Pačes Václav

Prof., RNDr., DrSc., dr.h.c.
Born February 2, 1942

Genomics and bioinformatics
Member of the Learned Society since 1994 (Founding member)
2010-2012 LS Chairman
1998-2002, member of the LS Council

Educational and professional preparation:

1959, IV. Qualification class: press operator, welder, ČKD Vagónka Tatra Smíchov, Praha;
1965, graduate, biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Charles University, Prague;
1970, RNDr.; 1968, CSc.(PhD), Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, CSAS (IOCB), Prague;
1988, DrSc., Institute of Molecular Genetics, CSAS;
1990, Associate Professor of biochemistry, Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Prague;
1994, Full Professor of biochemistry, ICT

Employment and academic positions:

1965-1968, PhD student, IOCB, CSAS;
1968-1969, Research associate, Department of Biophysics and Theoretical Biology, University of Chicago, USA;
1969-1970, Post-doctoral student, Department of Biochemistry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada;
1970-1977, scientist and later senior scientist, IOCB, CSAS;
1977-2005, Head, Department of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Genetics, CSAS and AS CR;
1990-1991, Visiting scientist, Human Genetics Department, Yale University, New Haven, USA.
Shorter stays by invitation: 1980, Department of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, England; 1986, Institute of Molecular Biology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain; 1988, Department of Genetics, University of Seville, Spain, (organized course on DNA sequencing); 1989, Institute of Applied Biochemistry, Mitake, Japan; invited lecture at the FEBS Congress, Rome 1989;
1999-2005, Director, Institute of Molecular Genetics, AS CR;
2005-2009, president, AS CR

Membership in selected domestic scientific bodies:

Czech Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Chairman 1990-2018)

Membership and positions in international organizations and societies:

1997, elected member, European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO)
2000, Vice-Chairman, European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC)
1997, elected member, European Academy of Sciences and Arts
2002, elected member, European Academy of Sciences
2002, Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS), elected: Publications Committee member, Secretary General 2014-2022
2002, member, editorial board, European Journal of Biochemistry
2003, editor, Research in Microbiology

Notable awards:

1980, Prize, Czech Literary Fund (for the best publication)
1987, Academy Award
1989, State award (for science)
1992, CSAS award (for promotion of science)
1988, Annual lecture in honour of J. L. Fischer, Palacký University
2008, Balling Medal (ICT)
2008, De Scientia Humanitate Optime Meritis (Academy)
2009, Medal of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
2010, Votoček Medal (ICT)
2012, Gregor Mendel Medal (Academy)

Selected publications:

Pačes V., Doskočil J., Šorm F.: Incorporation of 5-azacytidine into nucleic acids of Escherichia coli. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 161, 352-360 (1968)
Pačes V., Doskočil J., Šorm F.: The effect of 5-azacytidine on the synthesis of ribosomes in Escherichia coli. FEBS Letters 1, 55-58 (1968)
Pačes V., Werstiuk E., Hall R. H.: Conversion of N6(isopentenyl)ade-nosine to adenosine by enzyme activity in tobacco tissue. Plant Physiol. 48, 775-778 (1971)
Pačes V., Vlček C., Urbánek P.: Nucleotide sequence of the late region of Bacillus subtilis phage PZA, a close relative of j29. Gene 44, 107-114 (1986)
Hostomský Z., Smrt J., Arnold L., Točík Z., Pačes V.: Solid-phase assembly of cow colostrum trypsin inhibitor gene. Nucleic Acids Res. 15, 4849-4856 (1987)
Kozmík Z., Arnold L., Pačes V.: Multiple sets of adjacent mE1 and oct-1 binding sites upstream of the pseudorabies virus immediate-early gene promoter. Virology 182, 239-249 (1991)
Pačes V., Rosenberg L.E., Fenton V., Kalousek F.: The b-subunit of the mitochondrial processing peptidase from rat liver: gene cloning and sequencing and comparison to a new family of metallopeptidases. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90 (1993) 5355-5358
Dujon B. et al. (98 authors, Beneš V., Pačes V., Vlček Č. included): The complete nucleotide sequence of yeast chromosome XV. Nature 387, 98-102 (l997)
Pačes V., Pivec L., Teich A. (Eds.): Science Evaluation and Its Management. IOS Press, Amsterdam 1999
Pečenková T., Pačes V.: Molecular phylogeny of j29-like phages and their relatedness to other protein-primed replicating phages and other phages hosted by gram-positive bacteria. J. Mol. Evol. 48, 197-208 (1999)
Pačes J., Pavlíček A., Pačes V.: HERVd: database of human endogenous retroviruses, Nucleic Acids Res. 30, 205-206 (2002)
Ruivenkamp A.L., ….Vlček Č….Pačes V….Démant P. (20 authors in total): Ptprj is a candidate for the mouse colon-cancer susceptibility locus Scc1 and is frequently deleted in human cancers. Nature Genetics 31, 295-300 (2002)
Pačes J., Pavlíček A., Zika R., Kapitonov V.V., Jurka J., Pačes V.: HERVd: the Human Endogenous Retroviruses Database. Update Nucleic Acids Res. 32, 50 (2004)