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Akademicka 19
20-033 Lublin
I graduated in Biotechnology (2002) from the UMCS in Lublin, where I also obtained my PhD (2008) and postdoctoral degree (habilitation) (2019). Since 2023, I have been employed as a university professor in the Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, UMCS. I am a microbiologist and bacterial geneticist specialising in the study of microorganisms interacting with the eukaryotic host. My research interests include the mechanisms of biosynthesis of bacterial cell surface glycans, with particular emphasis on the so-called extracellular heteropolysaccharides of plant symbiotic bacteria - rhizobia. I also focus on the mechanisms of pathogenicity of selected bacteria, including Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and human genetics/medical genetics, including the role of new technologies in genetic diagnosis and the future of personalised medicine.
Selected research projects
2021-2022, Internal project for a research team at the UMCS Institute of Biological Sciences: "Characterization of rhizobiophages as a way to search for new, biotechnologically useful proteins" - contractor
2018-2021, grant NCN No. 2017/27/B/NZ9/01849 titled "Kompleks enzymatyczny glikozylotransferaz Rhizobium leguminosarum jako model bakteryjnego szlaku biosyntezy egzopolisacharydu" ("The enzymatic complex of Rhizobium leguminosarum glycosyltransferases as a model of the bacterial pathway of exopolysaccharide biosynthesis") – principal investigator
2017-2018, grant MINIATURA No. 2017/01/X/NZ1/00198 titled "Fosforylacja białek Pss zaangażowanych w biosyntezę egzopolisacharydu Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii" ("Phosphorylation of Pss proteins involved in the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharide Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii") – principal investigator
2011-2014, grant NCN No. 2011/01/D/NZ7/04708 titled "Nietrzymanie moczu u kobiet – analiza epidemiologiczna czynników ryzyka oraz wpływ polimorfizmu wybranych genów ESR-1, ESR-2, CYP17, CYP19, 5-HT2A na wystąpienie schorzenia" ("Urinary incontinence in women – epidemiological analysis of risk factors and the influence of polymorphism of selected genes ESR-1, ESR-2, CYP17, CYP19, 5-HT2A on the occurrence of the disease") – contractor
2008-2011, MNiSW grant No. N 407 093 32/3453 titled „Związek między polimorfizmem genów kodujących łańcuch alfa-1 kolagenu typu I, kolagenazę-1 oraz stromelizynę-1 a ryzykiem wystąpienia defektu statyki dolnego odcinka układu moczowo-płciowego oraz wysiłkowego nietrzymania moczu u kobiet” ("The relationship between polymorphism of genes encoding the alpha-1 chain of the type I collagen, collagenase-1 and stromelysin-1 and the risk of a lower-gastrointestinal defect and stress incontinence in women") – contractor
2008-2011, MNiSW grant no. N N301 028734 titled „Genetyczne uwarunkowania adaptacji Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii do endosymbiotycznego i glebowego środowiska” ("Genetic aspects of adaptation of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii to endosymbiotic and soil environment") – contractor
2004-2007, grant no. 2 P04A 03426, pt. „Genomika funkcjonalna: konstrukcja mapy kontigów megaplazmidu pExo i analiza funkcji genów kontrolujących biosyntezę polisacharydów Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii” ("Functional genomics: construction of the contig map of the pExo megaplasmid and functional analysis of gene that control the biosynthesis of polysaccharides in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii") – contractor
Research articles
Wójcik, M.; Koper, P.; Żebracki, K.; Marczak, M.; Mazur, A. Genomic and Metabolic Characterization of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Isolated from Nodules of Clovers Grown in Non-Farmed Soil. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 16679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242316679
Bogut A, Koper P, Marczak M and Całka P (2023) The first genomic characterization of a stable, hemin-dependent small colony variant strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolated from a prosthetic-joint infection. Front. Microbiol. 14:1289844. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1289844.
Żebracki K, Horbowicz A, Marczak M*, Turska-Szewczuk A, Koper P, Wójcik K, Romańczuk M, Wójcik M, Mazur A. Exopolysaccharide Biosynthesis in Rhizobiumleguminosarum bv. trifolii Requires a Complementary Function of Two Homologous Glycosyltransferases PssG and PssI. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023; 24(4):4248. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24044248.
