Author:

Andres Tennus

Defended thesis

The first PhD degree in our institute was defended in 1991. Since then more than 200 degrees have been defended.
Latest defenses with the dissertation and abstract can be found in the University of Tartu repositorium DSpace (search: according the Author's name). Older defenses are still not in DSpace.

On this page we will gather the information about all the defenses, still the relocation of the information from the former webpage will take some time.

On 16 October, Danat Yermakovich defended his doctoral thesis "The evolutionary history of complex traits: implications of archaic admixture".

Supervisors:
associate Professor Michael Dannemann, University of Tartu
associate Professor Jon Anders Eriksson, University of Tartu

Oponent:
David Gokhman, Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel)

Summary:
Anatomically modern humans (AMHs), who evolved in Africa, co-existed with other archaic human groups known as Neandertals and Denisovans who lived in different parts of Eurasia. The distinct habitats with their unique environmental challenges that these three human groups were exposed to for more than 200,000 years likely resulted in unique adaptation patterns. When AMHs moved out of Africa around 60,000 years ago to permanently colonize the whole world, they met and admixed with both Neandertal and Denisovans in different parts of Eurasia. As a result of these past admixture events, the genomes of present-day non-Africans are still composed of ∼2% of Neandertal DNA, and the genomes of Oceanians contain an additional 2–5% of Denisovan DNA.

The analysis of this introgressed DNA in present-day humans has shown significant links to different traits related to immunology, behavior, skin and hair traits and high altitude adaptation. However, our understanding of the functional role of archaic DNA in people today remains incomplete, largely due to biases in the availability of genomic and phenotypic datasets from genetically diverse populations. This thesis takes advantage of the growing number of newly generated functional and genomic datasets, to expand our knowledge about the phenotypical, regulatory, and evolutionary impact of Neandertal and Denisovan introgressed DNA on present-day humans.

The first study focused on the significant role of introgressed Neandertal DNA on disease and non-disease behavioral phenotypes in present-day humans. The second study explored the role of Neandertal DNA on long-range regulatory effects in people today. Finally, the third study described the potential impact of archaic introgressed DNA on processes of local adaptation in two populations from the highlands and lowlands of Papua New Guinea. All three studies further expanded our understanding of the evolutionary and functional roles of Neandertal and Denisovan DNA in people today. Additionally, they offer valuable new insights into the biology of these two extinct human groups.

On 4 October, Kertu Liis Krigul defended her doctoral thesis “The gut microbiome at the interface of human health and disease”.

Supervisors:
professor Elin Org, University of Tartu
associate professor Tõnis Org, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Nassos Typas, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Germany)

Summary:
Undoubtedly, an increasing number of publications, continuous public interest, numerous clinical studies, and clinically accepted microbiome-based treatments have shown great potential in the microbiome field for improving our health. However, we are still mostly in the exploratory phase, trying to understand general patterns and changes in how and which of our lifestyle choices impact the microbiome and how the microbiome can affect our physiology. We still need to characterise factors in greater detail to understand what drives the differences between individuals. Additionally, we are trying to determine possibilities and caveats on whether using the microbiome could be helpful in improving disease diagnostics and predictive tools. The current thesis tried to tackle some of these questions.

Firstly, we discovered that samples used in national colon cancer screening programs could be used to study the microbiome, which might simplify population-wide sample collections and microbiome-test-supplemented screening programs in the future. Secondly, the population cohorts, supplemented with Electronic Health Records, such as the Estonian Microbiome cohort in Estonian Biobank introduced in this thesis, are valuable for uncovering new factors influencing the microbiome. As an example, we discovered that the 10-year repeated usage of antibiotics or antidepressants is significantly associated with the changes in the gut microbiome, irrespective of recent usage. Furthermore, using human-to-mouse microbiota transplantation, we showed that a human repeated history of antibiotic use results in mucosal barrier defects in the colon of mice, even though the donors had not used antibiotics in the last 6 months.

Although there is still a lot to discover and the field is still figuring out its standards, all these studies presented in this thesis indicate the important role of the gut microbiome in the interface of human health and disease. We are already increasingly understanding the long-term effects of antibiotics and other drugs on the microbiome and our health. Studies presented in this thesis, in combination with research done by others, warrant us to follow the principle of “as much as needed, as least as possible” in medication usage, as the long-term effects need further studies.

On August 22, Arun Kumar Devarajan defended his doctoral thesis "Microbes and climate change: insights from plant-microbe interactions in rice phyllosphere and soil microbiomes in subarctic grasslands“.

Supervisors:
Associate Professor Marika Truu, University of Tartu
Professor Jaak Truu, University of Tartu
Professor Ivika Ostonen-Märtin, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Associate Professor Kim Yrjäla, University of Helsinki (Finland)

Summary:
Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and industrial processes, have led to an increase in the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This has resulted in climate change, including global warming, droughts, and extreme weather events. Predictions indicate that by 2100, global temperatures could rise by 3-5°C, potentially causing irreversible damage to ecosystems. As a consequence of climate change, precipitation and air humidity are decreasing in many parts of the world, leading to reduced soil moisture and subsequently impacting agricultural crop yields, particularly cereals. Microorganisms in the soil play a crucial role in the nutrient cycle and help maintain soil stability. Similarly, various microbes inhabit different parts of plants. Some live on the leaves (phyllosphere), some live inside the plant (endophytes), and others live around the roots (rhizosphere). These plant inhabitants can be either beneficial, boosting plant health, or harmful, causing disease.

This doctoral thesis explores the effect of climate change on microbial communities associated with plants and soil, drawing on findings from two detailed studies. The first study examined how bacteria from the leaf surfaces of drought-resistant rice could shield more vulnerable rice varieties from brief, moderate droughts. The study results showed that most stress-tolerant bacteria belong to Bacillus species. Notably, the Bacillus megaterium strain PB50 was especially effective, enhancing the genetic tolerance of susceptible rice to drought and also increasing its yield. A related study investigated how warming impacts microbial communities in the soils of subarctic grasslands, specifically in root-free soil and rhizosphere.

The findings indicated that warming significantly changes the composition and function of these microbes. Notably, prolonged warming altered the balance of genes involved in denitrification, both in the rhizosphere and the root-free soil. This shift could lead to increased emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, from the soil. These studies contribute to a better understanding of the impact of climate change on plant-microbe-soil systems and allow for the prediction and reduction of the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture.

On August 21, Vi Ngan Tran defended her doctoral thesis "The Cellular Dynamics and Epithelial Morphogenesis in Drosophila Wing Development“.

Supervisor:
Professor Osamu Shimmi, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Doctor Barry Denholm, University of Edinburgh (the United Kingdom)

Summary:

Epithelial cells are crucial in developing animal organs and 3D tissue structures. However, we still do not fully understand how changes in cellular structure affect tissue morphogenesis. To gain insight into this process, we need a system that allows us to observe real-time changes in cell shape. This thesis investigates how changes in cell shape coordinate 3D morphogenesis during two stages of Drosophila melanogaster wing development: inflation and second apposition.

Our study discovered the intercellular connection Interplanar Amida Network (IPAN) during the inflation stage of pupal wing development. IPAN is a 3D meshwork structure that consists of dorsal and ventral cells with microtubule protrusions and microfilament extensions. It is critical for coordinated growth between two separated epitheliums. Changes in cell shape lead to a transition from non-centrosomal to centrosomal microtubule-organizing centers. IPAN provides a unique framework for 3D morphogenesis. In addition, the study also focuses on cell shape changes during microtubule protrusion disassembly. We found that α-Spectrin plays a crucial role in regulating apical relaxation via actomyosin networks, which is necessary for 3D tissue morphogenesis. Finally, the study investigated how cell shape alteration and Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signaling relate to posterior crossvein (PCV) morphogenesis in the Drosophila pupal wing. The results suggest that apical constriction refines BMP signals, differentiating cells into veins or intervein cells.

In summary, the study discussed in the doctoral thesis shed light on the questions of how cell shape changes coordinate 3D tissue morphogenesis, how IPAN helps to synchronize the division of dorsal and ventral wing epithelial cells through the loss of cell-cell contacts, the relationship between α-spectrin and the "relaxation" of the apical part of the wing epithelial cell, and how apical cell constriction and cell shape change mediate competition for the BMP developmental signal that directs hindwing vein morphogenesis.

On 11 June, Sirelin Sillamaa defended her doctoral thesis “The role of helicases Hmi1 and lrc3 in yeast mitochondrial DNA maintenance“.

Supervisors:
Professor Juhan Sedman, University of Tartu
Associate professor Priit Jõers, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Professor Pawel Golik, University of Warsaw (Poland)

Summary
Mitochondrion is a multifunctional organelle best known for its role in oxidative phosphorylation through maintaining the respiratory chain. Although most of the proteins needed for the assembly of the respiratory chain are encoded by the nuclear genome, a handful of proteins are also encoded by small mitochondrial genome. Therefore, it is important to maintain the functional mitochondrial DNA, as its loss can lead to cell death. Furthermore, even small mitochondrial genome rearrangements have been associated with different human diseases.

Some species, like baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, can survive without any or with nonfunctional mitochondrial DNA, making it a good model system for observing the effects on mtDNA integrity. One group of proteins required for mtDNA maintenance are helicases, which use ATP energy for unwinding different nucleic acid structures.

The present thesis focuses on the function of mitochondrial DNA helicases Hmi1 and Irc3. The results show, that Irc3-like helicases are important for modifying the branched DNA molecules and preventing the accumulation of damaged and broken DNA molecules, which in time would lead to the loss of mitochondrial DNA. In addition, Irc3-like helicases also participate in RNA metabolism, a function that might also affect mtDNA maintenance. Hmi1 is a helicase essential for the maintenance of the functional mitochondrial genome of S. cerevisiae. Unlike most helicases, ATP hydrolysis is partially dispensable for the Hmi1 function. The results of this thesis indicate, that Hmi1 has ATP hydrolysis dependent and independent function in the cell.

Collectively, the results of this thesis show how diverse are the mitochondrial helicases and give an insight into the complex system of maintaining the mitochondrial DNA.

On June 5th, Natàlia Pujol Gualdo defended her doctoral thesis "Decoding genetic associations of female reproductive health traits".

Supervisors:
Associate professor Triin Laisk
professor Reedik Mägi
professor Terhi Piltonen (University of Oulu)
Dr Riikka Arffman (University of Oulu)

Opponent:
Dr Ilkka Kalliala (University of Helsinki)

Summary:
Genetic variation, particularly single-nucleotide polymorphisms, has shown to influence health and disease susceptibility for multiple complex diseases. This has been supported by many genome-wide association studies (GWAS) which have unravelled thousands of genetic variants in association with health traits. However, studies of genetic variation underlying female reproductive health traits remain limited, with only a small proportion of all GWAS focusing on this area. Currently, the availability of population-based biobanks, such as the Estonian Biobank, and population-based birth cohorts such as the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, provide a valuable framework for studies in this field. Additionally, GWAS set the ground to move from genetic variations to potentially affected genes, proteins, biological pathways and tissues, serving as a foundation for forming hypotheses that can be validated through functional experiments. Understanding the genetic variation that is associated with a trait is important as it can provide insights into disease aetiology, prediction, and potential treatments. Another notable outcome of GWAS is the construction of polygenic risk scores (PRS), which provide a summary of an individual's genetic predisposition for a certain trait. PRS has the potential to predict disease susceptibility and serve as a tool to further explore disease biology, for example, relationships with a certain trait’s comorbidities. PRS have attracted massive attention in the pursuit of the so-called personalised medicine. This thesis aims to decode the genetic underpinnings of selected female reproductive health traits through GWAS and explores PRS as a tool for both risk stratification and for informing a trait’s biology. In conclusion, this research, placed at the intersection of genomics and female reproductive health, is poised to address a knowledge gap in both national and international research systems through the availability of large genomic datasets coupled with electronic health records and biological measurements.

