dr hab. inż. Rafał Piątek
Employment
- Associate professor at Katedra Biotechnologii i Mikrobiologii
Publications
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total: 37
Catalog Publications
Year 2023
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Fibrillar aggregates in powdered milk
PublicationThis research paper addresses the hypothesis that powdered milk may contain amyloid fibrils. Amyloids are fibrillar aggregates of proteins. Up to this time, research on the presence of amyloids in food products are scarce. To check the hypothesis we performed thioflavin T fluorescence assay, X-ray powder diffraction, atomic force microscopy and fluorescence microscopy imaging. Our preliminary results show that commercially available...
Year 2022
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Development of Safirinium dyes for new applications: fluorescent staining of bacteria, human kidney cells, and the horny layer of the epidermis
PublicationLow-molecular synthetic fluorophores are convenient tools in bioimaging applications. Several derivatives of Safirinium dyes as well as their reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters bearing diverse substituents were synthesized and evaluated experimentally in terms of their lipophilicity by means of reverse-phase and immobilized artificial membrane high-performance liquid chromatography. Subsequently, the selected compounds...
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Influence of Urea and Dimethyl Sulfoxide on K-Peptide Fibrillation
PublicationProtein fibrillation leads to formation of amyloids—linear aggregates that are hallmarks of many serious diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. In this work, we investigate the fibrillation of a short peptide (K-peptide) from the amyloidogenic core of hen egg white lysozyme in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide or urea. During the studies, a variety of spectroscopic methods were used: fluorescence spectroscopy...
Year 2021
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Bacteriophages as potential tools for use in antimicrobial therapy and vaccine development
PublicationThe constantly growing number of people suffering from bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, parasitic diseases, and cancers prompts the search for innovative methods of disease prevention and treatment, especially based on vaccines and targeted therapy. An additional problem is the global threat to humanity resulting from the increasing resistance of bacteria to commonly used antibiotics. Conventional vaccines based on bacteria...
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Biofilm bakteryjny uropatogennych szczepów E. coli Dr+ jako czynnik indukujący przewlekłość zakażeń dróg moczowych ograniczający ich leczenie
PublicationZakażenia dróg moczowych (ZUM) stanowią jedne z najczęściej występujących infekcji bakteryjnych, dotykających każdego roku miliony osób na świecie. Problematyka tych zakażeń wynika z ich przewlekłości i nawrotów, pomimo stosowania terapii antybiotykowej oraz ciągle wzrastającej lekooporności uropatogenów je wywołujących. Dominującym czynnikiem etiologicznym ZUM są uropatogenne szczepy E. coli (UPECs), wykazujące zdolność do adhezji,...
Year 2020
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A shear stress micromodel of urinary tract infection by the Escherichia coli producing Dr adhesin
PublicationIn this study, we established a dynamic micromodel of urinary tract infection to analyze the impact of UT-segment-specific urinary outflow on the persistence of E. coli colonization. We found that the adherence of Dr+ E. coli to bladder T24 transitional cells and type IV collagen is maximal at lowest shear stress and is reduced by any increase in flow velocity. The analyzed adherence was effective in the whole spectrum of physiological...
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Application of safirinium N-hydroxysuccinimide esters to derivatization of peptides for high-resolution mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectrometry, and fluorescent labeling of bacterial cells
PublicationMass spectrometry methods are commonly used in the identification of peptides and biomarkers. Due to a relatively low abundance of proteins in biological samples, there is a need for the development of novel derivatization methods that would improve MS detection limits. Hence, novel fluorescent N-hydroxysuccinimide esters of dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridin-2-ium carboxylates (Safirinium P dyes) have been synthesized. The...
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Generation and Characterization of a DNA-GCN4 Oligonucleotide-Peptide Conjugate: The Impact DNA/Protein Interactions on the Sensitization of DNA
PublicationRadiotherapy, the most common therapy for the treatment of solid tumors, exerts its effects by inducing DNA damage. To fully understand the extent and nature of this damage, DNA models that mimic the in vivo situation should be utilized. In a cellular context, genomic DNA constantly interacts with proteins and these interactions could influence both the primary radical processes (triggered by ionizing radiation) and secondary reactions,...
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Phage therapy as a novel strategy in the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by E. coli
PublicationUrinary tract infections (UTIs) are regarded as one of the most common bacterial infections affecting millions of people, in all age groups, annually in the world. The major causative agent of complicated and uncomplicated UTIs are uropathogenic E. coli strains (UPECs). Huge problems with infections of this type are their chronicity and periodic recurrences. Other disadvantages that are associated with UTIs are accompanying complications...
Year 2019
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Alternative treatment approaches of urinary tract infections caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains
PublicationUrinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most widespread and annoying infections affecting millions of people every year annually. The biggest problem of urinary diseases are recurrences, the increasing resistance of uropathogens to commonly used antibiotics, as well as the high health care costs of afflicted persons. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains (UPECs) are the most dominant etiologic agent of community-acquired infections...
