Laboratory of Biochemistry of Lipids

Head: Sławomir PIKUŁA

Staff: Joanna Bandorowicz-Pikuła, Anna Ćmoch (PhD student), Magdalena Domoń (PhD student), Le Duy Do (PhD student), Michalina Kosiorek (PhD student), Krzysztof J. Skowronek, Agnieszka Strzelecka-Kiliszek

Research profile:

• calcium homeostasis with special emphasis on calcium- and lipid-binding proteins, including mammalian and plant annexins
• early stages of biomineralization with a focus on biogen- esis and the function of matrix vesicles
• membrane dynamics and membrane repair process
• vesicular transport with a focus on intracellular transport of cholesterol in norm and pathology
• molecular machinery involved in catecholamine secretion
• lipid metabolism in norm and pathology; calcium signal transduction; transport of ions, metabolites and xenobiot- ics through biological membranes
• ion channels formed by calcium- and membrane-binding proteins; nucleotides as intracellular messengers and their target proteins
• annexin-related human diseases, annexinopathies

Methods:

• cell cultures
• FACScan
• siRNA
• planar lipid bilayers
• brewster angle microscopy imaging
• immunofluorescence microscopy
• confocal microscopy
• electron microscopy
• site directed mutagenesis
• fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy
• steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy

Current research activities:

• structure-function relationship within the mammalian family of membrane- and calcium-binding proteins, annexins
• interactions of nucleotides with annexins; effects on intra- cellular calcium homeostasis, signal transduction and vesicular transport
• ion channel properties of annexins
• participation of annexins in transport of cholesterol and secretion of catecholamines
• factors affecting annexin and alkaline phosphatase functioning during matrix vesicles-mediated biological mineralization

Selected publications:

Kosiorek M., Podszywałow-Bartnicka P., Żylinska L., Zabłocki K., Pikuła S. (2011) Interaction of Plasma Membrane Ca2+-ATPase isoform 4 with calcineurin A: implications for catecholamine secretion by PC12 cells. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 411: 235-240.

Thouverey C., Malinowska A., Balcerzak M., Strzelecka-Kiliszek A., Buchet R., Dadlez M., Pikuła S. (2011) Proteomic characterization of biogenesis and functions of matrix vesicles released from mineralizing human osteoblast-like cells. Journal of Proteomics, 74:
1123-1134.

Podszywałow-Bartnicka P., Kosiorek M., Piwocka K., Sikora E., Zabłocki K., Pikuła S. (2010) Role of annexin A6 isoforms in catechol- amine secretionby PC12 cells: distinct influence on calcium response. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 111: 168-178.

Sztolsztener M.E., Strzelecka-Kiliszek A., Pikuła S., Tylki-Szymańska A., Bandorowicz-Pikuła J. (2010) Cholesterol as a factor regu- lating intracellular localization of annexin A6 in Niemann-Pick type C human fibroblasts. Archives Biochemistry and Biophysics,
493: 221-233.

Thouverey C., Strzelecka-Kiliszek A., Balcerzak M., Buchet R., Pikuła S. (2009) Matrix vesicles originate from apical membrane microvilli of mineralizing osteoblast-like Saos-2 cells. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 106: 127-138.