On 31 May, Maarja Jõeloo defended her doctoral thesis "Advances in microarray-based copy number variation discovery and phenotypic associations".

Supervisors:
professor Reedik Mägi
professor Andres Metspalu
professor Andres Salumets
professor Andrew P. Morris (University of Manchester)

Opponent:
Elliott G Rees, PhD (University of Cardiff, Great Britain)

Summary:
From the biology class we know that every person has one full copy of each DNA molecule from either parent. On closer inspection, however, we observe that several genomic regions deviate from this rule. These regions have undergone additional loss or gain of genomic content, which are called DNA copy number variations (CNVs). They were first discovered in the context of developmental delay and neuropsychiatric disorders, where they exhibited severe pathogenic effects. The current knowledge indicates, however, that CNVs are abundant in the genomes of all individuals. Still, the impact of CNVs on health is considered substantial. In our work we aim to map the effect of CNVs on human traits, by improving CNV analysis methodology and associating CNVs with various diseases and medically relevant phenotypes. CNV detection is challenging and often results in a large proportion of false positive calls. To differentiate true CNVs from false, we have developed a statistical model to estimate CNV quality. We show that our model improves the ability to detect associations between CNVs and traits of interest. The discovery and explorations of such associations comprise the second part of our work. In collaboration with various biobanks and clinical cohorts, we have detected several hundreds of CNV-phenotype associations. We observed that one CNV region can often be linked to multiple seemingly unrelated diseases and traits. For example, we linked a large CNV region in chromosome 16, previously associated with autism, schizophrenia, head circumference and body mass index, to 38 different disease risks and continuous traits. Among them was an association with pubertal timing, which we studied in depth. We found two genes from within the CNV region that we could causally link to pubertal timing. In summary, our work improves CNV detection methodology and maps several CNV regions to phenotypes. With these analyses we take a step closer to fully dissecting the genetics underlying human health.

On June 28, 2023 at 10:15 Rain Inno defended his PhD thesis on the curriculum of Gene Technology (with the speciality of gene technology) "Placental transcriptome and miRNome in normal and complicated pregnancies“
(„Platsenta transkriptoom ja miRNoom tervete ja komplikatsioonidega raseduste korral“)

Supervisor:
professor Maris Laan, University of Tartu

Opponent:
professor Udo R. Markert, Jena University Hospital (Germany)

DSpace

Summary:
Every pregnancy is unique, but every mother’s dream is to have an uncomplicated pregnancy and a healthy newborn. Lifestyle and genetics are crucial factors for determining pregnancy outcomes. It is possible to adjust lifestyle, in the case of genetics, we can measure risk factors and mitigate their effect. We have the need to precisely understand how placental gene and microRNA expression regulates placenta function. The placenta connects the mother with the developing fetus, functioning as a nutrient exchange hub, supplying the fetus with nutrients and oxygen and removing waste products. Placenta development is fast and requires precise gene expression regulation for optimal fetal growth. MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression. This codependence is an informative study subject. This thesis aimed to analyze placental gene and microRNA expression in normal and complicated pregnancies and identify what could regulate their expression levels. Our findings show that in case of preeclampsia, gene and microRNA expression is shifted in placenta compared to normal pregnancy placentas (n=215 gene and n=66 microRNAs are differentially expressed). Describing microRNAs expression profiles in the context of gestation, we identified a distinct shift based on gestational progression. Placenta-specific microRNAs showed a similar expression change based on the cluster they are from. We found that microRNAs can be grouped based on their function when combining gene and microRNA expression datasets and evaluating their correlation. This kind of research gives more in-depth information on how placental gene and microRNA expression is regulated in different conditions and adds better understanding of gene and microRNA interactions.

Curriculum:
Gene Technology

Speciality:
Gene Technology

On 22 August, 2023 at 10:15 Sirli Rosendahl defended her Phd thesis on the curriculum of Molecular and Cell Biology “Fitness effects of chromosomal toxin-antitoxin systems in Pseudomonas putida”.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Rita Hõrak, University of Tartu

Oponent:
Professor Pierre Genevaux, Paul Sabatier University (Toulouse, France)

DSpace

Summary:
Most bacteria encode small genetic modules called toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems in their chromosome, which consist of a poisonous toxin and its antidote. It is puzzling why such potentially lethal genetic elements are so widely distributed among bacteria and this could indicate that TA systems benefit their host in some way. The functions of chromosomal TA systems have been intensely studied, but no consensus regarding their importance to bacteria has been reached. Some TA systems have been shown to stabilize mobile genomic DNA, while others can protect bacteria against phages, and some have been proposed to participate in bacterial stress response regulation. However, there are also studies that cannot detect any beneficial effect of TA systems and propose that they are generally selfish DNA elements. This thesis focuses on the chromosomal TA systems of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida. The most thoroughly studied P. putida TA system is GraTA. While the toxin GraT is a ribosome-dependent mRNAse, it is conditionally toxic and causes cold-sensitive ribosome biogenesis defect. Interestingly, the major cellular chaperone DnaK was implicated in GraT-caused ribosome biogenesis defect, yet the exact role of DnaK in GraT toxicity has remained unclear. Even though the toxin GraT is functional and can affect the stress tolerance of P. putida in the absence of the antitoxin GraA, the whole TA system deletion has no fitness effects. This raises the question about the importance of GraTA along with other TA systems encoded in P. putida genome. This thesis describes the cellular changes that take place in P. putida cells lacking the antitoxin GraA and shows that DnaK enhances GraT toxicity, probably by helping GraT attain its proper fold. This work shows that TA systems are not beneficial to P. putida. Instead, they can be costly to P. putida in competition assays and during phage invasion. The results of this thesis shed light onto the biological importance of TA systems and clearly point to the selfish nature of TA systems.

Curriculum:
Molecular and Cell Biology

Speciality:
Molecular Biology

On 12 September at 15:15, Mathilde André defended her PhD thesis on the curriculum of Gene Technology "New Guinea, a hotspot for Human evolution: settlement history and adaptation in northern Sahul".

Supervisors:
Mayukh Mondal, PhD; Research Fellow of Evolutionary Genetics, Centre for Genomics, Evolution & Medicine Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Estonia; Researcher, Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology; Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany
François-Xavier Ricaut, PhD; Senior Researcher, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Department of Evolution and Biological Diversity, Université de Toulouse, France.

Opponent:
Ian Mathieson, PhD; Associate Professor of Genetics, Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, United States

DSpace

Summary
New Guinea is home to the longest continuous settlement by anatomically modern humans outside of Africa. The exact path taken by the first settlers migrating to New Guinea is still shrouded in mystery. One way to explore the possible scenarios of settlement is to build models for different hypotheses and to compute the likelihood of each model depending on the genomes of the current New Guinean population. Upon arrival, the first settlers faced diverse landscapes, including the highest summits in Oceania. Despite the challenge of life at high altitude, including the lower availability of oxygen, the highlands are the most densely populated region of New Guinea. New Guinean lowlands also present numerous obstacles to survival, including diverse pathogens. When a population encounters challenging environments for thousands of years, some individuals might develop traits that enhance their survival. This process, called positive natural selection, leads to specific signatures in the genomes of populations that can be identified with different tests. This dissertation presents the potential routes taken by Papua New Guinean ancestors before settling in Papua New Guinea and how environmental selection pressures have shaped Papua New Guinean genomes. This thesis explores the genetic and phenotypic diversity of Papua New Guinean populations through newly sequenced whole genomes and phenotypic measurements from Papua New Guinean individuals. The first study describes the first models for Northern Sahul settlement based on genomic data. The second study identifies the genomic regions under selection in Papua New Guineans following the initial settlement of New Guinea and the exposure to a new environment. The third study defines phenotypic differences between Papua New Guinean highlanders and lowlanders. Finally, our fourth study identifies genomic regions specifically under selection in Papua New Guinean highlanders and lowlanders.

Curriculum:
Gene Technology

Speciality:
Gene Technology

On 19 September at 2:15 PM Vlad-Julian Piljukov defended his doctoral thesis on the curriculum of Molecular and Cell Biology „Biochemical characterization of Irc3 helicase“.

Supervisor:
Professor Juhan Sedman, University of Tartu

Oponent:
Dr. Jaakko Pohjoismäki, University of Eastern Finland (Finland)

DSpace

Summary
Mitochondria, essential organelles responsible for most cellular energy production, possess a notable feature – they harbor a distinct and autonomous genome. If this genome becomes damaged or lost, it can lead to devastating conditions, ranging from illnesses to death. Scientists often use the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to study how cells preserve their mitochondrial DNA. This yeast can survive without a functional mitochondrial genome, making it an ideal model to explore mutations that lead to death in more complex organisms. Within the confines of yeast mitochondria, many proteins participate in the preservation of the mitochondrial genome. One essential class of these proteins are helicases, enzymes that act like tiny machines, using ATP energy to crawl on and rearrange DNA and RNA molecules. One helicase found in yeast mitochondria, Irc3, has caught our attention. Irc3 is present in various yeasts but not in other organisms. Irc3 from a thermotolerant yeast called Ogataea polymorpha can function at relatively high temperatures, a desirable and rare trait in helicases. Additionally, this helicase interacts with both DNA and RNA, with a preference for working with DNA. The property of being stimulated by both DNA and RNA molecules is not common for other helicases. Our studies of Irc3 revealed its role in maintaining the mitochondrial genome, and in a recent report, it has been associated with performing the functions of an RNA helicase during the elongation phase of protein synthesis. Furthermore, distinctive attributes of Irc3 suggest a potential role in tying together the yeast DNA and RNA metabolism. Beyond the fundamental significance of the study that helps to understand the role of Irc3 in the maintenance of mitochondrial genetic material, it may present new prospects for drug discovery in the future.

Curriculum:
Molecular and Cell Biology

Speciality:
Molecular Biology

On November 10 at 09:15 AM Mariann Koel defended her Doctoral Thesis on Cell Biology “The molecular interactions between trophoblast and endometrial cells in embryo implantation”.

