Beáta G. Vértessy
Personal:
DOB: 1961. 06. 15, Budapest, Hungary.
Marital status: married, two children (Vince, 1988, Viola, 1990)
Publication activities: over 90 peer-reviewed articles in international peer-reviewed scientific journals (in English, cf PubMed). Two book chapters, six patent applications, >200 other publications, >50 invited talks at international conferences.
H-index: 25, Independent citations: > 1000
Current areas of research: cellular trafficking, DNA repair, cell death pathways, cell biology, molecular and structural biology, molecular targets against tuberculosis and malaria
Education and Degrees
1979-1984 Budapest University of Technology, Hungary
Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
Degree (1984) M. Sc. (summa cum laude) in Bioengineering
Budapest University of Technology
1984-1987 Graduate fellowship, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
1986-1987 Graduate Studies, University of Chicago, USA
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Degree (1987) M.Sc. (summa cum laude) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Chicago
Degree (1991) Candidate of Biological Sciences (summa cum laude)
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
Degree (1991) Ph. D. in Biological Sciences (summa cum laude)
Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
Degree (2001) D. Sc. in Biological Sciences (defense 100%)
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
Affiliation:
1987 - 1989 Scientific Research Associate, Institute of Enzymology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
1989 - 1994 Scientific Researcher, Institute of Enzymology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
1994 - 2001 Senior Scientific Researcher, Institute of Enzymology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
2001 –present Scientific Research Advisor (university equivalent: Full Professor)
Institute of Enzymology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
2001 –present Group Leader (PI) Genome metabolism and Repair Laboratory
Institute of Enzymology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
2009 – 2011 Scientific Research Advisor (university equivalent: Full Professor)
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Sciences
2010 – 2012 Deputy Director
Institute of Enzymology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
2011 – present Full Professor
Budapest University of Technology and Economics,
Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Sciences
Postdoctoral studies and long-term research stays:
1993-1994 Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellowship. Dept. Biochemistry, University of Saarland, Germany
1994 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Stockholm University, Sweden
1995 Department of Biochemistry, University of Lund, Sweden
1999 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, USA
Selected Awards:
Apáczai Medal for best student, Apáczai Csere János High School, Budapest, Hungary, 1979
IAESTE undergraduate fellowship. Dept. Biochem. University of Groningen, 1983
Graduate fellowship, Hungarian Academy of Sciences 1984
University of Chicago graduate student fellowship, 1986
Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellowship, 1993
Qualitas Biologica, 1. prize, Biol. Res. Ctr, Hung. Acad. Sci. 1997
Bolyai Research fellowship, Hung. Acad. Sci, 1998-2001
Scientia Europaea Award (Institute de France and Aventis): 2000
Howard Hughes International Research Scholar (Howard Hughes Medical Institutes, USA):
2001–2005 and 2006-2010
Qualitas Biologica, 1. prize, Biol. Res. Ctr, Hung. Acad. Sci. 2004
Wellcome Award (instrumental), 2007
Baross Gábor award (infrastructural, cf www.biostruct.org/biostruct), 2011
UNESCO-L’Oréal Award, 2012
Other forms of Scientific Recognition (selected):
Cover page illustration Vértessy et al (1998) FEBS Lett. 421:83-89.
Editor-in-Chief, Current Protein and Peptide Science dUTPase Hot Topic Issue 2001
“Paper of the Week” award, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2004
Editor of Central European Journal of Biology, 2006-
Reviewer for e.g.: PNAS, J Biol Chem, Nucleic Acids Research, FEBS Letters, PLoS ONE
Academic Editor of PLoS ONE, 2011-, FEBS Open Bio 2012-
Participation in Scientific Bodies (selected):
Hungarian Biochemical Association: member from 1994, deputy secretary 2006-2010, general secretary from 2010
Hungarian Humboldt Association: member from 1994, deputy secretary from 1997
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), member from 2001
Doctoral Committee of Budapest University of Technology and Economics, member from 2005
Federation of European Biochemical Societies, Advanced Course Committee, elected member 2006-2010, Chair 2013-present
Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA), member of scientific review juries from 2005
Elected member for General Assembly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences 2007 - 2013
Chair of the Hungarian Fulbright Board, 2012-present
Principal Investigator, (selected major grants only)
OTKA K 68229 2007-2011
OTKA NK 84008 2011-2015
OTKA CK 78646 2009-2012
(OTKA stands for the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, www.otka.hu)
Howard Hughes Medical Institutes 2001-2005
Howard Hughes Medical Institutes 2006-2010 (renewal)
(The only female HHMI International Scholar in Hungary)
EU FP6-2003 Lifesci-Health srIN-SILICO N° 012127 2005-2007
EU FP6 Lifesci-Health SPINE2-Complexes LSHG-CT-2006-031220 2006-2009
(http://www.spine2.eu/partners/index.php)
EU FP7-INFRASTRUCTURES-2011-1 N° 283570 BioStruct-X 2011-2015
Major recent publications (selected)
Róna G, Borsos M, Ellis JJ, Mehdi AM, Christie M, Környei Z, Neubrandt M, Tóth J, Bozóky Z, Buday L, Madarász E, Bodén M, Kobe B, Vértessy BG.
Dynamics of re-constitution of the human nuclear proteome after cell division is regulated by NLS-adjacent phosphorylation.
Cell Cycle. 2014;13(22):3551-64.
Nagy GN, Marton L, Contet A, Ozohanics O, Ardelean LM, Révész A, Vékey K, Irimie FD, Vial H, Cerdan R, Vértessy BG.
Composite aromatic boxes for enzymatic transformations of quaternary ammonium substrates. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2014 Dec 1;53(49):13471-6.
Szabó JE, Németh V, Papp-Kádár V, Nyíri K, Leveles I, Bendes AÁ, Zagyva I, Róna G, Pálinkás HL, Besztercei B, Ozohanics O, Vékey K, Liliom K, Tóth J, Vértessy BG.
Highly potent dUTPase inhibition by a bacterial repressor protein reveals a novel mechanism for gene expression control. Nucleic Acids Res. 2014 Oct 29;42(19):11912-20.
Muha V, Horváth A, Békési A, Pukáncsik M, Hodoscsek B, Merényi G, Róna G, Batki J, Kiss I, Jankovics F, Vilmos P, Erdélyi M, Vértessy BG.
Uracil-containing DNA in Drosophila: stability, stage-specific accumulation, and developmental
involvement.
PLoS Genet. 2012;8(6):e1002738.
Pécsi I, Szabó JE, Adams SD, Simon I, Sellers JR, Vértessy BG*, Tóth J*
(* corresponding authors)
Nucleotide pyrophosphatase employs a P-loop-like motif to enhance catalytic power
and NDP/NTP discrimination.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Aug 30;108(35):14437-42.
Horváth A, Vértessy BG.
A one-step method for quantitative determination of uracil in DNA by real-time PCR.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2010 Nov;38(21):e196.
Vértessy BG, Tóth J.
Keeping uracil out of DNA: physiological role, structure and catalytic mechanism of dUTPases. Acc Chem Res. 2009 Jan 20;42(1):97-106.
