Objectives
Rumen Microbes
- To isolate cellulolytic rumen bacteria from Indian cattle, sheep, goats and buffaloes.
- To isolate rumen fungi from domesticated and wild animals.
- To determine the best fibre digesting organism.
- To clone the cellulase gene from the best fibre digesting organism into a suitable target bacteria.
Dairy Microbes
- To isolate indigenous strains of lactic acid bacteria including the ones with probiotic attributes from ethnic fermented milks and other foods prepared in various parts of India
- To identify and characterize the isolated strains using conventional and molecular techniques based on 16S rRNA sequencing, PCR (Real time), DNA probes and Molecular Beacons / DNA Micro-assay.
- To analyse the plasmid pool encoding commercially important traits of selected cultures and their characterization at molecular level.
- To construct new recombinants with different phenotypes by gene transfer systems
- To clone and sequence commercially important genes of lactic acid bacteria particularly related to probiotic functions
- To identify the commercial potential of these diversified strains for designing novel starter cultures with functional / probiotic properties
- To conserve these strains and their germplasm ex situ and create a well catalogued.
- To establish a national culture bank of indigenous lactic strains at NDRI, Karnal
Veterinary Microbes
- Exploration and collection of microbes of animal origin / significance / relevance.
- Identification and characterization the isolated / collected microbial pathogens from different disease conditions and carrier animals by conventional and molecular techniques.
- Collection and central storage of animal microbes from existing culture collections, institutions and universities.
- To clone and sequence important genes to generate epidemiological information and to understand disease pathogenesis
- To create a genome/gene bank of different microbes by storing genomic DNA/RNA, recombinant plasmid clones, cell lines, bacteria, virus, bacteriophages etc for conservation of microbial biodiversity
- To procure and deposit reference microbial strains/isolates, vaccine strains, plasmids, genomic DNA/RNA, clones etc
- To reposit and supply biological materials for validating assays.
- To identify suitable isolate/strains for development of vaccines.
- Documentation and digitization of microbial database of cultures of veterinary microbes.