Supervisors:

Associate Professor Viljar Jaks, University of Tartu

Professor Andres Salumets, University of Tartu

Associate Professor Kaarel Krjutškov, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Doctor Kalle Rytkönen, Institute of Biomedicine, Turku Center of Biosciences (Finland)

Dspace

Summary
Embryo implantation is a complex process in human reproduction, requiring precise coordination between maternal cells and the developing embryo. The receptive state of the endometrium, known as the "window of implantation," is crucial for successful embryo attachment. Despite the naturalness of pregnancy, infertility remains a significant challenge for many couples. Ethical limitations on in vivo studies hinder a comprehensive understanding of the implantation process, requiring alternative approaches. This doctoral thesis investigates the molecular communication between endometrial cells and embryonic trophoblasts. It elucidates the maturation process of the female endometrial tissue and its correlation with changes in gene expression patterns in the two primary types of endometrial cells: stromal and epithelial cells. Drawing from this study, a novel method for analyzing gene activity was developed to determine the levels of crucial RNA molecules associated with endometrial receptivity to identify the optimal timing for embryo transfer in women undergoing infertility treatment. Based on cell type-specific gene expression data, approximately 550 protein-protein interactions were characterized, forming a molecular network between the embryo and endometrial cells essential for initiating new life. Additionally, proper placenta development is crucial for a successful pregnancy, relying on trophoblast cell differentiation to support fetal growth and function. The thesis explores techniques to differentiate human embryonic stem cells into trophoblast-like cells, targeting the BMP4 signaling pathway while inhibiting TGFβ and FGF2 pathways crucial for placental formation. The knowledge generated through this research contributes to future advancements in reproductive research. It opens new possibilities for improving embryo transfer success rates and provides insights for developing prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for infertility diagnosis and treatment optimization.

Curriculum:
Molecular and Cell Biology

Speciality:
Molecular Biology

On November 20 at 2:15 Kaspar Reier defended his Doctoral Thesis on Molecular Biology „Quantity, stability and disparity of ribosomal components in Escherichia coli stationary phase“.

Supervisors:

Associate Professor Aivar Liiv, (UT)

Professor Emeritus Jaanus Remme, (UT)

Opponent:

Professor Suparna Chandra Sanyal, Head of Molecular Biology Division, Uppsala University, Sweden

Dspace

Summary

Ribosomes are macromolecular complexes present in every living organism. The function of ribosomes in nature is protein synthesis. Proteins are polymers composing of amino acids, with multiple functions in biology. Some proteins have catalytic activity while others fulfill structural or mechanical roles in nature. Interestingly ribosomes themselves compose of proteins, hence the product of their main function- protein synthesis, is also necessary for their efficient functioning. R-protein research is integral to understand molecular mechanism like antibiotic resistance, protein synthesis regulation, and ribosome assembly or degradation. In this work, we studied ribosome stabilities and translation activity in stationary phase with a focus on r-proteins. In this work we show how ribosome protein composition changes when Escherichia coli cells transition into stationary phase. Interestingly, ribosome protein composition continues to change even in prolonged stationary phase. In correlation with ribosome r-protein composition, we also see increases and decreases in translation activity. Furthermore, individual r-protein stabilities in proteome were determined during stationary phase. Based on their stability r-proteins are divided into two groups: 30 stable r-proteins and 21 short-lived r-proteins. This work complements our knowledge about ribosomes and translation under growth restricting conditions.

Curriculum:
Molecular and Cell Biology

Speciality:
Molecular Biology

On May 13, 2022 at 14:15 Kreete Lüll defended her PhD thesis on topic: „Investigating the relationships between human microbiome, host factors and female health“

Supervisor: Elin Org, Associate Professor, University of Tartu
Oponent: Dr Anne Salonen, Helsingi University, Finland
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology

Location: Riia 23b-105

Summary:
The human microbiome is one of the most important scientific discoveries in human healthcare in recent decades. Microbiome influences our metabolism, immune system as well as nervous system. Meanwhile, microbiome itself is affected by various factors including diet, medication, and physical activity. It has become a widely known knowledge that human phenotype and different disease states are dependent on our genetics. However, association between human genetics and microbiome are less studied. An international consortium MiBioGen with data from more than 18,000 individuals was formed with the aim to study the effect of host genetics on gut microbiome composition. We identified 31 associations between genetic loci and microbiome as well as confirmed an association between a gene responsible for lactase production (LCT) and Bifidobacterium – an association seen in previous publications as well as replicated in new research studies. In addition, our work searched for links between female health and microbiome. Namely, we focused on one of the most prevalent female endocrine and metabolic disorders called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and additionally investigated the microbial composition of the endometrium. Our work with PCOS and gut microbiome revealed that the effects of microbiome on PCOS work through metabolic processes and prediabetic women with PCOS diagnosis have lower bacterial diversity compared to their healthy counterparts. Finally, we show that the genus Lactobacillus has an enormous impact on the composition of endometrial microbiome and could potentially be used as a biomarker in clinical work to help identify possible causes behind infertility problems. In conclusion, with our work we contribute to the microbiome research field by bringing new knowledge into the interplay between microbiome and genetics as well as female health that in the future would provide an impetus for further in-depth research to fully understand the role of microbiome in human health and disease.

DSpace

On 20 June at 16:00 Ludovica Molinaro defended her doctoral thesis “Ancestry deconvolution of Estonian, European and Worldwide genomic layers: a human population genomics excavation”

Supervisors:
Luca Pagani, University of Tartu
Francesco Montinaro, University of Tartu
Mait Metspalu, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Dr. Priya Moorjani, University of California (USA)

Curriculum:
Gene Technology

Speciality:
Gene Technology

Summary
Nowadays, we often assume that our modern way of life is better than the past ones, and the more we go back in time, the more the past humans struggled with poor living conditions or unperforming technologies. It is no surprise that historical and archaeological studies tackle the curiosity of many of us: with them we are forced to reshape our modern belief system and gasp before how much past populations could in fact achieve. People in the past were organized, they moved, travelled, shared ideas, cultures and technologies: and we can still find traces of their encounters. This thesis aims to look at the residual traces of past encounters through the genetic data.

The encounter of populations is referred to as admixture event and creates admixed populations. With an approach called ancestry deconvolution (AD) we can analyse the genetic mosaic of an admixed group, tracing the admixing contributors and further characterize the admixing event.

Within the AD approaches, there are the methods referred to as Local Ancestry Inferences (LAI) that allows to infer which ancestry falls within a given inherited locus. Such a fine level of inferences come with constraints, highly limiting the LAI tools performances in some cases. In turn, while performing LA on an admixed population characterized by worldwide ancestries we can focus on discovering unknown past demographic events, applying LA on sub-continental admixtures, such as European populations, requires a methodological approach that must be designed to comprehend the LA limitations first.

Eventually, we can leverage AD and LAI to ask questions beyond the realm of demography studies. It is possible to partially predict the probability of developing a certain phenotype with the Polygenic Scores (PS). However, the vast number of variables acting upon the genome are population-specific, and the inferences are hardly transferable from one population to another, hindering the application of PS to understudied or admixed populations.

I present three studies that discuss the potentialities and limits of AD and LAI. I studied an admixture event where worldwide, highly divergent populations came together; the limitations in deconvoluting fine-scale admixture events, such as in European groups; and finally I applied the built knowledge to overcome the limitations in applying Polygenic Score on admixed populations.

DSpace

On 26 August at 14:15 Tina Saupe defended her doctoral thesis “The genetic history of the Mediterranean before the common era: a focus on the Italian Peninsula”.

Supervisors:
Associate Professor Christiana Lyn Scheib, University of Tartu
Professor Mait Metspalu, University of Tartu
Associate Professor Toomas Kivisild, University of Tartu
Visiting Professor Luca Pagani, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Dr. Carina Schlebusch, Uppsala University (Sweden)

Curriculum:
Gene Technology

Speciality:
Gene Technology

Summary
Numerous and varied genetic studies have given a new insight into our understanding of the human past. The human history of Eurasia includes multiple stages of habitation such as hunter-gatherers living in Western Eurasia during the Palaeolithic, the first contact between non-local people from the Levant and Anatolia with the introduction of agriculture and domestication to the local people during the Neolithic, and the arrival of ‘Steppe’ people from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe. Most of the studies have been focused on the wider spectrum of genetic changes in Eurasia and the connection with archaeological evidence and historical events. However, some areas of Eurasia are still understudied, and their exploration will add more knowledge to the open gaps in the human migration history. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the genetic and social structure-related changes of ancient human individuals from the Italian Peninsula between the last glacial maximum and ~2,000 years ago parallel with the beginning of the Roman Republic For the study, genome-wide data is generated from human remains excavated from several archaeological sites. This data is analysed in the context of previously published genome-wide data of Eurasia to study the genetic compositions and changes thereof of the ancient individuals over time. The final dataset consists of individuals from Eurasia dated between the Palaeolithic (43,000-5,000 BCE) and Iron Age (1,100-700 BCE). The results show that the Italian Peninsula has been shaped by continuous migration events reflected in the gene pool of present-day Italians and leaving their marks on the cultures. In particular, during the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age transition, a new genetic component arrived with the Steppe people suggesting possible social structural changes seen in burial practises. In the Iron Age period, the high genetic heterogeneity is seen in the divergence of the ancestral components presented in the Southeastern Italian Peninsula.

The defence could be followed also by video conference form.

On 7 September at 13:45 Katri Pärna will defend her doctoral thesis “Improving the personalized prediction of complex traits and diseases: application to type 2 diabetes”.

Supervisors:
Professor Luca Pagani, University of Tartu and University of Padova (Italy)
Researcher Davide Marnetto, University of Turin (Italy)
Professor Harold Snieder, University of Groningen (the Netherlands)
Senior Researcher Ilja M. Nolte, University of Groningen (the Netherlands)
Associate Professor Krista Fischer, University of Tartu
Professor Reedik Mägi, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Dr. Ryan Daniel Hernandez, University of California (USA)

Curriculum:
Gene Technology

Speciality:
Gene Technology

DSpace

Summary
In nowadays world, common complex diseases are among the top leading causes of death globally. These diseases result from many genetic and non-genetic (e.g. lifestyle and environment) factors and from interactions between them. Since such diseases have a high health burden for the affected individual and place a heavy load on the healthcare systems, scientists are searching for solutions to delay their onset or even better, to prevent them. Evidently, differences in genetic and non-genetic components result in variation in disease risk between individuals. Therefore, prevention of such complex diseases requires a personalized approach that uses each person’s genetic and non-genetic information to predict his or her disease risk. In the current thesis, type 2 diabetes (T2D) was used as a model example of a common complex disease, T2D occurs when the blood sugar levels are too high and results in severe health complications when appropriate and timely treatment is not guaranteed. Factors such as higher age, low physical activity, high calorie intake, low socioeconomic position, smoking, and alcohol consumption have already been established as risk factors for T2D. However, the contributions of genetic risk factors and their interactions with non-genetic risk factors have not been so well explored. Therefore, the current thesis zooms in on the human genome to understand how better to use genetic information for risk prediction of T2D, leveraging on recently developed polygenic risk score (PRS – a measure combining a person’s genetic risk for a disease) approaches. Such PRSs could already enable detection of the high-risk individuals for T2D according to their genetic composition at young ages before the onset of the disease. However, there are still several limitations regarding the use of a PRS in clinical practice as its performance does not reach to the estimated levels or it cannot be constructed for each individual in a similar way due to the population-specific risk factors, causing too low estimated risks when applied in non-Europeans or admixed individuals. Therefore, current thesis presents five chapters, which mainly focus on improving the personalized prediction via genetics, tackling the current methodological limitations for PRSs, plus investigating the role of epigenetic risk factors for T2D. In the first chapter, a PRS method (called doubly-weighted GRS) was validated in two European biobanks. In the second chapter, novel PRS methods were developed to improve the PRS transferability for individuals with admixed ancestry. In the third chapter, the PRS transferability issue was investigated on a finer-scale, that is, whether a principal component projection (a method to account for population structure) could mitigate the transferability issue between two European populations. In the fourth chapter, associations of methylation scores (MSs) with prevalent T2D and its glycemic endophenotypes were tested to see whether epigenetic mechanisms could represent environmental and gene-environment effects on top of the genetics. In the fifth chapter the latest advancements in the genomics field were discussed and how to apply these in the personalized medicine framework with the prime example of the Estonian Biobank. The findings of this thesis showed that the doubly-weighted GRS indeed performed better that the traditional GRS in both European biobanks. The novel PRSs, which used the information from the method estimating genetic ancestry in a specific genetic locus could improve the prediction for the recently admixed individuals. These PRS methods made it possible to include individuals and having them benefit from personalized prediction, who were previously just excluded from the genetic studies. The traditional population-specific principal components outperformed our approach. However, the resulting PRS still contained population structure. Lastly, MSs showed a promising trend towards representing the environmental triggers for T2D and its underlying traits. In summary, the doctoral thesis resulted in more accurate and broader application of personalized prediction for complex traits and diseases leading us a step closer to personalized medicine, which makes it easier to maintain health and to prolong healthy life years.

