Piali Sengupta
Degrees
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D.Bryn Mawr College, B.A.
Expertise
Neurogenetics of sensory behaviorsProfile
Piali Sengupta is a full Professor and Chair in the Department of Biologyat Brandeis. Her work is funded by the NSF, and NIH. Her lab's work focuses on understanding how animals sense environmental cues such as chemicals and temperature, and how this information is then translated into changes in development and behavior. Identifying the genes, neurons and circuits that underlie sensory transduction provides information about how organisms, including humans, interact with their environment, and how defects in the ability to process sensory signals lead to neurological and developmental disorders.Courses Taught
| BIOL | 200a | Proseminar |
| NBIO | 147a | Neurogenetics |
Awards and Honors
Keynote speaker, Harvard MCO Retreat (2018)
Keynote speaker, Pan Asia Worm Meeting, Seoul, Korea (declined) (2018)
Selected as a Meet-the-Expert Speaker, Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA (2018)
Elected Treasurer, Genetics Society of America (2017 - 2019)
Keynote speaker, BARD workshop on chemosensation, Israel (declined) (2017)
Plenary speaker, International Worm Meeting, UCLA (2017)
Plenary speaker, Symposium on development of sensory systems, Tel-Aviv, Israel (2017)
DeWitt Stetten Jr. Lecture, NIGMS, NIH (2015)
NIH/NIGMS MERIT award (2010)
Wellington Award (internal Award) (1998 - 1999)
David and Lucille Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering ($500,000) (1997 - 2002)
Whitehall Award (1997 - 2000)
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship AND Searle Scholars Award (1996)
American Cancer Society Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship (1994 - 1995)
American Cancer Society Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship (1992 - 1994)
European Fellowship for hightest achievement in academics (1985)
Shippen Scholarship for excellence in science (1984)
Scholarship
Goodman, M.B. and Sengupta, P.. "How C. elegans senses mechanical stress, temperature, and other physical stimuli.." Genetics (2019). (forthcoming)
Maurya, A.K., Rogers, T. and Sengupta, P.. "A CCRK and MAK kinase modulate cilia branching and length via regulation of axonemal microtubule stability.." Curr Biol (2019). (forthcoming)
Goodman, M.B. and Sengupta, P.. "The extraordinary AFD thermosensor of C. elegans." Pflugers Archiv 470. (2018): 839-849.
O’Donnell, M.P., Chao, P-H., Kammenga, J.E. and Sengupta, P. "Rictor/TORC2 mediates gut-to-brain signaling in the regulation of phenotypic plasticity in C. elegans." Plos Genet 14. (2018): e1007213.
Goodman, M.B. and Sengupta, P. "The extraordinary AFD thermosensor of C. elegans." Pflug Archiv Eur J Physiol doi: 10.1007/s00424-017-2089-5. (2017).
Hong, M., Ryu, L., Ow, M.C., Kim, J., Je, A.R., Huh, Y.H., Lee, K.J., Butcher, R.A., Choi, H., Sengupta, P., Hall. S.E. and Kim, K.. "Early pheromone experience modifies a synaptic activity to influence adult pheromone responses of C. elegans." Curr Biol 27. (2017): 3168-3177.
Kazatskaya, A., Kuhns, S., Lambacher, N.J., Kennedy, J.E., Brear, A.G., McManus, G.J., Sengupta, P*. and Blacque, O.E*. "The atypical MAP kinase MAPK15 regulates primary cilium formation and protein trafficking in C. elegans and human cells.." Genetics 207. (2017): 1423-1440.
Nechipurenko, I.V. and Sengupta, P.. "The rise and fall of basal bodies in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.." Cilia (2017): doi: 10.1186/s13630-017-0053-9.
Nechipurenko, I.V., Berciu, C., Sengupta, P. and Nicastro, D.. "Centriolar remodeling underlies basal body maturation during ciliogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans." eLife e25686. (2017).
Sengupta, Piali. "Cilia and sensory signaling: The journey from 'animalcules' to human disease." PLoS Bio e2002240. (2017).
