Cell Biophysics Lab logo Cell Biophysics LabDept. of Biological Sciences · IISER Kolkata IISER Kolkata
Research

How do cells keep their membranes in mechanical balance?

Using Interference Reflection Microscopy and other quantitative imaging, we map membrane fluctuations and effective membrane tension at high spatio-temporal resolution — and ask how cells sense, buffer and use it.

Research questions

What we are working on

01

Endocytic crosstalk & the flow of mechanical perturbations

One of the key areas we will be exploring more is the local crosstalk of different endocytic pathways — clathrin-mediated, caveolae, etc. — and how mechanical perturbations flow in cells. Do cells control this flow by making membrane invaginations (caveolae) tension-sensitive, and does the flow matter? For example, does faster flow render mechanoprotection to cells? How does membrane–actin interaction via ezrin impact it? We also study mechanical and molecular remodelling of the membrane by cell stretching. Image analysis (MATLAB and Python-based), with emphasis on customised codes, is important for these studies.

02

Can membrane fluctuations control protein clustering?

Clustering of receptors is key in various signalling as well as endocytic pathways. In many cases, molecular interactions between receptors are not sufficient for building bigger clusters. Suggested for Shiga toxin by others, we check this across systems — from signalling molecules like TNFR1 to receptors initiating endocytosis (transferrin / LDL as cargo).

03

Mechanics of myoblast fusion

How do myoblasts manage their membrane mechanics to fuse? We found that an early, transient lowering of membrane tension, coupled to the fusogen Myomerger, is needed for C2C12 myoblasts to fuse, and that the size of Myomerger clusters decides how they remodel the membrane. We now ask how Myomerger's mechanical impact changes through fusion, what role Piezo plays, and how lipid asymmetry is regulated during fusion.

04

Collective cell migration

Beyond single cells, we are intrigued by new rules of motility (with Dipjyoti Das, DBS) and the different roles of membrane tension in collective cell migration. Are flows also controlled?

Publications

Papers, preprints & reviews

Bold = B. Sinha (published as B. Banerjee before 2010) · † equal contribution · * corresponding author. Full list on Google Scholar.

Current preprints

  • Size-dependent membrane remodelling at Myomerger clusters during myoblast fusion Preprint Mukhopadhyay U, Chakraborty M, Sinha B bioRxiv 2026 (Aug) · 2026.07.31.741798 bioRxiv · doi:10.64898/2026.07.31.741798
  • Inhibiting ezrin triggers formin-mediated actin remodelling reducing cellular mechano-protection Preprint Biswas A, Kumar R, Husain TN, Das J, Behera A, Sinha B bioRxiv 2025 (July) · 2025.07.22.666169 bioRxiv · doi:10.1101/2025.07.22.666169

2026

  • Intra-cluster receptor density (IRD): a molecular switch for TNFR1 clusters' signaling Article Jana S†, Roy P†, Das J, Bera BB, Biswas P, Nanda N, Sinha B, Sinha DK Science Advances 2026; 12(36): eaed3734 doi:10.1126/sciadv.aed3734 · preprint
  • Spatio-temporal regulation of ligand trafficking and TLR9 activation by PIEZO1 in human plasmacytoid dendritic cells Article Pattanayak S†, Raychaudhuri D†*, Bandopadhyay P, Mukhopadhyay U, Mandal T, Liu CSC, Kalidas N, Roychowdhury S, Chattopadhyay K, Ashish F, Sinha B*, Ganguly D* Research 2026; 9: 1067 doi:10.34133/research.1067 · preprint
  • Noncanonical regulation of the plasma membrane copper transporter CTR1 through modulation of membrane mechanical properties Article Chatterjee SK, Kar S, Nikte SV, Dash T, Ghosh T, Paul M, Maji S, Sengupta D*, Sinha B*, Gupta A* Molecular Biology of the Cell 2026; 37(2): ar13 doi:10.1091/mbc.E25-04-0159 · preprint
  • Higher actin contractility and cargo-loaded clathrin pits create midplane-peaked apico-basal tension profiles in HeLa cells Article Ghosh T†, Majhi A†, Kundu A, Banerjee A*, Sinha B* Cell Reports Physical Science 2026; 7(1): 103046 doi:10.1016/j.xcrp.2025.103046 · preprint
  • Potassium suppresses allosteric activation of ZAP-70-dependent T cell receptor signaling Article Roy S, SenGupta S, Gangopadhyay K, Majumder S, Das J, Sinha A, Das PK, Sinha B, Das R Journal of Biological Chemistry 2026; 302(6): 113083 doi:10.1016/j.jbc.2026.113083 · preprint

