Department of Non-coding RNAs

Dr. Monika Piwecka

Head of Department

monika.piwecka@ibch.poznan.pl
Phone: 1302, 1304 (lab)

Research activity

Research area

We are a group of researchers interested in uncovering functions of non-coding RNAs in mammalian neurons, glial cells and neuroendocrine system.
Our studies concern:

expression patterns of ncRNAs in single cells of the central nervous system, among its cell types, and subtypes,
subcellular localization of regulatory RNAs in neurons and neuroglia,
ncRNA: protein interactions,
regulatory ncRNA networks,
functional aspects of ncRNA,
deregulation of non-coding transcriptome in CNS/neuroendocrine system pathologies.

Keywords

regulation of gene expression,
RNA biology,
non-coding RNAs,
circular RNAs (circRNAs), miRNAs, lncRNAs,
RNA:protein interactions,
transcriptomics,
scRNA-seq,
neuroscience,
systems biology

Research Projects

We are currently specifically focusing on circular RNAs (circRNAs), miRNAs, and some lncRNAs. In our projects, we apply cutting-edge new technologies, such as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and RNA imaging at a single-molecule resolution, knockdown studies of selected ncRNAs with CRISPR-Cas13 technology along with developing new methods for studying RNA: protein interactions. We take advantage of interdisciplinary efforts of molecular, cellular, and systems biology as well as neuroscience to address the question of how ncRNAs shape the regulatory networks in neurons and other neural cell types.

Funding

NCN, Miniatura 7 (2023-2024) - project: "Investigation of the new functions of unconventional myosin operating in the mammalian brain"
NCN, Opus (2021-2024) – project „Non-coding RNAs at single-cell resolution in the pituitary gland and their role in the regulation of gene expression”
NCN, Sonata Bis 8 (2019-2023) – project „Functional implications of brain-enriched circular RNAs”
NAWA, Polish Returns 2019 (2019-2023) – project „Deciphering networks of regulatory RNAs in the central nervous system”

Selected publications

Zacharjasz J, Sztachera M, Smuszkiewicz M, Piwecka M. Micromanaging the neuroendocrine system - A review on miR-7 and the other physiologically relevant miRNAs in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. FEBS Letters 2024 Jun 10. doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.14948
Cerda-Jara CA, Kim SJ, Thomas G, Farsi Z, Zolotarov G, Dube G, Deter A, Bahry E, Georgii E, Woehler A, Piwecka M, Rajewsky N. miR-7 controls glutamatergic transmission and neuronal connectivity in a Cdr1as-dependent manner. EMBO Reports 2024 Jun 3. doi: 10.1038/s44319-024-00168-9
Scoyni F, Sitnikova V, Giudice L, Korhonen P, Trevisan DM, Hernandez de Sande A, Gomez-Budia M, Giniatullina R, Ugidos IF, Dhungana H, Pistono C, Korvenlaita N, Välimäki NN, Kangas SM, Hiltunen AE, Gribchenko E, Kaikkonen-Määttä MU, Koistinaho J, Ylä-Herttuala S, Hinttala R, Venø MT, Su J, Stoffel M, Schaefer A, Rajewsky N, Kjems J, LaPierre MP, Piwecka M, Jolkkonen J, Giniatullin R, Hansen TB, Malm T. ciRS-7 and miR-7 regulate ischemia-induced neuronal death via glutamatergic signaling. Cell Reports 2024 Mar 26;43(3):113862. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113862
Piwecka M, Rajewsky N, Rybak-Wolf A. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics: deciphering brain complexity in health and disease. Nat Rev Neurol. 2023; 19(6):346-362. doi: 10.1038/s41582-023-00809-y.
Piwecka M, Luisier R, Andreassi C. Editorial: RNA at a breaking point? Cytoplasmic cleavage and other post-transcriptional RNA processing in neurodevelopment and disease. Front Mol Neurosci. 2023; 16:1214853. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1214853.
Piwecka M, Fiszer A, Rolle K, Olejniczak M. RNA regulation in brain function and disease 2022 (NeuroRNA): A conference report. Front Mol Neurosci. 2023; 16:1133209. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1133209.
Ivanov A, Mattei D, Radscheit K, Compagnion AC, Pett JP, Herzel H, Paolicelli RC, Piwecka M, Meyer U, Beule D. Analyses of circRNA Expression throughout the Light-Dark Cycle Reveal a Strong Regulation of Cdr1as, Associated with Light Entrainment in the SCN. Int J Mol Sci. 2022; 23(20):12347. doi: 10.3390/ijms232012347.
Grabowska M, Kuczyński K, Piwecka M, Rabiasz A, Zemła J, Głodowicz P, Wawrzyniak D, Lekka M, Rolle K. miR-218 affects the ECM composition and cell biomechanical properties of glioblastoma cells. J Cell Mol Med. 2022, doi: 10.1111/jcmm.17428
Koliński M, Kałużna E, Piwecka M. RNA-protein interactomes as invaluable resources to study RNA viruses: Insights from SARS CoV-2 studies. Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2022, e1727. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1727
Kocks C, Boltengagen A, Piwecka M, Rybak-Wolf A, Rajewsky N. Single-Molecule Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) of Circular RNA CDR1as. Methods Mol Biol. 2018;1724:77-96.
Piwecka M*, Glažar P*, Hernandez-Miranda LR*, Memczak S, Wolf SA, Rybak-Wolf A, Filipchyk A, Klironomos F, Cerda Jara CA, Fenske P, Trimbuch T, Zywitza V, Plass M, Schreyer L, Ayoub S, Kocks C, Kühn R, Rosenmund C, Birchmeier C, Rajewsky N. Loss of a mammalian circular RNA locus causes miRNA deregulation and affects brain function. Science 2017 Sep 22;357(6357).
Belter A*, Rolle K*, Piwecka M*, Fedoruk-Wyszomirska A, Naskręt-Barciszewska MZ, Barciszewski J. Inhibition of miR-21 in glioma cells using catalytic nucleic acids. Sci Rep. 2016 Apr 15, 6:24516.
Rolle K*, Piwecka M*, Belter A*, Wawrzyniak D, Jeleniewicz J, Barciszewska MZ, Barciszewski J. The Sequence and Structure Determine the Function of Mature Human miRNAs. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 31; 11(3):e0151246.
Piwecka M*, Rolle K*, Belter A, Barciszewska AM, Żywicki M, Michalak M, Nowak S, Naskręt-Barciszewska MZ, Barciszewski J. Comprehensive analysis of microRNA expression profile in malignant glioma tissues. Mol Oncol. 2015 Aug; 9(7):1324-40.
Sowińska-Seidler A, Piwecka M, Olech E, Socha M, Latos-Bieleńska A, Jamsheer A. Hyperosmia, ectrodactyly, mild intellectual disability, and other defects in a male patient with an X-linked partial microduplication and overexpression of the KAL1 gene. J Appl Genet. 2015 May; 56(2):177-84.

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