Surinder Chopra, Ph.D.

Surinder Chopra, Ph.D.

  • Professor of Maize Genetics
252 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building
University Park, PA 16802

Areas of Expertise

  • Epigenetics
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Plant-pathogen interactions
  • Maize Genetics
  • Sorghum Genetics
  • Flavonoids
  • Phytoalexins
  • Plant-fungus interactions
  • Plant-insect interactions
  • Plant-Environment interactions

Websites

Education

  • Ph.D., Plant Molecular Genetics, Vrije Univ. of Brussels, Belgium, 1993. Thesis: Molecular Analysis of the Expression of Aldolase and Sucrose Synthase Genes of Arabidopsis.
  • M.S. Molecular Biology. Vrije Univ. of Brussels, Belgium, 1989. Thesis: Cloning and Characterization of Aldolase Gene of Arabidopsis.
  • M.S. Plant Breeding and Genetics. Punjab Agric. Univ., Ludhiana, India. Thesis: Early Generation Selection for high yield, protein and oil in Brassica.

Professional Background

  • 7/12-current. Professor, maize molecular genetics, Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University.
  • 7/06–6/12. Associate Professor, maize molecular genetics. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University.
  • 7/00–7/06. Assistant Professor, maize molecular genetics. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University.
  • 7/96–7/00. Associate Scientist. Department of Zoology and Genetics and Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University. Ames, IA.
  • 9/93–6/96. Post Doctoral Res. Associate. Lab. of Dr. Thomas Peterson, Department of Zoology and Genetics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
  • 3/93–8/93. Visiting Research Fellow. Department of Horticulture, Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA.
  • 10/87–2/93. Graduate Research Assistant. Belgian Development and Cooperation scholarship, Lab. of Prof. Michele Jacobs, Vrije Univ. of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
  • 9/82–9/87. Graduate Research Assistant. Belgian Development and Cooperation scholarship, Lab. of Prof. Michele Jacobs, Vrije Univ. of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
  • 8/78–6/81. Junior Research Fellow. Dept of Plant Breeding, Punjab Agricultural. Univ, Ludhiana, India.

Responsibilities and Interests

The goal of our research is to understand epigenetic gene regulation and metabolic coordination for the role of secondary metabolites in plant developmental processes as well as plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. We use a flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in maize and sorghum as our model system. Our research has lead to the identification of genetic factors involved in the regulation and biosynthesis of specific plant flavonoid compounds that act as potent antioxidants in animals and plants.

Appointment

  • 70% Research
  • 30% Teaching

Courses

  • AGRO/BIOTC 460 (3 credits) - Advances and Applications of Plant Biotech
  • PLBIO 516 (2 credits) - Modern Techniques in Plant Molecular Biology

Links

Current Members of the Lab

  • Debamalya Chatterjee, Postdoctoral Scholar, Maize-Fall Armyworm interactions.
  • Tyler Lesko,  Graduate Student, Maize-Fall Armyworm interactions.
  • Brianna Huber, Undergraduate Researcher 
  • Bryan Panek, Undergraduate Researcher
  • Maria A. Gil-Polo, Graduate Student, Lab Rotation.

Past Lab Members

  • Binning Wu, Graduate Student. 
  • Iffa Gaffoor, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The interaction of sorghum Phytoalexins with Colletotrichum sublineola.
  • Kameron Wittmeyer,  Graduate Student, Epigenetic Gene Regulation in maize. Current: USDA/ARS, Delaware
  • Qixian Tan, Graduate Student. 
  • Bin Liu, Graduate Student. 
  • Dinakaran Elango, Graduate Student, Sorghum Phytoalexins. Current: Postdoctoral Scholar, Iowa State.
  • Jin Cui, Graduate Student, Epigenetic Gene Regulation in maize. Current: CVS, USA
  • Debamalya Chatterjee, Graduate Student, Role of Zmufo1 in Maize Seed Development. Current: Postdoctoral Scholar, Penn State.
  • Xiaoyu Wang, Visiting Graduate Student, JiLin University, Cold tolerance Genetics and molecular biology in maize and sorghum
  • Cullen Dixon, Undergraduate Student. Current: Grad Student, Ohio State
  • Rajandeep Sekhon, Graduate Student, Postdoctoral fellow. Current: Associate Professor, Clemson University
  • Vineet Sangar, Graduate student. Current: Research Scientist, Amazon.
  • Michael Robbins, Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Fellow. Current: Assistant Professor, Lock Haven University
  • Farag Ibraheem, Graduate Student. Current: Faculty, University of Mansoura, Egypt.
  • Jay Boddu, Postdoctoral Fellow. Current: Big Data Scientist, Monsanto, St Louis
  • Weiya Xue, Postdoctoral Research Associate. Current: Research Associate, Plant Pathology, Penn State.
  • Rashmi Thakare, Visiting Scholar
  • Sanjeev Deshpande, Visiting Borlaug Fellow, Department Chair, University of Ag. Sciences, Dharward, India

