Alexei Bogdanov (chemist and molecular biologist)

Alexei Alexeevich Bogdanov (born October 11, 1935 in Moscow) – Soviet and Russian chemist and molecular biologist, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (since 1994); Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1984–1994). Professor and (from 1985 to 2010) head of the Department of Chemistry of Natural Compounds at the Faculty of Chemistry, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU). Distinguished specialist in bioorganic chemistry and molecular biology who made fundamental contributions to understanding the structure and function of ribosomes, the interaction of nucleic acids with proteins, and the mechanisms of protein biosynthesis.

Alexei Alexeevich Bogdanov was born on October 11, 1935, in Moscow. He comes from a scientific dynasty: his grandfather on his mother's side, Vladimir Stepanovich Butkevich (1905–1999), was a renowned microbiologist and plant physiologist. His father, Alexei Alexeevich Bogdanov (Senior), was a Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences (D.Sc.) and Professor who headed the Department of Historical and Regional Geology at Moscow State University; his mother, Irina Vladimirovna Butkevich, taught microbiology at the Timiryazev Moscow State Agrarian Academy.

From early childhood, Bogdanov lived at the Timiryazev Academy surrounded by scientists, which created a favorable atmosphere for developing his scientific worldview. During his school years, he demonstrated aptitude for exact sciences, paying particular attention to astronomy and chemistry, and was also active in sports, especially skiing and football.^[1]

His university years at Moscow State University coincided with the period of rapid development in molecular biology. In 1958, Bogdanov graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. He completed his diploma thesis under the supervision of Professor Mikhail Alexeevich Prokofiev, one of the pioneers of research on nucleic acid–protein interactions. Prokofiev oriented his students not only toward the synthesis of nucleic acid components but also toward deeper study of their interactions with proteins and peptides, laying the foundation for Bogdanov's primary research direction.

After graduating from the chemistry faculty, Bogdanov continued his studies in graduate school. In 1962, he defended his Ph.D thesis, where he successfully demonstrated that nucleotidopeptides could be isolated from preparations of total cellular RNA. These compounds, present in total cellular RNA in very small quantities, possessed important biological functions. Their results attracted the attention of Zoe Shabarova, who developed methods for synthesizing amino acid derivatives of nucleotides. Their subsequent collaboration led to the writing of the textbook, which was widely used and was subsequently republished in English as Advanced Organic Chemistry of Nucleic Acids (Weinheim: VCH, 1994).

From 1969 onwards, Bogdanov worked at the Belozersky Institute of Physicochemical Biology, where he established the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of Nucleoproteins. In 1973, he defended his Doctor of Chemical Sciences thesis (D.Sc. in Chemistry) on the topic "RNA–Protein Interactions in Ribosomes," based on systematic experimental investigations of ribosome structure and function. His doctoral thesis brought fundamentally new understanding to ribosomal science, demonstrating that ribosomal RNA serves as the primary structural scaffold of the ribosome. In the same year, 1973, he received the rank of Professor at the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State University.

In 1984, he was elected Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1994, he was elected Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). From 1985 to 2010, he headed the Department of Chemistry of Natural Compounds at the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State University. At the Institute of Physicochemical Biology named after A.N. Belozersky, Bogdanov served as Department Head until 2002, Deputy Director of the Institute, and from 2001 onwards as Principal Research Fellow in the same department.^[2]

He served as Visiting Professor at Harvard University (1966–1967), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (1976–1977), universities in Italy (1986, 1993), and Bulgaria (1978, 1988).

He was a member of the Biomedical Commission of the Russian Federation State Duma; chairman (2000–2003) of the Expert Council on Biology and Medicine of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR).

Member of the Russian Society of Biochemists and Molecular Biologists; member of the European Academy of Sciences and its Presidium (since 2000); foreign member of the Academy of Sciences of Lithuania (since 2002); member of the Harvard Chemists Society; honorary consultant of the International Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (Warsaw, Poland); member of the expert council of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) (2002–2006).^[3]

Bogdanov's scientific career, spanning over six decades, was characterized by outstanding contributions to understanding the structure and function of the ribosome — one of the most complex and important cellular components. He is the author and co-author of more than 270 scientific publications, 5 monographs, and 3 textbooks.^[4]

Bogdanov's primary research direction involved studying complexes of nucleic acids with proteins. One of his most significant achievements was demonstrating in the early 1960s the existence of natural covalent compounds of nucleic acids with proteins for both DNA and high-molecular-weight RNA. Based on experimental data, he proposed that natural preparations of nucleic acids contain a protein fraction that could be covalently bound to DNA and RNA rather than merely adsorbed on their surface. Subsequently, jointly with Zoe Shabarova, the principal synthesis methods for such compounds were developed.^[4]

