Maija Ruklisha

Professor Maija Ruklisha Senior Researcher Head of Laboratory of Metabolism Control of Producers Institute of Microbiology & Biotechnology, University of Latvia Kronvalda bulv. 4 Riga, LV 1586 Latvia Phone: +371 7034866 Fax: +371 7034866 E-mail:  coryne@lanet.lv

Interests:

• Physiology and Biochemistry of Corynebacteria
• Lysine and Valine Biosynthesis
• Glucose Transport
• Product Export
• Intracellular Metabolite Flux Control
• Stringent and Growth Control Mechanisms
• Central Metabolism Control in Corynebacteria
• Bacterial Stress Responses

Brief Description of Main Research:

General principles of metabolism and product (lysine, valine) synthesis control in Corynebacterium glutamicum were investigated. The aim of these studies was the development of theoretical principles enabling to maintain high microbial process productivity and comparatively low production cost of amino acids. It was estimated that the essential parameter to increase the productivity of the technological process of amino acid synthesis was the increase of product yield from C-substrates. Metabolite flux control in bacterial cells (the activity of substrate uptake, central metabolic pathway functioning and product export) was established as the most significant method for the increase of product experimental yield from C-substrates (Ruklisha et al., 1992, 1993, 2000, 2001, Paegle & Ruklisha, 2003).
Principles of metabolite flux control depending on the rate of energy generation and utilization in the cells, switching on or off the stringent control mechanism and others were investigated and applied to improve lysine and valine biosynthesis by C. glutamicum cells.

Languages: Latvian, English, Russian

Education

• University of Latvia (Faculty of Biology) cum laude, 1966
• Dr. biol. (Candidate of Science in former USSR, Ph.D. in Western countries), Latvian Academy of Sciences, Riga, 1974
• Dr. habil. biol., A.Kirchensteins Institute of Microbiology, Riga, Latvia, 1993

   Abroad

• University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Individual Mobility Grant from TEMPUS Phare, 1997: Lecture course development in: “Physiology and Biochemistry of Bacterial Cells: Global Regulatory Phenomena, their Application to Increase Product Microbial Synthesis” (Lecture course for Mc. students)

Experience:

• Biochemist, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, 1966-1967
• Chemist, Institute of Physical Energetics, Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1967-1969
• Ph.D. student, A.Kirchensteins Institute of Microbiology, 1969-1972
• Junior Researcher, Institute of Microbiology, 1972-1975
• Senior Researcher, Institute of Microbiology, 1975-1995
• Professor, Head of Laboratory of Metabolism Control of Producers, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, 1995 -
• Lecturer, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, 1994 -1999

Professional Activities and Memberships: 

• Member, Council of Habilitation and Promotion (Microbiology), A.Kirchensteins Institute of Microbiology, 1994-1997
• Member, Council of Habilitation and Promotion (Microbiology, Biotechnology and Molecular Biology), University of Latvia, 1997 -
• Member, Latvian Council of Science Expert Committee for Microbiology, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, and Virology, 1995-2000
• Member, Union of Latvian Biochemists, 1975-1991
• Member, Union of Latvian Microbiologists, 1995 -
• Member, New York Academy of Sciences, 1995 -
• Member, Association of Latvian Scientists, 1996 -
• Member, Section of Microorganism Physiology, European Federation of Biotechnology (Brussels), 1998 -

Honours and Awards:

• Corresponding Member, the Latvian Academy of Sciences, 2003
• The  (LAS) Presidium First Award, 1976 and 1988
• The LAS und joint stock company " Aldaris" Prize, 2002

Lectures:

Biochemical Responses of Brevibacterium flavum to Substrate Concentrations and Medium Mixing Intensity. Invited lecture, 11th International Congress of Chemical Engineering, Prague, September, 1993.

Courses:

University of Latvia (Faculty of Biology) -

• Product Synthesis Control in Bacteria, 1994-1995
• Industrial Microbiology, 1995 -

Recent/ Representative Publications

151  scientific publications (1 monograph, 52 articles in internationally reviewed journals) and 13 patents

