Moona Kurttila obtained her Master’s degree in cell and molecular biology in 2019 in University of Jyväskylä. She received her PhD in Jyväskylä 2023 by studying the signal transduction pathways in a red-light photoreceptor called phytochrome. During her PhD, she gained experience in protein modifications, production and characterization by spectroscopic, structural, and biochemical methods and assays. Before her scientific career, she also obtained a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
After finishing her PhD, Moona joined the Biometrology group at NPL in 2023 to follow her interests in protein metrology, in particular understanding the structure-function relationship of light activated systems. At NPL, she utilizes and develops her biochemical and biophysical skills to unravel the molecular basis of photoreceptor signalling and supports their applications as optogenetic tools in living cells. Other areas of activity include developing methods to assess the stability and functional dynamics of biological drugs.
Areas of interest
- Production and biophysical characterisation of photoreceptor protein systems
- Bio-optical metrology
- (Time-resolved) vibrational spectroscopy
- Protein dynamics
- Optogenetic tools and applications
Publications
The interconnecting hairpin extension "arm": An essential allosteric element of phytochrome activity. Kurttila, M., Rumfeldt, J., Takala, H., & Ihalainen, J. A., 2023, Structure 31: 1100-1108. DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.06.007
The structural effect between the output module and chromophore-binding domain is a two-way street via the hairpin extension. Kurttila, M., Etzl, S., Rumfeldt, J., Takala, H., Galler, N., Winkler, A., & Ihalainen, J. A., 2022, Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, 21(11), 1881-1894. DOI: 10.1007/s43630-022-00265-5
The hairpin extension controls solvent access to the chromophore binding pocket in a bacterial phytochrome: a UV–vis absorption spectroscopy study. Rumfeldt, J., Kurttila, M., Takala, H., & Ihalainen, J. A., 2021, Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, 20(9), 1173-1181. DOI: 10.1007/s43630-021-00090-2
Site-by-site tracking of signal transduction in an azidophenylalanine-labeled bacteriophytochrome with step-scan FTIR spectroscopy. Kurttila, M., Stucki-Buchli, B., Rumfeldt, J., Schroeder, L., Häkkänen, H., Liukkonen, A., Takala, H., Kottke, T., & Ihalainen, J., 2021, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 23(9), 5615-5628. DOI: 10.1039/d0cp06553f