CURRENT MEMBERS

EBRU ERBAY, MD. 

Assistant Professor: Bilkent University

Research Associate: Harvard School of Public Health

Postdoctoral Fellow: Harvard School of Public Health

Postdoctoral Training: Harvard School of Public Health

Ph.D.: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

M.D.: Ankara University

e-mail: eerbay@bilkent.edu.tr

phone: +90 312 290 2505

BUKET GULTEKIN, MSc.

I graduated from Ankara University, Biology Department in 2006. In 2005 and 2006 I did internships  at University of California MAMMAG department . I got  my masters degree from Ankara University  Biotechnology in 2010. I worked at  Roche Life Science ‘s distrubutor as a sales and marketing specialist(2010-2012). Between 2012 and 2014 I worked in Pfizer Company as a sales specialist. I have been working as a Lab Manager in Erbay Group since 2014.

e-mail: buketg@bilkent.edu.tr

phone: +90 312 290 2491/3544

HAMID MUHAMMED SYED, PHD.

I have graduated from the department of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Pakistan. I got my masters degree in Zoology from the University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. I completed my PhD in Bio-Engineering from Ege University, Turkey. I worked as a post-doc research fellow in the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir Institute of Technology for two years. I joined Erbay group in March, 2014. My current research interests are the role of non-coding RNA in ER stress and the regulation of energy metabolism.

 BEGÜM KOCATÜRK, PHD.

  2014-present :                 Post-Doc , Bilkent University, Turkey

  2010-2014     :                 PhD student, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands

  2009-2010     :                 Research Student, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands

2003-2008     :                 BSc ,Bilkent University Molecular Biology & Genetics Department 

My research topic focuses on the investigation of ER stress related pathways on the development of atherosclerosis. By using genetically modified mouse and cell models we aim to find new treatment strategies for the patients who suffer from cardiovascular disease.  We also focus on finding previously unknown pathways that might be crucial for the treatment of the disease. 

OZLEM TUFANLI, PHD. CANDIDATE

I graduated  from Middle East Technical University (METU) Biology Department at 2010. During my education at METU. I intern at Yeditepe University Tissue Engineering labrotory , Ankara University Biotechnology labrotory, and Istanbul University Çapa Medical School (DETAM) , and now I am Phd candidate under the supervision of Ebru Erbay. We are conducting Tubitak Project with the collobration with  Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Germany .

Under metabolic stress conditions such as elavation of free fatty acids, cholesterol glucose deprivation, ER activates elobrative stress response called unfolded protein response (UPR) to recover cellular homeostasis. UPR is signalled through 3 important ER transmembrane proteins; inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE-1), Protein kinase R (PKR)-like endoplasmic-reticulum kinase (PERK) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF-6). Ire1 Alpha is the most conserved arm of UPR from yeast to human. It has dual fuction . Under ER stress condition, IRE1 Alpha oligomerize and autophosphorylates itself. Active IRE1 Alpha then activates its RNase activity. IRE1 Alpha initiates many downstream pathways to increase the ER folding capacity and resolve the ER stress on the other hand under pathogenic ER stress conditions. IRE1 Alpha activates apoptotic pathways and inflammatory pathways. Pathological ER stress and activation of inflammation lead to development of many metabolic diseases such as atherosclerosis. However the exact mechanism and role of IRE1 Alpha under lipid induced ER stress and disease development are unknown. In my study we try to analyze the specific role of IRE1 under lipid (Palmitate) induced inflammation in macrophages and high coloric diet induced atherosclerosis

UMUT INCI ONAT, PHD. CANDIDATE

2012-present :   PhD student, Bilkent University Molecular Biology & Genetics

2008-2012     :  BSc ,Bilkent University Molecular Biology & Genetics Department 

Starting 2011 June, I involved in Dr EbrubErbay’s lab and I did my senior project in this lab.

In 2012 just after graduation I started my Ph.D  studies in Bilkent University Molecular Biology and Genetics department under the supervision of Dr. Ebru Erbay. I am still a Ph.D candidate in Dr. Erbay’s laboratory.

