Program

Some new features of this first virtual version of MoTEC:

The first is the introduction of informal meetings between PIs from our community and students or young researchers called “Meet the experts” in the program. No less than 8 colleagues have accepted to take part in this exercise.

Why: The goal is to create a time of informal discussion (30 min) between young people and an expert who has a lot of experience in managing a research group, writing grants, publishing articles by senior authors, designing and teaching classes, etc… all that is needed to start after a PhD and also advice on how to choose your postdoc.

When: at the beginning and in parallel of each poster session (duration 30 min)

Where: in dedicated rooms on the Gather virtual platform.

The second is the possibility given to several of you to present in the form of short pre-recorded videos, a teaser of your poster.

Each day, we have selected 4 people on a similar theme. After the broadcasting of the 4 videos, a time of exchange and discussion between the audience and the 4 presenters will be planned. The discussion can continue during the poster session that follows.

In order to allow the greatest fluidity during the poster sessions, a number is assigned to each participant with a poster and the day during which he or she must be present. This information will be made available soon on the website in the “poster” tab.

Schedule overview (CEST)

  • 3:00 PM
  • 3:15 PM
  • 4:00 PM
  • 4:25 PM
  • 4:50 PM
  • 5:10 PM
  • 5:30 PM
  • 5:50 PM
  • 6:15 PM
  • 7:45 PM

September 27th, 2021

  • Welcome message
  • Opening Lecture

    Russ Hille
    University of California, USA

    How we got to Now: Recent Progress in Mo and W Enzymes
  • Talk 1

    Martin L. Kirck
    University of New Mexico, USA

    The Molybdenum Cofactor, Cofactor Sulfuration, and Mo-Sulfido Contributions to C-H Bond Activation
  • Talk 2

    Nadia C. Mösch-Zanetti
    University of Graz, Austria

    Nucleophilic Attack on Acetylene in Biomimetic Tungsten and Molybdenum Complexes
  • Coffee break
  • Talk 3

    Matthias Boll
    University of Freiburg, Germany

    Structure and function of a 1 MDa, electron-bifurcating, and tungstopterin containing benzene ring reductase
  • Talk 4

    Agnieszka Winiarska
    Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

    A new type of hydrogenase - Tungsten Aldehyde Oxidoreductase from Aromatoleum aromaticum
  • Poster session 1

    Flash Posters

    Soniya Ahammad/Madeleine Ehweiner/Filipa Engrola/Mikayla Metzger
  • Poster session & Meet the experts

    Partha Basu and Sharon Burgmayer
  • End of meeting Day 1

Schedule overview (CEST)

  • 2:00 PM
  • 2:25 PM
  • 2:50 PM
  • 3:10 PM
  • 3:30 PM
  • 3:45 PM
  • 4:05 PM
  • 4:25 PM
  • 4:45 PM
  • 5:00 PM
  • 5:20 PM
  • 5:40 PM
  • 6:10 PM
  • 7:30 PM

September 28th, 2021

  • Talk 5

    Ulrike Kappler
    The University of Queensland, Australia

    S-oxide reductases as determinants of bacterial fitness and pathogenicity
  • Talk 6

    Stéphane Grimaldi
    Aix-Marseille University, France

    Reaction mechanism of sulfite oxidizing enzymes: a combined structural and spectroscopic study of Thermus thermophilus sulfite dehydrogenase
  • Talk 7

    François Feron
    Aix-Marseille University, France

    Autism: what’s wrong with molybdenum enzymes?
  • Talk 8

    Tamaki Suganuma
    Stowers Institute for Medical Research, USA

    MOCS2 links purine metabolism to nucleoli function
  • Coffee break
  • Talk 9

    Sharon Burgmayer
    Bryn Mawr College, USA

    Exploring Model Complexes with Pyranopterin Dithiolene Ligands: Consequences of Pterin Methylation
  • Talk 10

    Jin Yang
    The University of New Mexico, USA

    Addressing Ligand-Based Redox in Molybdenum-Dependent Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase
  • Talk 11

    Henrique S. Fernandes
    Universidade do Porto, Portugal

    Exploring the Nitrate and Nitrite Reductase Activity of Xanthine Oxidase – a QM/MM study
  • Coffee break
  • Talk 12

    Filipa L. Sousa
    University of Vienna, Austria

    Diversity and distribution of Moco-complexes within prokaryotes
  • Talk 13

    John F. Stolz
    Duquesne University, USA

    The Respiratory Selenite Reductase and the Evolution of the DMSO Reductase Family of Enzymes
  • Poster session 2


    Flash Posters

    Malin Eh/Constanze Pinske/Thomas Reed/Anna Rovaletti
  • Poster session & Meet the experts

    Martin Kirk and Ines Pereira
  • End of meeting Day 2

Schedule overview (CEST)

  • 3:00 PM
  • 3:25 PM
  • 3:50 PM
  • 4:10 PM
  • 4:30 PM
  • 4:50 PM
  • 5:10 PM
  • 5:30 PM
  • 6:00 PM
  • 7:30 PM

September 29th, 2021

  • Talk 14

    Günter Schwarz
    University of Cologne, Germany

    Maturation, function, and deficiencies of mitochondrial sulfite oxidase
  • Talk 15

    Inês A. C. Pereira
    Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

    Spectroscopic and structural studies of the W-dependent formate dehydrogenase from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough
  • Talk 16

