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dr inż. Miłosz Wieczór
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- Assistant Professor at Department of Physical Chemistry
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total: 29
Catalog Publications
Year 2024
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Dual-Activity Fluoroquinolone-Transportan 10 Conjugates offer alternative Leukemia therapy during Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
PublicationHematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is often considered a last resort leukemia treatment, fraught with limited success due to microbial infections, a leading cause of mortality in leukemia patients. To address this critical issue, we explored a novel approach by synthesizing antileukemic agents containing antibacterial substances. This innovative strategy involves conjugating fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin...
Year 2023
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How acidic amino acid residues facilitate DNA target site selection
PublicationDespite the negative charge of the DNA backbone, acidic residues (Asp/Glu) commonly participate in the base readout, with a strong preference for cytosine. In fact, in the solved DNA/protein structures, cytosine is recognized almost exclusively by Asp/Glu through a direct hydrogen bond, while at the same time, adenine, regardless of its amino group, shows no propensity for Asp/Glu. Here, we analyzed the contribution of Asp/Glu...
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Molecular mechanism and energetics of coupling between substrate binding and product release in the F 1 -ATPase catalytic cycle
PublicationF1-ATPase is a motor protein that couples the rotation of its rotary γ subunit with ATP synthesis or hydrolysis. Single-molecule experiments indicate that nucleotide binding and release events occur almost simultaneously during the synthesis cycle, allowing the energy gain due to spontaneous binding of ADP to one catalytic β subunit to be directly harnessed for driving the release of ATP from another rather than being dissipated...
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Pre‐exascale HPC approaches for molecular dynamics simulations. Covid‐19 research: A use case
PublicationExascale computing has been a dream for ages and is close to becoming a reality that will impact how molecular simulations are being performed, as well as the quantity and quality of the information derived for them. We review how the biomolecular simulations field is anticipating these new architectures, making emphasis on recent work from groups in the BioExcel Center of Excellence for High Performance Computing. We exemplified...
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Splice variants of mitofusin 2 shape the endoplasmic reticulum and tether it to mitochondria
PublicationIn eukaryotic cells, different organelles interact at membrane contact sites stabilized by tethers. Mitochondrial mitofusin 2 (MFN2) acts as a membrane tether that interacts with an unknown partner on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this work, we identified the MFN2 splice variant ERMIT2 as the ER tethering partner of MFN2. Splicing of MFN2 produced ERMIT2 and ERMIN2, two ER-specific variants. ERMIN2 regulated ER morphology,...
Year 2022
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DNAffinity: a machine-learning approach to predict DNA binding affinities of transcription factors
PublicationWe present a physics-based machine learning approach to predict in vitro transcription factor binding affinities from structural and mechanical DNA properties directly derived from atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. The method is able to predict affinities obtained with techniques as different as uPBM, gcPBM and HT-SELEX with an excellent performance, much better than existing algorithms. Due to its nature, the method can...
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Mechanism of reaction of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from SARS-CoV-2
PublicationWe combine molecular dynamics, statistical mechanics, and hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations to describe mechanistically the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Our study analyzes the binding mode of both natural triphosphate substrates as well as remdesivir triphosphate (the active form of drug), which is bound preferentially over ATP by RdRp while...
Year 2021
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Defining a novel domain that provides an essential contribution to site-specific interaction of Rep protein with DNA
PublicationAn essential feature of replication initiation proteins is their ability to bind to DNA. In this work, we describe a new domain that contributes to a replication initiator sequence-specific interaction with DNA. Applying biochemical assays and structure prediction methods coupled with DNA–protein crosslinking, mass spectrometry, and construction and analysis of mutant proteins, we identified that the replication initiator of the...
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Effective Drug Concentration and Selectivity Depends on Fraction of Primitive Cells
PublicationPoor efficiency of chemotherapeutics in the eradication of Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) has been driving the search for more active and specific compounds. In this work, we show how cell density-dependent stage culture profiles can be used in drug development workflows to achieve more robust drug activity (IC50 and EC50) results. Using flow cytometry and light microscopy, we characterized the cytological stage profiles of the HL-60-,...
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Light-Modulated Sunscreen Mechanism in the Retina of the Human Eye
PublicationThe functioning of the human eye in the extreme range of light intensity requires a combination of the high sensitivity of photoreceptors with their photostability. Here, we identify a regulatory mechanism based on dynamic modulation of light absorption by xanthophylls in the retina, realized by reorientation of pigment molecules induced by trans–cis photoisomerization. We explore this photochemically switchable system using chromatographic...
