Paul PUMPENS

Born: October 21, 1947

Interests:

• Protein engineering of viral capsids
• Replication of RNA phages
• Principles of protein engineering

Languages: Latvian, Russian, English, German

Education:

• University of Latvia (Faculty of Chemistry), 1970
• Dr. biol. (Candidate of Science in former USSR, Ph.D. in Western countries), Institute of Organic Synthesis, Riga, 1975
• Dr. habil. biol. (Doctor of Science in former USSR), Institute of Molecular Biology, Moscow, 1988.

Experience:

• Junior and Senior Researcher, Institute of Organic Synthesis, Riga, 1973-1989
• Head of Laboratory, Institute of Organic Synthesis, 1989 - 1990
• Head of Department, Biomedical Research and Study Centre, University of Latvia, 1990- 1994
• Scientific Director, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, 2004 -
• Professor,  University of Latvia, 1994 -

Honours and Awards:

• Corresponding Member, Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1990
• Full Member, Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1992
• The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia Prize, 1998

 

Professional Activities and Memberships:

• Member, Latvian Council of Science Expert Committee for Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Microbiology, and Virology, 1993 -
• Member, Latvian Biochemical Society, 1972 -
• Member, Association of Latvian Scientists, 1989 -
• Coordinator, Marie Curie Fellowships project "Artificial chimeric proteins as diagnostic, vaccine, and gene therapy carriers"

Lectures

• Biomedicine: XXI century. -  Academic Lecture, General Meeting of the Latvian Academy of Sciences,   February 19, 1999.

Recent/Representative Publications:

• P.Pumpen, V.Bauman, A.Dishler, E.Gren. Control of replication in RNA bacteriophages. - J.Virol., 1978, vol. 28, pp. 725-735.
• P.Pumpen, A.Dishler, T.Kozlovskaya, V.Bichko, E.Gren, M.Rivkina, A.Grinberg, R.Kukaine. Cloning of hepatitis B virus DNA in Escherichia coli . - Proc. USSR Acad. Sci., 1981, vol. 220, N 4, pp. 1022-1024 (in Russian).
• T.Kozlovskaya, G.Borisova, V.Bichko, J.Kalis, R.Kukaine, E.Gren. Expression of hepatitis B virus surface antigen gene in E.coli. - Gene, 1984, vol. 30, pp. 207-216.
• E.Gren, P.Pumpen. Recombinant virus capsids as new generation of immunogenic proteins and vaccines. - J. All-Union Mendeleyev’s Chem. Soc., 1988, vol. 33, pp. 531-536 (in Russian).
• G.Borisova, B.Arya, A.Dishlers, O.Borschukova, V.Tsibinogin, D.Skrastina, M.Eldarov, P.Pumpens, K.G.Skryabin, E.Grens. Hybrid hepatitis B virus nucleocapsid bearing immunodominant region from hepatitis B virus surface. - J.Virol., 1993, vol. 67, N 6, pp. 3696-3701.
• T.Kozlovska, I.Cielens, D.Dreilina, A.Dislers, V.Baumanis, V.Ose, P.Pumpens. Recombinant RNA phage Qb capsid particles synthesized and self-assembled in E.coli. - Gene, 1993, vol. 137, pp. 133-137.
• P.Pushko, T.Kozlovskaya, I.Sominskaya, A.Brede, E.Stankevica, V.Ose, P.Pumpens, E.Grens. Analysis of RNA phage fr coat protein assembly by insertion, deletion and substitution mutagenesis. - Protein Engineering, 1993, vol. 6, pp. 883-891.
• R.A.Crowther, N.A.Kiselev, B.Bottcher, J.A.Berriman, G.P.Borisova, V.Ose, P.Pumpens. Three-dimensional structure of hepatitis B virus core particles determinated by electron cryomicroscopy. - Cell, 1994, vol. 77, pp. 943-950.
• P.Pushko, M.Sallberg, G. Borisova, U.Ruden, V.Bicho, B.Waren, P.Pumpens, L.Magnius. Identification of hepatitis B virus core protein regions exposed or internalised at the surface of HBcAg particles by scanning with monoclonal antibodies. - Virology, 1994, vol. 202, pp. 912-920.
• L.Liljas, K.Fridborg, K.Valegard, M.Bundule, P.Pumpens. Crystal structure of bacteriophage fr capsids at 3,5 a resolution. - J. Mol. Biol., 1994, vol. 244, pp. 279-290.
• P.Pumpens, G.Borisova, R.A.Crowther, E.Grens. HBV core particles as epitope carriers. - Intervirology, 1995, vol. 38, pp. 63-74.
• H.Meisel, I.Sominskaya, P.Pumpens, P.Pushko, G.Borisova, R.Deepen, X.Lu, G.H. Spilier, D.H.Kruger, W.H.Gerlich. Fine-mapping and functional characterization of two immuno-dominant regions from the preS2 sequence of hepatitis B virus. - Intervirology, 1995, vol. 38, pp. 330-339.
• G.Borisova, O.Borschukova (Wanst), G.Mezule, D.Skrastina, I.Petrovskis, A.Dislers, P. Pumpens, E.Grens. Spatial structure and insertion capacity of immunodominant region of hepatitis B core antigen. - Intervirology, 1996, vol. 39, pp. 16-22.
• T.Kozlovska, I.Cielens, I.Vasiljeva, A.Strelnikova, A.Kazaks, A.Dislers, D.Dreilina, V.Ose, I.Gusars, P.Pumpens. RNA phage Qb coat protein as a carrier for foreign epitopes . - Intervirology, 1996, vol. 39, pp. 9-15.
• E.Grene, G.Mezule, G.Borisova, P.Pumpens, Z.Bentwich, R.Arnon. Relationship between antigenicity and immunogenicity of chimeric core particles carrying HIV-1 epitopes . - AIDS Res. and Human Retroviruses, 1997, vol. 13, pp. 41-51.
• G.Borisova, O.Borschukova, D.Skrastina, G.Mezule, A.Dislers, I.Petrovskis, V.Ose, I.Gusars, P.Pumpens, E.Grens. Display vectors. I. Hepatitis B core particle as a display moiety. - Proc. Latv. Acad. Sci, 1997, vol. 51, pp. 1-7.
• T.Kozlovska, I.Cielens, I.Vasiljeva, M.Bundule, A.Strelnikova, A.Kazaks, A.Dislers, D.Dreilina, V.Ose, I.Gusars, P.Pumpens. Display vectors. II. Recombinant capsid of RNA bacteriophage Qb as a display moiety. - Proc. Latv. Acad. Sci, 1997, vol. 51, pp. 8-12.
• T.Fehr, D.Skrastina, P.Pumpens, R.M.Zinkernagel. T cell-independent type I antibody response against B cell epitopes expressed repetitively on recombinant virus particles. - Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 1998, vol. 95, pp. 9477-9481.
• P.Pumpens, E.Grens. Hepatitis B core particles as a universal display model: a structure-function basis for development. - FEBS Letters, 1999, vol. 442, pp. 1-6.
• P.Preikschat, A.Kazaks, A.Dishlers, P.Pumpens, D.H. Kruger, H.Meisel. Interaction of wild-type and naturally occuring deleted variants of hepatitis B virus core polypeptides leads to formation of mosaic particles. -  FEBS Letters, 2000, vol. 478, pp. 127-132.
• P.Pumpens, E.Grens. Hepatitis B core particles as a carrier for B cell/T cell epitopes. - Intervirology, 2001, vol. 44, N2/3, pp. 98-114..
• P.Pumpens, E.Grens. Artificial genes for chimeric virus-like particles. - In: Artificial DNA: Methods and Applications, CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, 2002, pp. 249-327. 
• P.Pumpens, R.Razanskas, P.Pushko, R.Renhof, I.Gusars, D.Skrastina, V. Ose, et al. Evaluation of HBs, HBc, and frCP virus-like particles for expression of human palillomavirus 16 E7 oncoprotein epitopes. - Intervirology, 2002, vol. 45, N 1, pp. 24-32.
• Lazdina U., Alheim M., Nyström J., Hultgren C., Borisova G., Sominskaya I., Pumpens P., Peterson D.L., Milich D.R., Sallberg M. Priming of cytotoxic T cell responses to exogenous hepatitis B core antigen is B cell dependent. - J. Gen. Virol., 2003,vol. 84, pp. 139-146.
• Mihailova M., Sominskaya I., Jansons J., Rozentals R., Pumpens P. Structural features of hepatitis B virus from long-term immunosuppressed patients in Latvia. - Proc. Latv. Acad. Sci., 2003, vol. 57, N 5, pp. 158-163.
• Kazaks A., Dishlers A., Pumpens P., Ulrich R., Krüger D.H., Meisel H. Mosaic particles formed by wild-type HBV core protein and its deletion variants consist of both homo- and heterodimers.- FEBS Letters, 2003, vol. 549, N 1/3, pp. 157-162.
• Dumpis U., Kovalova Z., Jansons J., Cupane L., Sominskaya I., Michailova M., Karayiannis P., Gardovska D., Viazov S., Ross S. , Roggendorf M., Pumpens P. An outbreak of HBV and HCV infection in a paediatric oncology ward: Epidemiological investigations and prevention of further spread. - J.Med.Virol., 2003, vol.69, N 3, pp. 331-338.
• Kazaks A., Borisova G., Cvetkova S., Kovalevska L., Ose V., Sominskaya I., Pumpens P., Skrastina D.,.Dishlers A. Mosaic hepatitis B core particles presenting complete preS sequence of viral envelope on their surface.- J.Gen.Virol., 2004, vol. 85 (Pt 9), pp. 2665-2670.
• Geldmacher A., Skrastina D., Petrovskis I., Borisova G., Berriman J.A., Roseman A.M., Crowther R.A., Fischer J., Musema S., Gelderblom H.R., Renhofa R., Ose V., Krüger D.H., Pumpens P., Ulrich R. An amino-terminal segment of hantavirus nucleocapsid protein presented on hepatitis B virus core particles induces a strong and highly crossreactive antibody response in mice. - Virology, 2004, vol. 323, N  1, pp. 108-119.
• A.Zajakina, T.Kozlovska, R.Bruvere, J.Aleksejeva, P.Pumpens, H.Garoff. Translation of hepatitisB virus (HBV) surface proteins from the HBV pregenome and precore RNAsin Semliki Forest virus driven expression. - J.Gen.Virol., 2004, vol. 85 , pp. 3343-3351.
• M.Mihailova, M.Boos, I.Petrovskis, O.Ose, D.Skrastina, M.Fiedler, I.Sominskaya, S.Roos, P.Pumpens, M.Roggendorf, S.Viazov. Recombinant virus-like particles as a carrier of B- and T-cell epitopes of hepatitis C virus (HCV). - Vaccine, 2006, vol. 24, N 20, pp. 4369-4377.
• J.Freivalds, A.Dislers, V.Ose, D.Skrastina, I.Cielens, P.Pumpens, K.Sasnauskas, A.Kazaks. Assembly of bacteriophage Qß virus-like particles in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris. - J.Biotechnol., 2006, vol. 123, N 3, pp. 297-303.
• S.Ling, A.Lai, O.Borschukova, P.Pumpens, J.Holoshitz. Activation of nitric oxide signalling by the rheumatoid arthritis shared epitope. - Arthritis Rheum., 2006, vol. 54, N 11, pp. 3423-3432.