The defence was held in the University of Groningen (Broerstraat 5, Groningen, the Netherlands) at 12:45 (local time in the Netherlands). Online link: www.rug.nl/digitalphd.

The joint degree by both universities was issued.

On 9 September 2022 at 12:15 Nele Taba defended her doctoral thesis “Diet, blood metabolites, and health”.

Supervisors:
Professor Krista Fischer, University of Tartu
Professor Tõnu Esko, University of Tartu
Nicola Pirastu, University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
Professor Andres Metspalu, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Professor Hannelore Daniel, Technical University of Munich (Germany)

Curriculum:
Molecular and Cell Biology

Speciality:
Molecular Biomedicine

DSpace

Summary
Understanding the mechanisms of how diet affects health has the potential to provide grounds for personalized health-improving dietary advice. One possible option to enlighten the diet-disease interplay is to examine the blood metabolic profile, since it is known to be on the one hand affected by diet and on the other hand predictive of several health outcomes. Consequently, the aim of this thesis is to shed more light on how diet affects health by examining the metabolic profile of blood. Firstly, we studied the possibly causal effect of dietary choices on blood metabolites by using the method of Mendelian Randomization (MR). We demonstrated that MR approach is suitable for analyzing the effect of diet by our results agreeing with previous randomized trials and conflicting with some observational studies. In total we detected 413 potentially causal associations. For example, we found that coffee and alcohol traits pose similar elevating effects on measurements related to low-density and intermediate-density lipoproteins, whereas the measurements related to very-low-density lipoproteins seem to be elevated by coffee consumption and not by alcohol consumption. Secondly, we investigated the associations between food neophobia (FN) and blood metabolites, and found that FN is negatively associated with measurements related to omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, the analysis of the effect of FN on type II diabetes and coronary heart disease yielded conflicting results between the two cohorts studied and the risk-elevating effects remain to be confirmed by future research. Thirdly, we examined whether blood metabolic profile is indicative of underlying biological age (BA), and whether the excess of such BA over the chronological age is predictive of health outcomes. We found that the metabolites-based BA can be population-specific, and is associated with cardiovascular risk factors. Further, our results propose that the metabolites-based BA can be associated with dietary behavior. In conclusion, our findings provide new knowledge about the diet, metabolites and health interplay and by this forms a basis for future randomized trials that can ultimately lead to well-informed personalized dietary recommendations.

On 16 September 2022 at 10:15 Silva Lilleorg defended her doctoral thesis “Bacterial ribosome heterogeneity on the example of bL31 paralogs in Escherichia coli”.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Aivar Liiv, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Professor Isabella Moll, University of Vienna (Austria)

Curriculum:
Molecular and Cell Biology

Speciality:
Molecular Biology

DSpace

Summary
To survive, grow and reproduce all organisms need hundreds of proteins acting as enzymes, messengers, structural components, transport and storage molecules. In addition, proteins are required to be functional at the right place, time and in sufficient amount. Therefore, protein synthesis and its regulation belong to the most central life processes. Proteins are synthesized by RNA-protein complexes called ribosomes. Experimental evidence indicates that eukaryotic and procaryotic organisms produce ribosomes with slightly different structure. The biological meaning of the phenomenon – ribosome heterogeneity – is not known. This thesis focuses on bacterial ribosome heterogeneity originating from a certain type of ribosomal proteins (paralogs) in E. coli. Paralogs have a common ancestor gene, but they encode proteins with different amino acid sequence. How does ribosome heterogeneity in ribosomal protein bL31 paralog content affect bacterial growth and translation? Analysis of ribosomal protein content showed that E. coli ribosomes are heterogeneous with respect to paralogs during fast and stationary growth phase. Subsequent work on bL31 paralogs (bL31A and bL31B) demonstrated that they are important but not equivalent for bacterial growth at lower temperatures because bL31A gives growth advantage over bL31B during fast growth. Both bL31 paralogs contribute to similar extent to translation initiation, especially to subunit joining. Interestingly, bL31A containing ribosomes are more processive and they make less errors during translation as compared to ribosomes with bL31B. This indicates that ribosome heterogeneity in bL31 paralog content may regulate translation. This thesis shed light onto functional importance of bacterial ribosome heterogeneity and thus helps us to better understand its biological meaning.

On 17 October 2022 at 14:15 Oliver Aasmets defended his doctoral thesis “The importance of microbiome in human health”.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Elin Org, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Dr. Thomas Sebastian B. Schmidt, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg (Germany)

Curriculum:
Molecular and Cell Biology

Speciality:
Molecular Biomedicine

DSpace

Summary
The technological revolution allows us to study the world beyond the limits that were holding us back only a couple of decades ago. One of such fields is the study of the human microbiome. Tiny microorganisms making up the microbiome such as bacteria and viruses have been known to intervene with our health for centuries, but the whole microbial ecosystem has turned out to be more complex than previously thought. The extent of the role of the microbiome to our own functioning and well-being is just starting to unravel. Nevertheless, microbiome has been associated with a large variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including various complex diseases. This evidence is leading a slow but steady progress towards clinical applications such as using microbiome for improving disease diagnostics or estimating the risk of developing a condition. This thesis aimed to expand the understanding of the factors influencing our gut microbiome composition and assess the possibility and challenges in using the microbiome composition for the clinical applications. Firstly, we identified novel microbial biomarkers for identifying the progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D), which can be used to improve the current risk estimation. Secondly, using the comprehensive health data available in the Estonian Biobank, we characterized the profile of the gut microbiome in the Estonian population and identified various factors affecting the microbiome. Our study indicated that the long-term antibiotics usage has an accumulative effect on the gut microbiome composition independent of recent usage. The novelty of this result has a significant impact on the microbiome field and the future analysis need to account for such drug effects. Lastly, we considered dividing the subjects into a few distinct clusters based on their microbiome composition and evaluated the clinical applicability of such representation. We showed that although this approach is desirable in its simplicity, it is not sufficient for clinical applications. In conclusion, the microbiome science is heading towards clinical applications, but exploratory analysis is still needed. Nevertheless, the challenges ahead do not overshadow the enthusiasm.

On November 21, 2022 at 9:15 Henel Jürgens defended her doctoral thesis "Exploring post-translational modifications of histones in RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription“.

Supervisor:
Professor Arnold Kristjuhan, University of Tartu

Oponent:
Dr. Domenico Libri, Institute of Molecular Genetics of Montpellier (France)

Curriculum:
Molecular and Cell Biology

Speciality:
Molecular Biology

DSpace

Summary
In eukaryotic cells, DNA is packed with histone proteins into a complex called chromatin. Although DNA is very tightly folded, chromatin structure is dynamic and becomes available to the enzymes and processes that take place on the DNA template, including RNA polymerase II-mediated (RNAPII) gene transcription. One of the key factors that control DNA accessibility are post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones. PTMs can either directly influence chromatin compaction or serve as binding sites for effector proteins recognizing these marks and recruiting transcription machinery or regulatory factors to specific DNA regions. It is well established that PTMs are crucial in epigenetic regulation of chromatin and transcription, but several aspects of their mechanistic details and regulatory dynamics are still not known. This thesis explores the mechanisms of RNAPII transcription and PTMs and their binding factors using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model. To clarify how epigenetic landscapes are established and maintained, the spreading and turnover mechanisms of the methylation pattern of histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36) was evaluated. This study demonstrates a relatively short-term persistence of methylation after recently occurred transcription and replication-dependent dilution and passive demethylation by demethylases contribute to the turnover of H3K36 methylation mark. The second objective of this study was to explore the importance of histone modifications in cells where transcription is hampered by depletion of one of the RNAPII subunits. It was found that in these stress conditions cells are not able to respond to occurring DNA damage and histone acetylation becomes essential for cell viability. In addition, this study analysed the essentiality and role of effector protein Taf14 reader domain YEATS that binds to acylated histones. The interaction targets of YEATS domain were clarified in vivo and found that it participates in transcription pre-initiation complex stabilization. Results presented in this thesis create new knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation and the involvement of PTMs and their reader proteins.

On 29 November at 10:15 Mari Tagel defended her doctoral thesis “Finding novel factors affecting the mutation frequency: a case study of tRNA modification enzymes TruA and RluA” for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Molecular Biology).

Supervisors:
Professor Maia Kivisaar, University of Tartu
Professor Emeritus Jaanus Remme, University of Tartu
Research Fellow Heili Ilves, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Dr. Ivan Matic, Institut Cochin (France)

Curriculum:
Molecular and Cell Biology

Speciality:
Molecular Biology

DSpace

Summary
Bacteria can live everywhere. To cope with harsh and everchanging environmental conditions there is a constant need for genetic versatility. Mutations are the main source of genetic versatility in bacteria. To understand the evolution and adaptive abilities of bacteria, it is vital to investigate the processes affecting the mutation frequency. We have created, verified, and applied a new test system for detecting factors affecting the mutation frequency in bacteria from the genus Pseudomonas. By exploiting the new assay, we identified several genes affecting the mutation frequency in the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida, many of which were not previously associated with the mutation frequency. Most surprising finding was that the tRNA modification enzymes TruA and RluA affect mutagenesis. tRNAs are small adaptor molecules that carry the building blocks of enzymes to the ribosome and thus are essential for translation. To improve their performance, tRNAs are extensively modified. Among other roles, modifications help tRNA’s to achieve the correct structure and improve the translation fidelity. TruA and RluA modify U nucleotide into pseudouridines in the close vicinity of tRNA anticodon. We demonstrated that the lack of TruA- and RluA-catalyzed modifications remarkably increases the mutation frequency in P. putida. To further analyze the importance of the modification enzymes TruA and RluA, we measured the stress tolerance, translation fidelity, protein expression and general fitness of P. putida strains lacking TruA or RluA. For comparison we analyzed the phenotypes caused by TruA and RluA deficiency in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli cells. Our research demonstrates how an enzyme with conserved function can cause diverse phenotypes in different bacteria. Also, the thesis illustrates how the complex world of DNA mutations can be affected by many nonobvious factors.

