Paulina Seweryn: The structural studies of carbon-phosphorus lyase pathway give insight into the mechanism of the phosphonates degradation

The PhD project of Paulina Seweryn concerned the structural studies of the multi-enzymatic complex involved in the phosphonates degradation via a carbon-phosphorus (C-P) lyase pathway by an X-ray crystallography. Phosphonate compounds are produced and released to the environment in large quantities as detergents and pesticides. Several bacterial species are able to degrade a broad range of organophosphonates via the C-P lyase pathway which elements are encoded in a phn operon. It is the multi-step process including a final substrate preparation and a C-P bond cleavage. In E.coli 5 proteins, which are directly involved in the pathway, form a complex. These studies provide a crystal structure of the 240 kDa 4-component complex which gives a better understanding of a process and insight into the reaction mechanism.

The PhD degree was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science and Technology, Aarhus University.

Time: Friday 7 March 2014 at 14.00
Place: The auditorium of the iNANO House, Aarhus University
Title of dissertation: Structural Characterisation of the Carbon-Phosphorus Lyase & Structural and Biochemical Studies of Nuclear Exosome Co-factors: Rrp6, Rrp47 and Mpp6.
Contact information: Paulina Seweryn, e-mail: seweryn@mb.au.dk
Members of the assessment committee:
Group Leader, Dr. Thomas Schneider, EMBL Hamburg c/o DESY, Hamburg, Germany
Associate Professor, PhD Ole Kristensen, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Biostructural Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Associate Professor Bjarne Juul Bonven (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Main supervisor:
Ditlev Brodersen, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English.

The defence is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, room 112, 8000 Aarhus C