 

Research Projects:

    International -

• P. Pumpens (Contractor). Combined immune and gene therapy for chronic viral hepatitis. - EU Framework 5 RTD project (Contract No QLK2-Ct-2000-01476, Prime Contractor: Wolfram H. Gerlich)
• P. Pumpens (Contractor). Hantavirus vaccine . - EU Framework 5 RTD project ( Prime Contractor: : Detlev H. Kruger)
• P.Pumpens (-ordinator). Artificial chimeric proteins as diagnostic, vaccine, and gene therapy carriers. - Marie Curie Training Site (Contract No QLK2-1999-51115)
• P. Pumpens (Contractor). Rational design and comparative evaluation of novel genetic vaccines using West Nile virus as a paradigm. -   EU Framework 6 RTD Integrated Project “COMPUVAC” (Co-ordinator: David Klatzmann).
• P. Pumpens (Contractor). Network of Excellence (NoE) „Malaria vaccine” (applied for November 16, 2004) -   EU Framework 6 RTD Project (Co-ordinator: Mo Klinkert).  
• P.Pumpens (Coordinator). Molecular Monitoring of HBV and HCV Infection in Latvia: Genomic Variations of HBV and HCV in Presence and Absence of HIV Infection. - US CRDF Award # LA-XO-1062-RG-04.  

National:

• P.Pumpens (Head of Project). Construction of E.coli Mutants - Overproducers of Chimeric Proteins RNA Phage Coats. Latvian Council of Science (1993-1996).
• P.Pumpens (Head of Project). Spatial Structure of Chimeric Capsids Based on RNA Phage Coats. Latvian Council of Science (1993-1996).
• P.Pumpens (Head of Project). Universal Cloning and Expression System by Means of Protease Mutants. Latvian Council of Science (1997 - 2000)
• P.Pumpens (Head of Project). Novel VLP Model: Expression and X-Ray Analysis of Acetinobacter RNA Phage 205 Coat Protein and Its Chimeras. Latvian Council of Science ( 2001-2004)
• P.Pumpens (Head of Project). Hematological Malignancies in Children with Combined Chronic Viral Infection. Latvian Council of Science ( 2001 - 2004)
• P.Pumpens (Head of Project). Construction of Chimeric Melanoma Vaccine Candidates. Latvian Council of Science ( 2004 - )
• P.Pumpens (Head of Project). New Prototypes of Chimeric Vaccines: West Nile (WNV) virus. Latvian Council of Science ( 2005 -)

   

Last update30-10-2007 12:46:03