doc. dr. sc. Ivana Kekez

Teaching

graduate

• Higher laboratory in chemistry (72853) - Lecturer in charge
• Protein crystallography (198315) - Lecturer in charge
• Protein Crystallography (60219) - Lecturer in charge

integrated undergraduate and graduate

• Advanced Chemistry Laboratory (208617) - Lecturer in charge
• Advanced Chemistry Laboratory (209339) - Lecturer in charge
• Teaching Methods in Nature Classes (227664) - Lecturer in charge

Biography

Education at Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb: Diploma thesis (Biology and Chemistry, 2009); Doctoral thesis (in Chemistry, 2016).

Affiliation and current position: Division of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb: Assistant professor (2023–).

Visits to foreign research and education institutions: 2013 - 2014 PRIN 2010-2011 “Unraveling structural and functional determinants behind Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis and persistence”, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua. 2012 – PhD fellowship Croatian Science Foundation "Structural studies on the [NiFe]hydrogenase maturation system from Helicobacter pylori”, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua.

Research interest: Molecular cloning, protein expression and purification (affinity chromatography, size-exclusion chromatography), biophysical methods for protein characterization (UV-Vis spectroscopy and fluorimetry, CD, DLS), protein crystallization, protein and DNA X-ray crystallography and small molecule X-ray crystallography.

Scientific papers: https://www.croris.hr/crosbi/searchByContext/2/30194

Awards and recognitions and memberships: 2009 - Medal by the Department of Chemistry University of Zagreb for outstanding achievements throughout the studies, From 2011 - Member of the Croatian Chemical Society and the Croatian Crystallographic Association.

Published papers recorded in the Croatian Scientific Bibliography Database

More information about publications

List of select publications

V. Ević, R. Šoić, Ruzica, M. Močibob, M. Kekez, J. Houser, M. Wimmerova, D. Matković-Čalogović, I. Gruić-Sovulj, I. Kekez, J. Rokov-Plavec. Evolutionarily conserved cysteines in plant cytosolic seryl-tRNA synthetase are important for its resistance to oxidation. FEBS Lett., 597 (23) (2023), 2975-2992. 

I. Kekez, M. Faletar, M. Kekez, L. Cendron, M. Wright, G. Zanotti, D. Matković-Čalogović. Copper Binding and Oligomerization Studies of the Metal Resistance Determinant CrdA from Helicobacter pylori. Molecules, 27 (11) (2022), 3387. 

S. Matić, I. Kekez, M. Tomin, F. Bogár, F. Šupljika, S. Kazazić, M. Hanić, S. Jha, H. Brkić, B. Bourgeois, M. Tobias, K. Gruber, P. Macheroux, D. Matković-Čalogović, M. Matovina, S. Tomić. Binding of dipeptidyl peptidase III to the oxidative stress cell sensor Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 is a two-step process. J. Biomol. Struct. Dyn. (2020)

P. Linciano, M. Vicario, I. Kekez, P. Bellio, G. Celenza, I. Martín-Blecua, J. Blázquez, L. Cendron, D. Tondi. Phenyl boronic acids probing molecular recognition against class A and class C β-lactamases. Antibiotics. 8 (4) (2019), 171.

M. Kekez, V. Zanki, I. Kekez, J. Baranašić, V. Hodnik, A.-M. Duchêne, G. Anderluh, I. Gruić Sovulj, D. Matković-Čalogović, I. Weygand- Đurašević, J. Rokov Plavec. Arabidopsis seryl-tRNA synthetase: the first crystal structure and novel protein interactor of plant aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. FEBS J., 286 (3) (2019) 536-554.

V. Loconte, I. Kekez, D. Matković-Čalogović, G.  Zanotti. Structural characterization of FlgE2 protein from Helicobacter pylori hook. FEBS J., 284 (24) (2017) 4328-4342. 

I. Pulić, L. Cendron, M. Salamina, P. Polverino de Laureto, D. Matković-Čalogović, G. Zanotti. Crystal structure of truncated FlgD from the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori. J. Struct. Biol. 194 (2) (2016) 147-155.

List of select projects

Project Associate:

Development Research Grants, National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Next Generation EU: “Enzyme Engineering for Sustainable Recycling of Bioplastics”, NPOO.C3.2.R2-I1.06 (2023–2026);

Croatian Science Foundation Republic of Croatia project: “Biological relevance of dipeptidyl peptidase III and its impact on human health", HRZZ- IP-2018-01-2936 (2019-2023);

Croatian Science Foundation Republic of Croatia project: “Essential metal ions in H. pylori proteins and model complexes- structure and function/property” HRZZ-IP-2014-09-4274 (2015-2019);

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts project: "Crystallization and structural investigation of human insuline derivative and HP1026 protein from the Helicobacter pylori bacterium" (2016-2017);

PRIN 2010-2011, Republic of Italy project: “Unraveling structural and functional determinants behind Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis and persistence” (2013-2014);

Croatian Science Foundation, Republic of Croatia project: "Structural studies on the [NiFe]hydrogenase maturation system from Helicobacter pylori” (2012);

Ministry of Science, Republic of Croatia project: “Structural studies on biological macromolecules by X-ray diffraction” (2011-2013).