ASLIHAN KURT

PhD Student, Research Assisstant

Dept. of Biological Sciences
Middle East Technical University
Ankara / TURKEY

Mailing Address:
ODTU Biyoloji Bolumu 06531 Ankara TURKEY

e-mail:
kaslihan@metu.edu.tr

phone:

+90 312 210 51 90

fax:
+90 312 210 79 76

Education

  • 1997-2001 Bsc in Biology Education, Ondokuz Mayis University
  • 2002-2005 MSc in Biology, METU
  • 2005- PhD in Biology, METU

Research INTERESTS

  • Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
  • Streptomyces clavuligerus
  • Metabolic pathway engineering
  • Insecticidal activity of Bacillus thuingiensis

Ms Thesis Title: Coleoptera-specific (Cry3Aa) delta-endotoxin biosynthesis by a local isolate of Bt subsp. tenebrionis, gene cloning and characterization

Increase the Cry3Aa11 biosynthesis by Bacillus thuringiensis Mm2 by using classical microbiology and recombinnat DNA techniques

PhD thesis title: Transcriptional and Translational Analysis of the effect of ccaR regulatory gene in Cephamycin C biosynthesis by Streptomyces clavuligerus

Streptomyces clavuligerus is a Gram-positive filamentous actinomycete producing a medically important β-Lactam antibiotic, Cephamycin C and a potent β-Lactamase inhibitor, clavulanic acid as a secondary metabolite. The genes of cephamycin pathway are lat, pcbAB, pcbC, cefD, cefE, cefF, cmcH, cmcI, cmcJ, cmcT, pbpA, bla, blp and pcbR, and the regulatory gene is ccaR. The sequences of these genes were reported previously and there are many studies trying to identify their functions via mRNA and protein levels (Perez-Llarena et al., 1997; Alexander and Jensen, 1998). However, the data describing the expression profile of all genes in cephamycin C metabolic pathway were obtained by using the molecular techniques of 10 years ago. The presence of new molecular techniques such as transcriptome and proteome makes it possible to obtain more accurate results both qualitatively and quantitatively about the molecular mechanisms during cephamycin C biosynthesis in the cell and the function of ccaR regulatory gene in cephamycin C gene cluster. In this study, the possible effect of ccaR gene will be examined in detail by quantitatively (Q-PCR) on transcriptional level and translational level via proteome in ccaR- disrupted mutant and ccaR++ super mutant.

Publications


SCI Journals
    • Kurt, A., Özkan, M. and Özcengiz, G. 2005. Inorganic phosphate has a crucial effect on Cry3Aa delta-endotoxin production. Letters in Applied Microbiology. 41: 303-308.

    • Kurt, A., Özkan, M., Sezen, K., Demirbağ, Z., and Özcengiz, G. 2005. Cry3Aa11: a new rank of Cry3Aa δ-endotoxin from a local isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis. Biotechnology Letters. 27: 1117-1121.

    • Kurt, A., Özcengiz, G. Homologous expression of cry3Aa11 in Bacillus thuringiensis Mm2 increases the production of Coleoptera-specific delta-endotoxin (submitted to Turkish Journal of Biology)

International Congress Presentations

  • Kurt A, Vanli G, Adakli Z, Yegen Y, Durak İ, and Özcengiz G. Metabolic engineering for enhanced clavulanic acid production by an industrial strain of Streptomyces clavuligerus. Biology of Streptomycetes (October, 7-11, 2009 Münster, Germany) Abstract Book, p. 161. 
  • Kurt A, Vanli G, Adakli Z, Yegen Y, Durak İ, Liras P. and Özcengiz G. Integration of a regulatory gene into the chromosome of an industrial Streptomyces clavuligerus strain for enhanced clavulanic acid biosynthesis BIOTECH METU 2009, International Symposium on Biotechnology: Developments and Trends (September, 27-30, 2009 Ankara, Turkey) Abstract Book, p73.
  • Kurt A, Santamarta I, Liras P, Martin JF, and Özcengiz G. Transcriptional analysis of the effect of ccaR regulatory gene on cephamycin C biosynthesis by Streptomyces clavuligerus BIOTECH METU 2009, International Symposium on Biotechnology: Developments and Trends (September, 27-30, 2009 Ankara, Turkey) Abstract Book, p74. 
  • Okay S, Ünsaldı E, Taşkın B, Kurt A, Piret J, Liras P, and Özcengiz G. Metabolic engineering of aspartate pathway for increased production of cephamycin C in Streptomyces clavuligerus. BIOTECH METU 2009, International Symposium on Biotechnology: Developments and Trends (September, 27-30, 2009 Ankara, Turkey) Abstract Book, p99. 
  • Kurt A, Ozkan M, and Ozcengiz G. The effects of inorganic phosphate and sugar concentrations on Cry3Aa11 biosynthesis by Bacillus thuringiensis Mm2. 2nd FEMS Congress of European Microbiologists (July 4-8, 2006 Madrid, Spain) Abstract Book, p.121.


National Congress Presentations

    • Kurt A. ve Ozcengiz G. cry3Aa11 geninin çoklu kopyasının Bacillus thuringiensis Mm2'nin toksin üretimi üzerine etkisi. XV. Ulusal Biyoteknoloji Kongresi (28-31 Ekim 2007, Antalya).
    • Kurt A., Ozkan M. ve Ozcengiz G. Bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis Mm2'ya ait cry3Aa11 geninin klonlanması, karakterizasyonu ve Bacillus subtilis 168'de ifade edilmesi. XIV. Ulusal Biyoteknoloji Kongresi (31 Ağustos-2 Eylül 2005, Eskişehir) Bildiri ve Poster Özetleri Kitabı sf. 78-81.
    • Kurt A., Ozkan M. ve Ozcengiz G. Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis'in yerel bir izolatında kınkanatlılara karşı aktif (Cry3Aa11) delta-endotoksin biyosentezinin optimizasyonu. XIV. Ulusal Biyoteknoloji Kongresi (31 Ağustos-2 Eylül 2005, Eskişehir) Bildiri ve Poster Özetleri Kitabı sf. 565.
    • Özcan O. ,Kurt A., Aras A., Özkan M ve Ozcengiz G. Yenilenebilir atıkların Lepidoptera-, Diptera- ve Kınakanatlılar- özgü kristal protein üretimi için Substrat olarak kullanılması ve üretime etkileri. XIV. Ulusal Biyoteknoloji Kongresi (31 Ağustos-2 Eylül 2005, Eskişehir) Bildiri ve Poster Özetleri Kitabı.

Projects

 • TBAG 109T962 Transcriptional and Translational analysis of the effect of ccaR regulatory gene in Cephamycin C biosynthesis by Streptomyces clavuligerus- Scholar
• TEYDEB-3080871 (1501-Sanayi Ar-Ge Projeleri Destekleme Programı), Rekombinant DNA yöntemleriyle klavulanik asit üretim veriminin arttırılması (DEVA-ODTÜ)-Scholar
 • TBAG-2413 (104T023) Improvement of larvicidal activity and spectrum of Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies tenebrionis by genetic manipulations - Researcher


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