Datta, Sumana individual record
Assistant Provost
overview

We are currently investigating how organismal level cues regulate the onset of stem cell division during development. Our primary system is the neuroblasts in the brain of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The trol gene of Drosophila encodes the fly homolog of the mammalian heparan sulfate glycoprotein, Perlecan. Perlecan is found in mice, humans, and C. elegans, and is widely known as a co-receptor for the growth factor FGF. We have shown that Trol, the Drosophila Perlecan homolog, is required for signaling by FGF. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that Trol is also a likely candidate for the Hedgehog co-receptor. Hedgehogs are peptide growth factors which are conserved in mammals and require heparan sulfate glycoproteins for their movement and long-range signaling; however, until now the identity of the protein core was unknown. Our studies demonstrate genetic interactions between trol and hedgehog or patched mutations (patched is the Hedgehog receptor). Further studies reveal that both FGF and Hedgehog signaling activate stem cell division. Current projects involve determining how Trol stimulates FGF and Hedgehog signaling through genetic, molecular, and biochemical analyses.

selected publications
Academic Articles44
  • Datta, S., Gomer, R. H., & Firtel, R. A. (1986). Spatial and temporal regulation of a foreign gene by a prestalk-specific promoter in transformed Dictyostelium discoideum.. Molecular and Cellular Biology. 6(3), 811-820.
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  • Gomer, R. H., Datta, S., Mehdy, M., Crowley, T., Sivertsen, A., Nellen, W., ... Firtel, R. A. (1985). Regulation of cell-type-specific gene expression in Dictyostelium.. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: Symposia on Quantitative Biology. 50(0), 801-812.
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  • Verboom, W., Datta, S., Asfari, Z., Harkema, S., & Reinhoudt, D. N. Tetra-O-alkylated calix[4]arenes in the 1,3-alternate conformation. Journal of Organic Chemistry. 57(20), 5394-5398.
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Conference Papers1
in the news
chaired theses and dissertations
Email
sumad@tamu.edu
First Name
Sumana
Last Name
Datta
mailing address
Texas A&M University; Honors Program; 4233 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4233
USA