Mgr. Ondřej Gahura, Ph.D.

Position

Job Position: Professional staff - Laboratory of Functional Biology of Protists
Department: Molecular Parasitology
Workplace: Institute of Parasitology

Contact details

Phone: +420 387775429
E-mail: gahura@paru.cas.cz
Room: PARU II, 2.05

Others

Description:

Our research focuses on the structure, function and evolution of large macromolecular complexes in mitochondria of the parasitic protist Trypanosoma brucei. 

 

ATP synthase

In T. brucei, the mitochondrial ATP synthase switches from the ATP producer in the insect life cycle stage to the ATP consumer maintaing the essential potential on the inner mitochondrial membrane in the infectious mammalian bloodstream form. This unique functional adaptation is accompanied by highly divergent structure. We combine structural and functional approaches to get insight into the role of ATP synthase in trypanosomal bioenergetics and mitochondrial morphology during the life cycle. 

Mitochondrial ribosomes

Ribosomes, highly conserved machines fundamental for all life forms, were recently shown to undergo unexpected diversification in endosymbiotic organelles with vestigial genomes. The most divergent ribosomes are found in the mitochondria of parasitic protists from the group of Kinetoplastids, including trypanosomes. We complement the wealth of structural information on mitoribosomes and their precursors obtained by cryoEM with functional approaches to get detailed insight into lineage specific features of translation in mitochondria of trypanosomes. We aim to understand how the divergent mitoribosomes co-evolved with the peculiar context of the mitochondrial gene expression in the parasite.

Ondrej Gahura on ResearchGate

 

 

CV:

 

2013 - present            Postdoctoral associate, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre ASCR, Ceske Budejovice (Dr. A. Zikova)

2013-2017                  Visiting scientist, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, MRC, Cambridge, UK (Sir John Walker, 18 months in total)

2012                           Research associate, Faculty of Science, University of Geneva, Switzerland (Prof. F. Stutz, 3 months)

2006-2012                  Research assistant, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic (Dr. P. Folk)

2012                           Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology, Genetics and Virology, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic (Dr. P. Folk)

2006                           M.Sc. in Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic (Dr. P. Folk)

 

 

Teaching

Epigenetics and Gene Expression Regulation
Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia