IOCB & ICT Joint Laboratory

The main task of the Joint Laboratory of IOCB and the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology of the ICT Prague is to influence the biological activity of selected synthesizing and degradative enzymes and some other proteins. Results of previous years led to discovery of some groups of effectors of studied enzyme activities (oxysterols, monoterpenes, flavonoids). Oriented immobilization of these low molecular weight organic ligands gave bioaffinity chromatography carriers that allowed isolation and identification of proteins binding these ligands. Among them is RuBisCO, the most abundant enzyme of the biosphere, converting inorganic carbon dioxide into sugars. Search for binding sites and activity regulation by ligands and their analogs included recently also crystallographic studies and modeling.

Several collaborative projects also address also proteins involved in detoxification of environmental pollutants and preparation of transgenic organisms for environmental protection (e.g. within Research Center for Functional genomics and proteomics in plant breeding, project Biobrom, project Metagenom).