March 30, 2021 at 12:15
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: cell biology
DSpace
Supervisors: Professor Toivo Maimets and Professor Arnold Kristjuhan, the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Opponent: Professor Xavier Coumoul, University Paris Descartes, France

June 15, 2021 at 14:15
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: molecular biology
DSpace
Supervisors: professor Richard Villems, the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu and professor Gyaneshwer Chaubey, Banaras Hindu University
Opponent: professor Francesc Calafell, PhD, Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Spain

August 24, 2021 at 10:15
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
DSpace
Supervisors: Visiting Professor Luca Pagani (Institute of Genomics), Professor of Evolutionary Biology Mait Metspalu (Institute of Genomics) and Associate Professor of Population Genomics Toomas Kivisild (Institute of Genomics)
Opponent: Dr Mehmet Somel, Associate Professor in Human Evolutionary Genetics at the Middle East Technical University of Ankara, Turkey

August 25, 2015 at 11:15
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
DSpace

Supervisor: Professor of Bioinformatics Maido Remm
Opponent: Filipe Pereira, PhD (University of Coimbra, Portugal)

August 31, 2021 at 11:15
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
DSpace

Supervisors: Researcher Francesco Montinaro, Visiting Professor Luca Pagani and Professor Mait Metspalu (all Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu)
Opponent: Dr Cesar Fortes Lima, Uppsala University, Sweden

June 29, 2020 at 11:15
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biomedicine
DSpace

Supervisors: Leading Scientist Reedik Mägi, Institute of Genomics, Professor Andres Metspalu, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (Leading Scientist also in the Institute of Genomics) and Professor Andres Salumets, Institute of Clinical Medicine
All the supervisors are from the University of Tartu
Oponent: Dr Stephan Beck (PhD FMedSci, Professor of Medical Genomics, UCL Cancer Institute University College London, UK)

August 26, 2020 at 10:15
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Gene Technology
DSpace

Supervisors: Senior Research Fellow Siiri Rootsi, Institute of Genomics, Professor and Leading Scientist Richard Villems, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and Institute of Genomics
Opponent: Professor Maarten Larmuseaud, Leuven University, Belgium

August 27, 2020 at 11:15
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biomedicine
DSpace

Supervisors: Lili Milani - Leading Scientist of the Institute of Genomics and Andres Metspalu - Leading Scientist of the Institute of Genomics and Professor of the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom

September 4, 2020 at 11:15
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Genetics
DSpace

Supervisor: Professor Maia Kivisaar, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Professor Elzbieta Kraszewska, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Warsaw, Poland

September 18, 2020 at 14:15
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Genetics
DSpace

Supervisor: Rita Hõrak, Senior Research Fellow in Genetics, Institute of Molecular and cell Biology
Opponent: Professor Thorsten Mascher, Chair of General Microbiology, lnstitute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Dresden

October 5, 2020 at 15:15
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Cell Biology
DSpace

Supervisor: Toivo Maimets, professor in Cell Biology, The Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Opponent: professor Jason Matthews, University of Oslo, Norway

Time and place: Tuesday, 04.06.2019 at 14:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Value of genomics for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk prediction"
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biomedicine
DSpace
Supervisors: Andres Metspalu, Head of the Estonian Genome Centre, Institute of Genomics, Research Professor of Genomics and Biobanking, Professor of Biotechnology in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu and Tõnu Esko, Vice Director, Senior Research Fellow, Estonian Genome Center Science Center, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu
Opponent: Martina Cornel, Professor of Community Genetics and Public Health Genomics at the Clinical Genetics/Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands

Time and place: Tuesday, 27.08.2019 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "The pleiotropic functions of ribosomal proteins eL19 and eL24 in the budding yeast ribosome"
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biology
DSpace
Supervisors: Professor Jaanus Remme and Senior Research Fellow Tiina Tamm, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Opponent: Professor Denis LJ Lafontaine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, ULB, Brussels, Belgium

Time and place: Wednesday, 28.08.2019 at 14:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "On the origin of papillomavirus proteins"
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Bioinformatics
DSpace
Supervisors: Senior Research Fellow Aare Abroi, Institute of Technology and Professor Maido Remm, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Opponent: Senior Research Fellow Andrew E. Firth, Cambridge University, UK

Time and place: Thursday, 12.09.2019 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "The prehistory of Estonia from a genetic perspective: new insights from ancient DNA"
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
DSpace
Supervisors: Mait Metspalu, Director and Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Genomics; Kristiina Tambets, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Genomics; Toomas Kivisild, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Genomics, Professor, KU Leuven (Belgium)
Opponent: Daniel Bradley, Professor of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Ireland

Time and place: Monday, 07.10.2019 at 14:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Meandering along the mtDNA phylogeny; causerie and digression about what it can tell us about human migrations"
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biology
DSpace
Supervisors: Richard Villems, Professor, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology; Mait Metspalu, Director and Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Genomics, UT
Opponent: Rosa Fregel, Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

Time and place: Thursday, 17.10.2019 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Levansucrase Lsc3 and endo-levanase BT1760: characterization and application for the synthesis of novel prebiotics”
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
DSpace
Supervisor: Tiina Alamäe, Associate Professor, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology,UT
Opponent: Ebru Toksoy Öner, Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey

Time and place: Tuesday, 12.11.2019 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis:
Genetic history of the Uralic-speaking peoples as seen through the paternal haplogroup N and autosomal variation of northern Eurasians
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
DSpace
Supervisors: Senior Research Fellows Kristiina Tambets and Siiri Rootsi, Institute of Genomics; Professor Richard Villems, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, UT
Opponent: Associate Professor Beniamino Trombetta, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Time and place: Tuesday, 20.03.2018 at 14:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Irc3 is a mitochondrial branch migration enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”
("Mitokondriaalne DNA hargnemisi mobiliseeriv ensüüm Irc3")
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Biochemistry
DSpace
Supervisors: Professor Juhan Sedman, Research Fellow Tiina Sedman, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Professor Cyril Mark Sanders, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom

Time and place: Tuesday, 22.05.2018 at 12:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Genome structural variation modulating the placenta and pregnancy maintenance”
(“Genoomi struktuursed varieeruvused platsenta ja raseduse mõjutajatena”)
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
DSpace
Supervisor: Professor Maris Laan, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu
Opponent: Professor Julie C. Baker, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA

Time and place: Friday, 15.06.2018 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: “Fis regulates Pseudomonas putida biofilm formation by controlling the expression of lapA”
(“Fis suurendab Pseudomonas putida biofilmi hulka, tõstes lapA ekspressiooni”)
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
DSpace
Supervisor: Associate Professor Riho Teras, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Professor Fernando Govantes, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain

Time and place: Thursday, 21.06.2018 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „The role of global regulator Fis in regulating the expression of lapF and the hydrophobicity of soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida”
(„Globaalse regulaatorvalgu Fis-i roll lapF geeni ekspressiooni reguleerimisel ja rakupinna hüdrofoobsuse mõjutamisel mullabakteris Pseudomonas putida”)
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Genetics
DSpace
Supervisor: Associate Professor Riho Teras, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Research Professor Carla C. C. R. de Carvalho, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal

Time and place: Friday, 22.06.2018 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Genomic imprinting in complex traits”
(“Geneetilise vermimise mõju komplekstunnustele”)
DSpace
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biomedicine
Supervisors: Senior Researcf Fellow Reedik Mägi, Institute of Genomics and Professor Andres Metspalu, Institute of Genomics and Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Professor Stephan Beck, University College London, London, UK

Time and place: Wednesday, 29.08.2018 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „K-mer based methods for the identification of bacteria and plasmids”
(“K-meeridel põhinevad meetodid bakterite ja plasmiidide tuvastamiseks”)
DSpace
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Bioinformatics
Supervisor: Professor Maido Remm, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Professor Ole Lund, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark

Time and place: Friday, 21.09.2018 at 12:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23 lecture hall 217
PhD thesis: „Role of translesion DNA polymerases in mutagenesis and DNA damage tolerance in Pseudomonads“
(„Spetsialiseeritud DNA polümeraaside osalus mutageneesil ja DNA kahjustuste tolereerimisel pseudomonaadides”)
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Genetics
DSpace
Supervisor: Professor Maia Kivisaar, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Vincent Pagès, PhD, Cancer Research Center of Marseille (CRCM) Marseille, France

Time and place: Friday, 28.09.2018 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Utilization of α-glucosidic sugars by Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha”
(“α-glükosiidsete suhkrute kasutamine pärmil Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha”)
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: microbial biology
DSpace
Supervisor: Associate Professor Tiina Alamäe, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Associate Professor Stefan Janecek, Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia

Time and place: Thursday, 15.11.2018 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105 (lecture hall of the Institute of Genomics)
PhD thesis: "Physiological effects of the Pseudomonas putida toxin GraT”
(“Pseudomonas putida toksiini GraT mõju bakteri füsioloogiale”)
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Genetics
DSpace
Supervisors: Senior Research Fellow of Genetics Rita Hõrak and Professor of Molecular Biology Jaanus Remme, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Associate Professor Ditlev Egeskov Brodersen, Aarhus University, Denmark

Time and place: Monday, 10.12.2018 at 10:15 in the Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23b/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Perspectives from human Y chromosome – phylogeny, population dynamics and founder events"
(“Vaade inimese Y kromosoomile – fülogenees, populatsiooni dünaamika ja asutajasündmused”)
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biology
DSpace
Supervisors: Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Institute of Genomics Mait Metspalu, Senior Research Fellow of of the Institute of Genomics Ene Metspalu, Senior Research Fellow of of the Institute of Genomics Siiri Rootsi, Senior Research Fellow of of the Institute of Genomics Toomas Kivisild (all: Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu)
Opponent: Professor and Senior Research Fellow Agnar Helgason, University of Iceland, deCODE Genetics, Reykjavik

Time and place: Friday, January 20th 2017 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Comparative genome-wide DNA methylation studies of healthy human tissues and non-small cell lung cancer tissue"
(“Inimese tervete kudede ja mitteväikerakulise kopsuvähi võrdlevad ülegenoomsed DNA metülatsiooni uuringud”)
DSpace
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
Supervisors: Senior Researh Fellows Neeme Tõnisson and Lili Azin Milani, University of Tartu Estonian Genome Center
Opponent: Prof. Stephan Beck, University College London, UK

Time and place: Friday, March 24th 2017 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Processivity of cellulases and chitinases”
(“Tsellulaaside ja kitinaaside protsessiivsus”)
DSpace
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
Supervisor: Senior Researh Fellow Priit Väljamäe, IMCB, UT
Opponent: Assoc. Prof. Jerry Ståhlberg, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

