Suzanne Frances Scarlata

Professor

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.

sfscarlata@wpi.edu

Office Location

Gateway Park 3001

Contact

Phone:

+1 (508) 8315000 x6803

Personal Website

Research Lab

Scarlata 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