Haydyn Mertens
Senior technical officer
Address
EMBL c/o DESY
Notkestr. 85, Geb. 25a
22607 Hamburg
Germany
Tel: +49 40 89902 113
Fax: +49 40 89902 149
Send a mail
Biography
2014 - Senior technical officer, EMBL Hamburg
2013 - EMBL postdoctoral research fellow, EMBL Hamburg
2013 - Visiting Scientist, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
2011 - Australian Synchrotron postdoctoral research fellow, Melbourne, Australia
2008 - EIPOD (EMBL Interdisciplinary PostDoc) research fellow, EMBL Hamburg/Heidelberg/Grenoble
2006 - Visiting Scientist, Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin, Germany
2005 - Postdoctoral research fellow, Bio21 Institute, Melbourne, Australia
2005 - PhD, University of Melbourne, Department of Biochemistry, Melbourne, Australia
1998 - BSc (honours, chemistry/biochemistry), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Research field
Development of methods for the structural characterisation of membrane proteins, with a focus on membrane scaffolding systems. Interfacing small-angle scattering (SAXS/SANS) with other techniques across the field of structural biology. Particular interest in the development of tools for the optimisation of complementary methods to solve biological problems at the molecular level.
Current research focusses on the structural characterisation of enzymes involved in resistance to toxicity and modelling approaches to low-resolution structural analysis of membrane bound hydrolytic enzymes. Other projects include the structural analysis by combined SAXS/NMR of proteins involved in the regulation of complement activation in the innate immune system, and the study of flexible domains that drive function in the urokinase plasminogen activation system.
Review articles
Selected publications
- Nitsche, J., Josts, I., Heidemann, J., Mertens, H.D.T., Maric, S., Moulin, M., Haertlein, M., Busch, S., Forsyth, V.T., Svergun, D.I., Uetrecht, C. and Tidow, H. (2018) Structural basis for activation of plasma-membrane Ca2+-ATPase by calmodulin. Communications Biology, 1:206
- Josts, I., Nitsche, J., Maric, S., Mertens, H.D.T., Moulin, M., Haertlein, M., Prevost, S., Svergun, D.I., Busch, S., Forsyth, V.T. and Tidow, H., (2018) Conformational States of ABC Transporter MsbA in a Lipid Environment Investigated by Small-Angle Scattering Using Stealth Carrier Nanodiscs. Structure. 26(8):1072-1079.e4
- Flayhan A., Mertens, H.D.T., Ural-Blimke Y., Martinez-Molledo M., Svergun D.I. and Loew C. (2018) Saposin Lipid Nanoparticles: A Highly Versatile and Modular Tool for Membrane Protein Research. Structure. 26(2):345-355
- Pfleuge T., Hernande C.F., Lewe P., Frank, F., Mertens H.D.T., Svergun D.I., Baumstark M.W., Lunin V.Y., Jetten M.S. and Andrade S.L. (2018) Signaling ammonium across membranes through an ammonium sensor histidine kinase. Nature Communications, 9(1):164
- Garcia-Alai M., Heidemann J., Skruzny M., Gieras A., Mertens H.D.T., Svergun D.I., Kaksonen M., Uetrecht C. and Meijers R. (2018) Epsin and Sla2 form assemblies through phospholipid interfaces. Nature Communications, 9:328.
- Franke D., Petoukhov M.V., Konarev P.V., Panjkovich A., Tuukkanen A., Mertens H.D.T., Kikhney A.G., Hajizadeh N.R., Franklin J.M., Jeffries C.M., Svergun D.I. (2017) ATSAS 2.8: a comprehensive data analysis suite for small-angle scattering from macromolecular solutions. J. App. Cryst. 50:1212-1225.
- Beckham K.S., Ciccarelli L., Bunduc C.M., Mertens H.D.T, Ummels R., Lugmayr W., Mayr J., Rettel M., Savitski M.M., Svergun D.I. and Bitter W. (2017). Structure of the mycobacterial ESX-5 type VII secretion system membrane complex by single-particle analysis. Nature Microbiology, 2:17047.
- Kirby, N.M, Mudie S.T., Hawley A.M., Cookson D.J., Mertens H.D.T., Cowieson N. and Samardzic-Boban V. (2013) A Low Background Intensity Focusing Small Angle X-ray Scattering Undulator Beamline. J. App. Cryst. 46:1670-1680.
- Mertens, H.D.T., Kjaergaard, M., Mysling, S., Gaardsvoll, H., Joergensen, T.J.D., Svergun, D.I., and Ploug, M. (2012) A flexible multidomain structure drives the function of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). J. Biol. Chem. 287(41):34304-15.
- Mertens, H.D.T., Piljic, A., Schultz, C., Svergun, D.I. (2012) Conformational analysis of a genetically encoded FRET biosensor by SAXS. Biohysical Journal 102(12), 2866-2875.
- Morgan, H.P., Schmidt, C.Q., Guariento, M., Gillespie, D., Jiang, J., Herbert, A.P., Mertens, H.D.T, Blaum, B., Svergun, D.I., Uhrin, D., Barlow, P.N. & Hannan, J.P. (2011) Structural basis for engagement by complement factor H of C3b on a self surface - implications for host protection. Nature Struct. Mol. Biol. 18(4):463-470.
- Tull, D., Naderer, T., Spurck, T., Mertens, H.D.T., Heng, J., McFadden, G.I., Gooley, P.R., McConville, M.J. Membrane protein SMP-1 is required for normal flagellum function in Leishmania. J. Cell Sci. 2010, 123(pt 4):544-54.
- Schmidt, C.Q., Herbert, A.P., Mertens, H.D.T., Guariento, M., Soares, D.C., Uhrin, D., Rowe, A.J., Svergun, D.I., Barlow, P.N. The central portion of factor H (modules 10-15) is compact and contains a structurally deviant CCP module. J. Mol. Biol. 2010, 395(1):105-22.
- Mertens, H.D.T., Branson, K.M., Swarbrick, J.D., Fletcher, J.I., Kedzierski, L., Gayler, K.R., Gooley, P.R., Smith, B.J. Discovery of inhibitors of lupin diadenosine 5',5'''-P(1),P(4)-tetraphosphate hydrolase by virtual screening. Biochemistry. 2009, 48(32):7614-20.
- Mertens, H.D.T., Callaghan J.M., Swarbrick J.D., McConville M.J., Gooley P.R. A high-resolution solution structure of a trypanosomatid FYVE domain. Protein Sci. 2007 16(11):2552-9.
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