Cornils, A., Maurya, A.K., Tereshko, L., Kennedy, J., Brear, A.G., Prahlad, V., Blacque, O.E. and Sengupta, P.. "Structural and functional recovery of sensory cilia in C. elegans IFT mutants upon aging." PLoS Genetics e1006325. (2016).
Neal, S.J., Park, J., Yoon, J., Shibuya, M., Schroeder, F.C., Butcher, R.A., Kim, K. and Sengupta, P.. "A forward genetic screen for molecules involved in pheromone-induced dauer formation in C. elegans.." G3: Genes to Genomes 6. (2016): 1475-1487.
Nechipurenko, I.V., Olivier-Mason, A., Kennedy, J., McLachlan, I.G., Heiman, M.G., Blacque, O.E. and Sengupta, P.. "A conserved role for Girdin in basal body positioning and ciliogenesis." Dev Cell 38. (2016): 493-506.
Sims, J.R., Ow, M.C., Nishiguchi, M., Kim, K., Sengupta, P. and Hall, S.E.. "Developmenal programming modulates olfactory behavior in C. elegans via endogenous RNAi pathways." eLife e11642. (2016).
Takeishi, A.*, Yu, Y.V.*, Hapiak, V.M., Bell, H.W., O’Leary, T. and Sengupta P.. "Receptor-type guanylyl cyclases confer thermosensory responses in C. elegans.." Neuron 90. (2016): 235-244.
Neal, S.J., Takeishi, A., O’Donnell, M.P., Park, J., Hong, M., Butcher, R.A., Kim. K. and Sengupta P.. "Feeding state-dependent regulation of developmental plasticity via CaMKI and neuroendocrine signaling.." eLife 4. (2015): e10110.
Brear, A.G., Yoon, J., Wojtnyiak, M. and Sengupta, P. "Diverse cell-specific mechanisms localize G protein-coupled receptors to C. elegans sensory cilia.." Genetics 197. (2014): 667-684.
Doroquez, D.B.*, Berciu, C.*, Anderson, J.R., Sengupta, P*. and Nicastro, D.*. "A high-resolution morphological and ultrastructural map of anterior sensory cilia and glia in C. elegans.." eLife 2014;3:e01948. (2014).
Ryan, D.A., Miller, R.M., Lee. K., Neal. S.J., Fagan, K.A., Sengupta, P. and Portman, D.. "Sex, age and hunger regulate behavioral prioritization through dynamic modulation of chemoreceptor regulation.." Curr. Biol. 24. (2014): 2509-2517.
Schild, L.C., Wang, D., Bell, H.B., Yu, Y.V., Agin, R., Sengupta, P., Goodman, M.B. and Glauser, D.A.. "The balance between cytoplasmic and nuclear CaM Kinase-1 signaling controls the operating range for noxious heat avoidance.." Neuron 84. (2014): 983-996.
Sengupta, P. and , Barr, M.M. "New insights into an old organelle: Meeting report on Biology of Cilia and Flagella.." Traffic doi: 10.1111/tra.12166. (2014).
Yu, Y.V., Bell. H.W., Glauser, D., Van Hooser, S.D., Goodman, M.B. and Sengupta, P.. "CaMKI-dependent regulation of sensory gene expression mediates experience-dependent plasticity in the operating range of a thermosensory neuron." Neuron 84. (2014): 919-926.
Garrity, P. and Sengupta, P.. "Sensing temperature." Curr. Biol. 23. (2013): R304-307.
Goodman, M., Klein, M., Lasse, S., Luo, L., Mori, I., Samuel. A.D., Sengupta, P., Wang, D. (alphabetical). "Thermotaxis navigation behavior." Wormbook. vol. doi: 10.1895/wormbook.1.168.1, 2013
Neal, S.J., Kim. K. and Sengupta, P.. "Quantitative assessment of pheromone-induced dauer formation in C. elegans." Methods Mol Biol. vol. 1068 Ed. Touhara, K.., 2013. 273-283.
Nechipurenko, I.V., Doroquez, D.B. and Sengupta, P.. "Primary cilia and dendritic spines: different but similar signaling compartments.." Mol Cells 4. (2013): 288-303.
