Indrikis MUIZNIEKS

Professor Indrikis MUIZNIEKS Pro-Rector for Research, University of Latvia Raina bulv. 19 Riga, LV 1586, Latvia Phone: +371 7034401 Fax:    +371  7034302 Head of the Department of Plant Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology Kronvalda bulv., 4 Riga, LV 1586 Latvia Phone: +371 7034866 Fax : +371 7034862 E-mail: Indrikis.muiznieks@lu.lv

Born: July 9, 1953 Riga, Latvia

Interests:

Main fields:

• Microbiology
• Genetics

Other fields:

• Molecular Biology
• Biotechnology
• Iimmunology
• Biophysics

Current research interests:

Replication and structural stability of plasmid genomes, impact of DNA topology upon the functional activity of genes and replicons, immunomodulating properties of fungal polysaccharides and glycoproteins.

Languages: Latvian, English, Russian, German

Education

• University of Latvia (Faculty of Biology), 1976
• Dr.biol. (Candidate of Science in former USSR, Ph.D. in Western countries), Timirjazev Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 1980
• Dr. habil. biol., University of Latvia, 1997

In-service training:

• Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1986 - 1987
• Department of Genetics, University of Regensburg, Germany, 1988 -1989

Experience

• Engineer, Research Assistant, Associate Professor, Professor, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, 1975 - 1998
• Visiting Professor and Research Fellow, University of Regensburg, Germany, 1991, 1992, 1994
• Research Fellow of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation at the Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne, Germany, 1992 –1993, 1994 -1995
• Visiting Professor and Research Fellow, University of Cologne, Germany, 1997, 1999
• Head of the Department of Plant Physiology and Microbiology, University of Latvia, 1992 - 1998
• Head of the Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, 1998 -
• Professor,  University of Latvia, 1997 -
• Dean of the Faculty of Biology, 1997 -
• Deputy-Chairman of the Senate, University of Latvia, 1998 -
• Pro-Rector for Research, University of Latvia, 2000 -

Honours and Awards

• Corresponding Member, Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1998
• Full Member, Latvian Academy of Sciences, 2000
• The USSR Council of Ministers Prize for the investigation of microbial enzymes, 1986
• Fellowship from the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation, Germany, 1992

Professional Activities and Memberships

• Member and the President of Latvian Society of Microbiology
• Member, Latvian Society of Biochemistry
• Member, Latvian Society of Genetics
• Member, European Association of Biologists (Eurobio)
• Latvian Representative at the Commission for Education, Federation of European Societies of Biotechnology
• Co-ordinator of the European Union Tempus Project “Restructuring of the Education in Biology at the University of Latvia”, 1995-1998
• Member, Latvian Council of Science Expert Committee for Molecular biology, Microbiology, Biotechnology, and Virology
• Member, Latvian Council of Science, 2003 -

Publications:

Papers in referred journals - 30; communications to scientific meetings - 53; text books and teaching materials - 8

