Vesa Hytönen

I am interested in protein function and interactions. In particular, I would like to understand how mechanical signals regulate protein conformation and function.

I am professor in cell and molecular biology. I lead multidisciplinary research group. I am degree programme director in the Degree Program in Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering.

Protein engineering, mechanobiology, vaccine research, protein interactions

LUMATE, Jufo, BioBio Society

Academy of Finland, Business Finland, European Union, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Cancer Foundation, Cultural Foundation

PhD University of Jyväskylä 2005

Postdoc ETH Zurich 2005-07

Academy of Finland Postdoctoral Researcher 2007-10

Academy Research Fellow 2010-15

Associate Professor 2016-20

Professor 2020-

10 recent articles:

Latifeh Azizi, Lorena Varela, Paula Turkki, Vasyl V Mykuliak, Sanna Korpela, Teemu O Ihalainen, Joseph Church, Vesa P Hytönen, Benjamin T Goult. Talin variant P229S compromises integrin activation and associates with multifaceted clinical symptoms. Hum. Mol. Genet. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddac163. 

Jenni Leppiniemi, Zeeshan Mutahir, Alexander Dulebo, Piia Mikkonen, Markus Nuopponen, Paula Turkki, Vesa P Hytönen (2021) Avidin-Conjugated Nanofibrillar Cellulose Hydrogel Functionalized with Biotinylated Fibronectin and Vitronectin Promotes 3D Culture of Fibroblasts. Biomacromolecules 22, 4122-4137.

Vili Lampinen, Suvi Heinimäki, Olli Laitinen, Marko Pesu, Minna Hankaniemi*, Vesna Blazevic*, Vesa P. Hytönen* (2021) Modular vaccine platform based on the norovirus-like particle. J. Nanobiotech., 19, 1-14.

Marta Ripamonti, Nicolas Liaudet, Latifeh Azizi, Daniel Bouvard, Vesa P. Hytönen, Bernhard Wehrle-Haller (2021) Structural and functional analysis of LIM domain-dependent recruitment of paxillin to αvβ3 integrin-positive focal adhesions. Comm. Biol., 4, 1-21.

Latifeh Azizi, Alana R. Cowell, Vasyl V. Mykuliak, Benjamin T. Goult*, Paula Turkki*, Vesa P. Hytönen* (2021) Cancer associated talin point mutations disorganise cell adhesion and migration. Sci. Rep., 11, 347.

Pingfeng Zhang, Latifeh Azizi, Sampo Kukkurainen*, Tong Gao*, Mo Baikoghli*, Marie-Claude Jacquiere*, Yijuan Sun, Juha A. E. Määttä, R. Holland Cheng, Bernhard Wehrle-Haller, Vesa P. Hytönen, Jinhua Wu (2020) Crystal structure of the FERM-folded talin head reveals the determinants for integrin binding. PNAS, 117, 32402-32412.

Sampo Kukkurainen, Latifeh Azizi, Pingfeng Zhang, Marie-Claude Jacquier, Mo Baikoghli, Magdaléna von Essen, Anne Tuukkanen, Mikko Laitaoja, Xiaonan Liu, Rolle Rahikainen, Adam Orłowski, Janne Jänis, Juha A.E. Määttä, Markku Varjosalo, Ilpo Vattulainen, Tomasz Róg, Dmitri Svergun, R. Holland Cheng, Jinhua Wu, Vesa P. Hytönen*, Bernhard Wehrle-Haller* (2020) The F1 loop of talin head acts as a gatekeeper in integrin activation and clustering J. Cell Sci., 133, jcs239202.

Vasyl V. Mykuliak, Mateusz Sikora, Jonathan J. Booth, Marek Cieplak, Dmitrii V. Shalashilin, Vesa P. Hytönen (2020) Mechanical unfolding of proteins – a comparative non-equilibrium molecular dynamics study. Biophys. J., 119, 939-949.

Virginia M. Stone*, Minna M Hankaniemi*, Olli H Laitinen, Amirbabak Sioofy-Khojine, Ang Lin, Isabel Diaz Lozano, Magdalena A Mazur, Karin Loré, Heikki Hyöty, Vesa P. Hytönen**, Malin Flodström-Tullberg** (2020) A hexavalent Coxsackievirus B vaccine is highly immunogenic and has a strong protective capacity in mice and non-human primates. Science Advances, 6, eaaz2433.

Antonios Chronopoulos*, Stephen D. Thorpe*, Ernesto Cortes, Vasyl Mykuliak, Dariusz Lachowski, Tomasz Róg, David A. Lee, Vesa P. Hytönen**, Armando E. del Río Hernández** (2020) Syndecan is a cellular mechanotransducer that tunes cell mechanics by activating the integrin-RhoA pathway and YAP. Nature Materials 19, 669-678.