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Molecular mechanism of proton-coupled ligand translocation by the bacterial efflux pump EmrE
PublicationThe current surge in bacterial multi-drug resistance (MDR) is one of the largest challenges to public health, threatening to render ineffective many therapies we rely on for treatment of serious infections. Understanding different factors that contribute to MDR is hence crucial from the global “one health” perspective. In this contribution, we focus on the prototypical broad-selectivity proton-coupled antiporter EmrE, one of the...
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Self-assembly, stability and conductance of amphotericin B channels: bridging the gap between structure and function
PublicationAmphotericin B (AmB), one of the most powerful but also toxic drugs used to treat systemic mycoses, is believed to selectively permeabilize fungal cell membranes to ions in a sterol-dependent manner. Unfortunately, the structure of the biologically active AmB channels has long eluded researchers, obstructing the design of safer alternatives. Here, we investigate the structural and thermodynamic aspects of channel formation, stability,...
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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Molywood: streamlining the design and rendering of molecular movies
PublicationMotivation High-quality dynamic visuals are needed at all levels of science communication, from the conference hall to the classroom. As scientific journals embrace new article formats, many key concepts – particularly in structural biology – are also more easily conveyed as videos than still frames. Notwithstanding, the design and rendering of a complex molecular movie remain an arduous task. Here, we introduce Molywood, a robust...
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Telomere uncapping by common oxidative guanine lesions: Insights from atomistic models
PublicationOxidative damage to DNA is widely known to contribute to aging and disease. This relationship has been extensively studied for telomeres – structures that cap chromosome ends – due to their role in cell proliferation and senescence, and exceptional susceptibility to oxidation. Indeed, the repetitive telomeric DNA sequence contains the 5′-GGG-3′ motif that has the lowest ionization potential of all trinucleotides. Accordingly, experiments...
Year 2019
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Interactions of telomeric proteins with nucleic acids: sequence recognition on intact and oxidatively damaged telomeres
PublicationTelomeres are complex nucleoprotein assemblies that play a vital role in the maintenance of functional ends of linear chromosomes. Telomeric DNA, composed of tandem repeats of the 5'-TTAGGG-3' motif, solves the so-called end replication problem: as chromosomes shorten with each cell division, no information is lost, and the telomere can be re-extended. In the cell, many protein factors regulate telomere length, nuclear positioning...
Year 2018
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Novel 2-(2-arylmethylthio-4-chloro-5-methylbenzenesulfonyl)-1-(1,3,5-triazin-2-ylamino)guanidine derivatives: Inhibition of human carbonic anhydrase cytosolic isozymes I and II and the transmembrane tumor-associated isozymes IX and XII, anticancer activity, and molecular modeling studies
PublicationA series of novel 2-(2-arylmethylthio-4-chloro-5-methylbenzenesulfonyl)-1-(6-substituted-4-chloro-1,3,5-triazin-2-ylamino)guanidine derivatives 9–20 have been synthesized by substitution of chlorine atom at the 1,3,5-triazine ring in compounds 5–8 with 3- or 4-aminobenzenesulfonamide and 4-(aminomethyl)benzenesulfonamide hydrochloride. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity toward hCA I, II,...
Year 2017
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Dominant Pathways of Adenosyl Radical-Induced DNA Damage Revealed by QM/MM Metadynamics
PublicationBrominated nucleobases sensitize double stranded DNA to hydrated electrons, one of the dominant genotoxic species produced in hypoxic cancer cells during radiotherapy. Such radiosensitizers can therefore be administered locally to enhance treatment efficiency within the solid tumor while protecting the neighboring tissue. When a solvated electron attaches to 8-bromoadenosine, a potential sensitizer, the dissociation of bromide...
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How proteins bind to DNA: target discrimination and dynamic sequence search by the telomeric protein TRF1
PublicationTarget search as performed by DNA-binding proteins is a complex process, in which multiple factors contribute to both thermodynamic discrimination of the target sequence from overwhelmingly abundant off-target sites and kinetic acceleration of dynamic sequence interrogation. TRF1, the protein that binds to telomeric tandem repeats, faces an intriguing variant of the search problem where target sites are clustered within short fragments...
