Babes-Bolyai University
CURRICULUM VITAE
October 2009
Dr. OCTAVIAN POPESCU
Personal Born in Curtisoara-Olt, Romania, September 23, 1951; Citizenship Romanian; married; one son.
Address: Str. Anatole France 22/1, R-400463 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; tel/fax: +40 264 598355.
e-mail: opopescu.ubbcluj@gmail.com
Education
1972-1976 University Diploma (B.Sc.) in Molecular Biology and Physiology, University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
1981-1985 Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Iasi, Romania.
Positions Held
1977-1981 Biologist – Laboratory of Human Genetics, County Hospital Cluj, Romania.
1981-1990 Lecturer – Department of Cell Biology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca.
1990 Senior Lecturer – Department of Cell Biology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca.
1990-1997 Senior Scientist – Institute for Biological Research Cluj-Napoca.
1997-present Professor – Babes-Bolyai University, Department of Experimental Biology (1997-2009), Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (2009-present).
Teaching Experience
1981-1990 Teaching “Cell and Molecular Biology” to medical students, University of Medicine and Pharmacy.
1997-present Teaching “Genetics” for B.Sc. degree in Biology; “Recombinant DNA Technology” and “Molecular Genetics” for M.Sc. degree in “Cell Biology and Molecular Biotechnology”; “Structural and Functional Genomics” and “Advanced Genetics” for Ph.D. students, Babes-Bolyai University; tel.: 0264 434141.
Visits to Other Laboratories
1990-1992 Associate Scientist - Institut Pasteur Paris, France.
1993-1996 Associate Scientist - Department of Research, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
1996 Visiting Professor (6 months) – Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland.
1998 Visiting Scientist (9 months) – INSERM U42, Villneuve d’Ascq, France.
Research Activities
Human erythrocyte membrane proteins. Production of heterologous proteins in E. coli. Proteoglycan mediated cell recognition and adhesion in marine sponges. Identification and characterization of glyconectins, a new class of cell adhesion molecules. Atomic force microscopy and cell adhesion. Cloning and expression of different genes from eukaryotic or prokaryotic microorganisms (enolase and glucose 6-phosphate isomerase genes from T. gondii; genes for dehydrogenases from E. coli, B. subtilis, B. stearothermophilus and Synechocystis sp.; genes for phosphoketolase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Synechocystis sp.). Human genotyping. Molecular taxonomy and phylogeny.
Number of Scientific Publications
85 research papers in peer-reviewed journals (Nature, Science, J Biol Chem, J Mol Biol, Eur J Immunol, BiochemistryUSA, J Membrane Biol, Electrophoresis, J Cell Biochem, Mol Pharmacol, Biochimie, FEBS Lett, etc); more than 1100 citations indexed by ISI (September 2009); Hirsch Index 17.
24 full papers and 101 abstracts in congress or symposia volumes;
4 chapters in the books;
2 books: Electroforeza (Electrophoresis), Editura Tehnică, Bucureşti, 184pp., 1988, and Electroforeza proteinelor în geluri de poliacrilamida (Protein electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels), Editura Tehnică, Bucureşti, 268pp., 1990.
Titles
2000 Member of Romanian Academy.
PUBLICATION LIST
(14 relevant papers)
Dr. Octavian POPESCU
(Octomber 2009)
1. Chiriac, M., Lupan, I., Bucurenci, N., Popescu, O., Palibroda, N., Stereoselective synthesis of L-[15N] amino acids with glucose dehydrogenase and galactose mutarotase as NADH regenerating system, J. Label Compd. Radiopharm., 51, 171-174, 2008.
2. Marian, C., Anghel, A., Bel, S.M., Ferencz, B.K., Ursoniu, S., Dressler, M., Popescu, O., Budowle, B., STR data for the 15 AmpFlSTR identifiler loci in the Western Romanian population, Forensic Sci. Int., 170, 73-75, 2007. (doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.04.011) 1 ISI citations
3. Guerardel, Y., Czeszak, X., Sumanovski, L., Karamanos, Y., Popescu, O., Strecker, G., Misevic, G.N., Molecular fingerprinting of carbohydrate structures phenotypes of three porifera proteoglycan-like glyconectins, J. Biol. Chem. 279, 15591-15603, 2004. 9 ISI citations
4. Misevic, G.N., Guerardel, Y., Sumanovski, L., Slomianny, M.C., Demarty, M., Ripoll, C., Karamanos, Y, Maes, E, Popescu, O., Strecker, G., Molecular recognition between glyconectins as an adhesion self-assembly pathway to multicellularity, J. Biol. Chem. 279, 15579-15590, 2004. 9 ISI citations
5. Popescu, O., Checiu, I., Gherghel, P., Simon, Z., Misevic, G. N., Quantitative and qualitative approach of glycan-glycan interactions in marine sponges, Biochimie, 85, 181-188, 2003. 11 ISI citations
6. Dzierszinski, F., Mortuaire M., Dendouga, N., Popescu, O., Tomavo, S., Differential expression of two plant-like enolases with distinct enzymatic and antigenic properties during stage conversion of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, J. Mol. Biol., 309, 1017-1027, 2001. 35 ISI citations
7. Dzierszinski, F., Popescu, O., Toursel, C., Slomianny, C., Yahiaoui, B., Tomavo, S., The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii expresses two functional plant-like glycolytic enzymes. Implications for evolutionary origin of apicomplexans, J. Biol. Chem., 274, 24888-24895, 1999. 58 ISI citations
8. Popescu, O., Misevic, G.N., Self-recognition by proteoglycans, Nature, 386, 231-232, 1997. 28 ISI citations
9. Clément, J.-M., Jehanno, M., Popescu, O., Saurin, W., Hofnung, M., Expression and biological activity of genetic fusions between MalE, the maltose binding protein from Escherichia coli, and portions of CD4, the T-cell receptor of the AIDS virus, Protein Expression and Purification, 8, 319-331, 1996. 2 ISI citations
10. *Dammer, U., *Popescu, O., Wagner, P., Anselmetti, D., Güntherodt, H.-J., Misevic, G.N., Binding strength between cell adhesion proteoglycans measured by atomic force microscopy, Science, 267, 1173-1175, 1995.
*These authors contributed equally to this study 271 ISI citations
11. Kuhns, W.J., Popescu, O., Burger, M.M., Misevic, G., Sulfate restriction induces hyposecretion of the adhesion proteoglycan and cell hypomotility associated with increased 35SO42- uptake and expression of a band 3 like protein in the marine sponge, Microciona prolifera, J.Cell.Biochem., 57, 71-89, 1995. 10 ISI citations
12. Misevic, G.N., Popescu, O., A novel class of embryonic cell adhesion glycan epitopes is expressed in human colon carcinomas, J.Mol.Recognition, 8, 100-105, 1995. 5 ISI citations
13. Durieux, J.-J., Vita, N., Popescu, O., Guette, F., Calzada-Wack, J., Munker, R., Schmidt, R.E., Lupker, J., Ferrara, P., Ziegler-Heitbrock, H.W.L., Labeta, M.O., The two soluble forms of the lipopolysaccharide receptor, CD 14: characterization and release by normal human monocytes, Eur.J.Immunol., 24, 2006-2012, 1994. 90 ISI citations
14. Clément, J.-M., Popescu, O., MalE as a tool for the production of the heterologous proteins in Escherichia coli, Bull.Inst.Pasteur, 89, 243-253, 1991. 16 ISI citations