Natalie Zeytuni, McGill University

Research

Oral Pathogens Porphyromonas Gingivalis Bacterial Adhesion Bacterial Infection Cryo-Electron Microscopy Oral Microbiome Periodontitis Polymicrobial Biofilm

Latest papers

Structural and mechanistic basis of ubiquitous bacterial kinase signaling identifies PorX as a noncanonical substrate in Porphyromonas gingivalis.
The Journal of biological chemistry · 2026 · senior author
Probing the extent of importin-α targeting of the TAF8 NLS by eliminating its cationic net-charge.
Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society · 2025
Integrating Biochemical and Computational Approaches Reveal Structural Insights in Trastuzumab scFv-Fc Antibody Engineering.
Biomolecules · 2025

All 9 publications

Latest funding

Orchestrating Biofilms: Molecular Insights into P. gingivalis Fimbriae and Periodontal Pathogenesis
CIHR · 2025 · Nominated PI
$887,400
Targeting the Mycobacterial Proteasome System to Fight Antimicrobial-Resistant Tuberculosis
CIHR · 2023 · Supervisor
$135,000
Regulating the Response: Targeting Virulence Factors Secretion by the Type IX Secretion System
CIHR · 2022 · Nominated PI
$100,000

All 5 grants and awards

9 publications.

01

Structural and mechanistic basis of ubiquitous bacterial kinase signaling identifies PorX as a noncanonical substrate in Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Saran A, Yang Z, Wang Z, Harris JNC, Vahidi S, Zeytuni N

The Journal of biological chemistry2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2026.113088 PMID: 42055324

02

Probing the extent of importin-α targeting of the TAF8 NLS by eliminating its cationic net-charge.

Abdoli A, Yang Z, Odeh-Ahmed A, Bednova O, Lemieux B, Dawe L, Ravel-Chapuis A, Lavigne P, Zeytuni N, Leyton JV

Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society2025

DOI: 10.1002/pro.70272 PMID: 40852899

03

Integrating Biochemical and Computational Approaches Reveal Structural Insights in Trastuzumab scFv-Fc Antibody Engineering.

Bednova O, Pougoue Ketchemen J, Mslati H, Barok M, Joensuu H, Zeytuni N, Gentile F, Sanche L, Fonge H, Leyton JV

Biomolecules2025

DOI: 10.3390/biom15050606 PMID: 40427499

04

Mechanism of allosteric activation in human mitochondrial ClpP protease.

Goncalves MM, Uday AB, Forrester TJB, Currie SQW, Kim AS, Feng Y, Jitkova Y, Velyvis A, Harkness RW, Kimber MS, Schimmer AD, Zeytuni N, Vahidi S

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2025

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2419881122 PMID: 40232800

05

Structural basis for allosteric modulation of M. tuberculosis proteasome core particle.

Turner M, Uday AB, Velyvis A, Rennella E, Zeytuni N, Vahidi S

Nature communications2025

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58430-0 PMID: 40169579

06

Unveiling the molecular mechanisms of the type IX secretion system's response regulator: Structural and functional insights.

Saran A, Kim HM, Manning I, Hancock MA, Schmitz C, Madej M, Potempa J, Sola M, Trempe JF, Zhu Y, Davey ME, Zeytuni N

PNAS nexus2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae316 PMID: 39139265

07

Cryo-EM structure of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-pilus reveals the importance of positive charges in the lumen.

Amro J, Black C, Jemouai Z, Rooney N, Daneault C, Zeytuni N, Ruiz M, Bui KH, Baron C

Structure (London, England : 1993)2023

DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2022.11.007 PMID: 36513067

08

Response regulator PorX coordinates oligonucleotide signalling and gene expression to control the secretion of virulence factors.

Schmitz C, Madej M, Nowakowska Z, Cuppari A, Jacula A, Ksiazek M, Mikruta K, Wisniewski J, Pudelko-Malik N, Saran A, Zeytuni N, Mlynarz P, Lamont RJ, Usón I, Siksnys V, Potempa J, Solà M

Nucleic acids research2022

DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1103 PMID: 36464236

09

Purification, crystallization and crystallographic analysis of the PorX response regulator associated with the type IX secretion system.

