Lóránt Székvölgyi

 My research lies at the crossroad of molecular biology, biophysics and genetics - for want of better identified as ‘molecular cell biology’. I have been working on the architecture of eukaryotic chromatin focusing on molecular mechanisms that drive DNA recombination events. Since my PhD fellowship (and later as a faculty member of the Dept. of Biophysics and Cell Biology) I have addressed central problems of genome instability: key findings include (1) the discovery of persistent single-stranded DNA breaks in genomic regions that are prone to rearrangements in human malignancies, (2) the discovery of ribonucleoportein particles (RNA-DNA hybrids) in the proximity of these nicks. The latter finding was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, which allowed me to establish fruitful collaborations involving leading experts in the field; e.g. Caroline Austin (Newcastle University, UK) who is an expert of topoisomerases and Alain Nicolas (Institut Curie, Paris) who then became my post-doc supervisor. A major strand of my work involves molecular knowledge on the developmentally (genetically) programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs): I have been studying DSB formation during the differentiation program of meiosis in S cerevisiae. After 5 years of intense workload, together with the Nicolas group (Paris) and the group of Vincent Géli (Marseille) we found a cause-effect relationship between meiotic DSBs and the presence of an epigenetic tag, H3K4me3. This breakthrough - providing a definitive and unexpected explanation for the link between H3 lysine4 methylation and recombination – was published in Science (as joint-first author with Laurent Acquaviva, CRCM, Marseille) and it was highlighted in Nature Reviews Mol Cell Biol and in Molecular Cell. In 2015 I won the excellence grant of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, called Momentum, and currently I am the group leader of the MTA-DE Momentum Genome Architecture and Recombination Research Group. 

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Family name, First name: SZÉKVÖLGYI, Lóránt (1977)

Web sites:  http://geneart.med.unideb.hu/ ;   http://rcmm.med.unideb.hu/

Tel.:+36 52 411 717/ 50230; Fax: +36 52 255 990

 

 

EDUCATION

2008-2010       Post-doc (Alain Nicolas lab, Institut Curie, Paris, France)

2007                Ph.D. (Theoretical medicine, chromatin structure), University of Debrecen/ Hungary

                        Supervisor: Gábor Szabó (Dept. of Biophysics and Cell Biology)

2002                M.Sc. /molecular biology, biochemistry/ University of Debrecen/ Hungary

 

POSITIONS

2015 –             Group leader

                        The Hungarian Academy of Sciences

2015 –             Senior lecturer

                        Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Debrecen, Hungary

2014 –             Principal investigator (Genome architecture and recombination group)

                        Research Centre for Molecular Medicine, Debrecen, Hungary

2013 –             Senior lecturer

                        Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, University of Debrecen, Hungary

2007 – 2013    Assistant lecturer

                        Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, University of Debrecen, Hungary

 

FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS

2016                Institut d'études avancées (IMéRA), Marseille, France;

Role: visiting scientist at the Cancer Research Centre of Marseille (CRCM)

2016-2018      NKFIH-ERC_15 Research Grant / National Research, Development and Innovation Office;

Sum: 145k EUR. Role: PI.

2015-2020        Momentum Research Grant / The Hungarian Academy of Sciences; Sum: 726k EUR.

Role: PI. Host: Research Centre for Molecular Medicine/ University of Debrecen

2014–2016             CRP-ICGEB International Research Grant / Trieste, Italy

„Structural examination of histone mutations driving human disease” Sum: 48k EUR

Role: PI.

2013–2014   Zoltán Magyary Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Convergence Regions / Hungary

Sum 17k EUR

2012–2016   EU-FP7 Marie Curie European Carrier Integration Grant

„Global analysis of R-loop structures (RNA-DNA hybrids) by advanced microscopic and genetic approaches” (acronym: GLORI) Sum: 100k EUR.

2011–2014   OTKA-PD Research Grant  

„Cell biophysical and genetic analysis of higher-order chromatin organization and genetic recombination in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae” Sum: 87k EUR. Role: PI.