Time and place: Friday, April 21st 2017 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Scavenger receptors as a target for nucleic acid delivery with peptide vectors”
(“Püüdurretseptorid kui peptiididega nukleiinhapete rakku transportimise sihtmärgid”)
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Cell Biology
DSpace
Supervisors: Professor Margus Pooga and Researh Fellow Kärt Padari, IMCB, UT
Opponent: Professor Pirjo Laakkonen, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki

Time and place: Monday, 22.05.2017 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "The Williams-Beuren syndrome chromosome region protein WBSCR22 is a ribosome biogenesis factor"
(“Williams-Beureni sündroomi kromosoomiregiooni valk WBSCR22 kui ribosoomi biogeneesifaktor")
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biology
DSpace
Supervisors: Professor Ants Kurg, IMCB and Senior Research Fellow Reet Kurg, IT
Opponent: Professor Pierre-Emmanuel Gleizes, Paul Sabatier University, France

Time and place: Friday, 09.06.2017 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "In-depth analysis of factors affecting variability in thiopurine methyltransferase activity”
(“Uute tiopuriinmetüültransferaasi aktiivsust mõjutavate biomarkerite otsingul”)
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
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Supervisors: Professor Andres Metspalu (IMCB, EGC), Senior Research Fellow Lili Milani (EGC)
Oponent: Professor Ingolf Paul Erich Cascorbi, Kieli Christian Albrechts University, Germany

Time and place: Thursday, 22.06.2017 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "The role of RIC8A in the development and regulation of mouse nervous system”
(“RIC8A roll hiire närvisüsteemis ja selle arengus”)
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Developmental Biology
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Supervisors: Professor Margus Pooga and Associate Professor Tambet Tõnissoo
Opponent: Professor David J. Price, University of Edinburgh, UK

Time and place: Tuesday, 22.08.2017 at 14:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Genetic regulation of gene expression: detection of tissue- and cell type-specific effects”
(“Geeniekspressiooni geneetiline regulatsioon: koe- ja rakutüübi-spetsiifiliste efektide leidmine”)
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biomedicine
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Supervisors: Senior Research Fellows Lili Milani and Krista Fischer ( Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu) and Professor Andres Mespalu (Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and Estonian Genome Center, UT)
Opponent: Associate Professor Tuuli Lappalainen, PhD, New York Genomics Center, Columbia University, New York, USA

Time and place: Wednesday, 20.09.2017 at 12:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "The acquisition of cellulose chain by a processive cellobiohydrolase"
("Tselluloosiahela sidumine protsessiivse tsellobiohüdrolaasi poolt")
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Biochemistry
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Supervisor: Senior Research Fellow Priit Väljamäe, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tarty
Opponent: Associate Professor Kiyohiko Igarashi, University of Tokyo, Japan

Time and place: Friday, 15.12.2017 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B/2 lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Dissecting the mechanism of enzymatic degradation of cellulose using low molecular weight model substrates"
("Tselluloosi ensümaatilise hüdrolüüsi mehhanismi uurimine madalmolekulaarsete mudelsubstraatide abil")
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
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Supervisor: Senior Research Fellow Priit Väljamäe, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Associate Professor Kristiina Kruus, PhD, University of Helsinki; Teknologian tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy, Espoo, Finland

