Vilja Siitonen
PhD (FT)
vksiit@utu.fi Tykistökatu 6 Turku Office: 6108 ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1444-2622 |
Molecular biology; Protein biology; Bioactive small metabolites; Microbiology; Biotransformation, HPLC, MS, NMR, GC
Photosynthetic Microbes group
I am working as a postdoctoral researcher at photomicrobes research group led by Prof. Yagut Allahverdiyeva-Rinne (www.utu.fi/photo-microbes). I study biotransformations and production of compounds by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. During my first postdoc I was studying secondary metabolites, purified and elucidated their structures by NMR. I finished my PhD in 2016 in which my focus was the biosynthesis of an anthracycline antibiotic Nogalamycin. Before starting my PhD I was studying fat production of Streptomyces and my Master thesis was about that. Before graduating as a M.Sc 2010, I spent an exchange year 2005-2006 in Austria, Salzburg.
I study biotransformations and production of compounds by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. In have also studied secondary metabolism of Streptomyces and related micro-organisms. I studied the genes and proteins in vitro and in vivo as well as the compounds produced by the strains or reactions and solved structures of bioactive compounds by using MS and NMR.
I taught hydrogen production, measuring and biotransformation as a part of a photosynthetis course (2022).
I taught a biotransformation course as a part of a photosynthetic laboratory course (2022).
I taught a HPLC laboratory course as a part of a photosynthetic laboratory course (2021).
I taught a course on molecular biology using Streptomyces (2011).
In addition to that, I am supervising one master thesis at the moment, I have supervised 2 Master thesis works (experimental section in one and the whole work in the other), 3 Bachelor of Science works and planned and supervised 12 project workers works in the laboratory (1–6 months each).
- Divergent non-heme iron enzymes in the nogalamycin biosynthetic pathway (2016)
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Glycosylation and Glycodiversification in Polyketide Antibiotics: Unraveling Biosynthetic Steps in Nogalamycin Formation (2016) Siitonen Vilja
(G5 Article dissertation ) - Laboratory course on Streptomyces genetics and secondary metabolism (2016)
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Crystal structure of the glycosyltransferase SnogD from the biosynthetic pathway of nogalamycin in Streptomyces nogalater (2012)
- FEBS Journal
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Discovery of a Two-Component Monooxygenase SnoaW/SnoaL2 Involved in Nogalamycin Biosynthesis (2012)
- Chemistry and Biology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Identification of Late-Stage Glycosylation Steps in the Biosynthetic Pathway of the Anthracycline Nogalamycin (2012)
- ChemBioChem
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)