Laboratory of Cellular Metabolism
Head: Krzysztof ZABŁOCKI
Staff: Beata Drabarek (PhD student), Dorota Dymkowska, Wanda Kłopocka, Elżbieta Krasowska (PhD student), Marta Onopiuk (PhD student), Katarzyna Wierzbicka (PhD student), Sylwia Wojciechowska (PhD student)
Research profile:
The laboratory is focused on energy and lipid metabolism and intracellular calcium handling in relation to cellular metabolism under normal and pathological conditions. Particularly, we are interested in:
• calcium homeostasis, regulation of calcium signals and changes in energy metabolism in muscle cells derived from dystrophic mouse (mdx). In addition, potential dys- trophy-related changes in calcium homeostasis in neurons are investigated
• diabetes-related alterations of energy metabolism of muscle, liver, pancreas (beta cells) and endothelium
• mitochondria as a potential pharmaceutical target in insulin resistance therapy and prevention of type 2 diabetes
Methods:
• cell culture
• spectrofluorimetry
• confocal microscopy
• selected methods of molecular biology
• polarography
• flow and laser scanning cytometry
• many standard biochemical methods are in use
Current research activities:
• investigation of dystrophy-related alterations of nucleotide receptors and store-operated calcium channels in myoblasts and neurons derived from dystrophic mdx mouse
• prevention of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia- induced pathological changes in myotubes, hepatocytes, endothelium and beta cells based on the regulation of PARP receptors activity using innovative agonists
Selected publications:
Young C., Brutkowski W., Lien C-F., Arkle S., Lochmüller H., Zabłocki K., Górecki D.C. (2011) P2×7 purinoceptor alterations in dystrophic mdx mouse muscles: Relationship to pathology and potential target for treatment. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2011.01397.×.
Onopiuk M., Wierzbicka K., Brutkowski W., Szczepanowska J., Zabłocki K. (2010) Caspase-dependent inhibition of store-oper- ated Ca2+ entry into apoptosis-committed Jurkat cells. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 399: 198-202.
Kozieł R., Szczepanowska J., Magalska A., Piwocka K., Duszyński J., Zabłocki K. (2010) Ciprofloxacin inhibits proliferation and promotes generation of aneuploidy in Jurkat cells. Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 61: 233-239.
Onopiuk M., Brutkowski W., Wierzbicka K., Wojciechowska S., Szczepanowska J., Fronk J., Lochmüller H., Górecki D.C., Zabłocki K. (2009) Mutation in dystrophin-encoding gene affects energy metabolism in mouse myoblasts. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 386: 463-466.
Kozieł K., Lebiedzińska M., Szabadkai G., Onopiuk M., Brutkowski W., Wierzbicka K., Wilczyński G., Pinton P., Duszyński J., Zabłocki K., Więckowski M.R. (2009) Plasma membrane associated membranes (PAM) from Jurkat cells contain STIM1 protein. Is PAM involved in the capacitative calcium entry? International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 41: 2440-2449.