Time and place: Monday, December 5th 2016 at 14:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Communicating genomic research results to population-based biobank participants”
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
Supervisors: Professor Andres Metspalu, IMCB and Dr Pauline Ng, Singapore Genome Institute
Opponent: Professor Helena Kääriäinen, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
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Time and place: Friday, December 2nd 2016 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Random walks in the stringent response”
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
Supervisors: Professor Tanel Tenson and Senior Research Fellow Vasili Hauryiliuk, Institute of Technology
Opponent: Dr Andrey L. Konevega, Ph.D., Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, Russia
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Time and place: Tuesday, October 18th 2016 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "The GraTA toxin-antitoxin system of Pseudomonas putida: regulation and role in stress tolerance"
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Genetics
Supervisor: Senior Research Fellow Rita Hõrak, IMCB
Opponent: Professor Laurence van Melderen, Universite libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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Time and place: Tuesday, September 13th 2016 at 10:15 . a. kell 10.15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription elongation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Cell Biology
Supervisor: Professor Arnold Kristjuhan, IMCB
Opponent: Professor Ann Ehrenhofer-Murray, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
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Time and place: Tuesday, August 30th 2016 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Studies on cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive normal and regenerative processes in the liver and pathological processes in Dupuytren’s contracture”
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Cell Biology
Supervisor: Senior Research Fellow Viljar Jaks, IMCB
Opponent: Professor Dr. Robert P. Coppes, PhD, UMCG, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
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Time and place: Friday, August 26th 2016 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Studies on cell growth promoting AKT signaling pathway - a promising anti-cancer drug target“
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Cell Biology
Supervisor: Senior Research Fellow Viljar Jaks, IMCB
Opponent: Research Director Juha Tapio Klefström, PhD, Medical Faculty, University of Helsinki, Finland
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Time and place: Wednesday, August 24th 2016 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „Translocation of cell-penetrating peptides across biological membranes and interactions with plasma membrane constituents“
Speciality: Cell Biology
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Supervisor: Professor Margus Pooga, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Director, Dr Sandrine Sagan, PhD, Laboratory of Biomolecules, UMR7203 CNRS-ENS-UPMC, Paris, France
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Time and place: Tuesday, August 23rd 2016 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, , Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: „MicroRNAs in disease and health: aberrant regulation in lung cancer and association with genomic variation”
Speciality: Molecular Biology
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Supervisor: Senior Research Fellow Tarmo Annilo, Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu
Opponent: Principal Research Associate Manlio Vinciguerra, PhD, Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, University College London, UK
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Time and place: Monday, August 22nd 2016 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: “The role of RIC8A in mouse development and its function in cell-matrix adhesion and actin cytoskeletal organisation“
Speciality: Developmental Biology
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Supervisor: Professor Margus Pooga and Research Fellow Tambet Tõnissoo, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Science Director, Professor, Pekka Lappalainen, PhD, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland
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Time and place: Wednesday, June 15th 2016 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: Characterization of cell-penetrating peptide/nucleic acid nanocomplexes and their cell-entry mechanisms
Speciality: Cell Biology
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Supervisors: Professor Margus Pooga and Research Fellow Kärt Padari, IMCB
Opponent: Professor Ines Neundorf, Department of Chemistry, University of Cologne, Germany
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Time and place: Monday, May 23rd 2016 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: “Functions and regulation of the mammalian pseudokinase TRIB3”
Speciality: Gene Technology
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Supervisors: Professor Jaanus Remme, IMCB and Senior Research Fellow Tõnis Örd, Estonian Biocentre
Opponent: Associate Professor Guillermo Velasco Diez, Madrid Complutense University, Spain
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Time and place: Friday, January 16th 2015 at 14.00 P.M. in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Genetics of adaptive traits and gender-specific demographic processes in South Asian populations”
Speciality: molecular biology
Curriculum: Molecular and cell biology
Supervisors: Professor of Archeogenetics, Richard Villems, IMCB and Professor Toomas Kivisild, IMCB and Cambridge University
Opponent: Dr Sandra Beleza, Leicester University, UK
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Time and place: Tuesday, June 9th 2015 at 15.00 P.M. in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: Studies on artificial and extracellular matrix protein-rich surfaces as regulators of cell growth and differentiation
Speciality: Cell Biology
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Supervisors: Associate Professor Sulev Ingerpuu, Professor Toivo Maimets, Senior Research Fellow Viljar Jaks, University of Tartu
Opponent: Professor Dr Gerd Klein, University of Tübingen, Germany
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Time and place: Wednesday, June 17th 2015 at 10.15 A.M. in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: Exploiting high-throughput data for establishing relationships between genes
Speciality: Bioinformatics
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Supervisors: Professor Juhan Sedman and Professor Jaak Vilo, University of Tartu
Opponent: Professor Boris Lenhard, Imperial College London, UK
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Time and place: Wednesday, August 26th 2015 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Analysis and visualisation of large scale microarray data"
Speciality: Bioinformatics
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Supervisors: Professor Jaak Vilo and Professor Juhan Sedman, University of Tartu
Opponent: Dr Gabriella Rustici, EMBL-EBI, Cambridge University, UK
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Time and place: Thursday, August 27th 2015 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Classification and identification of conopeptides using profile hidden Markov models and position-specific scoring matrices"
Speciality: Bioinformatics
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Supervisor: Professor Maido Remm, University of Tartu
Opponent: Dr Helena Safavi-Hemami, Utah University, Salt Lake City, USA
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Time and place: Friday, October 9th 2015 at 12:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: “Biochemical perspective on alphaviral nonstructural protein 2: a tale from multiple domains to enzymatic profiling”
Speciality: Gene Technology
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Supervisors: Professor Andres Merits and Research Fellow Aleksei Lulla, University of Tartu
Opponent: Scientific Director Dr Bruno Canard, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France
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Time and place: Friday, October 16th 2015 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: “Computational methods for DNA copy number detection”
Speciality: Bioinformatics
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Supervisor: Professor Maido Remm, University of Tartu
Opponent: Dr Lars Feuk, Uppsala University, Sweden
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Time and place: Friday, October 23rd 2015 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: “Combating DNA damage and maintenance of genome integrity in pseudomonads”
Speciality: Genetics
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Supervisor: Prof. Maia Kivisaar, University of Tartu
Opponent: Prof. Tone Tonjum, University of Oslo, Norway
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Time and place: Monday, January 13th 2014 10.00 AM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: "Development of arrayed primer extension microarray assays for molecular diagnostic applications"
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
Supervisor: Andres Metspalu, Professor of Biotechnology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Director of Estonian Genome Centre, University of Tartu
Opponent: Aarno Palotie, Professor, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Finnisg Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
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Time and place: Friday, January 17th 2014 10.00 AM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: "The horizontal gene pool for aromatics degradation: bacterial catabolic plasmids of the Baltic Sea aquatic system"
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Genetics
Supervisors: Ain Heinaru, Professor of Genetics and Eve Vedler, Senior Research Fellow on Genetics, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Kornelia Smalla, Professor, The Julius-Kühn Institute, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Braunschweig, Germany
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Time and place: Tuesday, May 13th 2014 10.00 AM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: „Global and fine-scale genetic determinants of recurrent pregnancy loss“
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
Supervisor: Maris Laan, Professor of Human Molecular Genetics, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Dr Daniel Vaiman, Cohin Institute, INSERM, Paris Descartes University, France
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Time and place: Tuesday, June 17th 2014 at 13.00 AM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: „RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Activity as a Basis for the Detection of Positive-Strand RNA Viruses by Vertebrate Host Cells”
Speciality: Molecular and Cell Biology
Curriculum: Virology
Supervisor: Mart Ustav, Professor of Biomedicine Technology, Institute of Technology, University of Tartu
Opponent: Volker Lohmann, Heidelberg University, Department of Molecular Virology, Germany
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Time and place: Thursday, November 13th 2014 at 10.00 AM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
PhD thesis: "Chromosomal microarray analysis as diagnostic tool: Estonian experience“
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Supervisors: Professor of Molecular Biotechnology, Ants Kurg, IMCB and Professor of Clinical Genetics Kartin Õunap, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine
Opponent: Dr. rer. nat. Hartmut Engels, Institute of Human genetics, University of Bonn, Germany
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Time and place: Wednesday, December 17th 2014 at 10.00 A.M. in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23B lecture hall 105
PhD thesis: "Mitochondria as integral modulators of cellular signaling"
Speciality: biochemistry
Curriculum: Molecular and cell biology
Supervisor: Professor of Biochemistry, Juhan Sedman, IMCB
Opponent: Professor Xin Jie Chen, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
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Time and place: Tuesday, April 23rd 2013 2:00 PM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: “Placental gene expression in normal and complicated pregnancy”
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Gene Technology
Supervisor: Maris Laan, Professor of Human Molecular Genetics, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Oponent: Professor Miguel Constancia, Cambridge University, UK
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Time and place: Tuesday, May 7th 2013 12.00 AM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: “Studies on DNA replication initiation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Cell Biology
Supervisor: Arnold Kristjuhan, Senior Researcher, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Oponent: Dr John Diffley, Cancer Research Center, UK
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Time and place: Monday, August 26th 2013 10.00 AM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: High-pressure spectroscopy study of chromophore-binding hydrogen bonds in light-harvesting complexes of photosynthetic bacteria"
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Biochemistry
Supervisor: Arvi Freiberg, Professor of Biophysics and Plant Physiology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Oponent: Professor Roland Winter, Dortmund University, Germany
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Time and place: Thursday, August 29th 2013 14.00 PM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: "Substrate specificity of the multisite specific pseudouridine synthase RluD"
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biology
Supervisors: Jaanus Remme, professor of Molecular Biology and Aivar Liiv, Senior Research Fellow of Molecular Biology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Oponent: Assoc. Prof. Petr V. Sergiev, Moscow University, Russia
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Time and place: Wednesday, September 11th 2013 10.00 AM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: „The application of oligonucleotide hybridization model for PCR and microarray optimization”
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Bioinformatics
Supervisor: Maido Remm, professor of Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Oponent: Research Fellow Aleksander Pozhitkov, Washington University, USA
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Time and place: Friday, September 27th 2013 14.00 PM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: “Distribution and phylogeny of the bacterial translational GTPases and the Mqsr/YgiT regulatory system”
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Bioinformatics
Supervisors: Maido Remm, professor of Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and Tanel Tenson, professor of Antimicrobial Components Technology, Institute of Technology
Oponent: Professor Charles G. Kurland, Lund University, Sweden
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Time and place: Thursday, October 24th 2013 15.00 PM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: "Animal model of Wolfram Syndrome in mice: behavioural, biochemical, and psychopharmacological characterization"
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Developmental Biology
Supervisors: Eero Vasar, professor of Human Physiology, Sulev Kõks, professor of Physiological Genomics (Faculty of Medicine) and Alar Karis, professor of Developmental Biology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Oponent: Assoc. Prof. Atso Raasmaja, Helsinki University, Finland
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Time and place: Thursday, November 7th 2013 12.00 AM in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
Thesis: "Maps of mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome and tyrosinase variation in Eurasian and Oceanian populations"
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biology
Supervisors: Toomas Kivisild, visiting professor, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cambridge University and Richard Villems, professor of archeogenetics, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Oponent: Professor Peter de Knijff, Leiden University, The Netherlands
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18.05.2012
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: virology
Supervisor: Andres Merits
Opponent: Professor Ilya Frolov, Alabama University, USA
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11.06.2012
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: molecular biology
Supervisors: Richard Villems, Siiri Rootsi
Opponent: Professor Antti Sajantila, Helsinki University
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15.06.2012
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: biotechnology
Supervisor: Ants Kurg
Opponent: Till Bachmann, Edinburgh University, UK
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22.06.2012
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: cell biology
Supervisors: Toivo Maimets, Lilian Kadaja-Saarepuu
Opponent: Professor Galina Selivanova, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
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23.08.2012
Curriculum: gene technology
Speciality: bioinformatics
Supervisor: Maido Remm
Opponent: Martine Petronella Bos, Amsterdam Free University
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24.08.2012
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: molecular biology
Supervisors: Jaanus Remme, Aivar Liiv
Opponent: Roland K. Hartmann, Philipps University Marburg, Germany
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07.09.2012
Curriculum: gene technology
Speciality: gene technology
Supervisor: Margus Pooga
Opponent: Roland Brock, Nijmegen Radbound University, the Netherlands
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14.09.2012
Curriculum: gene technology
Speciality: gene technology
Supervisor: Ants Kurg
Opponent: Reinhard Ullmann, Max Planck Institute, Berlin
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25.09.2012
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: genetics
Supervisor: Tiina Alamäe
Opponent: Professor Maija Tenkanen, Helskinki University
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19.10.2012
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: virology
Supervisor: Andres Merits
Opponent: Gorben Peter Pijlman, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
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19.10.2012
Curriculum: gene technology
Speciality: gene technology
Supervisor: Andres Metspalu
Opponent: Tiina Paunio, Helsinki University
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16.11.2012
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: genetics
Supervisor: Andres Mäe
Opponent: Guy Condemine, CNRS, Lyon, France
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20.11.2012
Curriculum: environmental technologies
Speciality: environmental technologies
Supervisors: Jaak Truu, Ain Heinaru
Opponent: Olli Heikki Tuovinen, Ohio State University, USA
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21.01.2011
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: molecular biology
Supervisors: Rita Hõrak, Maia Kivisaar
Opponent: Dr Vittorio Venturi, Trieste, Italy
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04.05.2011
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: molecular biology
Supervisors: Maris Laan, Tarmo Annilo
Oponent: Professor Harold Snieder, Groeningen University, the Netherlands
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11.05.2011
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: molecular biology
Supervisors: Aivar Liiv, Jaanus Remme
Opponent: Professor Claudio O. Gualerzi, Camerino University, Italy
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02.06.2011
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: molecular biology
Supervisors: Jaanus Remme, Tanel Tenson
Opponent: Professor James Russell Williamson, Scripps Research Institute, California, USA
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13.06.2011
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: developmental biology
Supervisors: Alar Karis, Margus Pooga
Opponent: Professor Juha Partanen, University of Helsinki, Finland
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15.06.2011
Curriculum: molecular and cell biology
Speciality: cell biology
Supervisor: Margus Pooga
Opponent: Professor John Howl, Wolverhampton University, UK
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22.08.2011
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
Supervisor: Andres Metspalu
Opponent: Alexandre Rezende Vieira, Pittsburgh University, USA
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23.08.2011
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Transgenic Technologies
Supervisor: Arnold Kristjuhan
Opponent: Professor Thomas A. Owen-Hughes, Dundee University, Scotland, UK
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25.08.2011
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
Supervisor: Andres Metspalu
Opponent: Doktor Jörg Hoheisel, German Cancer Research Center
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25.11.2011
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecular Biomedicine
Supervisor: Maris Laan
Opponent: Professor Ilpo Huhtaniemi, London State College, UK
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29.01.2012
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
Supervisors: Andres Metspalu, Andres Salumets
Opponent: Associate professor Antti Perheentupa, Turku University, Finland
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12.03.2020
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Plant Physiology
Supervisors: Agu Laisk, Vello Oja
Opponent: Giles Johnson, Manchester University, UK
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09.04.2010
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
Supervisor: Andres Metspalu
Opponent: Markus Perola, Helsinki University, Finland
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04.05.2010
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
Supervisor: Andres Metspalu
Opponent: Ivo G. Gut, Genome Analysis Center, Barcelona, Spain
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21.06.2010
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Microbiology
Supervisor: Ain Heinaru
Opponent: Hermann J. Heipieper, Helmholz Center of Environmental Studies, Leipzig, Germany
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21.06.2010
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Environmental Technology
Supervisor: Jaak Truu
Opponent: Kim Yrjäla, University of Helsinki
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27.08.2010
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Transgenic Technology
Supervisor: Jaanus Remme
Opponent: Norbert Polacek, Insbruck Medical University, Austria
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17.09.2010
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Virology
Supervisors: Mart Ustav, Aare Abroi
Opponent: Cheng-Ming Chiang, Texas University, Dallas, USA
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20.09.2010
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Molecuar Biology
Supervisors: Toomas Kivisild, Ene Metspalu
Opponent: Jaume Bertranpetit Busquets, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
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19.11.2010
Curriculum: Gene Technology
Speciality: Molecular Diagnostics
Supervisor: Maris Laan
Opponent: Kimmo Kontula, Helsingi University
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20.12.2010
Curriculum: Molecular and Cell Biology
Speciality: Biochemistry
Supervisor: Juhan Sedman
Opponent: Howard T. Jacobs, Tampere University
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17.03.2009
The defence took place at the Medical Faculty of UT, Puusepa 8
Supervisors: Katrin Õunap, Ants Kurg
Opponent: Ben Hamel (Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Holland)
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25.03.2009
The defence took place at the Medical Faculty of UT, Puusepa 8
Supervisors: Maris Laan, Helle Karro
Opponent: Prof. Marek Zygmunt, University of Greifswaldi Ernst-Moritz-Arndt
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27.03.2009
„Sequence motifs influencing the efficiency of translation“
(„Translatsiooni efektiivust mõjutavad järjestuse motiivid“)
Supervisors: Maido Remm, Tanel Tenson
Opponent: Dr. Manuel Santos (Ph.D.), Aveiro University, Aveiro, Portugal
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17.04.2009
“The role of specialized DNA polymerases in mutagenesis in Pseudomonas putida“
("Spetsialiseerunud DNA polümeraaside roll Pseudomonas putida rakkudes toimuvates mutatsiooniprotsessides")
Supervisors: Maia Kivisaar, Andres Tover
Opponent: Dr. Jesús Blázquez, Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (CNB), Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
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30.04.2009
“Semliki Forest virus based vectors and cell lines for studies of replication and interactions of Alphaviruses and Hepaciviruses”
(Semliki Forest viirusel põhinevad vektorid ja rakuliinid alfaviiruste ja hepatsiviiruste replikatsiooni ning interaktsioonide uurimisel)
Supervisor: Andres Merits
Opponent: Professor Ari E. Hinkkanen, University of Kuopio, Finland
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30.04.2009
"Papillomavirus Replication Machinery Induces Genomic Instability in its Host Cell“
(„Papilloomiviiruse DNA replikatsioon põhjustab peremeesrakus geneetilist ebastabiilsust“)
Supervisor: Mart Ustav
Opponent: Prof. Michael Botchan, California University, Berkeley, USA
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07.05.2009
"Human and chimpanzee Luteinizing Hormone/ Chorionic Gonadotropin Beta (LHB/CGB) gene clusters: diversity and divergence of young duplicated genes"
(”Inimese ja šimpansi Luteiniseeriva Hormooni/ Koorion Gonadotropiini Beeta (LHB/CGB) geeniklaster: liigisisene varieeruvus ning noorte duplitseeritud geenide lahknemine sõsar-liikides“)
Supervisor: Maris Laan
Opponent: Prof. John Armour, Nottingham University, UK
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30.06.2009
“The Role of Endocytosis in the Protein Transduction by Cell-Penetrating Peptides”
(“Endosomaalsed rajad rakku sisenevate peptiididega vahendatud valgutranspordil“)
Supervisor: Margus Pooga
Opponent: Dr. Arwyn Tomos Jones, University of Cardiff, UK
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03.09.2009
“Ribosome assembly factors in Escherichia coli"
("Ribosoomide kokkupakkimise faktorid soolekepikeses Escherichia coli")
Supervisor: Jaanus Remme
Opponent: Dr. Daniel N. Wilson, München Ludwig-Maximiliani University, Germany
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20.11.2009
“Mutagenic potential of DNA damage repair and tolerance mechanisms under starvation stress”
(“DNA kahjustuste parandamis- ja talumismehhanismide osalus nälgivates bakterirakkudes toimuvates mutatsiooniprotsessides“)
Supervisor: Maia Kivisaar
Opponent: Prof. Caroline Kisker, Rudolf Virchow Center, Würzburg, Germany
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17.12.2009
"Molecular variation of HIV-1 and the use of this knowledge in vaccine development“
(„HI-viiruse molekulaarne varieeruvus ja selle teadmise kasutamine vaktsiini väljatöötamisel“)
Supervisors: Richard Villems, Mart Ustav
Opponent: Professor Paul Pumpens, Latvian Center of Biomedicine Research, Latvia
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18.12.2008 at 14:15 in the Council Hall of the University
(Maakasutuse mõju mikroobikooslustele Eesti muldades)
Speciality: Environmental Technologies
Supervisors: Jaak Truu, Mari Ivask
Opponent: Per-Eric Lindgren, Linköping University, Sweden
DSpace

