Dr. Akhtar Ali

Position: CAFTA Project Leader

Department: Molecular Stress Physiology, CPSBB

Education:
PhD, 2016: Plant Molecular Biology, Gyeongsang National University, South Korea
MS, 2012: Plant Molecular Biology, Gyeongsang National University, South Korea
BSc, 2009: Biotechnology, University of Malakand, KPK, Pakistan

Research Projects (accomplished)
– Molecular mechanism of ABA- and drought-signaling in plants (2017-2020),
–  Functional Analysis of HKT1 in Eutrema parvula (halophyte) (2016~2018),
– Regulation of salt stress in glycophytes and halophytes (2013~2016),
–  Role of HKT1 in Halophytic behavior of Thellungiella salsuginea (halophyte) (2010~2013)
– Molecular connection between phytohormone ABA and flowering time in Arabidopsis (2018~2021).

Technical Skills
• Plant species of expertise: Arabidopsis, Thellungiella salsuginea (halophyte), Thellungiella parvula (halophyte), Nicotiana benthamiana.
• CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing,
• Generation of Transgenic plants (Arabidopsis and T. salsuginea),
• Genotypic and phenotypic analysis of transgenic plants,
• Abiotic stress responses in plants including High Salinity, Cold, Drought (and ABA),
• DNA, RNA and Protein isolation and purification (Plants and Bacteria),
• Cloning, Microbial Cells culturing and Transformation techniques,
• RT and qRT-PCR, Ch-IP assay, Western blotting, Confocal microscopy,
• Protein-protein interaction; Co-Immunoprecipitation, Y2H, BiFC and Luciferase assay,
• Bioinformatics – Sequence retrieval & alignment, Similarity searches, NEB Cutter tool.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

• Asad F., Zeb A., Shahid S., Ahmad S., Wittenberg M., Angelov M., Yaseen T., Ali A., Gechev T., Ali S. (2026)
  • Biostimulants from Rosa alba L. optimize growth and physiological processes of Zea mays L. Frontiers in Plant Science. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2026.1731231. (IF 4.8)

• Ali A., Usman M., Ali W., Khan N.Z., Aasim M., Staykov N., Ali A., Munir I., Gechev T. (2025)

  • Heterologous Expression of Bacterial Dehydrin Promotes Arabidopsis Tolerance to Cadmium and Arsenic Stress. Genes. 16(12): 1413. (IF 2.8)
• Khan S., Rahama K.U., Gul H., Rauf M., Gechev T., Arif M., Ali A., Ali S. (2025)
  • Integrated biocontrol strategies using indigenous fungal endophytes Aspergillus fumigatus and Curvularia lunata against wheat stripe rust. Frontiers in Microbiology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1683295. (IF 4.5)
• Zareen S., Ali A., Park J., Kang S.M., Lee I.J., Pardo J.M., Yun D.J., Xu Z.Y. (2025)
  • HOS15 impacts DIL9 protein stability during drought stress in Arabidopsis. New Phytolologist. DOI: 10.1111/nph.20398. (IF 8.3)

• Ali A., Zareen S., Park J., Khan HA., Lim CJ., Bader ZE., Hussain S., Chung WS., Gechev T., Pardo JM., Yun DJ.(2024)
  • ABI2 promotes flowering by inhibiting OST1/ABI5-dependent FLC activation in Arabidopsis. Journal of Experimental Botany. 75(8): 2481–2493. (IF 6.9)

• Ali A., Petrov V., Yun DJ., Gechev T. (2023)
  • Revisiting plant salt tolerance: Novel components of the SOS-pathway. Trends in Plant Science. 28: 1060–1069. (IF 22.012)

• Khan N.Z., Ali A., Ali W., Aasim M., Khan T., Khan Z., Munir I. (2023)
  • Heterologous expression of bacterial dehydrin gene in Arabidopsis thaliana promotes abiotic stress tolerance. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-023-01358-w. (IF 3.90)

• Hussain T., Shoaib M., Shah B., Ali A., Ullah A., Alenezi F., Gechev T., Farman Ali F., Syed I. (2022)
  • Deep learning-based model for plant lesion segmentation, subtype identification, and survival probability estimation. Frontiers in Plant Science.13: 1095547. (IF 6.627)
• Zareen S., Ali A., Lim C.J., Khan H.A., Park J., Xu Z.Y., Yun D.J. (2022)
  • The transcriptional corepressor HOS15 mediates dark-Induced leaf senescence in arabidopsis. Frontiers in Plant Science. 13: 828264. (IF 6.627)