Saran A, Weerasinghe N, Thibodeaux CJ, Zeytuni N

Acta crystallographica. Section F, Structural biology communications2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x22008500 PMID: 36189719

Orchestrating Biofilms: Molecular Insights into P. gingivalis Fimbriae and Periodontal Pathogenesis

Nominated PICIHR2025Project Grant

Principal investigators: Zeytuni, Natalie

Keywords: Bacterial Adhesion; Bacterial Infection; Cryo-Electron Microscopy; Oral Microbiome; Oral Pathogens; Periodontitis; Polymicrobial Biofilm; Porphyromonas Gingivalis; Structural Biology; Type V Pili

$887,400

Targeting the Mycobacterial Proteasome System to Fight Antimicrobial-Resistant Tuberculosis

SupervisorCIHR2023Fellowship - Priority Announcement: Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies

Principal investigators: Forrester, Taylor

Keywords: Antimicrobial Resistance; Cryogenic Electron Microscopy; Crystallography; Hydrogen Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry; Mycobacterium Tuberculosis; Proteasome; Rational Design Of Therapeutics; Structural Biology; Tuberculosis Pandemic

$135,000

Regulating the Response: Targeting Virulence Factors Secretion by the Type IX Secretion System

Nominated PICIHR2022Project Grant - PA: Antimicrobial Resistance (Bridge Grant)

Principal investigators: Zeytuni, Natalie

Keywords: Alkaline Phospatase; Antibiotic Resistance; Bacterial Pathogenicity; Bacterial Secretion Systems; Oral Pathogens; Porphyromonas Gingivalis; Response Regulators; Structure-Function Studeis; Two-Component Systems; X-Ray Crystallography

$100,000

Enhancing butanol tolerance in Solventogenic Clostridia Species - Structural and Functional Investigation

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Discovery Launch Supplement

Principal investigators: Zeytuni, Natalie

$12,500

Enhancing butanol tolerance in Solventogenic Clostridia Species - Structural and Functional Investigation

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Zeytuni, Natalie

$111,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Anatomy and Biology
Molecular and Cellular Biology
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
Médecine nucléaire et radiobiologie
Nutrition
Médecine
Other

Co-authors at McGill University, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Siavash Vahidi

Molecular and Cellular Biology

3 shared papers, latest 2026

Humphrey Fonge

Faculty

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Aymeric Ravel-Chapuis

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Christian Baron

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Léon Sanche

Médecine nucléaire et radiobiologie

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Pierre Lavigne

Médecine

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Matthieu Ruiz

Nutrition

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2025

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Oral Pathogens Dear Professor Zeytuni, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Structural and mechanistic basis of ubiquitous bacterial kinase signaling identifies PorX as a noncanonical substrate in Porphyromonas gingivalis." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Orchestrating Biofilms: Molecular Insights into P. gingivalis Fimbriae and Periodontal Pathogenesis" (2025), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Natalie Zeytuni

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Structural and mechanistic basis of ubiquitous bacterial kinase signaling identifies PorX as a noncanonical substrate in Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Probing the extent of importin-&#x3b1; targeting of the TAF8 NLS by eliminating its cationic net-charge.

Integrating Biochemical and Computational Approaches Reveal Structural Insights in Trastuzumab scFv-Fc Antibody Engineering.

Mechanism of allosteric activation in human mitochondrial ClpP protease.

Structural basis for allosteric modulation of M. tuberculosis proteasome core particle.

Unveiling the molecular mechanisms of the type IX secretion system's response regulator: Structural and functional insights.

Cryo-EM structure of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-pilus reveals the importance of positive charges in the lumen.

Response regulator PorX coordinates oligonucleotide signalling and gene expression to control the secretion of virulence factors.

Purification, crystallization and crystallographic analysis of the PorX response regulator associated with the type IX secretion system.

Orchestrating Biofilms: Molecular Insights into P. gingivalis Fimbriae and Periodontal Pathogenesis

Targeting the Mycobacterial Proteasome System to Fight Antimicrobial-Resistant Tuberculosis

Regulating the Response: Targeting Virulence Factors Secretion by the Type IX Secretion System

Enhancing butanol tolerance in Solventogenic Clostridia Species - Structural and Functional Investigation

Enhancing butanol tolerance in Solventogenic Clostridia Species - Structural and Functional Investigation

Frequent collaborators

Siavash Vahidi

Humphrey Fonge

Aymeric Ravel-Chapuis

Christian Baron

Léon Sanche

Pierre Lavigne

Matthieu Ruiz

Probing the extent of importin-α targeting of the TAF8 NLS by eliminating its cationic net-charge.