Biography:
Shimran Yadav is a molecular genomics and genetics researcher working at the interface of phenotypic plasticity, regulatory genomics, and tea (Camellia sinensis) quality improvement, with a primary focus on anthocyanin-rich tea germplasm. Her research explores how genetic and epigenetic variation influence adaptive trait stability, pigment retention, and stress-associated metabolic responses in tea for the development of specialty teas that reflect the unique characteristics of specific geographic regions. Using integrative approaches combining genome-wide association studies (GWAS), transcriptomics, metabolite profiling, and epigenomic analyses, she investigates the regulatory architecture underlying anthocyanin accumulation and degradation dynamics across genetically diverse tea populations in the northern Himalayas (Himachal Pradesh). Her ongoing research has identified candidate loci linked to pigment degradation dynamics, including coding-region variation associated with contrasting purple phenotypes, alongside transcriptional signatures of enhanced degradation activity in low-pigment genotypes. Current whole-genome bisulfite sequencing analyses further aim to resolve the epigenetic mechanisms regulating anthocyanin retention and adaptive metabolic responses that ultimately determine tea quality.
Title : Anthocyanin-rich purple tea: Integrative multi-locus GWAS and SNP effect analysis reveal the genetic basis for development of “speciality tea”