Dr. Helena Sztajer

1968 - 1973   
Study of Biology, Microbiology and Education, Technical University of Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland

1973
Master of Science, Technical University of Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland.
Title of thesis: Antibiotic resistance of Salmonella typhimurium. 

1973 - 1984
Assistant Professor at Environmental Protection Engineering Institute, Technical University of Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland. Waste water microbiology.

1984
PhD, Technical University of Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland.
Title of thesis: Influence of pluronic and tetronic surfactants on genetic variability of microorganisms

1984 - 1989
Assistant Professor at Technical University of Wroclaw (Breslau), Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Poland. Work on antibacterial compounds and lipases.

8/87- 10/87 and 3/88 – 8/88
Visiting scientist at Cranfield Institute of Technology, U.K. Purification of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase and cloning of gene.

1989-1999
Senior Scienist at German Research Centre for Biotechnology (GBF), Division of Enzyme Technology. Work on enzymes from various microorganisms (lipases, acyl-Co-A oxidase, lactate oxidase, phospholipase C) and listeriosin. Purification, antibody production, immunoaffinity purification, characterisation.

1999-2004
Senior Scientist at Technical University of Braunschweig, Group Chemical Biochemistry.
Work on human hormon receptors and malaria drug targets. Development of antibodies, purification of protein-receptor complex, directed mutagenesis. Gene expression profile of spermatogenic cells in Rattus norvegicus.

2004-2017
Senior Scientist at Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Research Group Microbial Communication. Work on quorum sensing in Streptococcus mutans, polymicrobial biofilms, interactions in dental biofilms, bacterial vaginosis, microbiomes and metatranscriptomes.

2017 - present
Technical University of Braunschweig, Institute of Microbiology, Department Microbial Communication. Optimization of methods for isolation of outer membrane vesicles (OMV), purification of DNA and RNA for next generation sequencing.

Teaching
Mentoring of undergraduate, graduate and PhD students. Lectures and lab courses in Microbiology.

Cooperations with industry

• SIGMA Israel Chemicals Ltd., Rehovot, Israel. Development of antibodies against receptors KDR and flt-1.
• Voco GmbH, Cuxhaven, Germany. Development of a biofilm inhibitor.
• Dr Wolff GmbH and Co. KG, Bielefeld, Germany. Novel Strategies for fighting bacterial vaginosis.

Awards

2007    1^st prize for an oral presentation at the 3^rd ASM Conference on Cell-Cell   Communication (CCCB), Austin, Texas, USA.
2016    Walkhoff-Price of the German Society of Operative Dentistry

Publications

1.Transcriptome Profiles of  Key Oral Microbes in the Periodontal Pocket Compared to Single Laboratory Culture Reflect Synergistic Interactions. Deng ZL, Sztajer H, Jarek M, Bhuju S, Wagner-Döbler I. Front Microbiol. 2018 Feb 6;9:124.
PMID:29467738

2.Quorum sensing of Streptococcus mutans is activated by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and by the periodontal microbiome. Szafrański SP, Deng ZL, Tomasch J, Jarek M, Bhuju S, Rohde M, Sztajer H, Wagner-Döbler I.BMC Genomics. 2017 Mar 20;18(1):238.
PMID:28320314

 3. Screening of Compounds against Gardnerella vaginalis Biofilms.Gottschick C, Szafranski SP, Kunze B, Sztajer H, Masur C, Abels C, Wagner-Döbler I. PLoS One. 2016 Apr 25;11(4):e0154086
PMID: 27111438

4. Discovery of antiviral molecules for dengue: In silico search and biological evaluation. Cabarcas-Montalvo M, Maldonado-Rojas W, Montes-Grajales D, Bertel-Sevilla A, Wagner-Döbler I, Sztajer H, Reck M, Flechas-Alarcon M, Ocazionez R, Olivero-Verbel J. Eur J Med Chem. 2016 Mar 3;110:87-97.
PMID: 26807547

5. Functional biomarkers for chronic periodontitis and insights into the roles of Prevotella nigrescens and Fusobacterium nucleatum; a metatranscriptome analysis. Szafrański SP, Deng ZL, Tomasch J, Jarek M, Bhuju S, Meisinger C, Kühnisch J, Sztajer H, Wagner-Döbler I. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2015 Sep 23;1:15017.
PMID:28721234

