DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGYIntercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology

UNIVERSITY OF GDAŃSK & MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF GDAŃSK

RESEARCH GROUPS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

1. Plant Protection and Biotechnology 2. Molecular Diagnostics 3. Molecular Biotechnology 4. Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria

SCIENTIFIC STAFF

•  • Plant Protection and Biotechnology Research Group

• Prof. Ewa Lojkowska Ph.D• Sylwia Jafra Ph.D• Aleksandra Krolicka Ph.D• Wojciech Sledz Ph.D• Malgorzata Waleron Ph.D• Matylda Sidwa-Gorycka M.Sc., Ph.D. student • Joanna Znaniecka M.Sc., Ph.D. student

• Molecular Diagnosctics Research Grup• Prof. Anna J. Podhajska M.D, Ph.D• Krzysztof Bielawski Ph.D

• Aleksandra Dybikowska Ph.D• Agnieszka Kowalska Ph.D

• Ewa Milosz M.Sc., Ph.D. student

• Anna Zaczek M.Sc. , Ph.D. student

• Urszula Charmuszko M.Sc., Ph.D. student

• Bozena Szramka M.Sc., Ph.D. student

• Joanna Zawacka-Pankau M.Sc., Ph.D. student

 Undergraduate students V Biskup Edyta Janczur Katarzyna Manczak Magdalena Wozniak Katarzyna Szymanowska Justyna Szerszynska Katarzyna Maczyszyn Katarzyna 

V Burda Oliwia Fras Katarzyna Bednarz Natalia Kwitniewski Mateusz Wiesiolek Marta IV Burcza Anna Kobierowska Marta Mizgalska Danuta Pietrzykowska Joanna Zdrojewska Justy Zietkowski Dominik Kurowska Ewa Kanczkowski Waldemar

Ciwoniuk Magda

SCIENTIFIC STAFF

        Molecular Biotechnology Research GroupProf. Anna J. Podhajska M.D, Ph.D

Diana Wojtkowiak Ph.D

Jolanta Grzenkowicz M.Sc., Ph.D. student

Joanna Nakonieczna M.Sc., Ph.D. student

        Molecular Biology of CyanobacteriaKrzysztof Waleron Ph.D

Szefel Magdalena, M.Sc., Ph.D. studentWróbel Joanna, M.Sc., Ph.D. student

V Narloch Robert Sliwowska Katarzyna

IV Gac Malgorzata

RESEARCH INTERESTS

1. Molecular diagnostic of viral diseases.2. Molecular diagnostic of cancer diseases3. Photodynamic method in cancer diagnostic and therapy, aminoacid protoporphirin derivaties and their interaction with cancer cells. 4. Cloning of bacterial and human genes into bacterial and yeast expression systems.5. Genotyping and virulence factors of bacteria.6. Properties of restriction - modification system MmeI.7. Restriction - modification systems from Cyanobacteria. 8. Molecular taxonomy of Cyanobacteria and identification potentially toxic strains of Cyanobacteria.

Magdalena Robaczewska

Sunyach C., Rollier C., Robaczewska M., Borel C., Barraud L., Kay A., Trepo C., Will H., Cova L.: Residues critical for duck hepatitis B virus neutralization are involved in host

cell interaction. J. Virol 73 (1999) 2569 –2575

Robaczewska M., Guerret S., Remmy J.S., Chemin I., Offensperger W.B., Chewalier M., Behr J.P.,Podhajska A.J., Blum H.E., Trepo C., Cova L.: Inhibition of hepadnaviral replication by polyethylenimine-based intravenous delivery of antisense phosphodiester

oligodeoxynucleotides to the liver. Gene therapy 8 (2001) 874-881

Development and implementation of molecular diagnostic of human

viral diseases

• Hepatitis B virus• International cooperation: EU 5th Framework Programme

Project number QLRT 2000 – 00977 The countries involved: France (coordination) Italy,

Germany, Great Britain and Poland„Emarging variants of hepatitis B virus new tools for

epidemiological survey, diagnosis of infection, and monitoring of drug resistance.”

