Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar Biological Clock Lab @Gebze Technical University (GTU)
Our research program focuses on the followings:
1) The Role of the Circadian Clock Genes in Health (Techniques: CRISPR/Genome Editing-based modification of the clock Genes)
2) Identification of New Circadian Clock Components (Proteome-based and deep sequencing-based techniques)
3) The reaction mechanism of the circadian clock photoreceptor (Proteome- and recombinant DNA technology-based methods)
4) Identification of modulators of circadian clock (Synthesis and in silico screening methods)
5) Optogenetic applications of circadian photoreceptor (Recombinant DNA technology-based methods)
We accept graduate students through Graduate School Program of GTU.
Recent Publications with online reading access
1- Interactions of drosophila cryptochrome
2-Proteome analysis of the circadian clock protein PERIOD2
4- Light‐dependent reactions of animal circadian photoreceptor cryptochrome
6- Structure-based design and classifications of small molecules regulating the circadian rhythm period
7- Transcriptome analysis of the circadian clock gene BMAL1 deletion with opposite carcinogenic effects
10- Opposite Carcinogenic Effects of Circadian Clock Gene BMAL1
11- Phylogenetic and functional classification of the Photolyase/Cryptochrome Family
Interested students might contact the PI at any time by sending a transcript and CV (nuriozturk [at] gtu.edu.tr)
Lab Members
Nuri Ozturk (PI)
Nuri Öztürk Ph.D. (Prof)
ResearcherID: F-4140-2011
Orchid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5206-4127
Research Experience:
2020- Prof. @ Gebze Technical University
2015-2020 Assoc. Prof. @ Gebze Technical University
2014-2015 Asst. Prof. @ Gebze Institute of Technology
2012-2014 Res. Asst. Prof. @ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
Post-doc: 2015 nobel laureate Prof. Aziz Sancar Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
PhD: Prof. Mehmet Öztürk Lab, Bilkent University, Ankara
Awards:
TUBITAK Project Performance Award (2020)
The Turkish Academy of Sciences—Outstanding Young Scientists Award (2015)
TUBITAK2232 – Postdoctoral Return Fellowship Program Award (2014)
UNC Postdoctoral Award for Research Excellence (2011)
Bilkent University Scholarship (Tuition and Stipend) (1998-2006)
Current MSc Students
Merve Koçoğlu
Eda Demirözcan
Graduated MSc Students/ Next Destination
Büşra Tiryaki (2024) Türkiye (Private Sector)
Buket Sünbül (2024) Türkiye (Private Sector)
Mehmet Serdar Koca (2023)(Granada, Spain)
Şeyma Yazan (2023) (GTÜ-TTO, Türkiye)
Kevser Çilenk (2022) (Medipol Univ., Türkiye)
Feride Demirhan (2022) (Koç Üniv., Türkiye)
Barış Can Ülkü (2022) (The University of Kassel , Germany)
Satı Paltacı (2021) (Ege Univ.,, Türkiye)
Saba Selvi (2021) (The Institute of Experimental Medicine of the CAS, Czech Republic)
Senanur Olfaz (2020) (Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi, Türkiye)
Fatma Yılmaz (2020) (GTÜ, Türkiye)
Büşra Acar (2019) (AGÜ, Türkiye)
Asena Cantürk (2019) (Türkiye)
Fatih Aygenli (2019) (Ludwig-Maximilians University, Germany)
Meltem Aşıcıoğlu (2018) (TÜBİTAK UME, Türkiye)
Bihter Muratoğlu(2018) (Hacettepe Üniv., Türkiye)
Feraye Hatice Canbaz (2018) (İTÜ, Türkiye)
Kaan Can Ömeroğlu (2017) (Yeditepe Univ., Türkiye)
Gözde Özçelik (2016) (GTÜ, Türkiye; Ludwig-Maximilians University, Germany)
Current PhD Students
Fatma Yılmaz, MSc
Büşra Nur Çevik, MSc
Esra Kaynak, MSc (Co-Advisor)
Graduated PhD Students/Next Destination
Gözde Özçelik, PhD (2024) The Technical University of Munich
Hüseyin Gül, PhD (2022) (The University of Edinburgh, UK)
Handan Emişoğlu-Külahlı, PhD (2021) (Üsküdar Üniv., Türkiye)
Tuba Korkmaz, PhD (2019) (Koç Üniv., Turkiye)
Contact Information:
Gebze Teknik Üniversitesi
Moleküler Biyoloji ve Genetik Bölümü
C-blok Ofis: 110
Çayırova 41400
Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey
Lab: +90 (262) 605 2542
Office: +90 (262) 605 2521
E-mail: nuriozturk13 [at] gmail.com
Established in October 2014 at Gebze Technical University, Turkey
Biological Clock Lab Research
Nearly all organisms have circadian rhythms in their physiological functions. These circadian rhythms are generated by endogenous clocks, called circadian clocks, which provide a periodicity of about 24 hours even in the absence of environmental timing cues. A functional circadian clock consists of a “core clock” and a “photoreceptor system” which resets the core clock daily. In mammals, the core clock consists of an interlocked Transcription-Translation Feedback Loop (TTFL) with positive and negative arms. The positive arm induces transcription of negative arm components, which are then translated into repressors that inhibit the transactivation function of the positive arm. This activation/inhibition creates a cyclic expression pattern. However, post-translational modifications and secondary loops tune the circadian clock to approximately 24 hours . In TTFL, transcription factors Clock and Bmal1 induce the transcription of Cryptochrome (CRY) and period (PER) as well as many other circadian clock-regulated genes (CCG). In mammals, CRY and PER make a complex that translocates into the nucleus where they inhibit the Clock-Bmal1 transcriptional activity through direct protein-protein interactions Photoreception occurs in the eye of mammals where both classical photoreceptors (in rods and cones) and melanopsin (in a subset of retinal ganglion cells) receive the light signal and transmit it to the master circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain. Downstream signalling causes acute induction of Per1 transcripts, which resets the circadian clock in the SCN. The SCN then resets the circadian clocks in peripheral organs by neuronal and humoral signals.
Circadian Clock in Mammals. Top Panel: Anatomical locations of Clocks. Clocks in peripheral tissues create the circadian oscillations of physiology. These peripheral clocks are synchronized by a master clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) by humoral and/or neuronal pathways. The endogenous master clock is slightly different from 24 hr. Light resets the master clock through the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) daily therefore it is synchronized to the geological clock. Lower Panel: Circadian clock circuit. Clock-Bmal1 and CRY-PER form positive and negative arms of the Transcription Translation Feedback Loop, respectively. Clock-BMal1 activates the transcription of PER-CRY as well as circadian clock-regulated genes (CCG). Accumulated CRY-PER enters the nucleus where it inhibits the Clock-BMal1 activity by protein-protein interaction. The circadian oscillation of CCG creates the circadian changes in physiology.