Dhiman S. Pal

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA, 2025
• Integrated MS-PhD, Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, India, 2017
• BSc, Microbiology, Chemistry, Zoology, St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science, Bangalore, India, 2010

Eukaryotic cells navigate their environment by migrating in response to chemical and mechanical cues, enabling essential physiological functions during development and in the adult. Disruptions in sensing or transducing these external signals to the cytoskeletal machinery can impair cell migration, leading to developmental abnormalities, immune deficiencies, and cancer metastasis. Understanding how dynamic signal transduction regulates the front–back cytoskeletal polarity of migrating cells is therefore critical. The Pal lab investigates how functional crosstalk between membrane lipids and growth factor signaling spatiotemporally organizes the cytoskeleton to drive directed cell movement. Using cell culture models, we combine quantitative live-cell imaging with genetically encoded biosensors, optogenetic actuators, and complementary lipidomic and proteomic approaches to uncover the fundamental principles that govern cell motility in health and disease. 

^*equal contribution, †corresponding authors, ‡mentees/advisees

Banerjee P, Kuhn J, Pal DS, Deng Y, Banerjee T, Devreotes PN, Iglesias PA. 2025. Spatial distribution of cytoskeleton-mediated feedback controls cell polarization: a computational study. PLoS Computational Biology 21(10): e1013036.

Banerjee T, Deng Y, Pal DS, Zhan H, Iglesias PA, Devreotes PN. 2025. Signaling and actin waves at a glance. Journal of Cell Science 138, jcs263634. (Note: Review Article)

Zhan H, Pal DS, Borleis J, Janetopoulos C, Huang C-H, Devreotes PN. 2025. Self-organizing glycolytic waves tune cellular metabolic states and fuel cancer progression. Nature Communications 16, 5563. (Press Release)

Lin Y^*‡, Pal DS^*†, Banerjee P, Banerjee T, Qin G, Deng Y‡, Borleis J, Iglesias PA, Devreotes PN†. 2024. Ras suppression potentiates rear actomyosin contractility-driven cell polarization and migration. Nature Cell Biology 26, 1062–1076.

Banerjee T, Matsuoka S, Biswas D, Pal DS, Ueda M, Devreotes PN, Iglesias PA. 2023. A dynamic partitioning mechanism polarizes membrane protein distribution. Nature Communications 14, 7909. (Press Release)

Pal DS^*†, Lin Y^*‡, Zhan H, Banerjee T, Kuhn J, Providence S‡, Devreotes PN†. 2023. Optogenetic modulation of guanine nucleotide exchange factors of Ras superfamily proteins directly controls cell shape and movement. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 11:1195806. (Note: Methods Article)

Pal DS†, Banerjee T, Lin Y‡, de Trogoff F, Borleis J, Iglesias PA, Devreotes PN†. 2023. Actuation of single downstream nodes in growth factor network steers immune cell migration. Developmental Cell S1534-5807(23)00195-8. (Press Release)

Banerjee T, Biswas D^*, Pal DS^*, Miao Y, Iglesias PA, Devreotes PN. 2022. Spatiotemporal dynamics of membrane surface charge regulates cell polarity and migration. Nature Cell Biology 24, 1499–1515. (Recommended by H1 Connect)

Li X, Pal DS, Biswas D, Iglesias PA, Devreotes PN. 2021. Reverse fountain flow of phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate polarizes migrating cells. EMBO Journal 40:e105094. (Cover Article)

Mondal DK^*, Pal DS^*, Abbasi M, Datta R. 2021. Functional partnership between carbonic anhydrase and malic enzyme in promoting gluconeogenesis in Leishmania major. FEBS Journal 288:4129-4152.

Li X, Miao Y, Pal DS, Devreotes PN. 2020. Excitable networks controlling cell migration during development and disease. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology 100:133–142. (Note: Review Article)

Pal DS^*, Li X^*, Banerjee T, Miao Y, Devreotes PN. 2019. The excitable signal transduction networks: movers and shapers of eukaryotic cell migration. International Journal of Developmental Biology 63:407–416. (Note: Review Article)

Chattaraj S, Basu S, Ray K, Pal DS. 2019. Vitamin D as an important constituent of epididymal luminal micro-environment for maturation of spermatozoa in large white Yorkshire boar. Veterinarski Arhiv 89:169-182.

Pal DS, Abbasi M, Mondal DK, Varghese BA‡, Paul R‡, Singh S‡, Datta R. 2017. Interplay between a cytosolic and a cell surface carbonic anhydrase in pH homeostasis and acid tolerance of Leishmania. Journal of Cell Science 130:754-766.

Pal DS, Mondal DK, Datta R. 2015. Identification of metal dithiocarbamates as a novel class of antileishmanial agents. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 59:2144-2152.