
Research
Main areas of research at the Department of Chemical Biology
Research at the Department of Biological Chemistry integrates inorganic biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology. We focus on metal-dependent protein regulation, including structure, stability, and activity. Key questions include how metalloproteins acquire metal ions in cellular environments and how these ions modulate function.
Our work also involves developing molecular tools for regioselective, multifunctional protein labeling using chemical and enzymatic approaches. We design analytical methods to monitor intracellular metal ion dynamics and investigate metalloprotein stability and complex formation.
To address these challenges, we combine protein engineering, synthetic chemistry, structural mass spectrometry, biophysical techniques, molecular biology, and computational modeling.
Research topics include:
- Molecular basis of the metallothioneins function.
- Regulatory functions of metal proteins.
- Interprotein structural motifs binding metal ions.
- Optimization of analytical methods used in studies of metal ion binding to proteins.
- The relationship between the structure of proteins and zinc domains and their stability and function.
- Regioselective modification of proteins with the use of “click” chemistry and specific ligating enzymes
- Design, synthesis and application of biarsenical dyes for cell research.
- Synthesis and application of fluorescent sensors for metal ions and pH.
The most important research achievements:
- Determining the factors regulating the thermodynamics of zinc binding to zinc fingers, in the context of the cellular fluctuation of this ion
- Discovery and characterization of naturally altered classical zinc finger motifs and determination of their regulatory role in the transcription process
- Characterization of the coordination chemistry of the zinc binding sites in proteins
- Determination of the role of zinc hooks in the Rad50 protein on the DNA repair process
- Application of interprotein metal ion binding motifs in biotechnology
- Development of the chemistry of bisarsene dyes for the selective determination of proteins and the introduction of specific functions
- Determining the importance of metallothionein isoforms in the cellular homeostasis of zinc and copper