• Ruklisha M., Shvinka J., Viesturs U. Biotechnology of Bacterial Synthesis, 1992, Riga:Zinatne, 358 pp. (in Russ.); Annex, 1993, 117 pp. (in English).
• Beker M., Mezhina G., Ruklisha M., Viesturs U., Selga S., Alexandrova M., Apsite A., Savenkov V. Correlation between aeration and physiological activity of the producer of extracellular L-Lysine. - Biotechnol. Bioeng., 1973, 4, pp. 233-239.
• Beker M., Mezhina G., Ruklisha M., Ose V., Apsite A., Viesturs U. Morphologische und physiologische untersuchungen des L-lysin-produzenten Brevibacterium sp. 22L unter den bedingungen der kontinuierlichen kultivierung. – Zeitschrift fur Allg.Mikrobiologie 1976, 16, 7, pp.497 506 (In German).
• Ruklisha M., Marauska D., Viesturs U. Regulation of enzymes involved in metabolism of glucose and acetic acid in lysine producing bacterium Brevibacterium flavum. - Microbiology, 1978, 47, 6, pp. 992-996 (in Russ. or in Engl. version of journal).
• Ruklisha M., Sakse A., Selga S., Shvinka J., Toma M., Viesturs U. Yield characteristics of L-lysine producing bacteria in continuous culture related to glucose and oxygen metabolism. - In: Continuous Cultivation of Microorganisms, Prague, 1980, pp. 711-716.
• Shvinka J., Viesturs U., Ruklisha M. Yield regulation of lysine biosynthesis in Brevibacterium flavum. - Biotechnol. Bioeng., 1980, 22, pp. 897-912.
• Ruklisha M., Shvinka J., Marauska D., Toma M., Galinina N. Coordination of energetic and carbon metabolism in lysine producing Brevibacterium strains. Biotechnol. Letters, 1981, 3, 9, pp. 465-470.
• Shvinka J.E., Viesturs U.E., Ruklisha M.P., Baburin L.A., Galinina N.J. Energetic and carbon metabolism regulation in lysine producing Brevibacterium flavum strains. - Acta Biotechnol., 1981, 1, 4, pp. 371-375.
• Marauska D., Ruklisha M., Galynina N. Energy-dependent glucose transport in Brevibacterium flavum cells. - Microbiology, 1981, 50, 5, pp.763-768 (in Russ. or in Engl. version of the journal).
• Leite M.P., Ruklisha M.P., Viesturs U.E., Shvinka J.E. Regulation of lysine biosynthesis in Brevibacterium flavum. - Acta Biotechnol., 1982, 2, 1, pp. 79-85.
• Shmite I.A., Eglajs V.O., Ruklisha M.P., Viesturs U.E. Biosynthesis of polyribonucleotides phosphorylase and polyribonucleotides by E.coli. - Acta Biotechnol., 1982, 2, 4, pp. 359-369.
• Ruklisha M., Marauska D., Labane L. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and its operation in lysine producing bacterium Brevibacterium flavum. - Microbiology, 1982, 51, 1, pp.17-20 (in Russ. or in Engl. version of journal).
• Ruklisha M., Labane L., Viesturs U., Shvinka J., Shmite I., Lacars A. Coordination between changes in the activity of glucose transport and metabolism in Brevibacterium flavum. – Mikrobiologija, 1983, 52, 5, pp.739 – 743 (in Russ.).
• Toma M., Shvinka J., Ruklisha M., Sakse A., Baburins L. Cyanide resistant oxygen consumption by lysine-synthesizing bacteria Brevibacterium flavum 22 LD. - Applied Biochem. Microbiol., 1984, 20, 1, pp.95-99 (in Russ. or in Engl. version of the journal).
• Baburin L.A., Shvinka J.E., Ruklisha M.P., Viesturs U.E. Gas balance method for testing of microbial growth efficiency after carbon substrate pulses. - Acta Biotechnol., 1986, 6, 2, pp. 123-128.
• Ruklisha M., Duntse M., Levane V., Kalninya R. The functioning of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in Brevibacterium flavum and Micrococcus glutamicus. - Microbiology, 1987, 56, 5, pp.759-763 (in Russ. or in Engl. version of the journal).
• Ruklisha M. Kinetic characteristics of glucose transport in Brevibacterium flavum. - Microbiology, 1987, 56, 1, pp. 21-26 (in Russ. or in Engl. version of the journal).
• Viesturs U., Dubrovskis V., Sakse A., Ruklisha M. Biogas production from the wastes of L-lysine industrial production. - Proc. Latv. Acad. Sci., 1987, 8(481), pp. 102-105 (in Russ.).
• Ruklisha M. Kinetic characteristics of glucose transport in Brevibacterium flavum. - Microbiology, 1987, 56, 1, pp. 21-26 (in Russ. or in Engl. version of the journal).
• Viesturs U., Dubrovskis V., Sakse A., Ruklisha M. Biogas production from the wastes of L-lysine industrial production. - Proc. Latv. Acad. Sci., 1987, 8(481), pp. 102-105 (in Russ.)
