Acknowledging her scientific work, Slovenian biochemical society (SBD) awarded postdoctoral researcher dr. Jana Ferdin a Lapanjetovo priznanje, given to promising young researchers. Short summary of research work: In mammal cells primary response to low O2 conditions (hypoxia) is made rapidly through adaptation to conditions they are being captured. In hypoxic cells important responses are activated for metabolic, bioenergetics, and redox demands. Low oxygen level, a classic feature of tumor microenvironment, is involved in cancer development and progression of various cancer types. In this doctoral dissertation and several publications we described the first evidence that hypoxia affects the expression of long ultraconserved transcripts, which we named HINCUTs and by that a first glimpse of a novel functional hypoxic network comprising protein-coding transcripts and noncoding RNAs.
E.01 National awards
Fusion pore is a channel, through which secretions are released from the vesicle to the cell exterior in a process of exocytosis. A stimulus may influence the pore by either dilating it completely (full-fusion exocytosis) or mediating a reversible closure (transient exocytosis). In some neuroendocrine cells and astrocytes, initial fusion pores may reopen several hundred times, indicating their stability. To explain the stability of the initial narrow fusion pores, anisotropic membrane constituents with a non-axisymmetric shape were proposed to accumulate in the fusion pore membrane. Although the nature of these is unclear, they may consist of lipids and proteins, including SNAREs, which may facilitate and regulate the pre- and post-fusional stages of exocytosis.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 32354265One day scientific meeting consisting of oral presentations and discussion was organised on the topic of exosomes and HIV-1 infection. The meeting was very important for the analysis of our results, identification of future directions and to establishe new collaborations.
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting
COBISS.SI-ID: 31859673