PhD student
Group of Prof Patrice Soumillion, Institute of Life Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain Contact email: gol.dorrazehi@uclouvain.be
ES-Cat start date: 17th May 2017
Background:
BSc: Cell and Molecular Biology specialization in Genetics, University of Sistan and Balochistan, Zahedan, Iran (2006-2010).
MSc: Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biology, University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Selangor Malaysia (2011- 2014). Master thesis in “Cloning, heterologous expression and purification of riboflavin synthase from Photobacterium J.15”.After my degree in cell and molecular biology, I became more interested in genetic engineering and protein manipulation. During my master at EMTECH (Enzyme and Microbial Technology Research Centre) UPM, I worked on expression and characterization of an enzyme called, riboflavin synthase, and I found molecular enzymology as a novel and important field, which impacting all aspect of life such as medical, industry, food, etc.
Training and Transferable Skills:
- Enzymology
- Protein engineering
- Directed evolution
- Gene cloning, transformation and expression in microbial system
- Western Blotting
- Protein Purification
- Enzyme screening and activity assays
- Circular Dichroism (CD) analysis
- Crystal Screening of proteins
- Biophysical and Structural analysis of proteins
- Methods on Molecular Biology
- Methods on Biochemistry
Research Projects:
Currently I am doing my PhD in Prof Patrice Soumillion’s BBGM Group (Biochemistry, Biophysics and Genetics of Microorganisms) at Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium; my work is under the supervision of Prof. Soumillion and a supervisory committee with Prof. Pierre Morsomme (UCLouvain) and Prof. Frédéric Kerff (ULg). My project will focus on the directed evolution of a D-alanyl-D-alanine-peptidase (DD-peptidase) into a beta-lactamase. In Nature, these two phylogenetically related enzyme families share common fold and active sitemotifs although beta-lactamases have acquired additional hydrolyticmachinery.
Importance. From a fundamental point of view, studying evolved enzymes can contribute to our understandings of structure function relationships as well as of the evolutionary mechanisms underlying the emergence, optimization and adaptation of enzymatic catalysis. From an applied point of view, engineered enzymes are already used in a variety of medical, biotechnological and industrial applications and a huge potential is still to be exploited.
ES-Cat 