Olivier-Mason, A., Wojtyniak, M., Bowie, R.V., Blacque, O.E. and Sengupta, P.. "Transmembrane protein OSTA-1 shapes cell type-specific sensory cilia morphology via regulation of intracellular membrane trafficking in C. elegans." Development 140. (2013): 1560-1572.
Sengupta, Piali. "The belly rules the nose: feeding state-dependent modulation of peripheral chemosensory responses." Curr Opin Neurobiol 23. (2013): 68-75.
Wojtnyiak, M., O’Halloran, D. and Sengupta, P.. "Cell- and subunit-specific mechanisms of CNG channel ciliary targeting and localization in C. elegans.." J Cell Sci 126. (2013): 4381-4395.
Hall SE, Chirn G-W, Lau NC and Sengupta P. "RNAi pathways contribute to developmental history-dependent phenotypic plasticity in C. elegans." RNA 19. (2012): 306-319.
Jang, H., Kim, K., Neal, S.J., Macosko, E., Kim, D., Butcher, R.A., Zeiger, D.M., Bargmann, C.I. and Sengupta, P.. "Neuronal state and sex specify alternative behaviors through antagonistic synaptic pathways in C. elegans.." Neuron 75. (2012): 585-592.
Kaplan OI*, Doroquez DB*, Cevik S, Bowie RV, Clarke L, Sanders AA, Kida K, Rappoport JZ, Sengupta P* and Blacque OE*. "Endocytosis genes facilitate protein and membrane transport in C. elegans sensory cilia." Curr Biol 22. (2012): 451-460.
Wright KJ, Baye LM, Olivier-Mason A, Mukhopadhyay S, Sang L, Kwong M, Wang W, Pretorious PR, Sheffield VC, Sengupta P, Slusarski DC, Jackson PK. "An ARL3-UNC119-RP2 GTPase cycle targets myristoylated NPHP3 to the primary cilium." Genes Dev 25. (2012): 2347-2360.
Beverly, M., Anbil, S. and Sengupta, P.. "Degeneracy and signaling within a sensory circuit contributes to robustness in thermosensory behaviors in C. elegans.." J. Neurosci 10. (2011): 11718-11727.
Sengupta, P. and Schedl. T.. "Cellular reprogramming: chromatin puts on the brake.." Curr Biol 22. (2011): R157-159.
Wasserman, S.M., Beverly, M. Bell, H.W. and Sengupta, P.. "Regulation of response properties and operating range of the AFD thermosensory neurons by cGMP signaling.." Curr Biol 21. (2011): 353-362.
Garrity, P.A., Goodman, M.B., Samuel, A.D., Sengupta, P.. "Running hot and cold: behavioral strategies, neural circuits and the molecular machinery for thermotaxis in C. elegans and Drosophila.." Genes Dev 24. (2010): 2365-2382.
Hall, S. E., Beverly, M., Russ, C., Nusbaum, C., Sengupta, P.. "A cellular memory of developmental history generates phenotypic diversity in C. elegans." Curr Biol 20. 2 (2010): 149-55.
Hall, S.E., Beverly, M., Russ, C., Nusbaum, C, Sengupta, P.. "A cellular memory of developmental history generates phenotypic diversity in C. elegans.." Curr Biol 20. (2010): 149-55.
Kim, K., Kim, R. Sengupta, P.. "The HMX/NKX homeodomain protein MLS-2 specifies the identity of the AWC sensory neuron type via regulation of the ceh-36 Otx gene in C. elegans.." Development 137. (2010): 963-74.
Kim, K., Kim, R., Sengupta, P.. "The HMX/NKX homeodomain protein MLS-2 specifies the identity of the AWC sensory neuron type via regulation of the ceh-36 Otx gene in C. elegans." Development 137. 6 (2010): 963-74.
van der Linden, A.M., Beverly, M, Kadener, S., Rodriguez, J., Wasserman, S., Rosbash, M., and Sengupta, P.. "Genome-wide analysis of light- and temperature-entrained circadian transcripts in C. elegans.." PLoS Biol 8(10). (2010): e1000503.
