Suzanne Scarlata
Professor

Ph.D. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1984

Basic Science Tower, T-6, Room 146
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY, 11794-8661

Phone: (631) 444-3071
Fax: (631) 444-3432
Email:

Research

Our laboratory focuses on the question of how external agents can evoke responses inside the cell. While there are many agents that can stimulate or inhibit cellular events, our laboratory is most interested in the ability of certain hormones and neurotransmitters to activate a family of proteins called "G Proteins" which consists of three protein subunits (a-bg). G proteins can simulate an enzyme called phospholipase Cb (PLCb). Activation of PLCb raises the intracellular calcium concentration, which results in a series of mitogenic and proliferative changes in the cell. The experimental approaches we use combine biophysical, biochemical, and molecular biology methods.

Selected Publications

Guo Y, Golebiewska U, Scarlata S. "Modulation of Ca(2+) Activity in Cardiomyocytes through Caveolae-Gα(q) Interactions." Biophysical Journal 2011 Apr 6;100(7):1599-607.

Golebiewska U, Johnston JM, Devi L, Filizola M, Scarlata S. "Differential Response to Morphine of the Oligomeric State of µ-Opioid in the Presence of d-Opioid Receptors." Biochemistry 2011 Apr 12;50(14):2829-37. Epub 2011 Mar 17.

Aisiku O, Dowal L, Scarlata S. "Protein kinase C phosphorylation of PLCß1 regulates its cellular localization." Arch Biochem Biophys. 2011 May 15;509(2):186-90. Epub 2011 Feb 19.

Aisiku OR, Runnels LW, Scarlata S. "Identification of a novel binding partner of phospholipase cß1: translin-associated factor X." PLoS One. 2010 Nov 29;5(11):e15001.

Guo Y, Golebiewska U, D'Amico S, Scarlata S. "The small G protein Rac1 activates phospholipase Cdelta1 through phospholipase Cbeta2." J Biol Chem. 2010 Aug 6;285(32):24999-5008. Epub 2010 Jun 8.

Golebiewska U, Scarlata S. "The effect of membrane domains on the G protein-phospholipase Cbeta signaling pathway." Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol. 2010 Apr;45(2):97-105.

Wang J, Sengupta P, Guo Y, Scarlata S. "Evidence for a second, high affinity Gbetagamma binding site on Galphai1(GDP) subunits." J Biol Chem. 2009 Jun 19;284(25):16906-13. Epub 2009 Apr 15.

Li W, Scarlata S, Miller WT. "Evidence for convergent evolution in the signaling properties of a choanoflagellate tyrosine kinase." Biochemistry 2009 Jun 16;48(23):5180-6.

Wang J, Golebiewska U, Scarlata S. "A self-scaffolding model for G protein signaling." J Mol Biol. 2009 Mar 20;387(1):92-103. Epub 2009 Jan 30.

Rebecchi MJ, Raghubir A, Scarlata S, Hartenstine MJ, Brown T, Stallings JD. "Expression and function of phospholipase C in breast carcinoma." Adv Enzyme Regul. 2009 49(1):59-73. Epub 2009 Jan 20. No abstract available.

Royer A, Scarlata SF. "Fluorescence approaches to quantifying biomolecular interactions." Methods Enzymol. 2008 450:79-106. Review.

Golebiewska U, Scarlata S. "Galphaq binds two effectors separately in cells; evidence for predetermined signaling pathways." Biophys J. 2008 Sep;95(5):2575-82. Epub 2008 May 30.

Audie J, Scarlata S. "A novel empirical free energy function that explains and predicts protein-protein binding affinities" Biophys Chem. 2007 Sep;129(2-3):198-211. Epub 2007 Jun 7.

Drin G, Scarlata S. "Stimulation of phospholipase Cbeta by membrane interactions, interdomain movement, and G protein binding--how many ways can you activate an enzyme?" Cell Signal. 2007 Jul;19(7):1383-92. Epub 2007 Apr 29. Review.

Philip F, Sengupta P, Scarlata S. "Signaling through a G Protein-coupled receptor and its corresponding G protein follows a stoichiometrically limited model." J Biol Chem. 2007 Jun 29;282(26):19203-16. Epub 2007 Apr 9.

Scarlata SF. "Effects of cholesterol on membrane surfaces as studied by high-pressure fluorescence spectroscopy." Biophys Chem. 1997 Nov;69(1):9-21.

Philip F, Scarlata S. "Real-time measurements of protein affinities on membrane surfaces by fluorescence spectroscopy." Sci STKE. 2006 Aug 29;2006(350):pl5.

Dowal L, Provitera P, Scarlata S. "Stable association between G alpha(q) and phospholipase C beta 1 in living cells." J Biol Chem. 2006 Aug 18;281(33):23999-4014. Epub 2006 Jun 5.

Drin G, Douguet D, Scarlata S. "The pleckstrin homology domain of phospholipase Cbeta transmits enzymatic activation through modulation of the membrane-domain orientation." Biochemistry. 2006 May 9;45(18):5712-24.

Ballou LM, Chattopadhyay M, Li Y, Scarlata S, Lin RZ. "Galphaq binds to p110alpha/p85alpha phosphoinositide 3-kinase and displaces Ras." Biochem J. 2006 Mar 15;394(Pt 3):557-62.

Provitera P, El-Maghrabi R, Scarlata S. "The effect of HIV-1 Gag myristoylation on membrane binding." Biophys Chem. 2006 Jan 1;119(1):23-32. Epub 2005 Sep 23.