Research

14 papers, 2014–2024

From ribosome structure and the origin of translation during my PhD, to AMPylation and Fic enzyme biology in postdoctoral and industry research — unravelling the complexities of protein and nucleic acid systems, and now applying that to biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

14 papers in journals including Nature Chemistry, Nature Communications, PNAS, Nucleic Acids Research and Trends in Microbiology.

836 citations·h-index 10·i10-index 10

Google Scholar, as of September 2026

Interests

Post-translational modifications

Cellular homeostasis and bacterial infection

Protein production

Downstream processing at scale

Bio-analytics & bioconjugation

Purification, engineering, characterization

Plasma-derived therapeutics

Quality, safety and efficiency at manufacturing scale

Publications

14, newest first

FicD Sensitizes Cellular Response to Glucose Fluctuations in Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts

Gulen, B. et al. · PNAS · 2024

AMPylation of small GTPases by Fic enzymes

Gulen, B., Casey, A.K., Orth, K. · FEBS Letters · 2022

Fic-mediated AMPylation tempers the Unfolded Protein Response during physiological stress

Casey, A.K. et al., incl. Gulen, B. · PNAS · 2022

Revisiting AMPylation through the lens of Fic enzymes

Gulen, B., Itzen, A. · Trends in Microbiology · 2021

ProteoVision: web server for advanced visualization of ribosomal proteins

Penev, P.I. et al., incl. Gulen, B. · Nucleic Acids Research · 2021

Current Advances in Covalent Stabilization of Macromolecular Complexes for Structural Biology

Fauser, J., Itzen, A., Gulen, B. · Bioconjugate Chemistry · 2021

Specificity of AMPylation of the human chaperone BiP is mediated by TPR motifs of FICD

Fauser, J., Gulen, B. et al. · Nature Communications · 2021

Rab1-AMPylation by Legionella DrrA is allosterically activated by Rab1

Du, J., von Wrisberg, M., Gulen, B. et al. · Nature Communications · 2021

Identification of targets of AMPylating Fic enzymes by co-substrate-mediated covalent capture

Gulen, B. et al. · Nature Chemistry · 2020

Sortase-Mediated Quantitative Enzyme Immobilization on Magnetic Nanoparticles

Fauser, J. et al., incl. Gulen, B. · Bioconjugate Chemistry · 2020

Ribosomal Small Subunit Domains Radiate from a Central Core

Gulen, B. et al. · Scientific Reports · 2016

The History of the Ribosome and the Origin of Translation

Petrov, A.S., Gulen, B. et al. · PNAS · 2015

Architecture and Core of the Small Ribosomal Subunit

Gulen, B. · Dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology · 2015

Secondary Structures of rRNAs from All Three Domains of Life

Petrov, A.S. et al., incl. Gulen, B. · PLoS ONE · 2014

Figures & art

Making complex systems simple and appealing — turning intricate scientific phenomena into visually compelling illustrations. Two of these were selected as journal covers.

Layered 3D model of the small ribosomal subunit — Project figure Onion model of the small ribosomal subunitA layered 3D model of the ribosome's small subunit, with shells drawn at increasing distance from the decoding center. Project figure from my PhD work at Georgia Tech.

Bioconjugate Chemistry journal cover, August 2020 — Journal cover Bioconjugate Chemistry, Aug 2020 Sortase-Mediated Quantitative Enzyme Immobilization on Magnetic NanoparticlesRead the paper →

Scheme of a Fic enzyme transferring AMP from ATP to a target protein — Unpublished project figure An illustration from my Fic enzyme / AMPylation research.

Ribbon diagrams of small ribosomal subunit domains — Scientific Reports · 2016 Ribosomal Small Subunit Domains Radiate from a Central CoreRead the paper →

Crystal structures of a Fic enzyme bound to its target protein Cdc42 — Nature Chemistry · 2020 Identification of targets of AMPylating Fic enzymes by co-substrate-mediated covalent captureRead the paper →

Two protein complexes joined by a covalent chemical crosslink — Bioconjugate Chemistry · 2021 Current Advances in Covalent Stabilization of Macromolecular Complexes for Structural BiologyRead the paper →

Workflow for immobilizing enzymes on magnetic nanoparticles — Bioconjugate Chemistry · 2020 Sortase-Mediated Quantitative Enzyme Immobilization on Magnetic NanoparticlesRead the paper →

Workflow from cell lysate capture to LC-MS/MS identification — Nature Chemistry · 2020 Identification of targets of AMPylating Fic enzymes by co-substrate-mediated covalent captureRead the paper →

Illustration of a Fic enzyme with its AMP co-substrate — Project figure Fic enzymes & AMPylationAn overview illustration of my Fic enzyme and AMPylation projects: how these enzymes attach AMP to target proteins. Unpublished project figure.

Bioconjugate Chemistry journal cover, May 2021 — Journal cover Bioconjugate Chemistry, May 2021 Current Advances in Covalent Stabilization of Macromolecular Complexes for Structural BiologyRead the paper →

Panels showing the stepwise growth of ribosomal RNA — PNAS · 2015 The History of the Ribosome and the Origin of TranslationMost-cited paper · 377 citationsRead the paper →

Multi-panel figure of small ribosomal subunit structure — Scientific Reports · 2016 Ribosomal Small Subunit Domains Radiate from a Central CoreRead the paper →

Three views of the layered small-subunit model — Project figure Onion model, three viewsThe same layered model of the small ribosomal subunit, seen from three angles. Project figure from my PhD work at Georgia Tech.

Scheme of AMPylation by bacterial Fic effectors inside a host cell — Trends in Microbiology · 2021 Revisiting AMPylation through the lens of Fic enzymesRead the paper →