Dr Özlem Sarikaya Bayram
Biography
I have recently established the Epigenetics Research Group hosted by Professor Kevin Kavanagh’s Medical Mycology Laboratory in the Biology Department, having competitively secured an SFI-IRC Pathways Programme grant. My research focuses on unraveling the epigenetic regulation of food-contaminating mycotoxins, which pose a significant threat to human and animal health. Additionally, I am actively involved in the development of nutraceuticals and functional foods for the future of food. My research on food safety has been featured in Bridge Magazine at Maynooth University in December 2022.
I earned my Ph.D. (Dr.rer.nat) with the highest honors, summa cum laude, from the Göttingen Graduate Centre for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences, operating under the collaboration of Georg August University and the Max Planck Institute in Germany. I achieved this by competitively securing the Excellence Ph.D. Scholarship and I was honored with the Elisabeth Gateff Best Ph.D. in Genetics Award by the German Genetics Society in the same year. During my doctoral studies, I made a groundbreaking discovery on a methyltransferase complex that epigenetically regulates mycotoxin biosynthesis in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans which was published in prestigious journal Developmental Cell.
Subsequently, I secured an IRC Postdoctoral Fellowship and conducted research at Maynooth University. My focus was on the opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, which has a mortality rate up to 80%. My contributions include two published papers on the regulation of gliotoxin production and the control of pathogen sporulation. Additionally, I explored host-pathogen interactions between bone marrow-derived macrophages and Aspergillus fumigatus spores, gaining insights into the regulation of pathogenicity and mammalian defense mechanisms against pathogens.
Following my postdoctoral phase, I worked as a QC Bioanalytical Scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in testing various biologics used in the treatment of diabetes and breast cancer. I am also the author of the book 'Functional Whole Food Plant-Based Nutrition for Longevity,' 2nd edition, published in Turkish by Nobel Scientific Press. My book focuses on preventing current epidemic diseases such as diabetes and obesity through informed and functional food choices.
My research has received over 1,000 citations, according to Google Scholar.
Research Interests
- Prevention of mycotoxins from food sources.
- Epigenetic regulation of fungal bioactive molecules.
- Functional future foods.
- Fungal enzymes for food processing and production.
- Human nutrition.
- Fermentation technologies.
Research Projects
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Alves de Castro, P; Figueiredo Pinzan, C; Dos Reis, TF; Valero, C; Van Rhijn, N; Menegatti, C; de Freitas Migliorini, IL; Bromley, M; Fleming, AB; Traynor, AM; Sarikaya-Bayram, Ö; Bayram, Ö; Malavazi, I; Ebel, F; Barbosa, JCJ; Fill, T; Pupo, MT; Goldman, GH (2023) 'Aspergillus fumigatus mitogen-activated protein kinase MpkA is involved in gliotoxin production and self-protection'. Nature Communications, 15 (1). [DOI] | |
| 2023 | Borges, BM; Ramos, RBC; Preite, NW; Kaminski, VL; Alves de Castro, P; Camacho, M; Maximo, MF; Fill, TP; Calich, VLG; Traynor, AM; Sarikaya-Bayram, Ö; Doyle, S; Bayram, Ö; de Campos, CBL; Zelanis, A; Goldman, GH; Loures, FV (2023) 'Transcriptional profiling of a fungal granuloma reveals a low metabolic activity of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeasts and an actively regulated host immune response'. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 13 . [DOI] | |
| 2023 | Sarikaya Bayram, Ö; Bayram, Ö (2023) 'An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms'. Journal Of Fungi, 5 (9):1-22. [DOI] | |
| 2023 | Karahoda, B; Pfannenstiel, BT; Sarikaya-Bayram, Ö; Dong, Z; Ho Wong, K; Fleming, AB; Keller, NP; Bayram, Ö (2023) 'The KdmB-EcoA-RpdA-SntB (KERS) chromatin regulatory complex controls development, secondary metabolism and pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus'. Fungal genetics and biology : FG & B, 169 . [DOI] | |
| 2023 | Bauer, I; Sarikaya Bayram, Ö; Bayram, Ö (2023) 'The use of immunoaffinity purification approaches coupled with LC-MS/MS offers a powerful strategy to identify protein complexes in filamentous fungi'. Essays in Biochemistry, 67 (5). [DOI] | |
