Laboratory of Transport Through Biomembranes

Head: Katarzyna A. NAŁĘCZ

Staff: Magdalena Czeredys, Karolina Jóźwiak (PhD student), Katarzyna Michalec (PhD student), Maciej J. Nałęcz, Łukasz Samluk (PhD student)

Research profile:

Transport and physiological function of carnitine and its esters in brain cells, in particular studies on carnitine and amino acid transporters (OCTN2, OCTN3, ATB0,) and their regulation at the transcriptional and post-translational level. Our research is focused on the effect of nuclear receptor activation on expression of genes coding the studied transporters as well as on the role of phosphorylation on regulation of transporters trafficking, activity and localization in organelles within the cell and membrane microdomains. Studies on targeting of carnitine transporters by interaction with other proteins are also carried out in our laboratory

Methods:

• cell culture (primary culture of brain cells and cells transfected with vectors containing the studied genes)
• transport measurements
• immunocytochemistry
• quantitative estimation of gene expression
• proteomics of hydrophobic proteins

Current research activities:

• restructuring of plasma membrane microdomains by palmitoylcarnitine
• regulation of genes coding the high affinity carnitine transporters
• mechanisms responsible for targeting the high affinity carnitine transporters to various membranes and membrane microdomains
• involvement of protein kinase C in transporter trafficking, localization and activity
• mechanisms regulating localization of the studied transporters indetergent-resistant domains of the plasma membrane

Selected publications:

Samluk Ł., Czeredys M., Skowronek K., Nałęcz, K.A. (2012) Protein kinase C regulates amino acid transporter ATB(0,), Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 422, 64-69.

Samluk Ł, Czeredys M., Nałęcz K.A. (2010) Regulation of amino acid/carnitine transporter B0,+ (ATB0,+) in astrocytes by protein kinase C: Independent effects on raft and non-raft subpopulations. J. Neurochem. 115, 1386-1397.

Januszewicz E., Bekisz M., Mozrzymas J.W., Nałęcz K.A. (2010) High affinity carnitine transporters from OCTN family in neural cells. Neurochem. Res. 35, 743-748.

Januszewicz E., Pająk B., Gajkowska B., Samluk Ł., Djavadian R.L., Hinton B.T., Nałęcz K.A. (2009) Organic cation-carnitine transporter OCTN3 is present in astrocytes and is up-regulated by peroxisome proliferators-activator receptor agonist. Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol., 41, 2599-2609.

Miecz D., Januszewicz E., Czeredys M., Hinton B.T., Berezowski V., Cecchelli R., Nałęcz K.A. (2008) Localization of organic cation/carnitine transporter (OCTN2) in cells forming the blood-brain barrier, J. Neurochem., 104,113-123.