Veronika Harmat

The aim of my studies is to understand structural bases of protein function, focusing on structural and allosteric aspects of molecular recognition in protein action. Experimental methods: crystallography and cryo-EM. My recent research focuses on 1) substrate-size selection of oligopeptidases and its relationship with self-assembly; understanding the chemical mechanism of a drug-drug interaction related to acylaminoacyl peptidase; 2) molecular recognition in calmodulin complexes, high affinity binding through fuzzy complexes; 3) structural basis of specificity differences in complexes of complement proteases.

Keywords

molecular recognition, structural biology, protein structure, protein crystallography, allostery, self-assembly, cryo-EM

Highlighted publications

2012 – Heja, D et al. – Monospecific inhibitors show that both mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease (MASP)-1 and -2 are essential for lectin pathway activation and reveal structural plasticity of MASP-2. – mtmt.hu
2013 – Menyhárd, Dóra K et al. – A self-compartmentalizing hexamer serine protease from Pyrococcus Horikoshii: Substrate selection achieved through multimerization – mtmt.hu
2022 – Kiss-Szemán, Anna J. et al. – A carbapenem antibiotic inhibiting a mammalian serine protease: structure of the acylaminoacyl peptidase–meropenem complex – mtmt.hu
2023 – Dürvanger, Zsolt; Juhász, Tünde; Liliom, Károly**; Harmat, Veronika ✉ – Structures of calmodulin-melittin complexes show multiple binding modes lacking classical anchoring interactions – mtmt.hu
2024 – Sulyok-Eiler, M.; Harmat, V.; Perczel, A. ✉ – Unravelling the Complexity of Amyloid Peptide Core Interfaces – mtmt.hu