Subhrangsu S. Mandal

Biochemistry
Assistant Professor

            Phone:
    817-272-3804

             FAX:
    817-272-3808

            E-mail:
  smandal@uta.edu

  Office:  225B SH   

M.Sc. (First Class First)  Kalyani University, India (1992)

Ph.D.  Indian Institute of Science (1998)

Postdoctoral Fellow:
University of Alberta (1998-99);
Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (2000-2005)

Personal page            

Research interests:

Transcription is a process by which the genetic information in DNA gets converted into RNA.  In eukaryotes, the key enzyme involved in transcription of most of the protein coding genes is called RNA polymerase II (RNA pol II).  In eukaryotes, genes are compacted into nucleosome, the repeating unit of chromatin that is composed of histones and DNA.  Recent studies showed that post-transcriptional modifications of histones (e.g., acetylation, phosphorylation, methylation, ubiquitilation, etc.) mark and dictate whether a specific gene will be turned “on or off” and is also associated with various human cancer.

My research goal is to understand “How RNA pol II transcribes a gene under chromatin and non-chromatin environment?  What are the functions of various covalent histone modifications in chromatin transcription, gene expression, epigenetic regulation and cancer in human?”  More specifically, we study:

(I)  Identification and characterization of novel transcription factors involved in efficient transcription by RNA pol II through chromatin: Highly purified reconstituted chromatin transcription system under cell free environment are used primarily for these experiments.

(II)  Roles of histone methyltransferases Set1, MLL1 and MLL2 in gene expression;  MLL mediated oncogenesis (acute myeloid or lymphoid Leukemia) in human;  Epigenetics, histone modification and chromatin transcription.

Representative Publications:

Zhu B., Mandal S. S., Pham A. D., Zheng Y., Erdjument-Bromage H., Batra S. K., Tempst P., and Reinberg D. (2005)  "The human PAF complex coordinates transcription with events downstream of RNA synthesis."  Genes Dev., 19, 1668-73.

Mandal S. S., Chun C., Wada T., Handa H., Shatkin A. and Reinberg D.  "Functional interactions between mRNA capping enzyme and factors that positively and negatively regulate transcription during promoter escape."  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 2004, 101, 7572-77.

Mandal S. S., Sims R. J. and Reinberg D. (2004)  Review article on "Recent highlights in RNAP II mediated transcription."  Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 16, 263-71.

Endou M., Hasegawa J., Watanabe H., Kim D., Inukai N., Narita T., Shima D., Yamada T., Furuya A., Sato H., Hasegawa M., Yamaguchi Y., Mandal S. S., Reinberg D., Wada T. and Handa H. (2004)  "Human SPT6 stimulates transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II in vitro."  Mol. Cell. Biol., 24, 3324-36.

Chen, B., Mandal S. S. and Hampsey, M. (2004)  "Mechanism of transcription start site selection by transcription factor TFIIB.  A photo-crosslinking study."  Biochemistry, 43, 12741-49.

Mandal S. S., Cho H., Kim S., Cabane K. and Reinberg D. (2002)  "FCP1, a phosphatase specific for the heptapeptide repeat of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, stimulates transcription elongation."  Mol. Cell. Biol., 22, 7543-52.

Mandal S. S., Silva E. F. and Reha-Krantz, L. J. (2002)  "Using 2-aminopurine fluorescence to detect base unstacking in the template strand during nucleotide incorporation by the bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase."  Biochemistry, 41(13), 4399-4406.

Fidalgo Da Silva E., Mandal S. S. and Reha-Krantz, L. J. (2002)  "Using 2-aminopurine fluorescence to measure incorporation of incorrect nucleotides by the bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase:  Evidence for a rate-determining step before chemistry."  J. Biol. Chem., 277, 40640-49.

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Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas 76019-0065, USA

Phone:  (817) 272-3171

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