Selected Publications

Chatterjee D, Wittmeyer K, Lee TF, Cui J, Yennawar NH, Yennawar HP, Meyers BC, Chopra S. 2021. Maize unstable factor for orange1 is essential for endosperm development and carbohydrate accumulation. Plant Physiology. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiab183

Gaffoor I, Sandoya GV, Xavier KV, Nuckles EM, Pinnamaneni SR, Vaillancourt LJ, Chopra S. 2021. Performance of novel sorghum germplasm in Pennsylvania and their response to anthracnose (Colletotrichum sublineola). Crop Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20486

Wu B, Chang H, Marini R, Chopra S, Reddivari L. Characterization of Maize Near-Isogenic Lines With Enhanced Flavonoid Expression to Be Used as Tools in Diet-Health Complexity. Frontiers in plant science. 2021 Jan 18;11:2249. 10.3389/fpls.2020.619598

Cloutier M, Chatterjee D, Elango D, Cui J, Bruns MA, Chopra S. 2020. Sorghum root flavonoid chemistry, cultivar, and frost stress effects on rhizosphere bacteria and fungi. Phytobiomes Journal. Aug 12:PBIOMES-01. https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-01-20-0013-FI

Wu B, Li S, Chang H, Anderson R, Chopra S, Reddivari L. Maize Flavan-4-ols and Anthocyanins Alleviated Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice via Intestinal Barrier Function Restoration. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2020 Jun;4(Supplement_2):488.

Wu B, Bhatnagar R, Indukuri VV, Chopra S, March K, Cordero N, Chopra S, Reddivari L. 2020. Intestinal mucosal barrier function restoration in mice by maize diet containing enriched flavan-4-ols. Nutrients. Apr;12(4):896.  https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12040896

Publications

Association genetics of early season cold and late season frost tolerance in Sorghum bicolor
Crop Science, Elango, Dinakaran, Wang, Xiaoyu, Bhatnagar, Rohil Sahai, Tan, Qixian, Gaffoor, Iffa, Hu, Zhenbin, Xue, Weiya, Roth, Gregory W., Morris, Geoffrey P., Reddivari, Lavanya, Chopra, Surinder, 2022

Inclusion of high-flavonoid corn in the diet of broiler chickens as a potential approach for the control of necrotic enteritis
Poultry Science, Buiatte, Vinicius, Dominguez, Dorian, Lesko, Tyler, Jenkins, Mark, Chopra, Surinder, Lorenzoni, Alberto Gino, 2022

Raffinose Family Oligosaccharides: Friend or Foe for Human and Plant Health?
Frontiers in Plant Science, Elango, Dinakaran, Rajendran, Karthika, Van der Laan, Liza, Sebastiar, Sheelamary, Raigne, Joscif, Thaiparambil, Naveen A., El Haddad, Noureddine, Raja, Bharath, Wang, Wanyan, Ferela, Antonella, Chiteri, Kevin O., Thudi, Mahendar, Varshney, Rajeev K., Chopra, Surinder, Singh, Arti, Singh, Asheesh K., 2022

Sorghum and maize flavonoids are detrimental to growth and survival of fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda
Journal of Pest Science, Chatterjee, Debamalya, Lesko, Tyler, Peiffer, Michelle, Elango, Dinakaran, Beuzelin, Julien, Felton, Gary W., Chopra, Surinder, 2022

