Akabayov BIO

I am a researcher (Associate Professor) in the Department of Chemistry at Ben-Gurion University. My responsibilities and contributions have been in research and teaching, with a focus on the chemistry of biological systems.
Before joining Ben-Gurion University, my academic path led me to the lab of Prof. Charles C. Richardson at Harvard Medical School from 2007 to 2014. During this postdoctoral period, our team embarked on a comprehensive study of DNA replication in bacteriophage T7. Our focus was on understanding the effects of macromolecular crowding on the replisome’s structure and function. We employed a combination of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), biochemical assays, and NMR in collaboration with Gerhard Wagner, HMS. This endeavor expanded our understanding of DNA replication and associated systems (Akabayov B. et al., Nature Communications, 2013; Akabayov SR et al., JACS 2013).

During this period, research was conducted that led to the development of a SAXS-based method to examine the structure of weak protein-protein complexes. This method was later applied to various biological systems (Luna R. et al., Cell Reports 2012). Other notable studies include the exploration of the role of zinc in the T7 encoded DNA primase using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAFS) (Akabayov B. et al. Biochemistry, 2009), and the investigation of a potential substitution of pyrophosphate by pyrovanadate in a pyrophosphorolysis-like reaction by DNA polymerase (Akabayov B. et al., JBC, 2011).

Intrigued by more mechanistically complex questions, we delved into the biophysical basis for the processivity of T7 DNA polymerase. A variety of biophysical tools were utilized, and it was shown that the activation of T7 DNA polymerase upon binding to its processivity factor is accompanied by a conformational transition. This active conformation is crucial for improved translocation on the DNA substrate (Akabayov B. et al., PNAS, 2010; Tran N. et al., JBC, 2012) and better utilization of dNTPs (Akabayov B. and Richardson CC., Powder Diffraction, 2011).

Prior to my postdoctoral research, I pursued my Ph.D. at the Weizmann Institute of Science in the Department of Structural Biology. As a graduate student in Prof. Irit Sagi’s lab, I had the opportunity to work with a range of structural biology, biophysical, and biochemical techniques. Through the application of X-ray absorption spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and nucleic-acid/protein biochemistry, I investigated the structure-function relationships of the E. coli RNA helicase DbpA. Additionally, the use of optical tweezers allowed for the study of RNA-protein interactions at the single-molecule level.
My path in academia started at Bar-Ilan University, where I completed my master’s studies. There, I worked with cardiomyocytes in the field of cell physiology, setting the foundation for my later interest in the biophysics of biological molecules.