Research Interest:

Pathways that lie at the interface of metabolism, inflammation and stress have a profound influence on Cardiometabolic Syndrome (CMS). Metabolic overload initiates a chronic inflammatory response that promotes the complications of CMS. However, the molecular mechanisms linking metabolic stress to immune activation remain elusive. So I am in particular interested in investigation of UPR that can sense excess lipids and couple to inflammation, and whether its unique operation under metabolic stress can be suitable for therapeutic exploitation in CMS. I specifically work on a proximal UPR kinase, protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), its effects during metabolic stress. I study on the subject by using two approaches to specifically modify PERK kinase activity in bone marrow derived macrophages, and I am investigating its direct

contribution to inflammation and inflammasome activation. I also am working in in vivo mice experiments for same purpose. The results of this study will demonstrate the individual contribution of the PERK branch of the UPR to lipid-induced inflammation and inflammasome formation and can be a way to explore at least one mechanism that lies under CMS.

ASLI DILBER YILDIRIM, PHD. STUDENT

I graduated from Istanbul Kultur University Molecular Biology and Genetics Department at 2011. During my education at IKU, I worked on the induction of apoptosis via modulating polyamine catabolism in prostate cancer cell lines. I interned at Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi- India, under supervision of Prof. dr. Anıl Grover in 2010.

Before the start of my PhD, I finished the Masters Program ' Cancer, Genomics and Developmental Biology' at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. During the program, I performed two internships; the first in the lab of Prof. dr. René Medema, Netherlands Cancer Institute NKI-AVL, regarding the recruitment and specific locations of PLK1 in mammalian cancer cell lines, the second internship was at Utrecht Medical Centre in the lab of Prof. dr. H.T. Marc Timmers involving transcriptional regulation and histone chaperones in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In 2015, I started my PhD in the lab of Dr. Ebru Erbay, where I work on the role of ER stress in metabolic diseases, such as atherosclerosis and diabets. On the other hand, we also want to focus on the relation between ER and mitochondria during ER stress.

ZEHRA TATLI YILDIRIM

2016-present : PhD student, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, Ankara Turkey

2013-2015    :  MSc in Bioengineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara Turkey

2006-2010    :  BSc in Biology, Kirikkkale University, Ankara Turkey

     During my BSc program, I research about the effect of propionic and phosphoric acid on Drosophila melanogaster by Somatic mutation and Recombination Test (SMART) and I had many internships on the field of biology such as; microbiology, biochemistry, pathology, IVF and genetic laboratories as well. During my MSc thesis I expressed novel cellulase enzyme towards biofuels sector by recombinant bacterium Escherichia coli, which was supported by TUBITAK-3001 project. I joined Erbay group in February 2016. I’m currently working on ER stress regulated protein-RNA interactions, protein phosphorylation kinetics and RNA processing. 

ASLI EKİN DOĞAN

I graduated from Bilkent University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in 2014. During my undergraduate studies, I worked in Necker Hospital Inserm Research Lab in Paris, under the supervision of Prof. Antignac. My research focus was to identify new mutations involved in steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome by isolating and sequencing DNA samples of affected patients.After my graduation, I started my master’s degree in Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Throughout my time there, I worked with Prof. Prickaerts on the topic of whether chronic treatment of 5-HT_1A receptors with two novel agonists would increase hippocampal plasticity, neurogenesis and cell survival in rats. Another major focus of this study was to find the link between receptor agonist pathways and epigenetic modifications in hippocampal cells.

Starting September 2016, I joined Dr. Erbay’s lab as a PhD candidate.

ZEHRA VELİ, MSc.

I graduated from Ankara University Biology department. I completed my masters degree at Ankara University Biotechnology Instute. My thesis topic; The Role of FVII Gene Polymorphism in Behçet Patients with Thrombosis. And then  I worked as a professional biologist in the Early Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer Project at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. I took part in many projects and I had many experiences that taught me so many techniques. Therefore my background developped me a lot. I contuniue my career in Bilkent University Molecular Biology and Genetics department with Asst Prof. Ebru Erbay.