Sonchita Bagchi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sonchita Bagchi

PLOS ONE, 2016

Solute carriers (SLCs) are membrane bound transporters responsible for the movement of soluble mo... more Solute carriers (SLCs) are membrane bound transporters responsible for the movement of soluble molecules such as amino acids, ions, nucleotides, neurotransmitters and oligopeptides over cellular membranes. At present, there are 395 SLCs identified in humans, where about 40% are still uncharacterized with unknown expression and/or function(s). Here we have studied two uncharacterized atypical SLCs that belong to the Major Facilitator Superfamily Pfam clan, Major facilitator superfamily domain 5 (MFSD5) and Major facilitator superfamily domain 11 (MFSD11). We provide fundamental information about the histology in mice as well as data supporting their disposition to regulate expression levels to keep the energy homeostasis. In mice subjected to starvation or high-fat diet, the mRNA expression of Mfsd5 was significantly down-regulated (P&amp;lt;0.001) in food regulatory brain areas whereas Mfsd11 was significantly up-regulated in mice subjected to either starvation (P&amp;lt;0.01) or high-fat diet (P&amp;lt;0.001). qRT-PCR analysis on wild type tissues demonstrated that both Mfsd5 and Mfsd11 have a wide central and peripheral mRNA distribution, and immunohistochemistry was utilized to display the abundant protein expression in the mouse embryo and the adult mouse brain. Both proteins are expressed in excitatory and inhibitory neurons, but not in astrocytes. Mfsd5 and Mfsd11 are both affected by altered energy homeostasis, suggesting plausible involvement in the energy regulation. Moreover, the first histological mapping of MFSD5 and MFSD11 shows ubiquitous expression in the periphery and the central nervous system of mice, where the proteins are expressed in excitatory and inhibitory mouse brain neurons.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013

Intermediate filament (IF)-like cytoskeleton emerges as a versatile tool for cellular organizatio... more Intermediate filament (IF)-like cytoskeleton emerges as a versatile tool for cellular organization in all kingdoms of life, underscoring the importance of mechanistically understanding its diverse manifestations. We showed previously that, in Streptomyces (a bacterium with a mycelial lifestyle similar to that of filamentous fungi, including extreme cell and growth polarity), the IF protein FilP confers rigidity to the hyphae by an unknown mechanism. Here, we provide a possible explanation for the IF-like function of FilP by demonstrating its ability to self-assemble into a cis-interconnected regular network in vitro and its localization into structures consistent with a cytoskeletal network in vivo. Furthermore, we reveal that a spatially restricted interaction between FilP and DivIVA, the main component of the Streptomyces polarisome complex, leads to formation of apical gradients of FilP in hyphae undergoing active tip extension. We propose that the coupling between the mechanism driving polar growth and the assembly of an IF cytoskeleton provides each new hypha with an additional stress-bearing structure at its tip, where the nascent cell wall is inevitably more flexible and compliant while it is being assembled and matured. Our data suggest that recruitment of cytoskeleton around a cell polarity landmark is a broadly conserved strategy in tip-growing cells.

Journal of Occupational Health, 2003

for a prolong period of time may be regarded as the causative factors in the occurrence of CTD. (... more for a prolong period of time may be regarded as the causative factors in the occurrence of CTD. (J Occup Health 2003; 45: 351-357)

Molecular Microbiology, 2008

is also present in Caulobacter crescentus and determines its specific cell shape. However, the br... more is also present in Caulobacter crescentus and determines its specific cell shape. However, the broader significance of this finding remained obscure, because crescentin appeared to be unique to Caulobacter. Here we demonstrate that IF-like function is probably a more widespread phenomenon in bacteria. First, we show that 21 genomes of 26 phylogenetically diverse species encoded uncharacterized proteins with a central segmented coiled coil rod domain, which we regarded as a key structural feature of IF proteins and crescentin. Experimental studies of three in silico predicted candidates from Mycobacterium and other actinomycetes revealed a common IF-like property to spontaneously assemble into filaments in vitro. Furthermore, the IF-like protein FilP formed cytoskeletal structures in the model actinomycete Streptomyces coelicolor and was needed for normal growth and morphogenesis. Atomic force microscopy of living cells revealed that the FilP cytoskeleton contributed to mechanical fitness of the hyphae, thus closely resembling the function of metazoan IF. Together, the bioinformatic and experimental data suggest that an IF-like protein architecture is a versatile design that is generally present in bacteria and utilized to perform diverse cytoskeletal tasks.

Molecular Microbiology, 2007

Sporulation in aerial hyphae of Streptomyces coelicolor involves profound changes in regulation o... more Sporulation in aerial hyphae of Streptomyces coelicolor involves profound changes in regulation of fundamental morphogenetic and cell cycle processes to convert the filamentous and multinucleoid cells to small unigenomic spores. Here, a novel sporulation locus consisting of smeA (encoding a small putative membrane protein) and sffA (encoding a SpoIIIE/ FtsK-family protein) is characterized. Deletion of smeA-sffA gave rise to pleiotropic effects on spore maturation, and influenced the segregation of chromosomes and placement of septa during sporulation. Both smeA and sffA were expressed specifically in apical cells of sporogenic aerial hyphae simultaneously with or slightly after Z-ring assembly. The presence of smeA-like genes in streptomycete chromosomes, plasmids and transposons, often paired with a gene for a SpoIIIE/FtsK-or Tra-like protein, indicates that SmeA and SffA functions might be related to DNA transfer. During spore development SffA accumulated specifically at sporulation septa where it colocalized with FtsK. However, sffA did not show redundancy with ftsK, and SffA function appeared distinct from the DNA translocase activity displayed by FtsK during closure of sporulation septa. The septal localization of SffA was dependent on SmeA, suggesting that SmeA may act as an assembly factor for SffA and possibly other proteins required during spore maturation.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 2015

In situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) is a method to identify physical closeness of proteins, wh... more In situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) is a method to identify physical closeness of proteins, where a signal will only be produced if the two proteins are closer than 40 nm, in tissue section or cell cultures. Modifications of the PLA method can also be used to increase specificity or sensitivity of standard immunohistochemistry protocols.

