Department of Ribonucleoprotein Biochemistry

Dr. hab. Anna Kurzyńska-Kokorniak, prof. IBCH PAS

Head of Department

akurzyns@ibch.poznan.pl
ext. 1264

Research activity

Research area

the role of RNA/ DNA in the activity and functions of nucleic acid binding proteins
mechanisms involved in the regulation of gene expression
ribonuclease Dicer variants (gene, transcript, protein)
endogenous factors regulating the activity of ribonuclease Dicer
designing and testing of inhibitors against Dicer-type ribonucleases
the activity of Dicer-type ribonucleases in the context of viral infections, viral miRNAs
unknown areas of activity of Dicer-type ribonucleases: ribonuclease Dicer as a nucleic acid annealer, binding of G-quadruplex structures
diseases linked to malfunction of Dicer
structural studies of the RNA•Dicer and DNA•Dicer complexes
inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase complex

Keywords:

nucleic acid binding proteins
Dicer-type ribonucleases
SARS-CoV-2 polymerase complex
regulatory RNAs
RNA-protein interactions, DNA-protein interactions
regulation of the activity of Dicer-type ribonucleases
inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase complex
regulation of gene expression

Research Projects

2021/41/B/NZ2/03781 Close Encounters of the Third Kind: what happens when ribonuclease Dicer encounters in the cell RNA and DNA adopting G-quadruplex structures. NSC Poland - OPUS 21 (AKK) 2016/22/E/NZ1/00422
Unknown areas of activity of human ribonuclease Dicer. NSC Poland – SONATA BIS 6 (AKK)
2021/41/N/NZ2/03849 The cellular RNA interactome of the human Dicer helicase domain. NSC Poland - PRELUDIUM 20 (KC)
2021/05/X/NZ1/01778 Understanding the structural determinants of interactions between the PPC cassette of human ribonuclease Dicer and the RNA/ DNA molecules adopting G quadruplex structures. NSC Poland - MINIATURA 5 (KSz)
POIR.01.01.01-00-2450/20 Development of a high-throughput system for rapid assessment of biological activity of compounds targeting the SARS-CoV-2 replication complex, selection of compounds with the highest therapeutic potential and assessment of their cytotoxicity to human cells. The National Centre for Research and Development - ‘Fast Trackʼ 5 (project implemented in the consortium, project leader: ideas4biology Sp. z o. o.; Task leader from IBCH PAS: AKK)

Selected publications

Kazimierczyk M, Wojnicka M, Biała E, Żydowicz-Machtel P, Imiołczyk B, Ostrowski T, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A, Wrzesinski J. Characteristics of Transfer RNA-Derived Fragments Expressed during Human Renal Cell Development: The Role of Dicer in tRF Biogenesis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022; 23(7):3644. doi: 10.3390/ijms23073644.
Koralewska N, Szczepanska A, Ciechanowska K, Wojnicka M, Pokornowska M, Milewski MC, Gudanis D, Baranowski D, Nithin C, Bujnicki JM, Gdaniec Z, Figlerowicz M, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A*. RNA and DNA G-quadruplexes bind to human dicer and inhibit its activity. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2021; 78(7):3709-3724. doi: 10.1007/s00018-021-03795-w.
Szczepanska A, Wojnicka M, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A*. The Significance of the DUF283 Domain for the Activity of Human Ribonuclease Dicer. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(16):8690. doi: 10.3390/ijms22168690.
Ciechanowska K, Pokornowska M, Kurzyńska-Kokorniak A*. Genetic Insight into the Domain Structure and Functions of Dicer-Type Ribonucleases. Int J Mol Sci. 2021; 22(2):616. doi: 10.3390/ijms22020616.
Pokornowska M, Milewski MC, Ciechanowska K, Szczepańska A, Wojnicka M, Radogostowicz Z, Figlerowicz M, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A*. The RNA-RNA base pairing potential of human Dicer and Ago2 proteins. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2020; 77(16):3231-3244. doi: 10.1007/s00018-019-03344-6.
Wojnicka M, Szczepanska A, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A*. Unknown Areas of Activity of Human Ribonuclease Dicer: A Putative Deoxyribonuclease Activity . Molecules. 2020; 25(6):1414. doi: 10.3390/molecules25061414.
Koralewska N, Ciechanowska K, Pokornowska M, Figlerowicz M, Kurzyńska-Kokorniak A*. Human ribonuclease Dicer – structure and functions. Postepy Biochem. 2019; 65(3):173-182. doi: 10.18388/pb.2019_267.
Milewski MC, Kamel K, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A, Chmielewski MK, Figlerowicz M. EvOligo – a novel software to design and group libraries of oligonucleotides applicable for nucleic acid-based experiments. J Comput Biol. 2017; 24(10):1014-1028. doi: 10.1089/cmb.2016.0154.
Mickiewicz A, Sarzyńska J, Miłostan M, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A, Rybarczyk A, Łukasiak P, Kuliński T, Figlerowicz M, Błażewicz J. Modeling of the catalytic core of Arabidopsis thaliana Dicer-like 4 protein and its complex with double-stranded RNA. Comput Biol Chem. 2017; 66:44-56. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2016.11.003.
Kurzynska-Kokorniak A*, Pokornowska M, Koralewska N, Hoffmann W, Bienkowska-Szewczyk K, Figlerowicz M*. Revealing a new activity of the human Dicer DUF283 domain in vitro. Sci Rep. 2016; 6:23989. doi: 10.1038/srep23989.
Koralewska N, Hoffmann W, Pokornowska M, Milewski M, Lipinska A, Bienkowska-Szewczyk K, Figlerowicz M, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A*. How short RNAs impact the human ribonuclease Dicer activity: putative regulatory feedback-loops and other RNA-mediated mechanisms controlling microRNA processing. Acta Biochim Pol. 2016; 63(4):773-783. doi: 10.18388/abp.2016_1339.
Tworak A, Urbanowicz A, Podkowinski J, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A, Koralewska N, Figlerowicz M. Six Medicago truncatula Dicer-like protein genes are expressed in plant cells and upregulated in nodules. Plant Cell Rep. 2016; 35(5):1043-52. doi: 10.1007/s00299-016-1936-8.
Kurzynska-Kokorniak A, Koralewska N, Pokornowska M, Urbanowicz A, Tworak A, Mickiewicz A, Figlerowicz M. The many faces of Dicer: the complexity of the mechanisms regulating Dicer gene expression and enzyme activities. Nucleic Acids Res. 2015; 43(9):4365-80. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkv328.

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Department of Ribonucleoprotein Biochemistry

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Department of Ribonucleoprotein Biochemistry

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