Maize unstable factor for orange1 is essential for endosperm development and carbohydrate accumulation
Plant Physiology, Chatterjee, Debamalya, Wittmeyer, Kameron, Lee, Tzuu Fen, Cui, Jin, Yennawar, Neela H., Yennawar, Hemant P., Meyers, Blake C., Chopra, Surinder, 2021

Performance of novel sorghum germplasm in Pennsylvania and their response to anthracnose
Crop Science, Gaffoor, Iffa, Sandoya, Germán V., Xavier, Katia V., Nuckles, Etta M., Pinnamaneni, Srinivasa R., Vaillancourt, Lisa J., Chopra, Surinder, 2021

Characterization of Maize Near-Isogenic Lines With Enhanced Flavonoid Expression to Be Used as Tools in Diet-Health Complexity
Frontiers in Plant Science, Wu, Binning, Chang, Haotian, Chopra, S, Marini, Rich, Marini, Richard, Chopra, Surinder, Reddivari, Lavanya, 2021

Sorghum root flavonoid chemistry, cultivar, and frost stress effects on rhizosphere bacteria and fungi
Phytobiomes Journal, Cloutier, Mara, Chatterjee, Debamalya, Elango, Dinakaran, Cui, Jin, Bruns, Maryann Victoria, Chopra, Surinder, 2021

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Glasbey, James C., Nepogodiev, Dmitri, Simoes, Joana F.F., Omar, Omar, Li, Elizabeth, Venn, Mary L., Chaar, Mohammad K.Abou, Capizzi, Vita, Chaudhry, Daoud, Desai, Anant, Edwards, Jonathan G., Evans, Jonathan P., Fiore, Marco, Videria, Jose Flavio, Ford, Samuel J., Ganly, Ian, Griffiths, Ewen A., Gujjuri, Rohan R., Kolias, Angelos G., Kaafarani, Haytham M.A., Minaya-Bravo, Ana, McKay, Siobhan C., Mohan, Helen M., Roberts, Keith J., Miguel-Méndez, Carlos San, Pockney, Peter, Shaw, Richard, Smart, Neil J., Stewart, Grant D., Sundar, Sudha, Vidya, Raghavan, Bhangu, Aneel A., Allemand, C., Boccalatte, L., Figari, M., Lamm, M., Larrañaga, J., Marchitelli, C., Noll, F., Odetto, D., Perrotta, M., Saadi, J., Zamora, L., Alurralde, C., Caram, E. L., Eskinazi, D., Mendoza, J. P., Usandivaras, M., Badra, R., Esteban, A., 2021

Genome wide association mapping of epi-cuticular wax genes in Sorghum bicolor
Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, Elango, Dinakaran, Xue, Weiya, Chopra, Surinder, 2020

Intestinal mucosal barrier function restoration in mice by maize diet containing enriched flavan-4-ols
Nutrients, Wu, Binning, Bhatnagar, Rohil, V.indukuri, Vijaya, Chopra, Shara, March, Kylie, Cordero, Nina, Chopra, Surinder, Reddivari, Lavanya, 2020

Seeding and nitrogen fertilization effects on the yield and quality of brachytic dwarf brown midrib forage sorghum hybrids
Crop, Forage and Turfgrass Management, Elango, Dinakaran, Chopra, Surinder, Roth, Gregory W., 2020

Sorghum 3-Deoxyanthocyanidin Flavonoids Confer Resistance against Corn Leaf Aphid
Journal of Chemical Ecology, Kariyat, Rupesh R., Gaffoor, Iffa, Sattar, Sampurna, Dixon, Cullen W., Frock, Nadia, Moen, Juliet, De Moraes, Consuelo M, Mescher, Mark C, Thompson, Gary A., Chopra, Surinder, 2019

Sorghum: A multipurpose bioenergy crop, Rao, P. Srinivas, Vinutha, K. S., Kumar, G. S.Anil, Chiranjeevi, T., Uma, A., Lal, Pankaj, Prakasham, R. S., Singh, H. P., Rao, R. Sreenivasa, Chopra, Surinder, Jose, Shibu, 2019

