘Identification, Curation and Analysis of candidate genes for the Transformation Pipeline’, DOE BioEnergy Science Center Annual Retreat, TN, Feb 2008.
• ORNL Director's Award for Outstanding Team Accomplishment, 2007.
• UT-Battelle Award for Best Scientific Research Team, 2007.
• ORNL Significant Event Award, 2007.
• Seminar Committee member, Biological and Environmental Sciences Directorate, ORNL, 2007-present.
• Annotator, International Brachypodium genome project, 2009 and International Poplar Genome Consortium, 2005.
• Finishing Fellowship, 2003 and Graduate Research Scholarship, Michigan Technological University (MTU) 1999-2002.
• Member, ASPB and IUFRO.

Research Proposals:

• DOE- Scientific Focus Area proposal on “Plant-Microbial Interfaces”, 10/09-10/12, ~$7.0 million (Co-PI). Pending.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, “Enabling plant systems biology investigations for carbon cycling and biosequestration research”, 10/09-10/11, $740,000 (PI).
• DOE-GTL Bioenergy Center “BioEnergy Science Center”, 10/08-10/12, $135 million (Co-PI on efforts totaling ~ $2.8 million per year).
• DOE Terrestrial Ecosystems Program, “Genome- Enabled Discovery of Carbon Allocation Genes in Populus”, 10/06-9/09, $4,080,000 (Co-PI).
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, “Unraveling the regulatory and biosynthetic genes that control cellulose production in the model bioenergy crop, Populus”. 10/06-10/08, $610,000 (PI).
• DOE/BER, “Functional Genomics Approach to Altering Crown Architecture in Populus”, 10/08-10/10, $1,040,000 (Co-PI).