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loschmidtlab.bsky.social
@loschmidtlab.bsky.social
Excited to share our latest research in 𝗝𝗔𝗖𝗦 𝗔𝘂! 🧬✨ We discovered that substrate access tunnels govern the precision of Rieske oxygenases.

Great work by Jonathan Berger during his stay at Loschmidt Labs with Sérgio Marques. Congrats on the PhD, Jonathan!

🔗 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Regioselective Sesquiterpene Hydroxylation Directed by Tunnel Remodeling in Rieske Oxygenases
Selective hydroxylation of sesquiterpenes remains a major challenge in synthetic chemistry due to their chemical homogeneity and steric complexity. Here, we report the Rieske oxygenase (RO)-catalyzed hydroxylation of sesquiterpenes using cumene dioxygenase (CDO) from Pseudomonas fluorescens IP01. Wild-type CDO catalyzed the monohydroxylation of the sesquiterpene β-bisabolene, producing ring-hydroxylated β-bisabolene-5-ol and tail-hydroxylated (S)-β-bisabolene-13-ol in a 64:21 ratio, with a total product formation of 0.43 ± 0.07 mM. A single-loop deletion variant, L284del, enhanced both total product formation and selectivity toward the ring-hydroxylated product, producing 1.40 ± 0.08 mM and enabling preparative-scale isolation (17 mg, 0.08 mmol, 39% yield). Another single-loop variant, I288del, similarly increased total product formation while shifting regioselectivity from ring- to tail-hydroxylation in a 5:81 ratio, generating 1.07 ± 0.04 mM tail-hydroxylated product and enabling its preparative-scale isolation (24 mg, 0.11 mmol, 55% yield). To understand this clear switch in regioselectivity, we conducted molecular dynamics (MD) and adaptive steered MD simulations. This revealed that I288del increased the substrate tunnel openness and frequency of access, promoting a tail-first orientation of the substrate. This preorientation enhanced the probability of reactive conformations in proximity to the catalytic iron. Binding energy calculations further supported a loss of orientation bias in I288del, giving further insight into the regioselectivity shift. Additional engineering yielded the variant N279T_I288del_A321T, which enhanced the formation of the tail-hydroxylated compound to 1.58 ± 0.26 mM. Further, variant I288del enabled the conversion of α-santalene, a reaction not catalyzed by the wild-type enzyme. Our study provides mechanistic insight into how tunnel dynamics and substrate preorientation govern selectivity in RO-catalyzed C–H functionalization.
pubs.acs.org
February 5, 2026 at 7:51 PM
𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲 and 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗸 recently represented our team at the 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗬 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀' 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 and the 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗫𝗙𝗘𝗟 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀' 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 in Hamburg (January 25–28, 2026).

Both researchers also participated in the 𝗠𝗫 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 to discuss the sample preparation techniques.

📸 Martin Sitte
February 3, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Our first team-building event of the year was a hit! ⛸️We kicked off January on the ice at the Za Lužánkami Stadium, followed by a get-together at U Dřeváka Beer&Grill. 🍻

A special thank you to Irena Halikova and Sergio Marques for organizing such an event! 👏

📸 Linda Kasiarova & Sergio Marques
January 23, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Kicking off 2026! 🚀

Our first group meeting featured inspiring reflections on 2025 and a look at the challenges ahead. We’re staying resilient and keeping our team spirit strong!

Welcome to our new postdoc, Khushboo Rani! 🤝🥂
January 9, 2026 at 11:22 AM
Warmest wishes for a peaceful holiday season and a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year 🍀.
December 19, 2025 at 11:17 AM
The LL team came together to celebrate this year's successes and get into the festive spirit ahead of the Christmas season. 🎄

📸 Kaja Sedlackova
December 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Among the 25 winners of the 𝗕𝗿𝗻𝗼 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 are four students from Loschmidt Laboratories: Jan Cesnek, Tim de Martines, Martin Havlasek, and Monika Rosinska! 👏🔬

Congratulations to all the winners!

More here:
www.jcmm.cz/projekt/brno...
December 16, 2025 at 3:51 PM
We were delighted to welcome Dr. Zhongyue John Yang @mutexazjy.bsky.social, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at @vanderbilt.edu (USA), to Loschmidt Laboratories! 🇨🇿🇺🇸
John shared his expertise in physics-guided protein engineering during an engaging lecture for our team.

📷 Jan Mican & Jiri Damborsky
December 15, 2025 at 8:32 AM
🇧🇷 Big news! Masaryk University & 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀 got the Brazilian #patent for FGF2-STAB!

This thermostable, genetically engineered FGF2 is key for growing cell cultures efficiently (fewer media changes). It maintains pluripotency, boosting drug discovery & cell therapies. Congrats! 🔬🇨🇿
December 12, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Christmas Eve is still two weeks away, but we've already received our presents!🎁🎄🌟

Many thanks to St. Anne's University Hospital Brno for the thoughtful gifts and to Martina Damborska for taking the time to bring them to us.

