An Employee of the Institute of Biophysics (Molecular Biology) Becomes the Winner of the “Scientist of the Year – 2025” Competition
The acceptance of scientific works and the scientific expertise stage of the “Scientist of the Year – 2025” award competition organized by the Azerbaijan Science Foundation have been completed. Based on the evaluation results, Fidan Gudratova, a researcher at the “Molecular Cell Biochemistry and Signal Transduction” Laboratory of the AR MSE Institute of Biophysics (currently the Institute of Molecular Biology), has become the winner in the “Young Scientists and Researchers (under 35)” nomination.
The scientific article submitted to the competition:
Yusifov, T., Gudratova, F., & Aliyeva, A. (2025). Cytochrome C-like Domain Within the Human BK Channel. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(15), 7053.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157053
Article summary
Recent studies demonstrate that human BK channels possess multiple physiological roles, including involvement in the pathogenesis of epilepsy, hypertension, hearing loss, and ataxia, as well as playing a specific role in cancer and kidney diseases due to the presence of various signaling molecules that regulate channel function. However, fundamental questions regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying such a wide functional spectrum of BK channels remain unresolved.
As a result of studies conducted by the researcher on the molecular mechanisms regulating BK channel activity, a new functional biological structure—a cytochrome c-like domain that confers peroxidase activity to BK channels—has been identified, and it has been proven that this domain catalyzes the reaction of H₂O₂ decomposition.
Studies performed by the competition winner using human-derived recombinant proteins have shown that while the K⁺ ion conductivity of BK channels protects cells from abnormal excitability, their enzymatic activity may protect cells from widespread and potentially fatal oxidative damage.
The identification of new enzymatic properties of human BK channels lays the foundation for elucidating new physiological roles of these ion channels, understanding their unique functions related to cellular metabolism, and opens new avenues for the development of therapeutic strategies for various diseases associated with BK channel dysfunction.
