Curriculum vitae

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, 1^st, 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 of grant applications (during years 2000-2023):

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK), Cancer Research (UK), EMBO, ERC, Human Frontiers Science Program, Inserm, National Science Foundation (USA), March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation (USA), Research Foundation - Flanders (Belgium), Wellcome Trust (UK), Israel Science Foundation, Finnish Cultural Foundation etc.

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.