We appreciate the festive cheer! 🙏
December 11, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Huge congrats to 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗮𝗿 (JUNIOR STAR) and 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗸 (EXPRO)! They both received the 𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱! 🏆

See the full article: is.muni.cz/go/4iufva
December 11, 2025 at 8:15 AM
We are happy to announce that our 𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝘇𝘆𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 is now full! 🚀

Congrats to our scholarship winners: Julieta Beiro 🇦🇷 and Sukriti Sacher 🇮🇳! (We received 26 applications!)

Looking forward to Feb 2026! 🔬
December 10, 2025 at 1:44 PM
📢 Fully funded 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 at Loschmidt Labs in Machine learning-based tools for multiparametric enzyme optimisation!

Unique opportunity to develop and validate next-generation data-driven models for protein engineering.

Apply here: www.muni.cz/o-univerzite...

Share this opportunity! 🤝
www.muni.cz
December 5, 2025 at 11:23 AM
𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗮 and 𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘆 celebrated their PhD achievements 🎓 with us! Their party took place at Hostinec u Tesare on Monday (December 1st).

Thanks to all who came to the party! 🎉

Photos: Jan Velecky & Monika Rosinska
December 3, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Our doctoral student, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗮, has been awarded the prestigious 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 from @nf-iocbtech.bsky.social! 🎉
The award is designed to help Marika restart her scientific career after parental leave.
Congratulations to Marika on this achievement! 👏
📸 Tomas Bellon
November 28, 2025 at 10:01 AM
🚀 Zajímá vás, jak moderní počítačový design a umělá inteligence transformují biologii? Přesně to je náplní Proteinového inženýrství! 💻🧬

Naučte se navrhovat proteiny s vylepšenými vlastnostmi a vytvářet zcela nové molekuly pro praktické aplikace v medicíně a biotechnologiích.
November 27, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Our paper on FireProtDB 2.0 is accepted in Nucleic Acids Research! 🎉🔬
We've massively upgraded the essential database for computational protein design:
✅ 5.5 million stability experiments
✅ Now handles complex changes
✅ FAIR compliant & fully future-proofed

🔗 loschmidt.chemi.muni.cz/fireprotdb
November 26, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Big congratulations to 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗮, 𝗣𝗵𝗗, and 𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘆, 𝗣𝗵𝗗! 🥳🎓

They both completed the Environmental Health Sciences doctoral degree programme at RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.
We wish Jana and Jan every success in their future endeavors. 🔬🚀

📸 Jiri Damborsky
November 21, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Great news from CLARA Days 2025! 🎉 Our post-doc, Saltuk Eyrilmez, gave a talk on "Recent progress in drug screening for apolipoprotein E"—a key protein in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.🧠

Saltuk: "Inspiring event & a unique opportunity to discuss my research with an interdisciplinary community."
November 19, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Our team leader, 𝗭𝗯𝘆𝗻𝗲𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗼𝗽, was honored to join a key 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 hosted by the Ambassador of Switzerland to boost 🇨🇿-🇨🇭 science and innovation cooperation! 🤝 Great talks with researchers and reps from GA ČR/TA ČR about future joint initiatives. 🔬💡
November 14, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Listen to the latest interview with our doctoral student, 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗸𝗮𝗹! 🎙️ Daniel has won several prestigious awards, but he values his first win the most:

"It wasn't the biggest success, but it was my first success." 🥇

Big thanks to JCCM for supporting these young talents! 🙌
November 13, 2025 at 8:51 AM
📢 Our team leader, Zbynek Prokop, is giving a plenary lecture at the 8th International Conference on Microreactor Technology in Biotechnology (IMTB2026)! 🔬

📅 Mark your calendars: June 15, 2026, 9:00 AM in beautiful Bled, Slovenia 🇸🇮.

Catch the details here: imtb2026.fkkt.uni-lj.si
November 12, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Excellent science, stimulating discussions, and a fantastic atmosphere! That perfectly sums up the 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 held at the end of October between the research teams of Loschmidt Labs and CIIRC.
Thank you to our speakers, all participants, and the Horizon Europe #CLARA for making it possible! 🧠✨
November 10, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Huge thanks to Prof. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗶𝗷𝗲 (U. Groningen) for his excellent talk at the MU Life Sciences Seminar!

He explained how enzymes utilize cofactors (such as metal ions or organic molecules) for life's crucial chemical reactions. Great interactive quiz and discussions over lunch with students!
November 7, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Thrilled to share insights from our recent feature in 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, where 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃 𝗠𝗮𝘇𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗼, joined experts including 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗮 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 and 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗴 to discuss the game-changing role of machine learning in biocatalysis!

📰 Dive into the full interview here:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 6, 2025 at 12:07 PM