Curriculum

• Since October 2020: Research Assistant at the Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic Resources
• 2019 – 2020: Senior Scientist at Lisando GmbH
• 2015 – 2020: PhD at the University of Regensburg, Chair of Biochemistry II, Prof. Dr. Reinhard Sterner
• 2009 – 2015: Study of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Bayreuth

Research

With my background in enzymatics, particularly enzyme kinetics and structural biology, my research focusses on the application of enzymes for diverse processes. For this purpose, properties of enzymes such as activity, specificity, stability and producability are being optimized. The employed methods to facilitate this are, among others:

• Structure modelling and analysis
• (Semi) rational enzyme engineering
• Molecular biology (cloning, mutagenesis)
• Directed evolution via random mutagenesis
• Gene expression and protein production in coli and P. pastoris (K. phaffii)
• Chromatographic protein purification
• Activity assays (photometric, fluorimetric, chromatographic via HPLC, etc.)

Publications

• Light Regulation of Enzyme Allostery through Photo-responsive Unnatural Amino Acids.
  Kneuttinger AC, Straub K, Bittner P, Simeth NA, Bruckmann A, Busch F, Rajendran C, Hupfeld E, Wysocki VH, Horinek D, König B, Merkl R, Sterner R. Cell Chem Biol. 2019 Nov 21;26(11):1501-1514.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.08.006

• A Fold-Independent Interface Residue Is Crucial for Complex Formation and Allosteric Signaling in Class I Glutamine Amidotransferases.
  Semmelmann F, Hupfeld E, Heizinger L, Merkl R, Sterner R. Biochemistry. 2019 Jun 4;58(22):2584-2588. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00286

• Rosetta:MSF: a modular framework for multi-state computational protein design. Löffler P, Schmitz S, Hupfeld E, Sterner R, Merkl R. PLoS Comput Biol. 2017 Jun 12;13(6):e1005600. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005600

• Crystal structure of a class III adenylyl cyclase-like ATP-binding protein from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
  Linder J, Hupfeld E, Weyand M, Steegborn C, Moniot S. J Struct Biol. 2020 Aug 1;211(2):107534. doi: 10.1016/j.jsb.2020.107534

• Molecular basis for the allosteric activation mechanism of the heterodimeric imidazole glycerol phosphate synthase complex. 

Wurm JP, Sung S, Kneuttinger AC, Hupfeld E, Sterner R, Wilmanns M, Sprangers R. Nat commun. 2021 May 12;12(1):2748. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22968-6.