|
Prof. Ita Gruić Sovulj, a leader on the UKF project „The origin of amino acid specificity in editing class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and cellular requirements for proofreading” received the National Annual Science Award of the Republic of Croatia for 2014. in the Field of Natural Sciences
Prof. Ita Gruić Sovulj from the Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb received the National Annual Science Award of the Republic of Croatia for 2014. in the Field of Natural Sciences for the achievements in the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) quality control mechanisms that ensure the accuracy of protein biosynthesis. She was recognized for the proposed research-based model of proofreading that localized some proofreading activities within the aaRS synthetic active site. The model is of high significance as it implicates novel principles in the mechanisms and evolution of translational quality control. The work done in her group further shows that aaRS proofreading is essential for preserving the canonical genetic code. An important implication of this work on the synthetic biology filed is that incorporation of non-canonical amino acids into proteins may be hampered by the aaRS enzymes, even in the case when the proofreading domain is missing. The research was done within the UKF project “The origin of amino acid specificity in editing class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and cellular requirements for proofreading“ and was published in two papers in the respectable journals in 2014.
Cvetesic N, Palencia A, Halasz I, Cusack S, Gruic-Sovulj I (2014) EMBO J 33, 1639-53, IF=10.748 http://emboj.embopress.org/content/33/15/1639
Dulic M, Perona J, Gruic-Sovulj I (2014) Biochemistry 53, 6189-98; IF= 3.194 http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/bi5007699
|