Marczak M*, Żebracki K, Koper P, Horbowicz A, Wójcik M, Mazur A.* A New Face of the Old Gene: Deletion of the PssA, Encoding Monotopic Inner Membrane Phosphoglycosyl Transferase in Rhizobiumleguminosarum, Leads to Diverse Phenotypes That Could Be Attributable to Downstream Effects of the Lack of Exopolysaccharide. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023; 24(2):1035. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24021035.
Talarek K, Horbowicz A, Romańczuk M, Marczak M*. 2021. Charakterystyka wybranych mechanizmów regulacyjnych fizjologii bakterii z uwzględnieniem ich wpływu na tworzenie biofilmów [w:] Wybrane zagadnienia z zakresu ochrony i zagrożeń środowiska Środowisko – Roślina – Zwierzę – Produkt. Babicz M; Nowakowicz - Dębek B. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego w Lublinie, s. 110-115.
Horbowicz A, Talarek K, Marczak M*. 2021. Inżynieria glikozylotransferaz bakteryjnych [w:] Wybrane zagadnienia z zakresu produkcji surowców, żywności i kosmetyków Środowisko – Roślina – Zwierzę – Produkt. Babicz M; Kropiwiec - Domańska K. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego w Lublinie, s. 44-50.
Rufus Cartwright, Larissa Franklin, Kari A. O. Tikkinen, Ilkka Kalliala, Pawel Miotla, Tomasz Rechberger, Ifeoma Offiah, Steve McMahon, Barry O’Reilly, Sabrina Lince, Kirsten Kluivers, Wilke Post, Geert Poelmans, Melody R. Palmer, Hunter Wessels, Andrew Wong, Diana Kuh, Mika Kivimaki, Meena Kumari, Massimo Mangino, Tim Spector, Jeremy A. Guggenheim, Benjamin Lehne, N. Maneka G. De Silva, David M. Evans, Debbie Lawlor, Ville Karhunen, Minna Mannikko, Malgorzata Marczak, Phillip R. Bennett, Vik Khullar, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, and Andrew Walley on behalf of the IGNITE Consortium. 2021. Genome Wide Association Study Identifies Two Novel Loci Associated with Female Stress and Urgency Urinary Incontinence. The Journal of Urology, https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001822.
Katarzyna Dworaczek, Maria Kurzylewska, Magdalena Laban, Agnieszka Pękala-Safińska, Małgorzata Marczak, Anna Turska-Szewczuk. 2021. Structure of the disaccharide repeating unit of O-specific polysaccharide isolated from Aeromonas veronii strain Bs8 pathogenic to common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Carbohydrate Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carres.2020.108210.
Marczak M, Wójcik M; Żebracki K; Turska-Szewczuk A; Talarek K; Nowak D; Wawiórka L; Sieńczyk M; Łupicka-Słowik A; Bobrek K; Romańczuk M; Koper P; Mazur A. 2020. PssJ is a terminal galactosyltransferase involved in the assembly of the exopolysaccharide subunit in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 21, 7764; doi:10.3390/ijms21207764.
Marczak M, Żebracki K, Koper P, Turska-Szewczuk A, Mazur A, Wydrych J, Wójcik M, Skorupska A. 2019. Mgl2 is a hypothetical methyltransferase involved in exopolysaccharide production, biofilm formation and motility in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii. MPMI. doi: 10.1094/MPMI-01-19-0026-R.
Karaś MA, Turska-Szewczuk A, Marczak M, Jaszek M, Janczarek M, Dworaczek K, Stefaniuk D, Wydrych J. 2018. A Mutation in the Mesorhizobium loti oatB gene alters the physicochemical properties of the bacterial cell wall and reduces survival inside Acanthamoeba castellanii. Int J Mol Sci. 19(11):3510.
Marczak M, Mazur A, Koper P, Żebracki K, Skorupska A. 2017. Synthesis of rhizobial exopolysaccharides and their importance for symbiosis with legume plants. Genes (Basel). 8(12):360. doi:10.3390/genes8120360.
