Bidisha Sinha
Associate Professor
Dept: Biological Sciences (DBS)
E-mail: bidisha.sinha [at] iiserkol.ac.in
Personal homepage: Click Here
The theme of the lab is to study how (mechanism and extent) membrane homeostasis is established in single adherent eukaryotic cells. The question boils down to first defining membrane homeostasis, then understanding how mechanical properties of the plasma membrane are physically and biochemically regulated in the cell and how the functional coupling of the membrane to the cytoskeleton directs mechanical responses and cellular functioning. A combination of high-resolution imaging of cells with substrate micro-patterning and controlled stretching is used to address this. Using Reflection Interference microscopy and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence microscopy we map spatio-temporal fluctuation profile of cell membranes and thereby study the controlling factors and the intrinsic heterogeneities. We have developed newer ways of single stretching to study the effect of mechanical stress on membrane trafficking, cytoskeleton interactions, internal organelle distribution, cell-substrate interactions and cell re-orientation. In parallel, wound healing assay forms our model to understand the effect of cell-cell interactions in maintaining a homeostasis of membrane mechanical properties. Finally we study hypo-osmotic shock induced membrane rupture as events of failure of membrane homeostasis.Lab webpage: https://sites.google.com/view/cell-biophysics-lab/home
- PhD (Life Sciences), National Centre for Biological Sciences, 2007
- Associate Professor, IISER Kolkata ( - )
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Institut Curie (2007 - 2011)
- Intermediate Fellowship from Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance (2013)
- Ramanujan Fellowship from Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India (2012)
- Kumar, Rinku; Saha, Sajjita and Sinha, Bidisha. 2019."Cell spread area and traction forces determine myosin-II-based cortex thickness regulation." BBA Molecular Cell Research, TBA, TBA
- Biswas, Arikta; Kashyap, Purba; Datta, Sanchari; Sengupta, Titas and Sinha, Bidisha. 2019."Cholesterol Depletion by MbCD Enhances Cell Membrane Tension and Its Variations-Reducing Integrity." Biophysical Journal, 116, 1456-1468
- Biswas, Arikta; Alex, Amal and Sinha, Bidisha. 2017."Mapping cell membrane fluctuations reveals their active regulation and transient heterogeneities.." Biophysical Journal, 113, 1768-1781
- Allesandri, Kévin; Sarangi, Bibhu Ranjan; Gurchenkov, Vasily Valérïévitch; Sinha, Bidisha; Kießling, Tobias Reinhold; Fetler, Luc; Rico, Felix; Scheuring, Simon; Lamaze, Christophe; Simon, Anthony; Geraldo, Sara; Vignjevi?, Danijela; Doméjean, Hugo; Rolland, Leslie; Funfak, Anette; Bibette, Jérôme; Bremond, Nicolas and Nassoy, Pierre. 2013."Cellular capsules as a tool for multicellular spheroid production and for investigating the mechanics of tumor progression in vitro.." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 110, 14843-8
- Sinha, B.; Koster, D.; Ruez, R.; Gonnord, P.; Bastiani, M.; Abankwa, D.; Stan, R.; Johannes, L.; Morone, N.; Parton, R.; Raposo, G.; Sens, P.; Lamaze, C. and Nassoy, P.. 2011."Cells respond to mechanical stress by rapid disassembly of caveolae. ." Cell, 144, 402-403