Download Sugopa Sengupta - Presidency University

Sugopa Sengupta
Tel: +919903839434
Nationality: Indian
e-mail: [email protected]
Date of Birth: 24th June, 1979
Post doctoral studies
October 2008– October 2012
Project Title: Understanding the structure and function of the eukaryotic replisome
Supervisor: Dr. Karim Labib
Brief Synopsis: During my post doctoral tenure, I was trying to understand the molecular
composition of the eukaryotic replisome, using budding yeast as a model system. My studies
were directed towards understanding how the processivity is achieved in the eukaryotic
repisome. I have specifically focussed on illustrating the the molecular link between the
DNA polymerase epsilon and the replicative helicase. I have also investigated the importance
of certain unique structural features of MCM helicase. My studies have shown several novel
aspects of the eukaryotic replisome which makes it quite distinct and complex from its
bacterial counterpart.
Education
Ph.D
August 2001 – January 2008
Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology at the Indian Institute of Science,
Bangalore
Thesis Title: Cell Survival strategies: Role of Gyrase Modulatory Proteins
Supervisor: Prof. Valakunja Nagaraja
Brief Synopsis: My doctoral thesis work involved identification and characterization of three
endogenous inhibitors of an essential bacterial enzyme, DNA gyrase. My studies revealed
that all these endogenous inhibitors essentially influence the enzyme activity by sequestering
the enzyme away from DNA. None of them cause any cytotoxicity, which usually arises as a
result of DNA damage caused by accumulation of gyrase-DNA covalent intermediate. On the
contrary they provide protection against such gyrase poisons. Based on these studies, it was
proposed that these endogenous proteins exist to serve as cellular defense strategies against
external abuse and also modulate the intracellular activity of DNA gyrase as and when
required, for accurate division, functioning and survival of the cell.
Research Training Programme Courses: Molecular Biology, Principles of Genetic
Engineering, Protein: Structure and Function, DNA-Protein Interactions, Bioinformatics.
September 1999 – June 2001
M.Sc
Department of Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Calcutta,
India.
80.5% First Class, University Rank 1st
Modules: Biophysics, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Genetics, Cell
Biology, Immunology,Medical Physics, Statistics, Computer Programming Language.
Dissertation:‘Analysis of programs for predicting strength of prokaryotic promoters.’, at
AstraZeneca, Bangalore, India.
September 1996 – June 1999
B.Sc
Presidency College, University of Calcutta, India
65.125% First Class, University Rank 10th
Subjects: Zoology (Hons.), Chemistry, Physiology
Summer training: JNACSR Research Fellow working on project titled ‘Molecular analysis of
the mutants of Drosophila melanogaster sex determination gene fruitless.’ at Jawaharlal
Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India.
Skills
Technical Expertise
 Bacterial and Yeast Genetics: Transformation, Transduction, Titration of E.coli and
T4phage, MNNG and UV mutagenesis, Yeast two-hybrid assay, tetrad dissection,
deleting, N-terminal/C-terminal tagging of yeast genes.

Analytical Biochemistry and Biophysics: Chromatography-size exclusion, ion
exchange, affinity chromatography, FPLC, SDS-PAGE, Thin Layer Chromatography,
Fluorescence, Circular Dichroism, Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectrometry, Flow
Cytometry analysis.

Recombinant DNA Technology and Molecular Biology: Isolation of DNA,
Construction of genomic DNA library, Cloning and subcloning of genes,
Construction of restriction endonuclease maps, Sequencing and characterization of
genes, Radioactive DNA labeling, Colony hybridization, PCRtypes, Southern
blotting, Dialysis and Electroelution, Primer design and site directed mutagenesis,
Gel Retardation Assay, Topoisomerase assays, Western blotting, Coimmunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, Far-western analysis,
Chemical crosslinking assays, Racemization assays, generation and purification of
antibodies.
Teaching & Others
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Supervision of students and technicians in the laboratory.
Organized departmental seminars.
Languages known – English, Bengali and Hindi.
Publications
1. van Deursen F, Sengupta S, De Piccoli G, Sanchez-Diaz A, Labib K.(2012) Mcm10
associates with the loaded DNA helicase at replication origin and defines a novel step in
its activation EMBO J. 31:2195-206
2. Sengupta S, Ghosh S and Nagaraja V. (2008) Moonlighting function of glutamate
racemase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis: racemization and DNA gyrase inhibition are
two independent activities of the enzyme. Microbiology. 154:2796-2803
3. Sengupta S and Nagaraja V. (2008) YacG from Escherichia coli is a specific
endogenous inhibitor of DNA gyrase. Nucleic Acids Res. 36: 4310-4316
4. Sengupta S and Nagaraja V. (2008) Inhibition of DNA gyrase activity by
Mycobacterium smegmatis MurI. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 279: 40-47
5. Sengupta S, Shah M and Nagaraja V. (2006) Glutamate racemase from Mycobacterium
tuberculosis inhibits DNA gyrase by affecting its DNA-binding. Nucleic Acids Res. 34:
5567-5576
6. Chatterji M, Sengupta S and Nagaraja V. (2003) Chromosomally encoded gyrase
inhibitor GyrI protects Escherichia coli against DNA-damaging agents. Arch. Microbiol.
180: 339-346
7. Sengupta S, De Piccoli G, van Deursen F, Labib K. Dpb2 integrates the leading strand
DNA polymerase into the eukaryotic replisome (Manuscript in preparation)
Conferences & Abstracts
 Poster titled ‘Characterization of DNA gyrase modulatory activity of Glutamate
racemase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis’ in the International Training and
Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases (ITREID), held in Delhi, India (March,
2005).
 Poster titled ‘species specific inhibition of DNA gyrase by an endogenous Zinc
Finger protein, YacG from Escherichia coli’ in the International Symposium on
Chemical Biology, held in Kolkata, India (March, 2007).
 Poster titled ‘ Insights into the chromosomally encoded inhibitors of DNA gyrase’ in
the EMBO workshop on DNA Supercoiling and Topoisomerases (Topo 2007),
held in Frejus, France (June, 2007).
 Poster titled ‘Defining the eukaryotic replisome’ in the FASEB Summer Research
Conference on DNA replication and recombination, held in Colorado, USA
(August, 2010).
 Oral presentation titled ‘Defining the eukaryotic replisome’ in the EMBO Network
meeting on DNA replication, recombination and genome Integrity, held in
Madrid, Spain (September, 2010).
 Poster titled ‘ Architecture of the replisome complex in budding yeast’ in the Cold
Spring Harbour Meeting on DNA replication, held in Cold Spring Harbor, USA
(September, 2011)
Other Awards/Achievements

Govt. of India’s ‘Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s National
Eligibility Test (NET) scholarship for Junior Research Fellowship, December 2000
(Among the top 20% awardees).

Govt. of India’s ‘Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s Senior
Research Fellowship, 2004

All India Rank 1 (99.91 percentile) in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
(GATE), 2001.
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JNCASR Summer Research Fellowship, 1999 and 2000.
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National Scholarship by Govt. of India for rank in Honours Examination at
undergraduate level.
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‘Aparajita memorial medal’ for securing 1st position in Zoology Hons. (Part I +
Part II) examinations in Presidency College for year 1999

Name considered for "The President of India, Medal for General proficiency" for
year 2002

Best poster award for the poster ‘Characterization of DNA gyrase modulatory
activity of Glutamate Racemase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis’ in the
International Training and Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases [ITREID], held
at Delhi, India (March, 2005).

Foreign Travel fellowship award from CSIR to attend and present poster during the
EMBO workshop on DNA Supercoiling and Topoisomerases, held at Frejus, France