Kim, K., Sato, K., Shibuya, M., Butcher, R.A., Ragains, J.R., Touhara, K., and Sengupta, P.. "Identification of two chemoreceptors mediating responses to dauer-inducing pheromone in C. elegans.." Submitted 326. (2009): 994-998.
Kim, K., Sato, K., Shibuya, M., Zeiger, D. M., Butcher, R. A., Ragains, J. R., Clardy, J., Touhara, K., Sengupta, P.. "Two chemoreceptors mediate developmental effects of dauer pheromone in C. elegans." Science 326. 5955 (2009): 994-8.
Nokes, E. B., Van Der Linden, A. M., Winslow, C., Mukhopadhyay, S., Ma, K., Sengupta, P.. "Cis-regulatory mechanisms of gene expression in an olfactory neuron type in Caenorhabditis elegans." Dev Dyn 238. 12 (2009): 3080-92.
Sengupta, P., Samuel, A. D.. "Caenorhabditis elegans: a model system for systems neuroscience." Curr Opin Neurobiol 19. 6 (2009): 637-43.
Biron, D, Wasserman, S, Thomas, JHT, Samuel, ADT and Sengupta, P. "An olfactory neuron responds stochastically to temperature and modulates C. elegans thermotactic behaviors.." PNAS 105. (2008): 11002-7.
Mukhopadhyay, S, Liu, Y, Shaham, S, and Sengupta, P. "Sensory signaling molecules regulate olfactory cilia architecture in C. elegans.." Dev Cell 14. (2008): 762-74.
Omori, Y, Zhao, C, Saras, A, Mukhopadhyay, S, Kim, W, Furukawa, T, Sengupta, P, Veraksa, A and Malicki, J. "Elipsa is an early determinant of ciliogenesis that links the IFT particle to membrane-associated small GTPase, Rab8.." Nat Cell Biol 10. (2008): 437-44.
van der Linden, A.M., Wiener, S., You, Y-J., Kim. K., Avery, L. and Sengupta, P.. "The EGL-4 PKG acts with the KIN-29 SIK and KIN-2 PKA to regulate chemoreceptor gene expression and sensory behaviors in C. elegans.." Genetics 180. (2008): 1475-91.
Chi, CA, Clark, DA, Lee, S, Biron, D, Gabel, CV, Brown, J, Sengupta, P and Samuel, ADT. "Long-term plasticity in C. elegans thermotactic behavior does not require association between temperature and food-dependent cues." J Exp Biol 210. (2007): 4043-52.
Huang, SLB, Saheki, Y, VanHoven, M, Toroyama, I, Ishihara, T, Katsura, I, van der Linden, AM, Sengupta, P, Bargmann, CI. "Left-right olfactory asymmetry results from antagonistic functions of voltage-activated calcium channels and the Raw repeat protein OLRN-1 in C. elegans.." Neural Dev 6. (2007): 24.
Mukhopadhyay, S., Liu, Y, Qin, H., Lanjuin. A., Shaham, S. and Sengupta, P.. "Distinct IFT mechanisms contribute to the generation of ciliary structural diversity in C. elegans.." EMBO J 26 (2007): 2966-80.
Sengupta, Piali, Thomas, J.H.. "From eye of newt to chemical structure." Nature Chemical Biology 3. (2007): 368-9.
Sengupta, Piali. "Generation and modulation of chemosensory behaviors in C. elegans.." Pflug. Archiv. Eur. J. Phys 454. (2007): 721-34.
Sengupta, Piali. "The worm turns." Nature 450. (2007): 35-6.
van der Linden, A.M., Nolan, K.M. and Sengupta, P.. "KIN-29 SIK regulates chemoreceptor gene expression via an MEF2 transcription factor and a Class II HDAC.." EMBO J 26. (2007): 358-70.
Biron, D., Shibuya, M., Gabel, C., Brown, A., Clark, D.A., Wasserman, S.M., Sengupta, P.*, and Samuel A.D.T.* (*co-corresp authors). "Regulation of thermotactic behavioral plasticity by a diacylglycerol kinase in C. elegans.." Nat. Neurosci. 9. (2006): 1499-505.
