Arjun Khakhar

Developing synthetic auxin-based trans-kingdom signaling

This paper develops a tunable auxin-based trans-kingdom signaling system that enables cross-species communication by engineering auxin biosynthesis and response mechanisms in different organisms.

Agrochemical-responsive gene expression control systems for modulating plant development and metabolism

This paper develops agrochemical-inducible gene expression systems using Cas9 and Cre recombinase in Arabidopsis to regulate plant development and metabolism.

High-throughput engineering of ligand-activated splicing ribozyme through domain insertion

This study engineers ligand-activated splicing ribozymes (LASRs) using domain insertion and high-throughput screening, showing their functionality across multiple kingdoms and applications in genetic regulation and information recording.

Uncovering the Design Rules for Sustainable Growth of Mineralized Mycomaterials

This paper demonstrates how to enhance the mechanical properties of mycomaterials through mineralization and low-cost growth using synthetic lichen-based co-cultures.

A CURE for synthetic regulation of gene expression: Rapid screening of guide RNA efficacy as a framework for enabling undergraduate research in plant synthetic biology

This paper develops a CURE for undergraduate research in plant synthetic biology using rapid gRNA efficacy screening to study gene regulation in Arabidopsis.

Reprogramming feedback strength in gibberellin biosynthesis highlights conditional regulation by the circadian clock and carbon dioxide.

The paper uses GAHACRs to modulate feedback in GA biosynthesis, revealing connections between GA signaling, circadian clock, and CO2 levels.

Elucidating design principles for Ribozyme-Enabled Tissue Specificity (RETS) to allow precise expression without specialized promoters.

This paper introduces RETS, a method for tissue-specific transgene expression in plants using ribozymes, and demonstrates its application in Arabidopsis thaliana for biosensors and phenotypic engineering.

Molecular Bonsai: Elucidating the design principles for engineering plant organ size

This paper uses mathematical models to guide synthetic transcription factor-based gene expression modulation to predictably engineer plant organ size across species and environments.