2024

  • The plasma membrane and mechanoregulation in cells Review Mukhopadhyay U, Mandal T, Chakraborty M, Sinha B* ACS Omega 2024; 9(20): 21780–21797 doi:10.1021/acsomega.4c01962
  • Mechano-regulation by clathrin pit-formation and passive cholesterol-dependent tubules during de-adhesion Article Mandal T, Biswas A, Ghosh T, Manikandan S, Kundu A, Banerjee A, Mitra D, Sinha B* Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 2024; 81(1): 43 doi:10.1007/s00018-023-05072-4
  • Exploring the role of macromolecular crowding and TNFR1 in cell volume control Article Biswas P, Roy P†, Jana S†, Ray D, Das J, Chaudhuri B, Basunia RR, Sinha B, Sinha DK eLife 2024; 13: e92719 doi:10.7554/eLife.92719
  • Piezo1 mechanosensing regulates integrin-dependent chemotactic migration in human T cells Article Liu CSC, Mandal T, Biswas P, Hoque MA, Bandopadhyay P, Sinha BP, Sarif J, D'Rozario R, Sinha DK, Sinha B, Ganguly D eLife 2024; 12: RP91903 doi:10.7554/eLife.91903
  • Estimate of entropy production rate can spatiotemporally resolve the active nature of cell flickering Article Manikandan SK*, Ghosh T, Mandal T, Biswas A, Sinha B*, Mitra D* Physical Review Research 2024; 6(2): 023310 doi:10.1103/PhysRevResearch.6.023310 · arXiv

2023

  • Connexin 43 mediated collective cell migration is independent of Golgi orientation Article Sharma M†, Mukherjee S†, Shaw AK†, Mondal A, Behera A, Das J, Bose A, Sinha B*, Sarma JD* Biology Open 2023; 12(10): bio060006 doi:10.1242/bio.060006

2022

  • Early tension regulation coupled to surface myomerger is necessary for the primary fusion of C2C12 myoblasts Article Chakraborty M, Sivan A†, Biswas A†, Sinha B* Frontiers in Physiology 2022; 13: 976715 doi:10.3389/fphys.2022.976715
  • Effect of heterogeneous substrate adhesivity of follower cells on speed and tension profile of leader cells in primary keratocyte collective cell migration Cover article Biology Open cover featuring the lab's work Chakraborty M†, Mukherjee B†, Nalinakshan N, Biswas A, Nayak RK, Sinha B* Biology Open 2022; 11(3): bio058893 — featured on the cover doi:10.1242/bio.058893

2021

  • Membrane homeostasis: the role of actin cytoskeleton Review Biswas A, Kumar R, Sinha B* Journal of the Indian Institute of Science 2021; 101(1): 81–95 doi:10.1007/s41745-020-00217-x

2019

  • Cell spread area and traction forces determine myosin-II-based cortex thickness regulation Article Kumar R, Saha S, Sinha B* Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res 2019; 1866(12): 118516 doi:10.1016/j.bbamcr.2019.07.011
  • Dystrophy-associated caveolin-3 mutations reveal that caveolae couple IL6/STAT3 signaling with mechanosensing in human muscle cells Article Dewulf M, Köster DV, Sinha B, Viaris de Lesegno C, Chambon V, Bigot A, Bensalah M, Negroni E, Tardif N, Podkalicka J, Johannes L, Nassoy P, Butler-Browne G, Lamaze C†, Blouin CM† Nature Communications 2019; 10(1): 1974 doi:10.1038/s41467-019-09405-5
  • Cholesterol depletion by MβCD enhances cell membrane tension and its variations — reducing integrity Article Biswas A, Kashyap P, Datta S, Sengupta T, Sinha B* Biophysical Journal 2019; 116(8): 1456–1468 doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2019.03.016

