Research papers

  1. Natural-Product-Derived Antimicrobial Adjuvants to Reverse Plasmid-Mediated Bacterial Resistance

    Linyu Wu, Xinyuan Zhang, Peter Oelschlaeger, Jürgen Brem, Dongmei Wang, Cheng Chen
    Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2026) 74(4): 3290–3315
    DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5c13090

  2. Engineered Biocatalysts for the Asymmetric Synthesis of D-Phenylalanines

    Raluca Bianca Tomoiagă, Levente Csaba Nagy, Krisztina Boros, Mădălina Elena Moisă, László Csaba Bencze
    ACS Catalysis (2025) 15(9): 7361–7389
    DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.5c00837

  3. Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lysate captured in a fully ordered conformation upon binding the N-phenylglycine inhibitor

    Pauline A. Lang, Krisztina Kelemen, Alina Filip, Christopher J. Schofield, Jurgen Brem, László C. Bencze
    submitted to Protein Science (2026)

  4. Functional and structural exploration of bacterial aromatic ammonia-lyases with non-canonical activity

    Raluca B. Tomoiagă, Gyopárka Ágoston, Krisztina Kelemen, Réka Iván, Ibolya Leveles, Albert Soran, András E. Iszlai, Levente C. Nagy, Jürgen Brem, Gergely N. Nagy, Beáta G. Vértessy, László C. Bencze
    submitted to ACS Catalysis (2026)

  5. Function and evolution of bacterial aromatic ammonia lyases acting on non-natural phenylalanines

    Gyopárka Ágoston, Raluca B. Tomoiagă, Krisztina Kelemen, Suciu Titus, László C. Bencze
    submitted to International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2026)

  6. Lipopolysaccharide with dual role as substrate and regulator for the phosphatase activity of YejM

    Naomi Bondila, Monika Thakur, Alina Filip, Krisztina Kelemen, Raluca B. Tomoiaga, Jürgen Brem, László C. Bencze
    submitted to Scientific Reports (2026)

Scientific events

  1. Connecting Lipopolysaccharide Regulation and Lipid A Dephosphorylation: Structural Insights into the LPS-YejM interaction and LapB–YejM Complex

    Csongor Mátyás, Naomi Bondilă, Raluca Bianca Tomoiagă, Alina Filip, Jürgen Brem, László Csaba Bencze
    Molecular Modeling in Chemistry and Biochemistry 2026 (MolMod 2026). June 18-20, 2026, Cluj-Napoca, România

  2. Connecting Lipopolysaccharide Regulation and Lipid A Dephosphorylation: Structural Insights into the LPS-YejM interaction and LapB–YejM Complex

    Csongor Mátyás, Naomi Bondilă, Raluca Bianca Tomoiagă, Alina Filip, Jürgen Brem, László Csaba Bencze
    International Society of Quantum Biology and Pharmacology Presidents Meeting 2026 (ISQBP 2026). June 15-18, 2026, Cluj-Napoca, România

  3. Structure-Based Pharmacophore Modeling of DprE1 and Protein–Protein Complex Modeling of DprE1–DprE2 for Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Discovery

    Csongor Mátyás, Blanka-Eszter Nagy, Krisztina Boros, Levente Csaba Nagy, Jürgen Brem, László Csaba Bencze
    Prague Protein Spring 2026. May 7-10, 2026, Prague, Czech Republic

  4. Construction of the M. tuberculosis DprE1–DprE2 protein complex and its structure-based pharmacophore modeling

    Csongor MÁTYÁS, Blanka-Eszter NAGY, Levente Csaba NAGY, Jürgen BRÉM, László Csaba BENCZE
    31th International Conference on Chemistry. October 23-25, 2025, September 21-24, 2025, Sibiu, România

  5. Exploring and Unlocking the Functional Diversity of Aromatic Ammonia-Lyases

    László Csaba Bencze, Raluca Bianca Tomoiagă, Krisztina Boros, Levente Csaba Nagy
    14th International Conference on Protein Stabilization (ProtStab 2025). September 21-24, 2025, Timișoara, România

  6. High-Throughput Assays Development for Screening Saturation Mutagenesis-Derived Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase Libraries

    Raluca Bianca Tomoiagă, László Csaba Bencze
    14th International Conference on Protein Stabilization (ProtStab 2025). September 21-24, 2025, Timișoara, România

