Biological and Life Sciences

Souvik Sen Gupta is an Associate Professor at Division of Biological & Life Sciences, Ahmedabad University. He did his Bachelors in Physiology from Calcutta University in 2003, Masters in Biotechnology from Calcutta University in 2005 and completed his PhD in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of the parasite Leishmania in 2011 from Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India. He moved to University of Aarhus, Denmark for postdoctoral studies and worked in the field of eukaryotic replication with yeast as a model organism. He returned to India in November 2012 and joined the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, India as DBT Research Associate where his research was directed towards the identification of a novel DNA repair protein in Leishmania. He also worked as part-time lecturer and guest lecturer at Department of Microbiology, Asutosh College, Kolkata.

His doctoral research was based on topoisomerases and cell death of unicellular protozoan parasite Leishmania and he published his research work in peer-reviewed journals. During his postdoctoral tenure in University of Aarhus, Denmark, he gained significant exposure to yeast molecular biology and genetics. Later during his DBT-RA tenure, he worked in the field of Leishmania molecular biology. He also authored a book based on his doctoral research published by LAP Lambert Academic Publisher in 2012.

Dr. Sen Gupta's current research encompasses a broad aegis of anti-leishmanial therapeutics. He is interested in identifying new genes/proteins from Leishmania genome having potential role in the relatively unexplored pathways of cell death and DNA repair in Leishmania which may turn out to be a potential target for therapeutics. He is also keenly interested in anti-leishmanial therapeutics which involves repurposing/repositioning studies along with exploration of nanotherapeutics.

RESEARCH ARTICLES:

1. Sharma K, Shah J, Singh S, Sengupta S. (2024) Development of Amphotericin B Decorated Gold Nanoparticles as a Promising Antileishmanial Nanoconjugate. ACS Appl Bio Mater.; 7(9):6239-6248.
2. Yadav N, Sharma K, Sengupta S, Singh S (2023) Triethyl Phosphine decorated cerium oxide nanoparticles exhibit selective killing of the unicellular protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani. 3 Biotech; 13:413.
3. Bhagat S, Parikh Y, Singh S, Sengupta S (2019) A novel nanoliposomal formulation of the FDA approved drug Halofantrine causes cell death of Leishmania donovani promastigotes in vitro. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects; 582:123852. (Cover Page article)
4. Vallabani NVS, Sengupta S, Shukla RK, Kumar A (2019) ZnO nanoparticles-associated mitochondrial stress-induced apoptosis and G2/M arrest in HaCaT cells: a mechanistic approach. Mutagenesis; 34(3):265-277.
5. Shah A, Sengupta S (2019) Anti-leishmanial Nanotherapeutics: A Current Perspective. Curr Drug Metab.; 20(6):473-482.
6. Das SK, Ghosh A, Paul Chowdhuri S, Halder N, Rehman I, Sengupta S, Sahoo KC, Rath H, Das BB (2018) Neutral Porphyrin Derivative Exerts Anticancer Activity by Targeting Cellular Topoisomerase I (Top1) and Promotes Apoptotic Cell Death without Stabilizing Top1-DNA Cleavage Complexes. J Med Chem.; 61(3):804-817. 
7. Das SK, Rehman I, Ghosh A, Sengupta S, Majumdar P, Jana B, Das BB. (2016) Poly(ADP-ribose) polymers regulate DNA topoisomerase I (Top1) nuclear dynamics and camptothecin sensitivity in living cells. Nucleic Acids Res.; 44(17):8363-8375.
8. Chowdhury S, Mukhopadhyay R, Saha S, Mishra A, Sengupta S, Roy S, Majumder HK. (2014) Flavone resistant Leishmania donovani over expresses LdMRP2 transporter in the parasite and activates host MRP2 on macrophages to circumvent the flavone-mediated cell death. J Biol Chem.; 289(23):16129-16147.
9. Das BB, Huang SY, Murai J, Rehman I, Amé JC, Sengupta S, Das SK, Majumdar P, Zhang H, Biard D, Majumder HK, Schreiber V, Pommier Y. (2014) PARP1-TDP1 coupling for the repair of topoisomerase I-induced DNA damage. Nucleic Acids Res.; 42(7):4435-49.
10. Chowdhury S, Mukherjee T, Chowdhury SR, Sengupta S, Mukhopadhyay S, Jaisankar P, Majumder HK. (2014) Disuccinyl betulin triggers Metacaspase Dependent Endonuclease G Mediated Cell death in Unicellular Protozoan Parasite Leishmania donovani. Antimicrob Agents Chemother.; 58(4):2186-2201.
11. Bentsen IB, Nielsen I, Lisby M, Nielsen HB, Gupta SS, Mundbjerg K, Andersen AH, Bjergbaek L. (2013) MRX protects fork integrity at protein-DNA barriers, and its absence causes checkpoint activation dependent on chromatin context. Nucleic Acids Res.; 41(5):3173-89.
12. Chowdhury S, Mukherjee T, Mukhopadhyay R, Mukherjee B, Sengupta S, Chattopadhyay S, Jaisankar P, Roy S and Majumder HK. (2012) The Lignan Niranthin poisons Leishmania donovani topoisomerase IB and favours a Th1 immune response in mice.  EMBO Mol. Med.; 4(10):1126-43.
13. Roy A, Chowdhury S, Sengupta S, Mandal M, Jaisankar P, D’Annessa I, Desideri A, Majumder HK. (2011) Development of Derivatives of 3,3’-Diindolylmethane as Potent Leishmania donovani Bi-Subunit Topoisomerase IB Poisons. PLoS ONE; 6(12):e28493, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028493.
14. Chowdhury S, Mukherjee T, Sengupta S, Chowdhury SR, Mukhopadhyay S, Majumder HK. (2011) Novel Betulin Derivatives as Antileishmanial Agents with Mode of Action Targeting Type IB DNA Topoisomerase. Mol Pharmacol.; 80(4):694-703.
15. Sengupta S, Chowdhury S, BoseDasgupta S, Wright CW, Majumder HK. (2011) Cryptolepine induced cell death of Leishmania donovani promastigotes is augmented by inhibition of autophagy. Mol. Biol. Int.; doi:10.4061/2011/187850; Vol. 2011, Article ID – 187850.
16. Sengupta S, Ganguly A, Roy A, BoseDasgupta S, D’Annessa I, Desideri A, Majumder HK. (2011) ATP independent type IB topoisomerase of Leishmania donovani is stimulated by ATP: An insight into the functional mechanism. Nucleic Acids Res.; 39(8):3295-309.
17. Vassallo O, Castelli S, Biswas A, Sengupta S, Das PK, D’Annessa I, Oteri F, Leoni A, Tagliatesta P, Majumder HK, Desideri A. (2011) Conjugated Eicosapentanoic Acid (cEPA) inhibits L. donovani Topoisomerase I and has an antiproliferative activity against L. donovani promastigotes. The Open Antimicrobial Agents Journal; 3:23-29.
18. Misra P, Sashidhara KV, Singh SP, Kumar A, Gupta R, Chaudhaery SS, Gupta SS, Majumder H, Saxena AK, Dube A. (2010) 16alpha-Hydroxycleroda-3,13 (14)Z-dien-15,16-olide from Polyalthia longifolia: a safe and orally active antileishmanial agent. Br J Pharmacol.; 159(5):1143-50.
19. Ganguly A, Sengupta S, Bosedasgupta S, Roy A, Majumder HK. (2009) Mutational studies reveal lysine 352 on the large subunit is indispensable for catalytic activity of bi-subunit topoisomerase I from Leishmania donovani. Mol Biochem Parasitol.; 165(1):57-66.
20. BoseDasgupta S, Das BB, Sengupta S, Ganguly A, Roy A, Dey S, Tripathi G, Dinda B, Majumder HK. (2008) The caspase-independent algorithm of programmed cell death in Leishmania induced by baicalein: the role of LdEndoG, LdFEN-1 and LdTatD as a DNA 'degradesome'. Cell Death Differ.; 15(10):1629-40.
21. Misra P, Khaliq T, Dixit A, Sengupta S, Samant M, Kumari S, Kumar A, Kushawaha PK, Majumder HK, Saxena AK, Narender T, Dube A. (2008) Antileishmanial activity mediated by apoptosis and structure-based target study of peganine hydrochloride dihydrate: an approach for rational drug design. J Antimicrob Chemother.; 62(5):998-1002.
22. Bosedasgupta S, Das BB, Sengupta S, Ganguly A, Roy A, Tripathi G and Majumder HK. (2008) Amino acids 39-456 of the large subunit and 210-262 of the small subunit constitute the minimal functionally interacting fragments of the unusual heterodimeric topoisomerase IB of Leishmania. Biochem J.; 409(2): 481-9.
23. Sen N, Banerjee B, Sengupta S, Das BB, Ganguly A and Majumder HK (2007) Leishmania donovani: dyskinetoplastid cells survive and proliferate in the presence of pyruvate and uridine but do not undergo apoptosis after treatment with camptothecin. Exp Parasitol.; 115: 215-9.