2008–2010    EU-FP7 Marie Curie intra-European Fellowship

Host: Institut Curie, Paris, France (Recombination and Genome Instability Unit / PI: Alain Nicolas). “Establishing the meiotic recombination initiation epigenetic code in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae” (acronym: EMRES) Sum: 177k EUR

2006    EMBO short-term Fellowship (3 Months) Host: Institut Curie, Paris, France (Recombination and Genome Instability Unit / PI: Alain Nicolas) 

 

MAJOR COLLABORATIONS

Topic 1:Epigenetic regulation of meiotic recombination

              [1] Alain Nicolas (Inst. Curie, Paris, France); [2] Vincent Géli (Cancer Research Centre of   

              Marseilles, France); [3] Jennifer C. Fung (UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA)

Topic 2:Biophysical analysis of mutant histones driving human disease

              [5] Jörg Langowski (DKFZ, Heidelberg); [6] Katalin Tóth (DKFZ, Heidelberg)

 

ORGANISATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

2016.               Mini-conference on recombination and genome instability: from DNA breaks to crossover pattern formation (20-22. June 2016, The Cancer Research Centre of Marseille (CRCM), France)Organizer.

2014                Danube Scientific Conferences on Epigenetics (2014 Nov 19-21st , Budapest, Hungary)

                        Speaker. Co-organizer with Bálint Bálint (Debrecen, Hungary), Tamás Arányi (Budapest, Hunagry), Wendy Bickmore (MRC, UK), Imre Boros (Szeged, Hungary), László Nagy ( Sanford Burnham, FL, US), Iannis Talianidis (Fleming Institute, Athens, Greece), László Tora (IGBMC, Strasbourg, France)

                        http://danube-epigenetics.weebly.com/

2013                23rd Wilhelm Bernhard Workshop on the Cell Nucleus (19-24th Aug 2013, Debrecen, Hungary).Speaker. Co-organizer with Gábor Szabó (Debrecen, Hungary). http://wbw23.unideb.hu/main.htm

 

SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

I have been member and accredited Ph.D. supervisor of the Doctoral School of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunbiology since 2010. http://molcellimm.phd.med.unideb.hu/index.html

Ph.D. students: (2) Szabolcs Hetey 2013–, László Halász 2013–

M.Sc. students: (3)Szabolcs Hetey 2010-2013(defended in 2013 with excellent);

       Zsófia Budai 2013-; David Lee 2013-

B.Sc. students:  (3)Gábor Hajnal-Papp 2007-2010 (defended in 2010 with excellent)

        Zsófia Budai 2011-2013 (defended in 2013 with excellent); Nóra Kányási 2011-

 

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

Lectures:

2007-               Biophysics for MD- molecular biologist- and pharmacologist students (atomic physics, radioactivity, X-ray/CT/PET/SPECT/MRI, ultrasound, lasers)

2007-               Cell biology for MD- molecular biologist- and pharmacologist students (chromatin structure, cell cycle, meiosis)           

2011-               Modern biophysical methods (fluorescent techniques, FRET, FRAP, FCS)  

2011-               Selected topics in cell biology (title: “Recombination: break the genome to save it!”)         

2011-               Physics for physiotherapeutic students (electricity, nuclear physics)           

Seminars 2004-:Cell biology, Biophysics, Physics, Biostatistics

Practices 2002-: Cell biology, Biophysics  

 

 

INSTITUTIONALRESPONSIBILITIES

2007–             FacultyCommittee Member / Dept. of Biophysics and Cell Biology/ University of Debrecen

2010–              Faculty Coordinator of Cell Biological practices / Dept. of Biophysics and Cell Biology/ University of Debrecen

 2010–             Ph.D.supervisor and Scientific adviser / Doctoral School of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunbiology / Hungary

2011–              Faculty Coordinator of the elective course “Modern biophysical methods” / Dept. of Biophysics and Cell Biology/ University of Debrecen

2014–             Faculty Coordinator / Students’ Research Society for Medical and Health Sciences/ University of Debrecen

 

MEMBERSHIPSOFSCIENTIFICSOCIETIES

2003–             Member/ Hungarian Biophysical Society (MBFT)

2008–             Public Body Member/ Hungarian Academy of Sciences

2014–             Member/ Hungarian Biochemical Society (MBKE)

2014–             Member/ Hungarian Genetic Society (MAGE)

 

