
Affiliated Department or Office:
Education:
BA Temple University 1979
PhD University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 1985
We are interested in learning how small molecules in the blood stream can cause cells to react in specific ways, such as growing, dividing or migrating. While there are many agents that can stimulate or inhibit cell behavior, we are most interested in the ability of certain hormones and neurotransmitters to activate a family of proteins called "G Proteins". G proteins can simulate an enzyme called phospholipase Cbeta (PLCbeta). Activation of PLCbeta raises the level of calcium in the cell, which changes the activity of many other proteins. Additionally, PLCbeta can also affect the ability of a cell to control the transcription of specific genes into proteins by changing the stability of their messenger RNA.
Email
sfscarlata@wpi.edu
Office Location
Gateway Park 3001
Contact
Phone:
+1 (508) 8315000 x6803
Research Lab
Research Interests
Research Interests:
Cell behavior
Calcium signals
Membrane-associated proteins
Membrane properties
G protein signaling
Scholarly Work
Use of Fluorescence Spectroscopy to Monitor Protein-Membrane Associations - 2003
Determination of the Affinities between Heterotrimeric G Protein Subunits and Their Phospholipase C- Effectors - 1999
Barbiturates Inhibit Hexose Transport in Cultured Mammalian Cells and Human Erythrocytes and Interact Directly with Purified GLUT-1 - 1995
Are membrane enzymes regulated by the viscosity of the membrane environment? - 1992
Effect of increased chain packing on gramicidin-lipid interactions - 1991
Binding and fluorescence studies of the relationship between neurophysin-peptide interaction and neurophysin self-association: an allosteric system exhibiting minimal cooperativity - 1991
Professional Affiliations
Professional Affiliations:
Professional Highlights & Honors
Professional Highlights & Honors:
Journal of Biological Chemistry, Analytical Biochemistry, Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes, BBA Biomembranes
American Heart Association
FASEB, ASBMB, Biophysical Society
News

Suzanne Scarlata, Richard Whitcomb Professor of Biochemistry.
November 24, 2020