6th Framework Programme: Network of ExcellenceProject acronym: viRgil Project number: 502359

„European Vigilance Network for the Management of Antiviral Drug Resistance”

• Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus, Human Immunodeficiency virus

Krzysztof Bielawski

AleksandraDybikowska

Urszula Lisowska

Ongoing Research Support

OLRT 2000-00977/5.PR UE 01/09/01 – 31/08/04Emerging variants of hepatitis B virus: new tools for epidemiological survey, diagnosis of infection, and monitoring of

drug resistance.

SPUB-M/5.PR UE 01/09/01 – 31/08/04Emerging variants of hepatitis B virus: new tools forepidemiological survey, diagnosis of infection, andmonitoring of drug resistance.

HPV infection, gene polymorphism and p53 mutation in cervical cancer.

Dybikowska A., Detlaff A., Konopa K., Podhajska A.J.,p53 codon 72 polymorphism in cervical cancer patients and healthy

women from Poland. Acta Biochim. Pol 47 (2000) 1179 - 1182

Dybikowska A., Licznerski P., Podhajska A.J.,:HPV detection in cervical cancer patiens in northern Poland.

Oncology Reports 9 (2002) 874 - 881

Aleksandra Dybikowska

KBN 2601/C.P05-5/99 30/11/99 - 30/06/02Photodynamic method in cancer diagnostic and therapyAminoacid protoporhirin derivaties and their interaction withserum proteins and cancer cells.

Kowalska A., Kwiek P., Miłosz E., Gondek G., Romiszewska A., Graczyk A., Podhajska A.J. (2003): Aplication of electrophoretic methods for detection of protein-porphyrin complexes., Photochemistry and Photobiology (submitted).

Agnieszka Kowalska, Ewa Miłosz and students

KBN 0293/P04/2001/21 01/09/01 – 21/08/04Cloning and expression of human catalase and superoxide dismutase and their role in angiogenesis.

Grzenkowicz-Wydra J., Cisowski J., Nakonieczna J., Zarębski A., Udilova N., Józkowicz A., Podhajska A., Dulak J.: Gene transfer of CuZn superoxide dismutase enhancer the synthesis of vascular endothelial growth factor. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry (in press).

Diana Wojtkowiak

Jolanta Grzenkowicz

Joanna Nakonieczna

Joanna Zawacka-Pankau

Molecular markers of virulent strains of Klebsiella.Haemolytic activity of Klebsiella Pneumoniae and Klebsiella

Oxytoca strains.

KBN 3P05B 175 22 01/02/02 – 01/01/05Role of cytokins in inflammatory process of heart coronary vessels induced by infectious factors in patients with myocardial ischemia.

Klebsiella

• Gram negative bacterium,belonging to Enterobacteriaceae family.

• An immobile, facultative anaerobic rod, with polysaccharide envelope.

• Klebsiella genus consists of many species, e.g.: K. pneumoniae,

K. oxytoca, K. rhinoscleromatis or K. ozaenae.

• For many years cosidered to be non-haemolytic.

Bożena Szramka

MmeI restriction endonuclease.

5’ TCCRACNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNN 3’3’ AGGYTGNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNN 5’

20 nt.

18 nt.

Recognition sequence and cleavage position of R.MmeI (Boyd et al.,1986).

R- G or AY- C or T

Jakobsen M.R., Damgaard Ch.K., Andersen E.S., Podhajska A., Kjems J. A genomic SELEX strategy to identify accessible and dimerization sensitive target sites in 5'UTR of HIV-1 RNA. Journal of Biological Chemistry (submitted).

Shiraki T., Kondo S., Katayama S., Waki K., Kasukawa T., Kawaji H., Kodzius R., Nakamura M., Takahiro A.,Fukuda S., Sasaki D., Podhajska A., Kawai J., Carninci P. and Hayashizaki Y. Cap Analysis Gene Expression (CAGE) for high troughput analysis of transcriptional staring point and identification of promoter usage. PNAS (submitted).

Janusz Tucholski

Jarosław Żmijewski

Properties of restriction-modification systems isolated from Cyanobacteria.

Piechula, S., Waleron, K., Świątek, W., Biedrzycka, I., Podhajska, A. J. (2001): Mesophilic cyanobacteria producing thermophilic restriction endonucleases. FEMS Microbiology Letters 198: 135-140.