Koper P, Żebracki K, Marczak M, Skorupska A, Mazur A. 2016. RepB proteins of the multipartite Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii genome discriminate between centromere-like parS sequences for plasmid segregational stability. Molecular Microbiology, 102: 446-466. doi:10.1111/mmi.13472.
Żebracki K, Koper P, Marczak M, Skorupska A, Mazur A. 2015. Plasmid-encoded RepA proteins specifically autorepress individual repABC operons in the multipartite Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii genome. PLoS One 10(7):e0131907. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0131907.
Marczak M, Matysiak P, Kutkowska J, Skorupska A. 2014. PssP2 is a polysaccharide co-polymerase involved in exopolysaccharide chain-length determination in Rhizobium leguminosarum. PLoS One 9(9):e109106. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0109106.
Stasiak G, Mazur A, Wielbo J, Marczak M, Żebracki K, Koper P, Skorupska A. 2014. Functional relationships between plasmids and their significance for metabolism and symbiotic performance of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii. J Appl Genet. 55(4):515-527.
Marczak M, Dźwierzyńska M, Skorupska A. 2013. Homo- and heterotypic interactions between Pss proteins involved in the exopolysaccharide transport system in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii. Biol Chem. 394:541-559.
Skorupski P, Jankiewicz K, Miotła P, Marczak M, Kulik-Rechberger B, Rechberger T. 2012. The polymorphisms of the MMP-1 and the MMP-3 genes and the risk of pelvic organ prolapsed. Int Urogynecol J. 24(6):1033-1038. doi: 10.1007/s00192-012-1970-1.
Skorupska A, Król J, Mazur A, Marczak M. 2008. Genomika Rhizobium leguminosarum – badanie genów syntezy polisacharydów powierzchniowych (Genomic approach to study surface polysaccharide genes in Rhizobium leguminosarum). Biotechnologia 2(81): 27–40.
Marczak M, Mazur A, Gruszecki WI, Skorupska A. 2008. PssO, a unique extracellular protein important for exopolysaccharide synthesis in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii.
Król JE, Mazur A, Marczak M, Skorupska A. 2008. Application of physical and genetic map of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii TA1 to comparison of three closely related rhizobial genomes. Mol Genet Genomics 279: 107-121.
Król JE, Mazur A, Marczak M, Skorupska A. 2007. Syntenic arrangements of the surface polysaccharide biosynthesis genes in Rhizobium leguminosarum. Genomics 89: 237–247.
Skorupska A, Janczarek M, Marczak M, Mazur A, Król J. 2006. Rhizobial exopolysaccharides: genetic control and symbiotic functions. Microb. Cell Fact. 5:7. doi:10.1186/1475-2859-5-7.
Marczak M, Mazur A, Król JE, Gruszecki W. and Skorupska A. 2006. Lipoprotein PssN of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii: subcellular localization and possible involvement in exopolysaccharide export. J. Bacteriol. 188: 6943–6952.
Mazur A, Marczak M, Król JE, Skorupska A. 2005. Topological and transcriptional analysis of pssL gene product: a putative Wzx-like exopolysaccharide translocase in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii TA1. Arch. Microbiol. 184: 1-10.
Wielbo J, Mazur A, Król JE, Marczak M, Kutkowska J, Skorupska A. 2004. Complexity of phenotypes and symbiotic behaviour of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii exopolysaccharide mutants. Arch. Microbiol. 182: 331–336.
Wielbo J, Mazur A, Król JE, Marczak M and Skorupska A. 2004. Environmental modulation of the pssTNOP gene expression in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii. Can. J. Microbiol. 50: 201-211.
Mazur A, Król JE, Marczak M, Skorupska A. 2003. Membrane topology of PssT, the transmembrane protein component of type I exopolysaccharide transport system in the Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii strain TA1. J. Bacteriol. 185: 2503-2511.
Marczak M, Mazur A, Skorupska A. 2003. Bakteryjne systemy transportu cukrów. Postępy Biochemii 49(4): 278-289.
Membership
Polish Genetic Society
Polish Society of Microbiologists