Nurit Mirkin, Ph.D.
Contact Information:
Personal:
206 S 13th St. Apt 2201
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Ph: (917) 456 6093
e-mail:
nuritmirkin@hotmail.com,
nuritm@mail.med.upenn.edu
Education and training:
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. From 2008 till present.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Hunter College of the City University of New York, NY, USA. From 2005 2008
PhD in Biomedical Sciences. National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico city, Mexico.
2001-2005
B.Sc.: Biotechnology, with honors. National University of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina. 1993-2000
Research Experience:
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Postdoctoral research (from Dec/2008 till present)
Adviser: Roberto Dominguez, PhD.
Topic: Study the structure and function of IRSp53 and BAIAP2 proteins. IRSp53 is implicated in
the formation of neuronal spines and cellular protrusions such as lamellipodia and filopodia in
motile cells. The function of BAIAP2 has not been characterized. The role of IRSp53 in
lamellipodia and filopodia formation is a direct consequence of its modular structure and multiple
protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions. Both lamellipodia and filopodia are extremely
dynamic plasma-membrane protrusions, which play critical roles in cell motility, in particular in the
migration of metastatic cancer cells.
Hunter College of the City University of New York, NY, USA.
Postdoctoral research (Oct/2005-Nov/2008).
Adviser: Frida Kleiman, Ph.D.
Topic: Study of the Transcription-Couple Repair mechanisms in eukaryotic cells and its interactions
with the mRNA processing machinery. Regulation of 3’ end formation or mRNA can play significant
roles in control of gene expression, in cell growth control and perhaps in disease, especially in
tumor cells. The long-term goal is to elucidate the basic mechanisms of 3’ mRNA processing
regulation following DNA damage and its physiological significance in carcinogenesis.
1
National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico city, Mexico. 2001-2005
Doctoral Research (4 years)
Advisor: Abel Moreno Carcamo, Ph.D.
Thesis dissertation: “Protein crystallization under the presence of an internal electric field:
crystallographic studies and design of a biosensor”. This research set the basis of a novel crystallization
method for proteins by applying an internal electric field, based on the gel acupuncture technique. I
found that crystals were formed faster in this set-up than in control experiments due to the fact that
an internal electric field can control the nucleation rate. Moreover, when crystals of an
electrochemical protein grew attach to the electrode, an electric current passed through the system
behaving the crystals as sensor units. To study more in deep the possibility of using protein crystals
as biosensors, the surface analysis of cytochrome c deposits over Sn-In oxide electrode was
performed by Atomic Force Microscopy.
National University of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina.
Undergraduate Research. (2 years)
Advisor: Antonio D. Uttaro, Ph.D.
Thesis dissertation: “Structural studies of the active site of a-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase enzyme
family from Phytomonas sp”. Phytomonas sp. is a plant parasite that causes diseases of economic
importance in plantations of coffee, oil palm, cassava and coconuts among others. Phytomonas sp.
contains two malate dehydrogenase isoforms (MDH), a mitochondrial isoenzyme with a high
specificity for oxaloacetate and a glycosomal isozyme that acts on a broad range of substrates. By
over-expressing different chimerical constructs of the two MDH isoforms and a mutant isoform, and
studying their enzymatic activity with different substrates, the key aminoacids responsible for the
selectivity of them was found.
Fellowship and Awards:
2007
Postdoctoral travel award from the City University of New York.
2004
Young Scientist Fellowship – 10th International Conference on the Crystallization of
Biological Macromolecules, Beijing, China.
2002
Young Scientist Fellowship – 9th International Conference on the Crystallization of
Biological Macromolecules, Jenna, Germany.
2001 – 2005 Four years, full budget, merit-based international scholarship awarded by National
Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico city, Mexico.
Publications:
Nurit Mirkin, Danae Fonseca, Samia Mohammed, Murat A. Cevher, James L.Manley and Frida E.
Kleiman. The 3’ Processing Factor CstF Functions in the Transcription-Coupled Repair Response
Nucleic Acids Res. 2008 Apr; 36(6):1792-804
Nurit Mirkin, Jean Jaconcik, Vivian Stojanoff and Abel Moreno. High resolution X-ray
crystallographic structure of bovine heart cytochrome c and its application to the design of an
electron transfer biosensor. Proteins. 2008 Jan 1; 70(1): 83-92.
N. Mirkin & A. Moreno. (2005) Review article: Advances in new techniques for macromolecular
crystal growth Journal of the Mexican Chemical Society, July, 1, 1-14.
2
N. Mirkin, B. A. Frontana-Uribe, A. Rodriguez-Romero, A. Hernández-Santoyo and A. Moreno
(2003). The influence of an internal electric field upon protein crystallization using the gel
acupuncture method. Acta Crystallographica D, biological crystallization 59, 1533-1538.
Abstracts:
Nurit Mirkin & A. Moreno. Crystal growth kinetics and mass deposition rate of proteins grown
under the influence of an internal electric field. In: book of abstracts from 10th International
Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules; June 5-8, 2004, Beijing, China.
Nurit Mirkin, Bernardo Frontanta-Uribe and A. Moreno. The influence of an internal electric field
upon protein crystallization using the gel acupuncture method. Inside the abstract book of the 9th
International Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules, March 23-28, 2002,
Jena, Germany.
Uttaro, A.D., Mirkin, N., Altabe, S.G., Rider, M.H., Michels, PAM, Opperdoes, F.R. Phytomonas sp.
Metabolic model of trypanosomatids for trypanocidic drug desing. VI Congreso Argentino de
Protozoología y Enfermedades Parasitarias, SAP. (2000), Huerta Grande, Córdoba, Argentina.
Oral Presentation:
Nurit Mirkin, Vivian Stojanoff, Jean Jaconcik and Abel Moreno. Crystallization and high resolution
x-ray crystallographic structure of cytochrome c from bovine heart. 11th International Conference
on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules; August 2006, Quebec, Canada.
Nurit Mirkin, Danae Fonseca, James L. Manley and Frida E. Kleiman The 3’ processing factor CstF
functions in Transcription-Coupled Repair response. 12th annual meeting of the RNA society, May
29th-June 3rd, 2007, Madison, WI, USA.
Uttaro, A.D., Mirkin, N., Michels PAM, Oppedoes, FR Phytomonas sp. as a model of Trypanosomatid
metabolism and drug design.. XXVI Annual meeting on the Basic Research in Chagas Disease
(1999), Caxambu, M.G., Brazil.
Teaching Experience:


Teaching Assistant for the Biochemistry and Cell Biology 202 class, at the University of
Pennsylvania (fall 2009).
Guest speaker for the recitation classes during the Biochemistry curse at Hunter College,
CUNY (2008), New York, NY.
Personal Traits and Skills:
•
•
•
Results-oriented individual with notable teamwork and leadership abilities. Excellent
presentation, communication and interpersonal skills.
Computer skills: general knowledge of PC and Internet, basic knowledge of structural
resolution software (Basic Linux/Unix).
Fluency in diverse languages: English, Spanish, and Hebrew.
3