BOOK CHAPTERS:

1. Kikku Sharma and Souvik Sen Gupta (2022) Implications of CRISPR Technology in Biological systems. Biotechnological Advances for Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Nanotechnology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Life Sciences [ISBN 9781774639474, 9781003161158 (eBook)], Jyoti Ranjan Rout,Rout George Kerry, Abinash Dutta (Editors), Apple Academic Press (CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group), pp. 245-282.
2. Riti Mehta and Souvik Sengupta (2021) Application of Nanotherapeutics for Combating Human Protozoan Parasitic Infections. Emerging Trends in Nanomedicine [ISBN 978-981-15-9919-4, 978-981-15-9920-0 (eBook)], Sanjay Singh (Editor), Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd., pp. 203-234.
3. Krupa Kansara and Souvik Sen Gupta (2018) DNA Damage, Repair, and Maintenance of Telomere Length: Role of Nutritional Supplements. Mutagenicity: Assays and Applications (ISBN 978-0-12-809252-1), Ashutosh Kumar, Vasily N. Dobrovolsky, Alok Dhawan, Rishi Shanker (Eds.), Academic Press, Elsevier, pp. 287-307.
4. Souvik Sengupta, Benu Brata Das and Hemanta K. Majumder. (2016) Leishmania, the causative agent of Kala Azar: DNA transaction enzymes as possible drug targets. Recent Advances in Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases (ISBN 978-93-81891-31-5), Asis Datta and V.P. Sharma (Eds., The National Academy of Sciences, India), New Delhi, Capital Publishing Company, pp. 227-243.

BOOKS:

Author of the book entitled ‘Leishmania donovani: A journey with unusual bisubunit type IB topoisomerase and cell death of this unicellular protozoan parasite’, published by ‘LAP Lambert Academic Publishing’ (2012), ISBN no. 978-3-8465-9454-4.

Teaching the following subjects:
1. Microbiology
2. Human Physiology
3. Molecular Biology
4. Physiology Laboratory Course

Life Member of "Society of Biological Chemists (India)"