PUBLICATIONS

  1. Szekvolgyi L, Miről mesélnek a kromoszómatörések? TERMÉSZET VILÁGA 03; (2016)  
  2. Szekvolgyi L, Ha törik, ha szakad: DNS és genomszerkezet-kutatás a Debreceni Egyetemen DEBRECENI SZEMLE 1: (95-99.)  (2016)
  3. Szekvolgyi L*, Ohta K, Nicolas A* Histone Modifications and Chromatin Remodeling: Impact on the initiation of Meiotic Homologous Recombination CSH PERSPECT BIOL (2015)    * joint-corresponding authors
  4. Acquaviva L*, Szekvolgyi L*, Dichtl B, Dichtl BS, Saint Andre CD, Nicolas A, Géli V The COMPASS Subunit Spp1 Links Histone Methylation to Initiation of Meiotic Recombination SCIENCE 339:(6116) pp. 215-218. (2013)    * joint-first authors                                 
  5. Szekvolgyi L, Nicolas A From meiosis to postmeiotic events: Homologous recombination is obligatory but flexible FEBS JOURNAL277:(3) pp. 571-589. (2010)                                                 
  6. Szekvolgyi L, Imre L, Minh DXQ, Hegedus E, Bacso Z, Szabo G Flow Cytometric and Laser Scanning Microscopic Approaches in Epigenetics Research.METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY HumanaPress, 2009. pp.99-112. 
  7. Szekvolgyi L, Fenyofalvi G, Bacso Z, Szabo G Chromatin loops stepping from  R-loops CELLULAR ONCOLOGY  31:(2) pp. 142-143. (2009)
  8. Máthé C, Beyer D, Erdődi F, Serfőző Z, Székvölgyi L, Vasas G, M-Hamvas M, Jámbrik K, Gonda S, Kiss A, M. Szigeti Z, Surányi G Microcystin-LR induces abnormal root development by altering microtubule organization in tissue-cultured common reed (Phragmites australis) plantlets AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY 92:(3) pp. 122-130. (2009)                                    
  9. Hegedus E, Kokai E, Vereb G, Bacso Z, Szekvolgyi L, Dombradi V, Szabo G Mapping the arrangement of nicks marking loop-size domains in yeast chromatin CELLULAR ONCOLOGY  31:(2) pp. 143-144. (2009)
  10. Hegedus E, Imre L, Pataki J, Lizanecz E, Szekvolgyi L, Fazakas F, Bacso Z, Toth A, Szabo M, Seres Z, Szabo G Heteroduplex analysis using flow cytometric microbead assays to detect deletions, insertions, and single-strand lesions CYTOMETRY PART A 73A:(3) pp. 238-245. (2008)
  11. Szekvolgyi L, Rakosy Z, Balint LB, Kokai E, Imre L, Vereb G, Bacso Z, Goda K, Varga S, Balazs M, Dombradi V, Nagy L, Szabo G Ribonucleoprotein-masked nicks at 50-kbp intervals in the eukaryotic genomic DNA PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 104:(38) pp. 14964-14969. (2007)                                                                           
  12. Szekvolgyi L, Hegedus E, Molnar M, Bacso Z, Szarka K, Beck Z, Dombradi V, Austin C, Szabo G Nick-forming sequences may be involved in the organization of eukaryotic chromatin into ~50 kbp loops HISTOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY 125:(1-2) pp. 63-73. (2006)      
  13. Szekvolgyi L, Balint L B, Imre L, Goda K, Szabo M, Nagy L, Szabo G ChIP-on-beads: Flow-cytometric evaluation of chromatin immunoprecipitation CYTOMETRY PART A 69A:(10) pp. 1086-1091. (2006)                                 
  14. Pataki J, Szabo M, Lantos E, Szekvolgyi L, Molnar M, Hegedus E, Bacso Z, Kappelmayer J, Lustyik G, Szabo G Biological microbeads for flow-cytometric immunoassays, enzyme titrations, and quantitative PCR CYTOMETRY PART A 68A:(1) pp. 45-52. (2005) 
  15. Szabo G, Lustyik G, Pataki J, Szabo M, Szekvolgyi L, Hegedus E, Fazekas F Fixed cells as microbeads for various applications CYTOMETRY 59A:(1) p. 154. (2004)
  16. Szilagyi I, Varga T, Szekvolgyi L, Hegedus T, Goda K, Kaczur V, Bacso Z, Nakayama Y, Posafi J, Pongor S, Szabo G Non-random features of loop-size chromatin fragmentation JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY 89:(6) 1193-1205. (2003)