Born: April 25, 1979 (Moscow). Graduated from bioclass of Moscow high-school 1543. From 1996 to 2001 studied at the Higher Chemical College of the Russian Academy of Sciences. While being a student worked at N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry and A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds. Since 2002 works at M.M. Shemyakin and Yu. A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2009 received PhD degree in biochemistry for studying chemical structures of the chromophores of GFP-like fluorescent proteins.

In 2016 received DrSc degree for studying novel luciferins.

IBCh positions

	Head of department	Department of Biomolecular Chemistry
2018–to date	Principal research fellow	Laboratory of Chemistry of Metabolic Pathways
2021–to date	Deputy sci-director	Direction

IBCh memberships

	Educational-methodical commission
	Certifying committee
	Dissertation council
	Scientific council

Titles

Doctor of Science (Chemistry)

Scientific interests

Research interests: medicinal chemistry, total synthesis of natural products, bioluminescence, fluorescent and fluorogenic dyes, evaluation of biosynthetic mechanisms. He dedicates plenty of time to teaching chemistry to high-school and university students specialized in biology and authors about a dozen original lecture courses.
 

Scientific results

FULFILLED

 

2009-2011

 

Biosynthetic mechanism of chemically unstable acylimine chromophore of red fluorescent proteins was investigated. This required development of new synthetic strategy to 2-acylaminoimidazolones - biosynthetic precursors of 2-acyliminoimidazolones. We have shown spontaneous oxidation of precursors with air oxygen by unusual mechanism.

             

Discosoma

 

2002-2009

 

Total synthesis of chromophores of GFP-like fluorescent proteins was used as a tool for independent structure determination of these chromophores. Also, this allowed to study structure-spectral properties relationship within this range of imidazole derivatives and to develop novel synthetic approaches to 2-functionalized arylideneimidazolones. Chromophores of AsFP595, Kaede and YFP538 were synthesized.

 

           

Zoanthus

 

           

Trachyphyllia

 

 

           

 

Anemonia

 

2002-2004

 

A blue proteinaceous pigment from Rhizostoma pulmo (jellyfish from the Black Sea) was isolated, sequenced and studied by biochemical methods. An attempt to determine the nature of the blue coloration (chromophore) was unsuccessful.

 

           

 

Black Sea jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo possessing an unidentified blue pigment