Recent/Representative Publications

• C.Aslanidis, I.Muiznieks, R.Schmitt. Successive binding of raf repressor to adjacent raf operator sites in vitro. - Mol.Gen.Genet.,1990, vol. 233, pp. 297-304.
• R.Jaenicke, I.Muiznieks, C.Aslanidis, R.Schmitt. Ultracentrifugal analysis of the qaternary structure of the raf repressor from Escherichia coli. - FEBS Lett., 1990, vol. 260, pp. 233-235.
• I.Muiznieks, R.Schmitt. The role of two operators in regulating raf-operon in Escherichia coli. - Mol.Gen.Genet., 1994, vol. 242, pp. 90-99.
• I.Muiznieks, W.Doerfler. The impact of 5’-CpG-3’ methylation on the activity of different eukaryotic promoters: a comparative study. - FEBS Lett., 1994, vol. 344, pp. 251-254.
• I.Muiznieks, W.Doerfler. The topology of the promoter of RNA polymerase II- and III-transcribed genes is modified by the methylation of 5’-CpG-3’ dinucleotides. - Nucl. Acids Res., 1994, vol.22, pp. 2568 – 2575.
• Nikolajeva V., Eze D., Kamradze A., Indulena M., I.Muiznieks. Protective effect of adenylate deaminase (from Penicillium lanoso-viride) against acute infections in mice. - Immunopharmacology, 1996, vol. 35, pp.163 - 169.
• I.Muiznieks, W.Doerfler. Unusual electrophoretic properties of DNA fragments having specific sequences in the single stranded overhangs. - Nucl. Acids.Res., 1998, vol. 26, pp. 1899 – 1905.
• I.Muiznieks, N.Rostoks. Analysis of Specific Protein-DNA Interactions. - In: Basic Cloning Procedures. V.Berzins (ed.), Berlin: Springer Verlag, 1998, pp. 68 –104.
• I.Muiznieks, N.Rostoks, R.Schmitt. Effective regulation of transcription of the bacterial raf operon by two Raf repressor dimers and CAP protein that bend DNA in opposite directions. - Biol.Chem., 1999, vol. 380, pp. 19-29.
• I.Muiznieks. Natural Sciences in the University of Latvia: Scientiae et Patriae; - Latvijas vesture (History of Latvia), 1999, N 1 (33), pp. 13-20 (in Latvian).
• V.Nikolajeva, D.Eze, Z.Petrinja, I.Muiznieks. Treatment of experimental autoimmume encephalomyelitis with adenylate deaminase from Penicillium lanoso-viride. - J. Autoimmun., 2000, vol. 14, pp. 107-113.
• V.Nikolajeva, D.Eze, Z.Petrinja, I.Muiznieks. Treatment of Pharmacokinnetics and tissue distribution of adenylate deaminase (from Penicillium lanoso-viridae) in mice (Preprint).
• M.Munnes, S.Fanaei, B.Schmitz, I.Muiznieks, A.M.Hlschneider, W.Doerfler. Familial form Hirschpring Disease:Nucleotide sequence studies reveal point mutations in the Ret Proto-oncogene in two of six families but not in other candidate genes. - Am. J. Med.Genetics, 2000, vol. 94, pp. 19-27.
• R.Remus, M.Zeschnigk, I.Zuther, A.Kanzaki, H.Wada, A.Yawata, I.Muiznieks, et al. The state of DNA methylation in the promoter region of the human red cell membrane protein (Band 3, Protein 4,2 and beta- Spectrin Genes). - Gene Func. Dis., 2001, vol. 2, pp. 171-184.
• E.Polyakov., D.Erts, U.Malinovskis, I.Muiznieks, E.Tuite.  SPM studies of DNA Architectures on Au(111) and Mica Surfaces. - Phys. Low-Dim. Struct., 2003, N 3/4,  pp. 269-276. 
• T.Zorenko, N. Matjuskova, I.Muiznieks. The effects of mushroom shiitake on ontogenesis and reproduction of the social vole Microtus socialis (Rodentia, Cricitidae). - Baltic Journal of Laboratory Animal Science, 2003, vol. 13, N 2, pp. 69 – 78.
• M.Dalecka, N.Matjuskova, I.Muiznieks. The identification of the incompatibility groups of Letinula edodes with different methods using strain collection at the University of Latvia and natural isolates from open-air grown mushrooms - Forestry Studies, 2004, vol. 48, pp. 63-72.
• N.Hochstein, I.Muiznieks, L.Corzilius, S.Auerlochs, H.Brondke, W.Doerfler. The Fate of Viral Transgenes in Mammalian Cells. - Deutsche Gesllschaft f. Virologie, 2005, p. 592.

Research Projects

• I.Muiznieks (Head of Project). In vivo Targeted Evolution of Enzymes in Industrial Yeast Strains. Latvian Council of Science (2001 - ).
• I.Muiznieks (Head of Project). Employment of DNA Topology Properties for the Construction of Microbial and Molecular Sensor Systems. Latvian Council of Science (2001 - ).

   

Last update 23.02.2007