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Mechanochemical Energy Transduction during the Main Rotary Step in the Synthesis Cycle of F1-ATPase
PublicationF1-ATPase is a highly efficient molecular motor that can synthesize ATP driven by a mechanical torque. Its ability to function reversibly in either direction requires tight mechanochemical coupling between the catalytic domain and the rotating central shaft, as well as temporal control of substrate binding and product release. Despite great efforts and significant progress, the molecular details of this synchronized and fine-tuned...
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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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Correlation between the number of Pro-Ala repeats in the EmrA homologue of Acinetobacter baumannii and resistance to netilmicin, tobramycin, imipenem and ceftazidime
PublicationAcinetobacter baumannii coccobacilli are dangerous to patients in intensive care units because of their multidrug resistance to antibiotics, developed mainly in the past decade. This study aimed to examine whether there is a significant correlation between the number of Pro-Ala repeats in the CAP01997 protein, the EmrA homologue of A. baumannii, and resistance to antibiotics. A total of 79 multidrug-resistant A. baumannii strains...
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Membrane Sterols Modulate the Binding Mode of Amphotericin B without Affecting Its Affinity for a Lipid Bilayer
PublicationMembrane-active antibiotics are known to selectively target certain pathogens based on cell membrane properties, such as fluidity, lipid ordering, and phase behavior. These are in turn modulated by the composition of a lipid bilayer and in particular by the presence and type of membrane sterols. Amphotericin B (AmB), the golden standard of antifungal treatment, exhibits higher activity toward ergosterol-rich fungal membranes, which...
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Molecular basis of the osmolyte effect on protein stability: a lesson from the mechanical unfolding of lysozyme
PublicationOsmolytes are a class of small organic molecules that shift the protein folding equilibrium. For this reason, they are accumulated by organisms under environmental stress, and find applications in biotechnology where proteins need to be stabilized or dissolved. However, despite years of research, debate continues over the exact mechanisms underpinning the stabilizing and denaturing effect of osmolytes. Here, we simulated the mechanical...
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Thermodynamics and kinetics of amphotericin B self-association in aqueous solution characterized in molecular detail
PublicationAmphotericin B (AmB) is a potent but toxic drug commonly used to treat systemic mycoses. Its efficiency as a therapeutic agent depends on its ability to discriminate between mammalian and fungal cell membranes. The association of AmB monomers in an aqueous environment plays an important role in drug selectivity, as oligomers formed prior to membrane insertion – presumably dimers – are believed to act differently on fungal (ergosterol-rich)...
Year 2015
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Interaction of cisplatin and two potential antitumoral platinum(ii) complexes with a model lipid membrane: a combined NMR and MD study
PublicationIn this study, the interaction of cisplatin (1) and two potential antitumoral Pt(II) complexes (2 and 3) with a model DMPC bilayer was investigated by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and MD simulations in order to understand its implication for the different antitumoral properties shown by the three complexes. In particular, 31P, 13C and 2H solid state NMR experiments were performed to obtain information on the phase structure, phase...
Year 2014
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A first-principles study of electron attachment to the fully hydrated bromonucleobases
PublicationDegradation mechanism of four brominated nucleobases (BrX), potential DNA radiosensitizers, is studied in explicit water solution, using ab initio molecular dynamics. Several fs long dynamics is needed to localize an electron on the nucleobase. Produced by electron attachment BrX anion radical degrades through the bromide anion abstraction, barrier-free (purines) or with low barrier (pyrimidines), to a reactive nucleobase radical....
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Molecular Recognition in Complexes of TRF Proteins with Telomeric DNA
PublicationTelomeres are specialized nucleoprotein assemblies that protect the ends of linear chromosomes. In humans and many other species, telomeres consist of tandem TTAGGG repeats bound by a protein complex known as shelterin that remodels telomeric DNA into a protective loop structure and regulates telomere homeostasis. Shelterin recognizes telomeric repeats through its two major components known as Telomere Repeat-Binding Factors, TRF1...
Year 2012
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N-(4-Methylpiperazin-4-ium-1-yl)dithiocarbamate sesquihydrate
PublicationW strukturze krystalicznej tytułowego związku, C6H13N3S2-1.5H2O, obserwuje się słabe wiązania wodorowe typu NH...S pomiędzy cząsteczkami jonów obojnaczych. Prowadzi to do wytworzenia pofałdowanej struktury warstwowej, równoległej do płaszczyzny (100). W jednostce asymetrycznej występują trzy niezależne cząsteczki wody, obsadzone połówkowo.
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