  7. Novel Structural Insights into Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyases: A Step Toward D-Selective PALs

    Krisztina Boros, Pauline A. Lang, Alina Filip, Christopher J. Schofield, Jürgen Brem, László Csaba Bencze
    14th International Conference on Protein Stabilization (ProtStab 2025). September 21-24, 2025, Timișoara, România

  8. A D-Amino Acid Oxidase-Based Solid-Phase Assay for Screening Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase Libraries for Reversed Stereoselectivity

    Naomi Bondilă, Raluca Bianca Tomoiagă, Krisztina Boros, Jürgen Brem, László-Csaba Bencze
    14th International Conference on Protein Stabilization (ProtStab 2025). September 21-24, 2025, Timișoara, România

  9. Breaking the Wall: Targeting the MtDprE1–MtDprE2 complex in tuberculosis

    Blanka-Eszter Nagy, Krisztina Boros, Jürgen Brém, László-Csaba Bencze
    14th International Conference on Protein Stabilization (ProtStab 2025). September 21-24, 2025, Timișoara, România

  10. Structure-Based Pharmacophore Modeling and Protein Complex Modeling of DprE1-DprE2 for Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Discovery

    Csongor Mátyás, Blanka-Eszter Nagy, Levente Csaba Nagy, Jürgen Brém, László Csaba Bencze
    14th International Conference on Protein Stabilization (ProtStab 2025). September 21-24, 2025, Timișoara, România

  11. Synthesis of L-phenylalanine analogues: engineering and exploring bacterial aromatic ammonia-lyases

    Raluca Bianca Tomoiagă, Gyopárka Ágoston, László Csaba Bencze
    17th International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotransformations (BIOTRANS 2025). June 29 - July 3, 2025, Basel, Switzerland

  12. Multi-enzymatic biosynthetic route to D-phenylalanines

    Krisztina Boros, Raluca Bianca Tomoiagă, Lilla Gal, Anca Anghel, Jörg Pietruszka, László Csaba Bencze
    17th International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotransformations (BIOTRANS 2025). June 29 - July 3, 2025, Basel, Switzerland

Academic Outcomes

  1. PhD thesis: "Enzyme Engineering and Immobilization Strategies for the Efficient Biocatalytic Synthesis of D-Phenylalanines"

    PhD candidate: Krisztina BOROS, PhD advisor: Prof. Dr. Monica Ioana TOȘA
    Thesis committee: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fabio Parmeggiani, Prof. Dr. László Poppe, and Prof. Dr. Francisc Péter

  2. PhD thesis: "Protein Engineering of Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyases for the Synthesis of Unnatural L-Phenylalanine Analogues"

    PhD candidate: Raluca Bianca TOMOIAGĂ, PhD advisor: Prof. Dr. Monica Ioana TOȘA

Deposited crystal structures

  1. PDB ID: 31QQ Entry Title: Aromatic ammonia-lyase from Loktanella atrilutea, apo

    Entry Authors: Kelemen, K., Tomoiaga, R.B., Agoston, G., Ivan, R.B., Leveles, I., Brem, J., Nagy, G.N., Vertessy, G.B., Bencze, C.-L.

  2. PDB ID: 31QR Entry Title: Aromatic ammonia-lyase from Loktanella atrilutea, in complex with 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate

    Entry Authors: Kelemen, K., Tomoiaga, R.B., Agoston, G., Ivan, R.B., Leveles, I., Brem, J., Nagy, G.N., Vertessy, G.B., Bencze, C.-L.

  3. PDB ID: 31QT Entry Title: Aromatic ammonia-lyase from Hyphomicrobiales bacterium in complex with 3-methoxycinnamate

    Entry Authors: Kelemen, K., Tomoiaga, R.B., Agoston, G., Ivan, R.B., Leveles, I., Brem, J., Nagy, G.N., Vertessy, G.B., Bencze, C.-L.

  4. PDB ID: 31QS, Entry Title: Aromatic ammonia-lyase from Loktanella atrilutea, in complex with 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamate

    Entry Authors: Kelemen, K., Tomoiaga, R.B., Agoston, G., Ivan, R.B., Leveles, I., Brem, J., Nagy, G.N., Vertessy, G.B., Bencze, C.-L.