Structural Biology Group (K.Tārs lab)
The main research direction of our group is devoted to investigations of various bacteriophages and their virus-like particles (VLPs). In our lab we investigate genomes of ssRNA and dsDNA bacteriophages, structures of their proteins and various molecular interactions during their life cycles. Our investigations have contributed to deeper understanding of phage structural and molecular biology and practical applications of their VLPs. We use VLPs of several ssRNA bacteriophages in vaccine development against various infectious diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, Dengue fever and influenza, and various non-communicable diseases including some cancer forms and Alzheimer’s disease.
Since our lab is the only one in Latvia capable of solving protein structures by crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, we are involved in several other projects which are devoted mainly towards structure-based rational drug development against a variety of pharmacologically import enzymes. Our targets include carbonic anhydrases and bacterial enzymes and their microcompartments involved in trimethylamine metabolism.
Kaspars Tārs, PhD
Head of the scientific group, senior researcher
Personnel
Kaspars Tārs, PhD, kaspars@biomed.lu.lv
Andris Kazāks, PhD, andris@biomed.lu.lv
Tatjana Kazāka, PhD, tatyanav@biomed.lu.lv
Jānis Rūmnieks, PhD, j.rumnieks@biomeb.lu.lv
Jānis Leitāns, PhD, janisl@biomed.lu.lv
Gints Kalniņš, PhD, gints.kalnins@biomed.lu.lv
Ilva Liekniņa, PhD, ilva@biomed.lu.lv
Ņikita Zrelovs, PhD., nikita.zrelovs@biomed.lu.lv
Ināra Akopjana, BSc. biol., inara@biomed.lu.lv
Mihails Šisovs, MSc. biol., mihails.shishovs@biomed.lu.lv
Eva Emilija Česle, MSc. biol., eva.cesle@biomed.lu.lv
Emīls Bolmanis, MSc, emils.bolmanis@biomed.lu.lv
Liene Lāce, MSc, liene.lace@biomed.lu.lv
Amanda Priedeslaipa, BSc, amanda.priedeslaipa@biomed.lu.lv
Karīna Švānberga, MSc, karina.svanberga@biomed.lu.
Areas for searching partners
- Functional and structural investigations of dsDNA and ssRNA bacteriophages
- Applications of virus-like particles in vaccine development
- Structural investigations of bacterial microcompartments
- Structural investigations of pharmacologically relevant proteins for rational drug design
10 the most representative publications for the scientific group
- Pilipenko V, Lieknina I, Skrastina D, Aktas S, Revina BL, Upite J, Jansone B, Tars K. Active immunization with bacteriophage AP205 VLPs results in reduced amyloid load and microgliosis in 5xFAD female mice. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2025 Oct 23. doi: 10.1007/s00210-025-04739-y.
- Zrelovs N, Svanberga K, Jansons J, Lamsters K, Karuss J, Krievans M, Fridmanis D, Dislers A, Kazaks A. Isolation and genomic characterization of Psychrobacillus isolate L3 and bacteriophage Spoks: a new phage-host pair from Antarctic soil. BMC Genomics. 2025 Apr 18;26(1):386. doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-11425-z.
- Cernooka E, Zrelovs N, Kazaks A. C-terminal anchor endolysins-proposing a third class of tailed bacteriophage endolysins. FEBS Lett. 2025 Jun;599(11):1499-1508. doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.70042.
- Kalniņa Z, Liekniņa I, Skeltona V, Akopjana I, Kazāks A, Tārs K. Preclinical Evaluation of virus-like particle Vaccine Against Carbonic Anhydrase IX Efficacy in a Mouse Breast Cancer Model System. Mol Biotechnol 2024 Jan 13. doi: 10.1007/s12033-023-01021-5.
- Svanberga K, Avsejenko J, Jansons J, Fridmanis D, Kazaka T, Berzins A, Dislers A, Kazaks A, Zrelovs N. Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Aeromonas salmonicida-Infecting Studiervirinae Bacteriophage, JELG-KS1. Microorganisms. 2024 Mar 8;12(3):542. doi:10.3390/microorganisms12030542.
- Kazaka T, Zrelovs N, Akopjana I, Bogans J, Jansons J, Dislers A, Kazaks A. Recombinant design of the enzymatically active domain of phage Enc34 endolysin to improve its activity against Gram-negative bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2024 Jan 9;371: fnae 103. doi:10.1093/femsle/fnae103.
- Liekniņa I, Reimer L, Panteļejevs T, Lends A, Jaudzems K, El-Turabi A, Gram H, Hammi A, Jensen PH, Tārs K. Structural basis of epitope recognition by anti-alpha-synuclein antibodies MJFR14-6-4-2. NPJ Parkinsons Dis. 2024 Oct 27;10(1):206. doi: 10.1038/s41531-024-00822-y.
- Rūmnieks J, Füzik T, Tārs K. Structure of the Borrelia Bacteriophage φBB1 Procapsid. J Mol Biol. 2023 Dec 15;435(24):168323. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168323. Epub 2023 Oct 20. PMID: 37866476.
- Kalnins G., Cesle E.E., Jansons J., Liepins J., Filimonenko A., Tars K. Encapsulation mechanisms and structural studies of GRM2 bacterial microcompartment particles. Nature Communications 2020 Jan 20;11(1):388. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-14205-y.
- Rūmnieks J, Liekniņa I, Kalniņš G, Šišovs M, Akopjana I, Bogans J, Tārs K. Three-dimensional structure of 22 uncultured ssRNA bacteriophages: Flexibility of the coat protein fold and variations in particle shapes. Sci Adv. 2020 Sep 2;6(36):eabc0023. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abc0023.