The dominant and poorly penetrant phenotypes of maize Unstable factor for orange1 are caused by DNA methylation changes at a linked transposon
Plant Cell, Wittmeyer, Kameron, Cui, Jin, Chatterjee, Debamalya, Lee, Tzuu Fen, Tan, Qixian, Xue, Weiya, Jiao, Yinping, Wang, Po Hao, Gaffoor, Iffa, Ware, Doreen, Meyers, Blake C., Chopraa, Surinder, 2018

Genotypic and pathogenic diversity of Colletotrichum sublineola isolates from sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and Johnsongrass (S. halepense) in the southeastern United States
Plant Disease, Xavier, K. V., Mizubuti, E. S.G., Queiroz, M. V., Chopra, S., Vaillancourt, L., 2018

Overlapping RdDM and non-RdDM mechanisms work together to maintain somatic repression of a paramutagenic epiallele of maize pericarp color1
PLoS One, Wang, Po Hao, Wittmeyer, Kameron T., Lee, Tzuu fen, Meyers, Blake C., Chopra, Surinder, 2017

Aggressiveness of Colletotrichum sublineola strains from Sorghum bicolor and S. Halepense to sweet sorghum variety sugar drip, and their impact on yield
Plant Disease, Xavier, K. V., Pfeiffer, T., Parreira, D. F., Chopra, S., Vaillancourt, L., 2017

Implant of choice for osteoporotic basicervical femoral neck fracture in a young patient with demineralised bone disease
Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia, Choo, PT, Kasim, NS, Chopra, Surinder, Tan, CS, Tan, CL, Mohammad, F, Ching, CH, Abdullah, NA, Wang, PN, Huang, KG, others, None, 2017

Soil management affects expression of genes involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism in maize
Crop Science, Roach, Erika, Duiker, Sjoerd W., Chopra, Surinder, 2016

Sorghum: A multipurpose bioenergy crop
Sorghum: State of the art and future perspectives, Rao, P, Vinutha, KS, Kumar, GS, Chiranjeevi, T, Uma, A, Lal, Pankaj, Prakasham, RS, Singh, HP, Rao, R, Chopra, Surinder, others, None, 2016

Biosynthesis, Regulation and Genetic Associations for Phytoalexins Induced during Sorghum-Colletotrichum interactions, Chopra, Surinder, 2016

Genetic diversity of Colletotrichum isolates from Sorghum bicolor and S. halepense in the Southeastern United States, Xavier, K, Schardl, C, Buiate, E, Torres, M, Queiroz, M, Chopra, Surinder, Vaillancourt, L, 2016

A sorghum MYB transcription factor induces 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and enhances resistance against leaf blights in maize
Molecules, Ibraheem, Farag, Gaffoor, Iffa, Tan, Qixian, Shyu, Chi Ren, Chopra, Surinder, 2015

Sorghum as a sustainable feedstock for biofuels, Rao, P. Srinivasa, Prakasham, Reddy Shetty, Rao, P. Parthasarathy, Chopra, Surinder, Jose, Shibu, 2015

Role of biotechnology to produce plants resistant to fungal pathogens, Gaffoor, Iffa, Chopra, Surinder, 2014

Techniques and tools of modern plant breeding: Field crops, Chopra, Surinder, 2014

Poster: Epigenetics and gene silencing, Chopra, Surinder, Robbins, Michael, Sekhon, Rajandeep, 2014

Plant biotechnology: Experience and future prospects, Ricroch, Agnès, Ricroch, Agn\`es, None, Chopra, Surinder, Fleischer, Shelby J., 2014

Comparative proteomics analysis by DIGE and iTRAQ provides insight into the regulation of phenylpropanoids in maize
Journal of Proteomics, Robbins, Michael L., Roy, Ansuman, Wang, Po Hao, Gaffoor, Iffa, Sekhon, Rajandeep S., Buanafina, Marcia M.de O., Rohila, Jai S., Chopra, Surinder, 2013

Gene mutagenesis systems and resources for the saccharinae, Xin, Zhanguo, Wang, Ming Li, Chopra, Surinder, Wang, Pohao, 2013

Metabolomics of Phytoalexin-Dependent Anthracnose Resistance in Sorghum, Chopra, Surinder, 2013