Research output per year
Research output per year
PL 56 (Viikinkaari 5)
00014
Finland
Finland
Viikinkaari 5, Biocenter 2
00790 Helsinki
Finland
Research activity per year
PEKKA LAPPALAINEN CV (December 2024)
PERSONAL DETAILS
Family name, First name: Lappalainen, Pekka
Researcher unique identifier: https://scholar.google.fi/citations?user=eON-dqcAAAAJ&hl=fi
Date and place of birth: May, 1st, 1966, Espoo, Finland
Family: Two children, b. 2006 and 2007
Nationality: Finnish
URL for web site: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/actin-based-molecular-machines
DEGREES
1998 Docent of Biochemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland
1995 PhD: EMBL-Heidelberg, Germany & University of Jyväskylä, Dept Biosciences, Finland
1991 MSc: University of Jyväskylä, Dept. Biosciences, Finland
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT
2024 - Professor in Quantitative Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences & HiLIFE Institute of Biotechnology, Univ. Helsinki
PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE
2019 – 2023 Academy Professor
Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland
2013 – 2018 Professor in Quantitative Cell Biology
Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland
2004 – 2012 Research director
Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland
1998 – 2003 Group leader
Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland
1995 - 1998 Post-doctoral researcher (with prof. David Drubin)
Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
1991 - 1995 PhD-student (with prof. Matti Saraste)
EMBL-Heidelberg, Germany
CAREER BREAKS
-
RESEARCH OUTPUT
121 original research articles and 24 review articles. Cited >21000 times (Google Scholar, https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=eON-dqcAAAAJ&hl=en)
RESEARCH SUPERVISION AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
1998 – 2023 16 supervised PhD-thesis and 10 post-docs (from which 9 currently work as group leaders/professors in Finland, Japan, or China)
Currently supervising 4 PhD-students and 5 post-docs
TEACHING MERITS
Teaching administration
2003-2012: Director of Helsinki Graduate Program in Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (GPBM). GPBM was among the largest graduate programs in University of Helsinki.
Undergraduate teaching
1998-2023: I have organized several lecture and practical courses for Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, and for VGSB, GPBM and ILS graduate programs at University of Helsinki. In addition, I have given numerous lectures at University of Helsinki, Åbo Academy and University of Eastern Finland. Currently, I am the responsible teacher for the ‘Advanced Cell Biology’ lecture course (GMB-301) and ‘Alberts et al. Cell biology’ book exam (GMB-006).
AWARDS AND HONOURS
2022 - 2029 Center of Excellence (CoE) in Biological Barrier Mechanics and Disease together with Prof. Johanna Ivaska, Prof. Sara Wickström, Prof. Pipsa Saharinen, and Prof. Ilpo Vattulainen
2021 Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (member)
2017 Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland (medal)
2016 Elected EMBO Member
2014 - 2019 Center of Excellence in Biomembrane Research together with Prof. Elina Ikonen and Prof. Ilpo Vattulainen
2001 EMBO Young Investigator
1996 - 1998 Human Frontiers Science Program (long-term fellowship)
1995 - 1996 EMBO (long-term fellowship)
OTHER KEY ACADEMIC MERITS
Editorial duties:
2021 – present Editorial board member: J Cell Biol.
2011 – present Editorial board member: Cell Reports
2014 – 2022 Reviewing editor: eLife
2010 - 2017 Executive editor: Cytoskeleton
2006 – 2009 Editorial board member: Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton
Grant panels:
2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 ERC LS3 StG: panel member
2014, 2016, 2021 Danish Council for Independent Research: panel member
2024 National Science Center, NZ3 Life science, Poland: panel member
Reviewer for journals
Nature, Science, Cell, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, eLife, Molecular Cell, Developmental Cell, Cell Reports, Current Biology, Journal of Cell Biology, Genes and Development, EMBO Journal, EMBO Reports, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Trends in Cell Biology, Nature Communications, Journal of Cell Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Molecular Biology of the Cell, Structure, Traffic, Biophysical Journal, Biochemical Journal, Journal of Biological Chemistry, etc.
Other academic merits
Opponent in 12 PhD-thesis dissertations (in Finland, Denmark, Estonia, France, Sweden) and pre-examiner for 25 PhD-thesis.
SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIETAL IMPACT
Administration
2010 – 2017 Vice-director, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland
2018 – 2018 Deputy director, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland
2014 - 2017 Director, Biocentrum Helsinki
Organisation of scientific meetings
2017 FEBS advance lecture course on ‘Cytoskeleton: Mechanical coupling from the plasma membrane to nucleus. Helsinki, Finland. (co-organizer)
2017 EMBO practical course on ‘Protein-lipid interactions’. Helsinki, Finland. (co-organizer)
2014 Jacques Monod Conference on ‘Membrane remodelling’, Roscoff, France.
(co-organizer)
2010 FEBS Advanced Lecture Course on ‘Cytoskeleton, Contractility and Motility’, Cargese, France. (co-organizer)
2007 EMBO Course on ‘Cytoskeletal dynamics’, Gif-sur-Yvette, France. (co-organizer)
2004 FEBS/EMBO Special Meeting ‘Cytoskeletal dynamics: from cell biology to development and disease’, Helsinki, Finland (co-organizer)
TEN SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Kumari R, Ven K, Chastney M, Kokate SB, Peränen J, Aaron J, Almeida-Souza L, Kremneva E, Poincloux R, Chew T-L, Gunning PW, Ivaska J, Lappalainen P (2024): Focal adhesions contain three specialized actin nanoscale layers. Nature Commun. 15(1): 2547
Kotila T, Wioland H, Muniyandi S, Kogan K, Antenucci L, Jégou A, Huiskonen J, Romet-Lemonne G, Lappalainen P (2022): Structural basis of rapid actin dynamics in the evolutionarily divergent Leishmania parasite. Nature Commun. 13: 3442.
Kokate SB, Ciuba K, Tran VD, Kumari R, Tojkander S, Engel U, Kogan K, Kumar S, Lappalainen P (2022): Caldesmon controls stress fiber force-balance through dynamic cross-linking of myosin II and actin-tropomyosin filaments. Nature Commun. 13: 6032.
Hakala M, Wioland H, Tolonen M, Kotila T, Jegou A, Romet-Lemonne G, Lappalainen P (2021): Twinfilin uncaps filament barbed ends to promote turnover of lamellipodial actin networks. Nature Cell. Biol. 23: 147-159.
Lehtimäki JI, Rajakylä EK, Tojkander S, Lappalainen P (2021): Generation of stress fibers through myosin-driven re-organization of the actin cortex. eLife 10:e60710.
Kumari R, Jiu Y, Carman PJ, Tojkander S. Kogan K, Varjosalo M, Gunning PW, Dominguez R, Lappalainen P (2020): Tropomodulins control the balance between protrusive and contractile structures by stabilizing actin-tropomyosin filaments. Curr. Biol. 30: 767–778.
Kotila T, Wioland H, Enkavi G, Kogan K, Vattulainen I, Jégou A, Romet-Lemonne G, Lappalainen P (2019): Mechanism of synergistic actin filament pointed end depolymerization by cyclase-associated protein and cofilin. Nature Commun. 10:5320.
Jiu Y, Kumari R, Fenix AM, Schaible N, Liu X, Varjosalo M, Krishnan R, Burnette DT, Lappalainen P (2019): Myosin-18B promotes the assembly of myosin II stacks for maturation of contractile actomyosin bundles. Curr. Biol. 29:81-92.
*Kotila T, *Kogan K, Enkavi G, Guo S, Vattulainen I, Goode BL, Lappalainen P (2018): Structural basis of actin monomer re-charging by cyclase-associated protein. Nature Commun. 9:1892. *equal contribution.
Senju Y, Kalimeri M, Koskela EV, Somerharju P, Zhao H, Vattulainen I, Lappalainen P (2017): Mechanistic principles underlying regulation of the actin cytoskeleton by phosphoinositides. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 114: E8977-E8986.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › Scientific
Lappalainen, P. (Project manager)
Syöpäsäätiö sr Cancerstiftelsen sr
01/01/2025 → 31/12/2026
Project: Foundations (Private Foundations, Non-Profit Foundations, Charitable Trusts)
Lappalainen, P. (Project manager) & Körber, S. (Participant)
01/07/2024 → 30/06/2026
Project: EU Horizon Europe: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships: European Fellowships (HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF)
Lappalainen, P. (Project manager), Biswas, P. (Participant), Chua, X. L. (Participant) & Oshin, A. (Participant)
01/01/2024 → 31/12/2026
Project: Research Council of Finland: Centre of Exellence
Lappalainen, P. (Project manager), Kokate, S. B. (Participant), Oshin, A. (Participant) & Vahvaselkä, L. A. E. (Participant)
Sigrid Juséliuksen Säätiö @003701165704@
01/05/2023 → 30/04/2025
Project: Foundations (Private Foundations, Non-Profit Foundations, Charitable Trusts)
Lappalainen, P. (Visiting researcher)
Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Academic visit to other institution
Lappalainen, P. (Visiting researcher)
Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Academic visit to other institution
Lappalainen, P. (Host)
Activity: Hosting a visitor types › Academic visit at UH
Lappalainen, P. (Host)
Activity: Hosting a visitor types › Academic visit at UH
Lappalainen, P. (Board member)
Activity: Membership types › Membership or other role in review committee