Main Interests:

Mucins are major constituents of mucus layers of the body and function as a defense mechanism against invading microorganisms. These glycoproteins are secreted by highly specialized epithelial cells, called mucous cells. We are studying regulation of the gene Muc19/Smgc, recently discovered in this lab. Muc19/Smgc encodes the major high molecular weight mucin (Muc19) that is selectively expressed by mucous cells of sublingual salivary glands in mice. Interestingly it was found several years ago that sld, an autosomal recessive defect, affects the expression of Muc19 transcripts. This mutation is characterized by both the developmental delay and the attenuated expression of these transcripts. The sld mutation was mapped to a 1 megabase critical region of mouse chromosome 15 which also contains Muc19/Smgc. By using a multi-disciplinary approach such as genetic, molecular, biochemical and genomic approaches, we have recently delineated that Muc19/Smgc actually harbors the sld mutation. Currently our major effort is directed to understand the mechanism of the action of the sld mutation and molecular aspects of regulation of expression of Muc19 and Smgc transcripts that is responsible for the steady-state levels of this transcript in the mucous cells at any given time.

Recent Publications:

Das, B, Das, S., and Sherman, F. (2006) Mutant LYS2 mRNAs retained and degraded in the nucleus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA,103,10871-10876

Kuai, L., Das, B. and Sherman, F. (2005) A nuclear degradation pathway controls the abundance of normal mRNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA, 102, 13962-13967.

Gao, Q., Das, B., Sherman, F. and Maquat, L.E. (2005) Cap-binding protein 1-mediated and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-mediated pioneer rounds of translation in yeast. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102, 4258-4263.

Das, B., Butler, J.S. and Sherman, F. (2003) Degradation of normal mRNA in the nucleus of yeast. Mol. Cell Biol, 23, 5502-5515.

Das, B., Guo, Z., Russo, P., Chartrand, P., and Sherman, F (2000). Degradation of normal mRNA in the nucleus of yeast. Mol. Cell Biol., 20,. 2827-2838.

Polevoda, B., Martzen, M., Das, B., Phizicky, E.M., and Sherman, F. (2000) Cytochrome c methyltransferase, Ctm1p of yeast. J. Biol. Chem., 275, 20508-20513

Pearce, D.A., Carr, C. J., Das, B. and Sherman, F. (1999). Phenotypic reversal of btn1 defects in yeast by chloroquine : A yeast model for batten disease. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA , 96, 11341-11345

Pearce, D.A., Ferea, T., Nosel, S. A., Das, B. and Sherman, F (1999). Action of BTN1, the yeast orthologue of the gene mutated in Batten disease. Nature Genet., 22, 55-58.

Chattopadhyay S., Das, B., and DasGupta,C. (1996). Reactivation of denatured proteins by 23S ribosomal RNA: Role of domain V. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 93, 8284-82871.

Das, B., Chattopadhyay, S., Bera, A.K. and DasGupta, C. (1996). In vitro protein folding by ribosomes from Escherichia coli, wheat germ and rat liver: The role of 50S subunit- and its 23S rRNA. Eur. J. Biochem., 235,613-62 1

Das, B., Chattopadhyay, S. and DasGupta, C.(1992) Reactivation of denatured fungal glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and E. coli alkaline phosphatase with E. coli ribosome. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 183, 774-780.

Copyright 2005, UF College of Dentistry - Site Feedback