Phormidium favosum Phormidium persicinum Phormidium uncinatum

Phormidium tenue Phormidium papyraceum Phormidium tadzschicicum

Examlpes of the diversity of morphology in Cyanobacteria

Krzysztof Waleron Stanislaw Piechula

Cooperating Laboratories Prof. Wacław Szybalski McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

Prof. Burkhard Brandt

Institut of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Medicine, Muenster, Germany

Dr Ulf Vogt

European Laboratory Association, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Onclology, Ibbenbueren, Germany

Prof. Lucyna Kowa

INSERM UNITE 271, Lyon, France

Prof. Nicole Tandeu de Marsac

Unite des Cyanobacteries, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France

Prof. Annick Wilmotte

Institut de Chimie, Universite de Liege, Belgium

Prof. Jozef Dulak Jagiellonian University, Kraków Prof. Piotr Kwiek

Department of Acustics and Laser Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Institute of Experimental Physics, Univerisity of Gdansk Prof. Alfreda Graczyk Institute of Optoelectronics Military University of Technology Warsaw

Prof. Jolanta Mysliwska

Medical University of Gdańsk

Kaczorowski T., Sęktas M., Skowron P., Podhajska A. J. (1999): The FokI Methyltransferase from Flaviobacterium okeanokoites: Purfication and characterization of the enzyme and its truncated derivatives. Molecular Biotechnology, 12: 1-15.

Furmanek B., Kaczorowski T., Bugalski R., Bielawski K., Bohdanowicz J., Podhajska A. J. (1999): Identification, characterization and purification of the lantibiotic staphylococcin T, a natural gallidermin variant. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 87: 856-866.

Robaczewska M., Cova L., Podhajska A. J., Falkiewicz B. (1999): Hepatitis G virus (HGV): molecular organization, methods of detection, prevalence and disease association. International Journal of Infectious Diseases 3(4): 220-233.

Dybikowska A., Dettlaff A., Konopa K., Podhajska A. J. (2000): p53 codon 72 polymorphism in cervical cancer patients and women from Poland, Acta Biochim. Pol. 47 (4).

Bielawski P.K., Bernat A., Własiuk M., Falkiewicz B. HCV-RNA detection in liver bioptats –a comparison of automatic and “home-made” protocols combined with a new procedure of HCV-RNA extraction. Med. Sci Monit, 7 (2001): 197-201.

Dąbrowska E., Jabłońska-Kaszewska I., Bielawski K.P., Podlaska M., Falkiewicz B. Porhyria cutanea tarda, hepatitis C virus and selected symptoms of cholestasis. Med. Sci Monit, 7 (2001): 185-189.

Robaczewska, M., Guerret S., Remy J.S., Chemin I., Offensperger W.B., Chevallier M., Behr J.P., Podhajska, A.J., Blum H.B., Trepo Ch., Lucyna Cova (2001): Inhibition of hepadnaviral replication by polyethyleneimine-based intravenous delivery of antisense phosphodiester oligonucleotides to the liver. Gene Therapy, 8: 874-881.

Piechula, S., Waleron, K., Świątek, W., Biedrzycka, I., Podhajska, A. J. (2001): Mesophilic cyanobacteria producing thermophilic restriction endonucleases. FEMS Microbiology Letters 198: 135-140.

Dybikowska A., Licznerski, P., Podhajska A. J.. (2002): HPV detection in cervical cancer patients in northern Poland. Oncology Reports (in press)

CENTER OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

UL. GRUNWALDZKA 529 80-320 GDAŃSK TEL./FAX: (058) 552-1498TEL.: (0601) 640-119(0601) 618-734Email:ctt@post.plwww.ctt.gda.pl

Center of Technology Transfer

5th Framework Programme: IRC – EP Innovation Relay Centre - IRC Poland EastProject No IRC 4.63

6th Framework Programme:Talent Scout. Stepping up Economic and Technological IntelligenceProject No 508510

ScanBalt Competence Region – amodel case to enhance European competitiveness on live science, genomics and biotechnology for health on a global scale.

Project No. 503406

Blank W., Diderichsen B., Podhajska A.J., Samuelsson Bo E. Borderless Biotech: Europe's First Meta-Region Taking Shape. Euro Biotech News 3(2) 2003: 22-25.

Pomeranian Science and Technology Park