2018

  • Cellular and nuclear forces: an overview Book chapter Sinha B, Biswas A, Soni GV In: Lavelle C (ed.) Molecular Motors: Methods and Protocols. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1805: 1–29 doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-8556-2_1

2017

  • Mapping cell membrane fluctuations reveals their active regulation and transient heterogeneities Article Biswas A, Alex A, Sinha B* Biophysical Journal 2017; 113(8): 1768–1781 doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2017.08.041

Earlier work (postdoc, Institut Curie & PhD, NCBS)

  • Cellular capsules as a tool for multicellular spheroid production and for investigating the mechanics of tumor progression in vitro Article Alessandri K, Sarangi BR, Gurchenkov VV, Sinha B, Kießling TR, Fetler L, Rico F, Scheuring S, Lamaze C, Simon A, Geraldo S, Vignjević D, Doméjean H, Rolland L, Funfak A, Bibette J, Bremond N, Nassoy P PNAS 2013; 110(37): 14843–14848 doi:10.1073/pnas.1309482110
  • Cells respond to mechanical stress by rapid disassembly of caveolae Article Sinha B†, Köster D†, Ruez R, Gonnord P, Bastiani M, Abankwa D, Stan RV, Butler-Browne G, Vedie B, Johannes L, Morone N, Parton RG, Raposo G, Sens P, Lamaze C, Nassoy P Cell 2011; 144(3): 402–413 doi:10.1016/j.cell.2010.12.031
  • Dynamic organization of chromatin assembly and transcription factories in living cells Book chapter Sinha B, Bhattacharya D, Sinha DK, Talwar S, Maharana S, Gupta S, Shivashankar GV Methods in Cell Biology 2010; 98: 57–78 doi:10.1016/S0091-679X(10)98003-5
  • Probing the dynamic organization of transcription compartments and gene loci within the nucleus of living cells Article Sinha DK, Banerjee B, Maharana S, Shivashankar GV Biophysical Journal 2008; 95(11): 5432–5438 doi:10.1529/biophysj.108.135921
  • Trichostatin-A induces differential changes in histone protein dynamics and expression in HeLa cells Article Rao J, Bhattacharya D, Banerjee B, Sarin A, Shivashankar GV Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2007; 363(2): 263–268 doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.08.120
  • Chromatin structure exhibits spatio-temporal heterogeneity within the cell nucleus Article Banerjee B, Bhattacharya D, Shivashankar GV Biophysical Journal 2006; 91(6): 2297–2303 doi:10.1529/biophysj.105.079525
  • Stochastic simulations of the origins and implications of long-tailed distributions in gene expression Article Krishna S, Banerjee B, Ramakrishnan TV, Shivashankar GV PNAS 2005; 102(13): 4771–4776 doi:10.1073/pnas.0406415102
  • Tracking operator state fluctuations in gene expression in single cells Article Banerjee B, Balasubramanian S, Ananthakrishna G, Ramakrishnan TV, Shivashankar GV Biophysical Journal 2004; 86(5): 3052–3059 doi:10.1016/S0006-3495(04)74354-4
  • Development of single molecule tracking fluorescence microscope combined with force spectroscopy for gene expression analysis Article Sinha DK, Bhattacharya D, Banerjee B, Hameed FM, Shivashankar GV Current Science 2004; 87: 239–244

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Support

Funded by

  • SERB · PI · 2024–2027Fluctuation-based local control and coupling of endocytosis in cholesterol-dependent and -independent pathways
  • DBT-BUILDER · Co-PI · 2022–2027IISER Kolkata Interdisciplinary Life Science Programme for Advanced Research and Education
  • CEFIPRA · Indian PI · 2020–2024All-optical probing of caveolae-mediated local membrane tension regulation in 2D and 3D-like microenvironments
  • SERB · PI · 2020–2023Role of membrane fluctuations and cell mechanics in myogenesis
  • Wellcome Trust–DBT India Alliance · PI · 2013–2019Understanding cell membrane homeostasis during cell stretch
IISER Kolkata Wellcome Trust–DBT India Alliance SERB CEFIPRA