Over the years, I have been investigating the molecular mechanisms of plant immunity, microbial pathogenesis and cytokinins crosstalk to immune networks in plants. Reconstruction of plant signaling, metabolic and protein-protein interaction networks, their integration, visualization and analyses are also included in my research interests. Moreover, I also assess the function of cytokinin interacting proteins (CBPs) and their modulated pathways in animal cells. The complex cellular signaling circuitry of cytokinins endows this adenine-derived small molecule hormone with the ability to control plant growth and development, and also regulates the dynamics of interaction between plant and pathogens. Besides plants, cytokinins are also secreted by both plant and animal interacting microbes. Also, cytokinins have been shown to delay senescence in plants and relieve fibroblast cell from ageing and oxidative stress. It is high time to exploit the signaling orchestration of the cytokinins regulated cellular pathways that lead to high crop yield, better plant protection against the attack of pest and pathogens as well as to counter-regulate the detrimental effects of drought, salinity and thermal stresses on plants. Thus the biotechnological exploitation of plant cytokinins responses have vast implications for food security.Likewise, by rescuing animal cells from oxidative stress and ageing and by modulating the activity of various immune related receptor proteins in animal cells, the physiological functions of cytokinins can be harnessed to produce next generation of cosmeceuticals as well as improved anti-inflammatory agonistic agents. To unleash these benefits I employ a set of complementary approaches ranging from classical physiology and molecular biology techniques to high-throughput omics technologies such as genomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Research Interests - Systems biology of cytokinins regulated pathogen lifestyle specific networks in host. - Stem cell triggered immunity in plants and cytokinins. - Microbial pathogenesis and hormone immune networks. - OMICS-integration: signaling, metabolic & protein-protein interaction networks - Plant Stress Phenomics and non-invasive phenotyping - Artificial metabolic cycles in plants for biomass production - Evolution of LOG proteins in microbes and the functions of Cytokinin in human cells Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=1IWQmAUAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate Selected Publications: Naseem M, Özge Osmanoglu O, and Dandekar T (2019) Synthetic rewiring of plant CO2-sequestration galvanizes plant biomass production. Trends in Biotechnology (TIBTECH-19-00157) Naseem M$ , Benchoruwa E. Dandekar T (2018) The cytokinin-activating LOG-family proteins are not lysine decarboxylases. Trends in Biochem. Sci. (in press:TIBS-D-17-00200R1) [IF: 16.63] Naseem M$, Kunz M and Dandekar T.(2017) Plant-pathogen maneuvering over apoplastic sugar Trends in Plant Science: PMID:28779901 [IF: 11.91] Othman EM*, Naseem M*, Awad E, Dandekar T, Stopper H (2016) The Plant Hormone Cytokinin Confers Protection against Oxidative Stress in Mammalian Cells. PLoS ONE 11(12): e0168386. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0168386 PMID: 28005918 [IF: 2.8] Naseem M. Sharukhanyan E and Dandekar. (2015) Lonely-Guy knocks every door: Crosskingdom microbial pathogenesis. Trends in Plant Sci: pii: S1360-1385(15)00276-9. PMID: 26777904 [IF: 11.91] Naseem M, Srivastava M, and Dandekar T (2014) Stem Cell Triggered Immunity Safeguards Plant Apexes from Pathogen infection. Frontiers in Plant Science 5:588. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00588. : PMID: 25400652 [IF: 4.298] Naseem M, Wölfling M, and Dandekar (2014) Cytokinin for immunity beyond growth, galls and green-islands. Trends in Plant Sci. 19(8):481-4. PMID: 24794463 [IF: 11.91] Kaltdorf M and Naseem M$ (2013) How many salicylic acid receptors does a plant cell need? Science Signaling 6(279),Jc3. PMID: 23757021. [IF: 7.37] Naseem M and Dandekar T (2012) The role of auxin-cytokinin antagonism in plant-pathogen interactions. PLos Pathog 8(11): e1003026. PMID: 23209407 [IF: 7.003] Naseem M, Philippi N, Hussain A, Wangorsch G, Ahmed N, and Dandekar T (2012) Integrated Systems View on Networking by Hormones in Arabidopsis Immunity Reveals Multiple Crosstalk for Cytokinin. Plant Cell 24:1793-814. PMID: 22643121[IF: 8.68] Grosskinsky DK*, Naseem M*, Abdelmohsen UR, Plickert N, Engelke T, Griebel T, Zeier J, Novák O, Strnad M, Pfeifhofer H, van der Graaff E, Simon U, Roitsch T. (2011) Cytokinins mediate resistance against Pseudomonas syringae in tobacco through increased antimicrobial phytoalexin synthesis independent of salicylic acid signaling. Plant Physiol. 157(2): 815-30. PMID: 21813654 [IF: 6.45]