| 2023 | Traynor, A.M., Sarikaya-Bayram, Ö., Bayram, Ö., Calera J.A., and Doyle, S. (2023) 'Proteomic dissection of role of GliZ in gliotoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus'. Fungal Genetics and Biology, 166 (103795). [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Sarikaya Bayram Ö; Bayram Ö; Karahoda B; Meister C; Köhler AM; Thieme S; Elramli N; Frawley D; McGowan J; Fitzpatrick DA; Schmitt K; de Assis LJ; Valerius O; Goldman GH; Braus GH; (2022) 'F-box receptor mediated control of substrate stability and subcellular location organizes cellular development of Aspergillus nidulans'. PLoS Genetics, 18 (12). [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2022 | Karahoda B; Pardeshi L; Ulas M; Dong Z; Shirgaonkar N; Guo S; Wang F; Tan K; Sarikaya-Bayram Ö; Bauer I; Dowling P; Fleming AB; Pfannenstiel BT; Luciano-Rosario D; Berger H; Graessle S; Alhussain MM; Strauss J; Keller NP; Wong KH; Bayram Ö; (2022) 'The KdmB-EcoA-RpdA-SntB chromatin complex binds regulatory genes and coordinates fungal development with mycotoxin synthesis'. Nucleic Acids Research, . [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2020 | Bauer I.; Gross S.; Merschak P.; Kremser L.; Karahoda B.; Bayram Ö.S.; Abt B.; Binder U.; Gsaller F.; Lindner H.; Bayram Ö.; Brosch G.; Graessle S. (2020) 'RcLS2F – A Novel Fungal Class 1 KDAC Co-repressor Complex in Aspergillus nidulans'. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11 . [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2019 | Bayram Ö.; Dettmann A.; Karahoda B.; Moloney N.; Ormsby T.; McGowan J.; Cea-Sánchez S.; Miralles-Durán A.; Brancini G.; Luque E.; Fitzpatrick D.; Cánovas D.; Corrochano L.; Doyle S.; Selker E.; Seiler S.; Bayram Ö. (2019) 'Control of development, secondary metabolism and light-dependent carotenoid biosynthesis by the velvet complex of Neurospora crassa'. Journal of Genetics, 212 (3):691-710. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2019 | Elramli N; Karahoda B; Sarikaya-Bayram Ö; Frawley D; Ulas M; Oakley CE; Oakley BR; Seiler S; Bayram Ö; (2019) 'Assembly of a heptameric STRIPAK complex is required for coordination of light-dependent multicellular fungal development with secondary metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans'. PLoS Genetics, 15 (3). [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2018 | de Assis L.; Ulas M.; Ries L.; El Ramli N.; Sarikaya-Bayram O.; Braus G.; Bayram O.; Goldman G. (2018) 'Regulation of Aspergillus nidulans CreA-mediated catabolite repression by the F-Box proteins Fbx23 and Fbx47'. mBio, 9 (3). [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2018 | Frawley D.; Karahoda B.; Sarikaya Bayram Ö.; Bayram Ö. (2018) 'The HamE scaffold positively regulates MpkB phosphorylation to promote development and secondary metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans'. Scientific Reports, 8 (1). [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2017 | Valsecchi I; Sarikaya-Bayram Ö; Wong Sak Hoi J; Muszkieta L; Gibbons J; Prevost MC; Mallet A; Krijnse-Locker J; Ibrahim-Granet O; Mouyna I; Carr P; Bromley M; Aimanianda V; Yu JH; Rokas A; Braus GH; Saveanu C; Bayram Ö; Latgé JP; (2017) 'MybA, a transcription factor involved in conidiation and conidial viability of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus'. Molecular Microbiology, . [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2017 | Sarikaya Bayram Ö; Latgé JP; Bayram Ö; (2017) 'MybA, a new player driving survival of the conidium of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus'. Current Genetics, . [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2016 | Manzanares-Miralles, L; Sarikaya-Bayram, O; Smith, EB; Dolan, SK; Bayram, O; Jones, GW; Doyle, S (2016) 'Quantitative proteomics reveals the mechanism and consequence of gliotoxin-mediated dysregulation of the methionine cycle in Aspergillus niger'. JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS, 131 :149-162. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2014 | Sarikaya-Bayram O.; Bayram O.; Feussner K.; Kim J.; Kim H.; Kaever A.; Feussner I.; Chae K.; Han D.; Han K.; Braus G. (2014) 'Membrane-bound methyltransferase complex VapA-VipC-VapB guides epigenetic control of fungal development'. Developmental Cell, 29 (4):406-420. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2013 | Suzuki S; Sarikaya Bayram Ö; Bayram Ö; Braus GH; (2013) 'conF and conJ contribute to conidia germination and stress response in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans'. Fungal Genetics and Biology, 56 . [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2012 | Bayram O; Bayram OS; Valerius O; Jöhnk B; Braus GH; (2012) 'Identification of protein complexes from filamentous fungi with tandem affinity purification'. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 944 . [DOI] | |
| 2012 | Bayram Ö; Bayram ÖS; Ahmed YL; Maruyama J; Valerius O; Rizzoli SO; Ficner R; Irniger S; Braus GH; (2012) 'The Aspergillus nidulans MAPK module AnSte11-Ste50-Ste7-Fus3 controls development and secondary metabolism'. PLoS Genetics, 8 (7). [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2010 | Sarikaya Bayram O; Bayram O; Valerius O; Park HS; Irniger S; Gerke J; Ni M; Han KH; Yu JH; Braus GH; (2010) 'LaeA control of velvet family regulatory proteins for light-dependent development and fungal cell-type specificity'. PLoS Genetics, 6 (12). [DOI] [Full-Text] |
Reviews
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Sarikaya-Bayram, O; Palmer, JM; Keller, N; Braus, GH; Bayram, O (2015) One Juliet and four Romeos: VeA and its methyltransferases. LAUSANNE: [Reviews] [DOI] |
Book Chapter
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Irniger S, Sarikaya-Bayram O, Bayram O (2016) 'Fungal MAP-Kinase-Mediated Regulatory Pathways' In: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 3rd Edition The Mycota III. Switzerland : Springer. [DOI] |