• Are R., Beker M., Duntse M., Ruklisha M., Shvinka J., Krikis V. Continuous cultivation of L-lysine producing bacteria: Biochemical and physiological aspects. - In: Continuous Culture, London, Acad. Press., 1988, pp. 119-126.
• Ruklisha M., Viesturs U., Jalinska A., Reinholde D. Application of the principles of functioning of glucose transport and catabolism for the control of lysine biosynthesis by Brevibacterium flavum. – Proc.Latv.Acad.Sci. 1988, 12(497), pp. 94 – 97.
• Ruklisha M.P., Vanags J.J., Rikmanis M.A., Toma M.K., Viesturs U.E. Biochemical reactions of Brevibacterium flavum depending on medium stirring intensity and flow structure. - Acta Biotechnol., 1989, 9, 6, pp. 565-575.
• Viesturs U., Ruklisha M., Krikis V., Duntse M., Shvinka J. Microbial synthesis of L-lysine: problems, bioenergetics, biochemistry, technology, equipment. - In: " Interbiotech '89, Mathematical Modelling in Biotechnology", Eds. Blazej A. and Ottova A., Amsterdam - Oxford - New York - Tokyo, Elsevier, 1990, 6, pp. 325-336.
• Toma M., Ruklisha M., Vanags J. et al. Inhibition of microbial growth and metabolism by excess turbulence. – Biotechnol. Bioeng., 1991, vol. 38, pp. 552-556.
• Ruklisha M., Damberga B., Shvinka J. Stringent control and ppGpp synthesis in Brevibacterium flavum during amino acid starvation. - Proceed. Latv. Acad. Sci.(B), 1993, N 12 (557), pp. 57-70.
• Ruklisha M., Viesturs U., Labane L. Growth Control and ppGpp Synthesis in Brevibacterium flavum Cells at Various Medium Mixing Rates and Aeration Intensities. - Acta Biotechnol.,1995, vol. 15, N 1, pp. 41-48.
• Ruklisha M., Viesturs U. Some Biochemical Responses of Brevibacterium flavum to Substrate Concentrations and Medium Mixing Intensity. - Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly, 1996, vol. 10, N1, pp. 1-7.
• M. Ruklisha, U.Viesturs, R.Ionina. Microbial Responses at Different Substrate Concentrations and Mixing Intensities in Bioreactors. -In: Bioprocess Systems'97, Sofia, Bulgaria, 1997, pp. 1.12-1.24.
• M. Ruklisha , R. Ionina.  L-lysine Experimental Yields by Corynebacterium glutamicum on Carbon Substrates”. - 12-th Forum for Applied Biotechnology, Gent, Belgium, vol. 1, 1998, pp. 1341-1344.
• M.Ruklisha , R.Ionina , M.Bekers , M.Vikmane. Applications of Lysine Concentrate Form to Increase Soil Fertility and Plant Growth. - 12-th Forum for Applied Biotechnol. Gent, Belgium, vol.1, 1998, pp. 1935-1938.
• M.Ruklisha, R.Ionina. Effect of Changes in the Cellular Energy State on Glucose Transport Activity in Brevibacterium flavum. - Process Biochemistry, 2000, vol. 35, pp.841-848.
• M.Ruklisha, R.Ionina, L.Paegle, G.Petrovica. Metabolism and lysine biosynthesis control in Brevibacterium flavum: Impact of stringent response. - In: Applied Microbiology (Eds. DurieuxA. and Simon J.-P.), Kluwer Acad. Publ., 2001, vol.2, pp. 51-57.
• Ruklisha M., Paegle L. Metabolic fluxes and L-lysine synthesis by Corynebacterium glutamicum in relation to cellular total reducing activity. - Process Biochem., 2001, vol. 36, pp. 1233-1240.
• Paegle L., Ruklisha M. Lysine synthesis control in Corynebacterium glutamicum RC 115 in mixed substrate (glucose-acetate) media.-  J. Biotechnol. 2003, vol. 104, 1-3, pp.123-128. 
• Paegle L., Denina I., Ruklisha M. Yield regulation of L-valine synthesis by Corynebacterium glutamicum. - Abstr.5th Eur. Symposium on Biochemical Engineering Science, 2004, Stuttgart, Germany, pp. 344-345.
• I.Denina, L.Paegle, M.Ruklisha. The effect of stringent control on valine biosynthesis by  Corynebacterium glutamicum. - Acta Universitatis Latviensis, 2005, vol. 692, Biology, pp. 83-91.

Participation in International Congresses and Conferences

• Ruklisha M., Shvinka J., Toma M., Galinina N. Electron transfer in Brevibacterium flavum: Effect of balance between catabolic and anabolic reactions in bacterial cells. – Abstracts of the FEMS Symposium “The physiology, regulation and biochemistry and electron transfer in microbial catabolism”, Terschelling, The Nertherlands, 2001, p. 18.

Last update 12.09.2007