PLoS Genetics, 2014

In all animals managing the size of individual meals and frequency of feeding is crucial for meta... more In all animals managing the size of individual meals and frequency of feeding is crucial for metabolic homeostasis. In the current study we demonstrate that the noradrenalin analogue octopamine and the cholecystokinin (CCK) homologue Drosulfakinin (Dsk) function downstream of TfAP-2 and Tiwaz (Twz) to control the number of meals in adult flies. Loss of TfAP-2 or Twz in octopaminergic neurons increased the size of individual meals, while overexpression of TfAP-2 significantly decreased meal size and increased feeding frequency. Of note, our study reveals that TfAP-2 and Twz regulate octopamine signaling to initiate feeding; then octopamine, in a negative feedback loop, induces expression of Dsk to inhibit consummatory behavior. Intriguingly, we found that the mouse TfAP-2 and Twz homologues, AP-2b and Kctd15, co-localize in areas of the brain known to regulate feeding behavior and reward, and a proximity ligation assay (PLA) demonstrated that AP-2b and Kctd15 interact directly in a mouse hypothalamus-derived cell line. Finally, we show that in this mouse hypothalamic cell line AP-2b and Kctd15 directly interact with Ube2i, a mouse sumoylation enzyme, and that AP-2b may itself be sumoylated. Our study reveals how two obesity-linked homologues regulate metabolic homeostasis by modulating consummatory behavior. Citation: Williams MJ, Goergen P, Rajendran J, Zheleznyakova G, Hägglund MG, et al. (2014) Obesity-Linked Homologues TfAP-2 and Twz Establish Meal Frequency in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS Genet 10(9): e1004499.

The Rhodopsin family is a class of integral membrane proteins belonging to G protein-coupled rece... more The Rhodopsin family is a class of integral membrane proteins belonging to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). To date, several orphan GPCRs are still uncharacterized and in this study we present an anatomical characterization of the GPR162 protein and an attempt to describe its functional role. Our results show that GPR162 is widely expressed in GABAergic as well as other neurons within the mouse hippocampus, whereas extensive expression is observed in areas related to energy homeostasis and hedonic feeding such as hypothalamus, amygdala and ventral tegmental area, regions known to be involved in the regulation of palatable food consumption.

PLoS ONE, 2014

SLC38A6 is one of the newly found members of the solute carrier 38 family consisting of total 11 ... more SLC38A6 is one of the newly found members of the solute carrier 38 family consisting of total 11 members, of which only 6 have been characterized so far. Being the only glutamine transporter family expressed in the brain, this family of proteins are most probably involved in the regulation of the glutamate-glutamine cycle, responsible for preventing excitotoxicity. We used immunohistochemistry to show that SLC38A6 is primarily expressed in excitatory neurons and is not expressed in the astrocytes. Using proximity ligation assay, we have quantified the interactions of this SLC38 family protein with other proteins with known localization in the cells, showing that this transporter is expressed at the synapses. Moreover, this study has enabled us to come up with a model suggesting sub-cellular localization of SLC38A6 at the synaptic membrane of the excitatory neurons.

Genetics, 2004

Smoky are alleles at the Dominant white locus, which is one of the major loci affecting plumage c... more Smoky are alleles at the Dominant white locus, which is one of the major loci affecting plumage color in the domestic chicken. Both Dominant white and Dun inhibit the expression of black eumelanin. Smoky arose in a White Leghorn homozygous for Dominant white and partially restores pigmentation. PMEL17 encodes a melanocyte-specific protein and was identified as a positional candidate gene due to its role in the development of eumelanosomes. Linkage analysis of PMEL17 and Dominant white using a red jungle fowl/White Leghorn intercross revealed no recombination between these loci. Sequence analysis showed that the Dominant white allele was exclusively associated with a 9-bp insertion in exon 10, leading to an insertion of three amino acids in the PMEL17 transmembrane region. Similarly, a deletion of five amino acids in the transmembrane region occurs in the protein encoded by Dun. The Smoky allele shared the 9-bp insertion in exon 10 with Dominant white, as expected from its origin, but also had a deletion of 12 nucleotides in exon 6, eliminating four amino acids from the mature protein. These mutations are, together with the recessive silver mutation in the mouse, the only PMEL17 mutations with phenotypic effects that have been described so far in any species. nins are polymerized (Berson et al. 2003; Du et al. 2003). crobiology,

BMC Neuroscience, 2013

Background: The vesicular B 0 AT3 transporter (SLC6A17), one of the members of the SLC6 family, i... more Background: The vesicular B 0 AT3 transporter (SLC6A17), one of the members of the SLC6 family, is a transporter for neutral amino acids and is exclusively expressed in brain. Here we provide a comprehensive expression profile of B 0 AT3 in mouse brain using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Results: We confirmed previous expression data from rat brain and used a novel custom made antibody to obtain detailed co-labelling with several cell type specific markers. B 0 AT3 was highly expressed in both inhibitory and excitatory neurons. The B 0 AT3 expression was highly overlapping with those of vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) and vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1). We also show here that Slc6a17mRNA is up-regulated in animals subjected to short term food deprivation as well as animals treated with the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine and the dopamine/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor bupropion.

Journal of Molecular Biology, 2014