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Influence of the ionic strength on the amyloid fibrillogenesis of hen egg white lysozyme
PublicationThe study investigates the role of the electrostatic interactions in the fibrillation of the hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL). In order to achieve this aim the influence of the cations Na+, Mg2+ and Al3+ on the amyloid fibril formation and amorphous aggregation was tested. The amyloids are formed in the solution without added salt but the Thioflavin T fluorescence gives the false-negative result. In these conditions, the HEWL fibrils...
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Patomechanizm zakażeń dróg moczowych wywoływanych przez uropatogenne szczepy E. coli
PublicationZakażenia układu moczowego (ZUM) to jedne z najczęstszych i najbardziej powszechnych infekcji bakteryjnych, dotykających każdego roku nawet 150 milionów ludzi na świecie. Problem z tego typu infekcjami wynika z przewlekłości choroby, nawrotów i wzrastającej lekooporności powodujących je patogenów. Uropatogenne szczepy E. coli (UPEC) są głównym czynnikiem przyczynowym ZUM. Bakterie tej grupy zawierają wiele czynników adhezyjnych...
Year 2018
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Fusion of DNA-binding domain of Pyrococcus furiosus ligase with TaqStoffel DNA polymerase as a useful tool in PCR with difficult targets
PublicationThe DNA coding sequence of TaqStoffel polymer- ase was fused with the DNA-binding domain of Pyrococcus furiosus ligase. The resulting novel recombinant gene was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified and its enzymatic features were studied. The fusion protein (PfuDBDlig-TaqS) was found to have enhanced processivity as a result of the conversion of the Taq DNA polymerase from a relatively low processive...
Year 2017
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Role of the disulfide bond in stabilizing and folding of the fimbrial protein DraE from uropathogenic Escherichia coli
PublicationDr fimbriae are homopolymeric adhesive organelles of uropathogenic Escherichia coli composed of DraE subunits, responsible for the attachment to host cells. These structures are characterized by enormously high stability resulting from the structural properties of an Ig-like fold of DraE. One feature of DraE and other fimbrial subunits that makes them peculiar among Ig-like domain-containing proteins is a conserved disulfide bond...
Year 2016
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Isolation and characterization of Acid Soluble Collagen from the Skin of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus), Salmon (Salmo salar) and Baltic cod (Gadus morhua)
PublicationAcid-soluble collagen (ASC) from the fish skin of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), Salmon (Salmo salar) and Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) was extracted and characterized. The ASC extraction yield was 75%, 73% and 68%, respectively. The denaturation and melting temperatures of African catfish ASC (29.3°C and 100.0°C) were significantly higher than ASC of Salmon and Baltic cod (20.6°C and 90.5°C; 15.2°C and 86.7°C, respectively), assessed...
Year 2015
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Characterization of a single-stranded DNA-binding-like Protein from Nanoarchaeum equitans - a nucleic acid binding protein with broad substrate specificity
PublicationBackground SSB (single-stranded DNA-binding) proteins play an essential role in all living cells and viruses, as they are involved in processes connected with ssDNA metabolism. There has recently been an increasing interest in SSBs, since they can be applied in molecular biology techniques and analytical methods. Nanoarchaeum equitans, the only known representative of Archaea phylum Nanoarchaeota, is a hyperthermophilic, nanosized,...
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Identification of antigen Ag43 in uropathogenic Escherichia coli Dr+ strains and defining its role in the pathogenesis of urinary tract infections
PublicationUrinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are among the most common bacterial infectious diseases in the developed world. The urovirulence of UPEC is mainly associated with the surface-exposed fimbrial adhesins and adhesins of the autotransporter (AT) family. The best studied of theses proteins is antigen 43 (Ag43) mediating cell aggregation, adhesion and biofilm development as the causes of...
Year 2013
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Biochemical characteristic of biofilm of uropathogenic Escherichia coli Dr+ strains.
PublicationUrinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli are very common health problem in the developed countries. The virulence of the uropathogenic E. coli Dr+ IH11128 is determined by Dr fimbriae, which are homopolymeric structures composed of DraE subunits with the DraD protein capping the fiber. In this study, we have analyzed the structural and biochemical properties of biofilms developed by E. coli strains expressing Dr fimbriae...
Year 2012
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Pilicides effectively hinder chaperone-usher interactions in all Gram-negative bacteria
PublicationThe chaperone-usher pathway of adhesive structures biogenesis is highly conserved in all Gram-negative bacteria. Pili are polymers of thousands protein subunits that possess conserved immunoglobuline-like structure denoted by lack of the seventh G strand. The effect of this structural defect is a hydrophobic acceptor cleft. The folding of protein subunits is strictly dependent on the action of specific periplasmic chaperone protein...
Year 2011
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Analysis of the unique structural and physicochemical properties of the DraD/AfaD invasin in the context of its belonging to the family of chaperone/usher type fimbrial subunits
PublicationInwazyna DraD kodowana przez operon dra posiada strukturę charakterystyczną dla białek podjednostkowych fimbrii typu chaperone-usher. Fold-Ig białka DraD posiada dwie charakterystyczne cechy wyróżniające je z pośród rodziny fimbrialnych białek podjednostkowych: 1) zaburzenie struktury beta-beczki w rejonie szczeliny akceptorowej objawiające się układem wiązań wodorowych głównego łańcucha polipeptydowego oraz 2) nietypowo usytuowany...
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