MARIA YAKUNINA
EDUCATION:
M.S.
Applied
mathematics and
physics
2007-2009
B.S.
Technical physics
2003-2007
Faculty of medical physics and bioengineering, St.
Petersburg State Polytechnical University, St. Petersburg,
Russian Federation. Advisors: V.N. Ksenzenko and V.M.
Sedova. Research topic: a study of endonuclease F-TflI
encoded by bacteriophage T5.
Faculty of medical physics and bioengineering, St.
Petersburg State Polytechnical University, St. Petersburg,
Russian Federation. Advisors: V.I. Kazakov and N.M.
Usmanova. Research topic: study of microsatellite loci
variability in Triturus cristatus complex
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
07/2012 - present
02/2012 – present
10/2009 – 01/2012
Doctoral student, Institute of Nanobiotechnologies, St. Petersburg State
Polytechnical University, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Advisors:
Prof. K.V. Severinov and M.A. Khodorkovskii. Job description: A study
of transcriptional regulation of phiKZ-related bacteriophages.
Engineer-reseacher, Institute of Nanobiotechnologies, St. Petersburg
State Polytechnical University, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Job
description: A study of transcriptional regulation of phiKZ-related
bacteriophages.
Researcher, Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Pushchino, Moscow region, Russian Federation. Job description: A study
of DNA-binding properties of endonucleases encoded by T5-like
bacteriophages.
SPECIALIZED SKILLS:
Foreign languages: English.
Computer skills: can work in all three OS (Windows, MacOS and Linux/Unix), MS Office /
OpenOffice/ LibreOffice, Photoshop/GIMP, SigmaPlot, GeneDoc, Artemis, Vector NTI, on-line
tools (BLAST, HHpred, ClustelX, MEME Suite and etc)
Practical skills:
DNA: DNA isolation and purification, molecular cloning basics (primer design, PCR, mutagenesis,
restriction, ligation, bacterial transformation, plasmid purification, gel electrophoresis etc.).
RNA: RNA isolation and purification, primer extension and reverse transcription, in vitro
transcription.
Proteins: protein isolation and purification (affinity, ion exchange and size-exclusion
chromatography), expression of plasmid constructs in bacterial systems, PAGE electrophoresis
(native and SDS), western blot.
Other methods and techniques: microbiological skills.
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS:
1. Yakunina M., Vorontsova D., Artamonova T., Khodorkovskiy M., Severinov K., Minakhin L.
(2013) Two non-canonical RNA polymerases encoded by phiKZ-like giant phages. FEBS
Journal 280 (Suppl. 1): 101
2. Yakunina M.V., Vorontsova D.N., Minakhin L.S. (2013) Non-canonical RNA-polymerases
phiKZ-like phages. St. Petersburg State Polytechnical Journal: Physics and Mathematics.
Polytechnical University Publishing House Saint-Petersburg, Vol. 1 (165)
3. Ceyssens PJ, Minakhin L, Van den Bossche A, Yakunina M, Klimuk E, Blasdel B, De Smet
J, Noben JP, Bläsi U, Severinov K, Lavigne R (2014) Development of giant bacteriophage
ФKZ is independent of the host transcription apparatus. Journal of Virology, pii: JVI.0134714
4. Pobegalov G.E., Arsenyev A.N., Yakunina M.V., Minakhin L.S. (2014) The determination of
binding force between promoter and Pseudomonas aeruginosa RNA polymerase during
transcription initiation. St. Petersburg State Polytechnical Journal: Physics and Mathematics.
Polytechnical University Publishing House Saint-Petersburg, Vol. 4 (206)