I graduated in Botany from Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India. I then completed my Masters and a Master of Philosophy in Botany from the same University before moving for my Doctoral Degree in Biochemistry at the M. S. University of Baroda, Baroda, India. I joined as Junior Research Fellow a Dept of Atomic Energy (DAE) funded project in March 1993 and subsequently I obtained University Grants Commission Fellowship (UGC) to pursue my research on the "Mechanism of excision of nifD element of heterocystous cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120 in E. coli" under the supervision of Dr. Naresh Kumar.

My present position in Prof. Philip Poole’s Group is a Post Doctoral Research Asst working on "The Molecular basis of competitiveness and niche occupation of Rhizobium leguminosarum". Previously in this Lab, it was shown that myo-inositol metabolism is important in nodulation as well as competitiveness in Rhizobia-legume symbiosis (MPMI (2001) 14 1016-1025). The present work aims to further characterize myo-inositol catabolism in R. leguminosarum. In particular, I am interested in identifying the key regulatory mechanisms of myo-inositol catabolism. In addition, I have constructed a series of reporter gene fusions to study gene expression in the rhizosphere.

Publications

E. M. Lodwig*, A. H. F. Hosie*, A. Bourdès, K. Findlay, D. Allaway, R. Karunakaran, J. A. Downie and P. S. Poole (2003) Amino-acid cycling drives nitrogen fixation in the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis. Nature 422 722-725.

*These authors contributed equally to this work

R. Karunakaran, A. Selvaraj and K. Santhaguru (1996) Nitrate effect on nitrogenase activity and formation and function of leghaemoglobin in root nodules of Lablab purpureus (L) Sweet. Geobios 23 122-126.

K. Santhaguru, S. B. Gladis Ponmalar and R. Karunakaran (1995) Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae in tree legumes and its rhizosphere soils in Alagar hills. Indian Forester 121 817-823.

L. Louis Jesudas, R. Karunakaran and K. Santhaguru (1992) Azospirillum application and recovery of drought stressed ragi Eleusine coracana (Gaertn.) Indian Journal of Plant Physiology XXXV 396-400.

R. Karunakaran and K. Santhaguru (1991) Effect of nitrate on growth, nodulation, nitrogen fixation, leghaemoglobin patterns and nitrate assimilation in Lablab purpureus (L) Sweet. Journal of Indian Botanical Society 70 245-247.