Šponer Jiří

prof., RNDr., DrSc.
Born March 2, 1964 in Brno

• Molecular Biophysics and Computational Chemistry
• Member of Learned Society since 2006

Educational and professional preparation:

• 1987, Master degree (RNDr), Physics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 
• 1992, CSc. (eq. PhD), Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 
• 2001, DrSc. (Doctor of Science), Biophysics/Molecular Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Employment and academic positions: 

• 1988–1989, Scholarship, Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno (including one-year army service).
• 1989–1992, Postgraduate student, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno.  
• 1992, Scholarship, assistant professor, Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Brno.
• 1993, Junior researcher, Institute of Biohysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno 
• 1994–2003, Researcher and Senior Research, J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague (part time 2001–2003).  
• 2001-present: Senior Researcher and Head of Laboratory of Structure and Dynamics of Nucleic Acids, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno. 
• 2004-present: (part time) Senior researcher, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague.

Membership in selected domestic scientific bodies:

• Member of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Biophysics, AS CR, Brno. Since 2001

Notable awards:

• 1999, Prize od the Learned Society of the Czech Republic for junior scientists
• 2000, Prize of the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic

Selected publications:

• Šponer J., Hobza P.: Nonplanar geometries of DNA bases. Second order Moller-Plesset study. J. Phys. Chem. 98, 1994, 3161-3164.
• Šponer J., Leszczynski J., Hobza P.: Structures and energies of hydrogen-bonded DNA base pairs. A nonempirical study with inclusion of electron correlation. J. Phys. Chem. 100, 1996, 1965-1974.
• Šponer J., Leszczynski, J., Hobza P.: On the nature of nucleic acid base stacking. Nonempirical ab initio and empirical potential characterization of 10 stacked base pairs. Comparison of stacked and H-bonded base pairs. J. Phys. Chem. 100, 1996, 5590-5596.
• Špacková N., Berger I., Šponer J.: Nanosecond molecular dynamics simulations of parallel and antiparallel guanine quadruplex molecules. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121, 1999, 5519-5534.
• Hobza P., Šponer J.: Structure, energetics, and dynamics of the nucleic acid base pairs: Nonempirical ab initio calculations. Chem. Rev. 99, 1999, 3247-3276.
• Štefl R., Cheatham T. E, Špačková, N., Fadrná E., Berger I., Koča J., Šponer J.: Formation pathways  of  a  guanine-quadruplex  DNA  revealed  by  molecular  dynamics and thermodynamic analysis of the substates. Biophys. J. 85, 2003, 1787-1804.
• Šponer J., Jurečka P., Hobza P.:   Accurate interaction energies of hydrogen-bonded nucleic acid base pairs. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126, 2004, 10142–10151.
• Krasovska M. V., Sefcikova J., Špačková N., Šponer J., Walter N. G.: Structural dynamics of precursor and product of the RNA enzyme from the hepatitis delta virus as revealed by molecular dynamics simulations. J. Mol. Biol. 351, 2005, 731-748.
• Rázga F., Koča J., Šponer J., Leontis N.B.: Hinge-like motions in RNA kink-turns: The role of the second A-minor motif and nominally unpaired bases. Biophys. J. 88, 2005, 3466-3485.
• Computational studies of DNA and RNA. Šponer J., Lankaš F., Eds., Springer, 2006 

Biofyzikální ústav AV ČR »
Institute of Biophysics, AS CR »