Clark, D. A. Biron, D., Sengupta, P. and Samuel, A.D.T.. "The AFD sensory neurons encode multiple functions underlying thermotactic behavior in C. elegans.." J. Neurosci 26. (2006): 7444-51.
Inada, H., Ito, H., Satterlee, J., Sengupta, P., Matsumoto, K. and Mori, I.. "Identification of guanylyl cyclases that function in thermosensory neurons of C. elegans.." Genetics 172. (2006): 2239-52.
Lanjuin, A., Claggett, J., Shibuya, M., Hunter, C.P. and Sengupta, P.. "Regulation of neuronal lineage decisions by the HES-related bHLH protein REF-1.." Dev. Biol. 290. (2006): 139-51.
Sengupta, Piali and Melkman, T.. "Regulation of chemosensory and GABAergic motor neuron development by the C. elegans Aristaless/Arx." Development . 132. (2005): 1935-49.
Sengupta, Piali and Samuel, A.D.T. "Sensorimotor integration: Locating locomotion in worm neural circuits." Curr. Biol. (2005).
Sengupta, Piali and Lanjuin, A.. "Sepecification of chemosensory neuron subtype indentities in C. elegans." Curr. Op Neurobiol (2004): 22-30.
Sengupta, Piali and Lanjuin, A.. "Specification of chemosensory neuron subtype indentities in C. elegans." Curr. Op. Neurobiol (2004): 22-30.
Sengupta, Piali and Melkman, T.. "The worm's sense of smell: Development of funcitonal diversityin the chemosensory system." Dev. Biol (2004): 302-19.
Sengupta, Piali and Melkman, T.. "The worm's sense of smell: Development of functional diversity in the chemosensory system of C. elegans." Dev. Biol. 265. (2004): 302-19.
Sengupta, Piali and Melkman, T.. "The worm? ll sense of smell: Development of functional diversity in the chemosensory system of C. Elegans." Dev. Biol. (2004): 302-19.
Sengupta, Piali, Colosimo, M.E., Brown, A. Mukhopadhyay, S., Gabel, C., Lanjuin, A. and Samuel A.D.T. "Identication of thermosensory and olfactory neuron-specific genes via expression profiling of single neuron types." Curr. Biol (2004): 2245-51.
Sengupta, Piali, Satterlee, J.S., and Ryu, W.S.. "The CMK-1 CA2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I and the TAX-4 cyclic nucleotide-gated channel regulate thermosensory neuron gene expression and function in C. elegans." Curr. Biol. 14. (2004): 62-8.
Sengupta, Piali, Satterlee, J.S., and Ryu, W.S.. "The CMK-1 Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I and the TAX-4 cyclic nucleotide-gated channel regulate thermosensory neuron gene expression and function in C. elegans." Curr. Biol. 14. (2004): 62-8.
Sengupta, Piali. "Taking sides in the nervous system with miRNA." Nat. Neurosci. 7. (2004): 100-2.
Sengupta, Piali. "Taking sides in the nervous system with miRNA." Nat. Neurosci (2004): 100-2.
Sengupta, Piali. "Taking sides in the nervous system with miRNA." Nat. Neurosci (2004): 100-2.
Sengupta,Piali, Satterlee, J.S. and Ryu, W.S.. "The CMK-1 Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I and the TAX-4 cyclic nucleotide-gated channel regulate thermosensory neuron gene expression and functin." Curr. Biol. (2004): 62-8.
Sengupta,Piali. "Lanjuin, A. and Sengupta, P. Specification of chemosensory neuron subtype identities in C. elegans." Curr. Op. Neurobiol. 14. (2004): 22-30.
Sengupta, Piali, Colosimo, M.E. and Tran, S.. "The divergent orphan nuclear receptor ODR-7 regulates olfactory neuron gene expression via multiple mechanisms in C. elegans." Genetics 165. (2003): 1779-91.
Sengupta, Piali, Lanjuin, A., VanHoven, M.K., and Bargmann, C.I.. "Otx/otd homeobox genes specify distinct neuron identities in C. elegans." Dev. Cell 5. (2003): 621-33.