6. Comparing the cariogenic species Streptococcus sobrinus and S. mutans on whole genome level. Conrads G, de Soet JJ, Song L, Henne K, Sztajer H, Wagner-Döbler I, Zeng AP. J Oral Microbiol. 2014 Dec 3;6:26189.
PMID: 25475081

7. High-resolution taxonomic profiling of the subgingival microbiome for biomarker discovery and periodontitis diagnosis. Szafranski SP, Wos-Oxley ML, Vilchez-Vargas R, Jáuregui R, Plumeier I, Klawonn F, Tomasch J, Meisinger C, Kühnisch J, Sztajer H, Pieper DH, Wagner-Döbler I. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2015 Feb;81(3):1047-58.
PMID: 25452281

8. Cross-feeding and interkingdom communication in dual-species biofilms of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans. Sztajer H, Szafranski SP, Tomasch J, Reck M, Nimtz M, Rohde M, Wagner-Döbler I. ISME J. 2014 Nov;8(11):2256-71.
PMID: 24824668

9. Genetic variability of mutans streptococci revealed by wide whole-genome sequencing. Song L, Wang W, Conrads G, Rheinberg A, Sztajer H, Reck M, Wagner-Döbler I, Zeng AP. BMC Genomics. 2013 Jun 28;14:430. Erratum in: BMC Genomics. 2013;14:811.
PMID: 23805886

10. The global impact of the delta subunit RpoE of the RNA polymerase on the proteome of Streptococcus mutans. Xue X, Li J, Wang W, Sztajer H, Wagner-Döbler I. Microbiology. 2012 Jan;158(Pt 1):191-206.
PMID: 21998164

11. Lack of the delta subunit of RNA polymerase increases virulence related traits of Streptococcus mutans. Xue X, Sztajer H, Buddruhs N, Petersen J, Rohde M, Talay SR, Wagner-Döbler I. PLoS One. 2011;6(5):e20075.
PMID:21625504

12.The delta subunit of RNA polymerase, RpoE, is a global modulator of Streptococcus mutans environmental adaptation. Xue X, Tomasch J, Sztajer H, Wagner-Döbler I. J Bacteriol. 2010 Oct;192(19):5081-92.
PMID: 20675470

13. Streptococcus mutans inhibits Candida albicans hyphal formation by the fatty acid signaling molecule trans-2-decenoic acid (SDSF). Vílchez R, Lemme A, Ballhausen B, Thiel V, Schulz S, Jansen R, Sztajer H, Wagner-Döbler I.Chembiochem. 2010 Jul 26;11(11):1552-62.
PMID: 20572249

14. Characterization of mleR, a positive regulator of malolactic fermentation and part of the acid tolerance response in Streptococcus mutans. Lemme A, Sztajer H, Wagner-Döbler I. BMC Microbiol. 2010 Feb 23;10:58.
PMID: 20178568

15. Identification, quantification, and determination of the absolute configuration of the bacterial quorum-sensing signal autoinducer-2 by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Thiel V, Vilchez R, Sztajer H, Wagner-Döbler I, Schulz S.Chembiochem. 2009 Feb 13;10(3):479-85.
PMID: 19115320

16. Autoinducer-2-regulated genes in Streptococcus mutans UA159 and global metabolic effect of the luxS mutation. Sztajer H, Lemme A, Vilchez R, Schulz S, Geffers R, Yip CY, Levesque CM, Cvitkovitch DG, Wagner-Döbler I. J Bacteriol. 2008 Jan;190(1):401-15.
PMID: 17981981

17. Analysing traces of autoinducer-2 requires standardization of the Vibrio harveyi bioassay. Vilchez R, Lemme A, Thiel V, Schulz S, Sztajer H, Wagner-Döbler I. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2007 Jan;387(2):489-96.
PMID: 17143597

18. Uptake of radiolabelled modified fragment of human alfa-fetoptrotein by experimental mammary adenocarcinoma: in vitro and in vivo studies. Garnuszek P, Wiercioch R, Sztajer H, Karczmarczyk U, Mirowski M. Nucl Med Rev Cent East Eur. 2005;8(1):6-10.
PMID: 15977140