    Ulf Ryde
    Lund University, Sweden

    Computational studies of nitrogenase
  • Talk 17

    Zhi-Yong Yang
    Utah State University, USA

    The Electronic Structure of FeV-cofactor in Vanadium-Dependent Nitrogenase
  • Coffee break
  • Talk 18

    Anne Walburger
    Aix-Marseille University, France

    Identification and characterization of a non-canonical menaquinone linked Formate dehydrogenase
  • Talk 19

    Olivier Lemaire
    MPI for Marine Microbiology, Germany

    Capturing or releasing CO2: how do methanogenic archaea orient their tungsto/molyboenzymes reaction?
  • Poster session 3


    Flash Posters

    Ahmed Hassan/Joern Krausze/Nevena Maslac/Maria Reichenbach
  • Poster session & Meet the experts

    Günter Schwarz and Silke Leimkühler
  • End of meeting Day 3

Schedule overview (CEST)

  • 3:00 PM
  • 3:25 PM
  • 3:50 PM
  • 4:10 PM
  • 4:30 PM
  • 4:50 PM
  • 5:10 PM
  • 5:30 PM
  • 6:00 PM
  • 7:30 PM

September 30th, 2021

  • Talk 20

    Bernd Clement
    University of Kiel, Germany

    mARC: From a prodrug activating enzyme over a drug metabolizing enzyme to a drug target
  • Talk 21

    Silke Leimkühler
    The University of Potsdam, Germany

    Exploring the functional versatility of the molybdenum cofactors by their insertion into molybdoenzymes
  • Talk 22

    Kurt Warnhoff
    Sanford research, USA

    Molybdenum cofactor transfer from bacteria to the nematode C. elegans
  • Talk 23

    Thomas W. Hercher
    Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany

    Re-assessing the dynamics of Moco biosynthesis in a yeast engineered to synthesize Moco
  • Coffee break
  • Talk 24

    Markus Ribbe
    University of California, USA

    Tracing the Incorporation of the “9th Sulfur” into the Nitrogenase Cofactor Precursor with Selenite and Tellurite
  • Talk 25

    Yilin Hu
    University of California, USA

    Evidence of substrate binding and product release via belt-sulfur mobilization of the nitrogenase cofactor
  • Poster session 4


    Flash Posters

    Gregor Blaha/Marta Meneghello/Ana Rita Oliveira/Alexandre Uzel
  • Poster session & Meet the experts

    Markus Ribbe and Ralf Mendel
  • End of meeting Day 4

Schedule overview (CEST)

  • 3:00 PM
  • 3:25 PM
  • 3:50 PM
  • 4:10 PM
  • 4:30 PM
  • 4:50 PM
  • 5:35 PM
  • 5:50 PM

October 1st, 2021

  • Talk 26

    Betül Kaçar
    University of Arizona, USA

    Elucidating the origin and evolution of nitrogenases: Implications for early life and environment
  • Talk 27

    Partha Basu
    IUPUI, USA

    Kinetic control of endogenous ligation to molybdenum in DMSOR family
  • Talk 28

    Cristiano Mota
    Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

    The inhibition mechanisms of human aldehyde oxidase by STD-NMR and X-ray crystallography
  • Talk 29

    Kenichi Yokohama
    Duke University, USA

    Mechanism of carbon skeleton formation in the molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis
  • Coffee break
  • Closing Lecture

    Ralf R. Mendel
    Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany

    Quo vadis molybdenum enzyme research?
  • Closing remarks
  • End of meeting Day 5

Important Deadlines

July 15, 2021 : Submission of abstract for oral or poster presentation (to be selected for a flash presentation)

July 16, 2021 : Acceptance notification (oral and flash)

July 22, 2021 : Confirmation of acceptance for oral presentation of selected speakers

July 23, 2021 : Publication of the scientific program

September 21, 2021 : Submission of recorded presentation for selected poster presenters + End of registration



  • Provisional list of invited speakers
  • Prof. Russ Hille, opening keynote lecture
  • Prof. Ralf R Mendel, closing keynote lecture
  • Prof. Partha Basu
  • Prof. Bernd Clement
  • Dr. Stéphane Grimaldi
  • Prof. Betül Kaçar
  • Prof. Ulrike Kappler
  • Prof. Martin L Kirk
  • Prof. Silke Leimkühler
  • Prof. Nadia C Mösch-Zanetti
  • Prof. Inês AC Pereira
  • Prof. Markus W Ribbe
  • Prof. Guenter Schwarz


  • TOPIC
  • The scientific areas that will be covered are:
  • 1. Synthesis of Mo or W cofactors and models
  • 2. Enzyme structure and function
  • 3. Cell physiology of Mo/W enzymes
  • 4 Host microbe interaction and virulence
  • 5. Impact on health, disease and environment
  • 6. Technological applications

Leading scientists from outside the MoTEC-community have also been invited to participate and cover important emerging fields.
Lectures will be followed by an on-stage discussion session and will be recorded and made available to all the participants during the conference.
Poster contributions in all the scientific areas mentioned above are encouraged. We will create a professional interactive online environment for poster viewing where each poster will have its own breakout room – open during the entire conference to accommodate all time zones. Poster presenters selected from the abstracts will be invited to give a three-minute poster flash presentation to promote their work.