A major discovery by Bogdanov was the phenomenon of reversible unfolding (dissociation) of ribosomes upon changes in ionic strength, especially at lowered Mg²⁺ concentration. Working with R.S. Shakulov and N.A. Kiselev, he demonstrated that prokaryotic ribosomes could unfold when magnesium concentration decreased, losing their compact structure and transforming into extended ribonucleoprotein fibers while retaining all ribosomal proteins on the RNA scaffold. Upon restoration of the original Mg²⁺ concentration, ribosomes spontaneously recovered their compact native structure and catalytic activity.^[5]

Following collaborative work with the laboratory of A.S. Spirin, the possibility of self-assembly of functional ribosomes through artificial reconstruction from components was demonstrated for the first time. These studies showed that ribosomal RNA serves as the primary structural scaffold of the ribosome, determining its three-dimensional architecture, while ribosomal proteins play a supporting role.

Bogdanov developed and applied the photoaffinity modification method — a technique in which a photosensitive group is attached to a functional ligand. When such a ligand binds to the ribosome, it is irradiated with UV light, leading to formation of a covalent bond between the ligand and nearby nucleotides or amino acid residues of the ribosome. Using this method, key elements of the ribosomal decoding center — the site where genetic information is read from messenger RNA and where high-fidelity codon–anticodon recognition occurs between mRNA and transfer RNA — were identified.^[6]

In the early twenty-first century, Bogdanov focused on investigating the ribosomal tunnel — a channel inside the large ribosomal subunit through which the growing polypeptide chain passes during protein biosynthesis. His laboratory conducted detailed investigations of how tunnel structure affects the elongation process, how various translation inhibitors interact with the tunnel, and how the tunnel participates in translation regulation. Publications on this topic have practical significance for developing new antibiotics and understanding mechanisms of microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents.^[7]

From 2013 to 2023, Bogdanov headed the research project ‘Design and production of antibacterial substances based on structural analysis of ribosomes. DNA aptamers as promising therapeutic agents.’^[8]

Among Bogdanov's students were more than 11 Doctors of Science (D.Sc.) and more than 40 Candidates of Science (Ph.D.).^[4] In 1961–1962, he created a practical course in protein and nucleic acid chemistry, which remains in use to the present day. For faculty students, he taught courses on "Fundamentals of Molecular Biology," "Nucleic Acids: Structure and Functions," and "Chemical Basis of Biological Processes." He served as chief editor of the Russian translation of the textbook Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry.^[9]

He was deputy chief editor of the journal Biochemistry (Biokhimiya). In 2020, the journal organized a special issue dedicated to Bogdanov's jubilee.^[10]

Bogdanov took an interest in popularizing achievements in molecular biology among young people. In 1989, jointly with B.M. Mednikov, he wrote the popular science book, which became one of the first Russian popular science publications for school students devoted to genetics and molecular biology.

• Fulbright Prize (United States, 1976)
• USSR State Prize in Science and Technology — for the cycle of work "Structural Foundations of Protein Biosynthesis on Ribosomes" (1986)
• Order of Honor — for services to the state and great personal contribution to the development of science (1996)
• M.V. Lomonosov Prize, First Class, Moscow State University (1997)
• Humboldt Research Award (''Humboldt-Forschungspreis'') (2000)
• Membership in the European Academy of Sciences (since 2000)
• M.M. Shemyakin Prize, Russian Academy of Sciences (2001) — for the cycle of works "Structural-Functional Analysis of RNA in Complex Ribonucleoproteins"
• Foreign Member, Academy of Sciences of Lithuania (since 2002)
• Member of the Expert Council of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) (2002–2006)
• Order of Friendship— for services in scientific and pedagogical activities and great contribution to the training of highly qualified specialists (2005)
• A.N. Belozersky Prize, Russian Academy of Sciences — for the cycle of works "Ribosome: Functional Centers and Inhibitors" (2016)
• Order of Alexander Nevsky — for great contribution to the development of science and many years of conscientious work (May 18, 2022)
• Honors Diploma of the Government of the Russian Federation — for services in research activities, development of education, and many years of productive work (December 21, 2024)

He wrote numerous reminiscences about teachers and colleagues. He had a lifelong interest in music, played the violin, and performed with the Moscow State University Symphony Orchestra.^[1]

He was married for more than 60 years to Suzanna Lvovna Bogdanova. She graduated from the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University and worked as a molecular biologist. They raised two sons: Alexei (born 1960) and Ivan (born 1971). The elder son graduated from the Department of Chemistry and continued his scientific career.

1. Department of Chemistry (MSU) page on A. Bogdanov
2. Russian Academy of Sciences profile
3. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Ser. 2. Chemistry. 2017. Vol. 58. No. 1