28.11.2008 at 12:00 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
(„Pseudomonas putida vastused fenoolist tulenevatele metabolismi- ja stressisignaalidele”)
Supervisors: Maia Kivisaar, Rita Hõrak
Opponent: Juan L. Ramos, Estacion del Zaidin, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Granada, Spain
DSpace

21.11.2008 at 10:00 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
("In situ sünteesitud oligonukleotiidide mikrokiibi disain, funktsionaliseerimine ja rakendamine")
Supervisor: Andres Metspalu
Opponent: Joachim W. Engels, University of J.W. Goethe Ülikool, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Dspace

25.08.2008 at 12:00 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
("Uurimus stressi poolt indutseeritavast pseudokinaasist TRB3, transkriptsioonifaktori ATF4 uuest inhibiitorist")
Supervisors: Tõnis Örd, Jaanus Remme
Opponent: Laura Korhonen, Minerva Medical Research Institute, Helsinki, Finland
DSpace

21.08.2008 at 10:15 in the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
("Peptiidide poolt vahendatud makroliidiresistentsus")
Supervisor: Tanel Tenson
Opponent: Birte Vester, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
DSpace

Defended thesis

DANAT YERMAKOVICH "The evolutionary history of complex traits: implications of archaic admixture"

KERTU LIIS KRIGUL “The gut microbiome at the interface of human health and disease”

ARUN KUMAR DEVARAJAN "Microbes and climate change: insights from plant-microbe interactions in rice phyllosphere and soil microbiomes in subarctic grasslands"

VI NGAN TRAN "The Cellular Dynamics and Epithelial Morphogenesis in Drosophila Wing Development"

SIRELIN SILLAMAA "The role of helicases Hmi1 and lrc3 in yeast mitochondrial DNA maintenance"

NATÀLIA PUJOL GUALDO "Decoding genetic associations of female reproductive health traits"

MAARJA JÕELOO "Advances in microarray-based copy number variation discovery and phenotypic associations"

RAIN INNO "Placental transcriptome and miRNome in normal and complicated pregnancies“

SIRLI ROSENDAHL “Fitness effects of chromosomal toxin-antitoxin systems in Pseudomonas putida”

MATHILDE ANDRÉ "New Guinea, a hotspot for Human evolution: settlement history and adaptation in northern Sahul"

VLAD-JULIAN PILJUKOV „Biochemical characterization of Irc3 helicase”

MARIANN KOEL "The molecular interactions between trophoblast and endometrial cells in embryo implantation"

KASPAR REIER „Quantity, stability and disparity of ribosomal components in Escherichia coli stationary phase“

KREETE LÜLL "Investigating the relationships between human microbiome, host factors and female health“

LUDOVICA MOLINARO "Ancestry deconvolution of Estonian, European and Worldwide genomic layers: a human population genomics excavation“

TINA SAUPE “The genetic history of the Mediterranean before the common era: a focus on the Italian Peninsula”

KATRI PÄRNA “Improving the personalized prediction of complex traits and diseases: application to type 2 diabetes”

NELE TABA “Diet, blood metabolites, and health”

SILVA LILLEORG “Bacterial ribosome heterogeneity on the example of bL31 paralogs in Escherichia coli”

OLIVER AASMETS “The importance of microbiome in human health”

HENEL JÜRGENS "Exploring post-translational modifications of histones in RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription“

MARI TAGEL “Finding novel factors affecting the mutation frequency: a case study of tRNA modification enzymes TruA and RluA”

ANTTI MATVERE "Studies on aryl hydrocarbon receptor in murine granulosa cells and human embryonic stem cells"

AJAI KUMAR PATHAK "Delineating genetic ancestries of people of the Indus Valley, Parsis, Indian Jews and Tharu tribe"

BURAK YELMEN "Characterization of ancient Eurasian influences within modern human genomes"

KAIRI RAIME "The identification of plant DNA in metagenomic samples"

LINDA ONGARO "A genomic portrait of American populations"

VIKTORIJA KUKUŠKINA "Understanding the mechanisms of endometrial receptivity through integration of ‘omics’ data layers”

HELEN POST "Overview of the phylogeny and phylogeography of the Y-chromosomal haplogroup N in northern Eurasia and case studies of two linguistically exceptional populations of Europe - Hungarians and Kalmyks"

KRISTI KREBS "Exploring the genetics of adverse events in pharmacotherapy using Biobanks and Electronic Health Records"

KÄRT UKKIVI "Mutagenic effect of transcription and transcription-coupled repair factors in Pseudomonas putida"

KADI TILK "Signals and responses of ColRS two-component system in Pseudomonas putida"

INDREK TEINO "Studies on aryl hydrocarbon receptor in the mouse granulosa cell model"

MARIS ALVER "Value of genomics for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk prediction"

IVAN KISLY "The pleiotropic functions of ribosomal proteins eL19 and eL24 in the budding yeast ribosome"

MIKK PUUSTUSMAA "On the origin of papillomavirus proteins"

LEHTI SAAG "The prehistory of Estonia from a genetic perspective: new insights from ancient DNA"

ERWAN PENNARUN "Meandering along the mtDNA phylogeny; causerie and digression about what it can tell us about human migrations"

KARIN ERNITS "Levansucrase Lsc3 and endo-levanase BT1760: characterization and application for the synthesis of novel prebiotics”

ANNE-MAI ILUMÄE "Genetic history of the Uralic-speaking peoples as seen through the paternal haplogroup N and autosomal variation of northern Eurasians"

ILJA GAIDUTŠIK "Irc3 is a mitochondrial branch migration enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”

LAURA KASAK "Genome structural variation modulating the placenta and pregnancy maintenance”

HANNA AINELO “Fis regulates Pseudomonas putida biofilm formation by controlling the expression of lapA”

ANDRIO LAHESAARE "The role of global regulator Fis in regulating the expression of lapF and the hydrophobicity of soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida”

NATALIA PERVJAKOVA "Genomic imprinting in complex traits”

MÄRT ROOSAARE "K-mer based methods for the identification of bacteria and plasmids”

TATJANA JATSENKO "Role of translesion DNA polymerases in mutagenesis and DNA damage tolerance in Pseudomonads“

KATRIN VIIGAND "Utilization of α-glucosidic sugars by Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha”

ANDRES AINELO "Physiological effects of the Pseudomonas putida toxin GraT”

MONIKA KARMIN "Perspectives from human Y chromosome – phylogeny, population dynamics and founder events"

KAIE LOKK "Comparative genome-wide DNA methylation studies of healthy human tissues and non-small cell lung cancer tissue"

MIHHAIL KURAŠIN "Processivity of cellulases and chitinases”

CARMEN TALI "Scavenger receptors as a target for nucleic acid delivery with peptide vectors”

KADRI ÕUNAP "The Williams-Beuren syndrome chromosome region protein WBSCR22 is a ribosome biogenesis factor"

RIIN TAMM "In-depth analysis of factors affecting variability in thiopurine methyltransferase activity”

KEIU KASK "The role of RIC8A in the development and regulation of mouse nervous system”

SILVA KASELA "Genetic regulation of gene expression: detection of tissue- and cell type-specific effects”

RIIN KONT "The acquisition of cellulose chain by a processive cellobiohydrolase"

JÜRGEN JALAK "Dissecting the mechanism of enzymatic degradation of cellulose using low molecular weight model substrates"

LIIS LEITSALU "Communicating genomic research results to population-based biobank participants"

STOYAN TANKOV "Random walks in the stringent response”

HEDVIG TAMMAN "The GraTA toxin-antitoxin system of Pseudomonas putida: regulation and role in stress tolerance"

KADRI PEIL "RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription elongation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”

JANELI VIIL "Studies on cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive normal and regenerative processes in the liver and pathological processes in Dupuytren’s contracture”

KRISTINA MÄEMETS-ALLAS "Studies on cell growth promoting AKT signaling pathway - a promising anti-cancer drug target“

JANELY PAE "Translocation of cell-penetrating peptides across biological membranes and interactions with plasma membrane constituents“

URMO VÕSA "MicroRNAs in disease and health: aberrant regulation in lung cancer and association with genomic variation”

KATRIN RUISU “The role of RIC8A in mouse development and its function in cell-matrix adhesion and actin cytoskeletal organisation“

HELERIN MARGUS "Characterization of cell-penetrating peptide/nucleic acid nanocomplexes and their cell-entry mechanisms"

TIIT ÖRD "Functions and regulation of the mammalian pseudokinase TRIB3”

CHANDANA BASU MALLICK "Genetics of adaptive traits and gender-specific demographic processes in South Asian populations”

MARTIN POOK "Studies on artificial and extracellular matrix protein-rich surfaces as regulators of cell growth and differentiation"

HEDI PETERSON "Exploiting high-throughput data for establishing relationships between genes"

PRIIT ADLER "Analysis and visualisation of large scale microarray data"

SILJA LAHT "Classification and identification of conopeptides using profile hidden Markov models and position-specific scoring matrices"

PRATYUSH KUMAR DAS “Biochemical perspective on alphaviral nonstructural protein 2: a tale from multiple domains to enzymatic profiling”

PRIIT PALTA "Computational methods for DNA copy number detection"

JULIA SIDORENKO "Combating DNA damage and maintenance of genome integrity in pseudomonads"

ENELI OITMAA "Development of arrayed primer extension microarray assays for molecular diagnostic applications"