19. Thiol-dependent peroxidases care little about homology-based assignments of function. Flohé L, Jaeger T, Pilawa S, Sztajer H. Redox Rep. 2003;8(5):256-64. Review
PMID: 14962360

20. Genetic variations of gpx-4 and male infertility in humans. Maiorino M, Bosello V, Ursini F, Foresta C, Garolla A, Scapin M, Sztajer H, Flohe L. Biol Reprod. 2003 Apr;68(4):1134-41.
PMID: 12606444

21. Tryparedoxin peroxidase of Leishmania donovani: molecular cloning, heterologous expression, specificity, and catalytic mechanism. Flohé L, Budde H, Bruns K, Castro H, Clos J, Hofmann B, Kansal-Kalavar S, Krumme D, Menge U, Plank-Schumacher K, Sztajer H, Wissing J, Wylegalla C, Hecht HJ. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2002 Jan 15;397(2):324-35. Erratum in: Arch Biochem Biophys 2002 Apr 1;400(1):148.
PMID: 11795890

22. The putative glutathione peroxidase gene of Plasmodium falciparum codes for a thioredoxin peroxidase. Sztajer H, Gamain B, Aumann KD, Slomianny C, Becker K, Brigelius-Flohé R, Flohé L. J Biol Chem. 2001 Mar 9;276 (10):7397-403.
PMID: 11087748

23. VEGF/Flk-1 interaction, a requirement for malignant ascites recurrence. Stoelcker B, Echtenacher B, Weich HA, Sztajer H, Hicklin DJ, Männel DN. J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2000 May;20(5):511-7.
PMID: 10841080

24. ATP-sensitive association of mortalin with the IL-1 receptor type I. Sacht G, Brigelius-Flohé R, Kiess M, Sztajer H, Flohé L. Biofactors. 1999;9(1):49-60.
PMID: 10221157

25. Differential binding characteristics and cellular inhibition by soluble VEGF receptors 1 and 2. Roeckl W, Hecht D, Sztajer H, Waltenberger J, Yayon A, Weich HA. Exp Cell Res. 1998 May 25;241(1):161-70.
PMID: 9633524

26. Purification and some properties of a novel microbial lactate oxidase. Sztajer H, Wang W, Lünsdorf H, Stocker A, Schmid RD. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 1996 Jun;45(5):600-6.
PMID: 8766696

27. Screening, purification and properties of a thermophilic lipase from Bacillus thermocatenulatus. Schmidt-Dannert C, Sztajer H, Stöcklein W, Menge U, Schmid RD. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1994 Aug 25;1214(1):43-53.
PMID: 8068728

28. Purification and properties of a lipase from Penicillium expansum. Stöcklein W, Sztajer H, Menge U, Schmid RD. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1993 Jun 12;1168(2):181-9.
PMID: 8504153

29. Purification and properties of lipase from Penicillium simplicissimum. Sztajer H, Lünsdorf H, Erdmann H, Menge U, Schmid R. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1992 Mar 25;1124(3):253-61.
PMID: 1576166

30. Purification and some properties of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase. Sztajer H, Borkowski J, Sobiech K. Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 1991 Feb;13(1):65-71.
PMID: 1905137

31. Antibacterial activity of phosphono dipeptides based on 1-amino-1-methylethanephosphonic acid. Zboińska E, Sztajer H, Lejczak B, Kafarski P. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1990 Jun 15;58(1):23-8.
PMID: 2204574

32. Antibacterial activity of phosphono dipeptides related to alafosfalin. Lejczak B, Kafarski P, Sztajer H, Mastalerz P. J Med Chem. 1986 Nov;29(11):2212-7.
PMID: 3783584

33. Bioindication of mutagenic and carcinogenic pollutants in waters of the Oława River. Pawlaczyk-Szpilowa M, Sztajer H, Traczewska T. Acta Microbiol Pol. 1985;34(3-4):287-92.
PMID: 2421545

34. Enzymatic activity of activated sludge in biological treatment of wastewater containing dimethylamine, dimethylformamide and methylethylketone. Sztajer H, Lejczak B, Pawlaczyk-Szpilowa M. Acta Microbiol Pol. 1984;33(2):171-8.
PMID: 6209934