Department of Functional Anatomy and Cytobiology

Head:

dr hab. Joanna Jakubowicz-Gil, prof. UMCS
Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin
room 135B, tel. 81 537 59 28
mail: joanna.jakubowicz-gil@mail.umcs.pl

Staff members

prof. dr hab. Wojciech Rzeski
dr hab. Bożena Pawlikowska-Pawlęga, prof. UMCS
dr hab. Joanna Jakubowicz-Gil, prof. UMCS
dr hab. Piotr Dobrowolski, prof. UMCS
dr hab. Monika Hułas-Stasiak
dr Mariusz Niedźwiedź
dr Adrian Zając
dr Justyna Kapral-Piotrowska
dr Joanna Sumorek-Wiadro

mgr Anna Dembicka-Drapała
mgr Jerzy Wydrych

Retired staff members

prof. dr hab. Antoni Gawron
dr Zofia Skrzypiec
Alicja Gorzelak

Doctoral students

mgr Mateusz Ścibiorski

History

The origin of the Department of Functional Anatomy and Cytobiology dates back to 1946, when the Department of Comparative Anatomy was established. In 1948, the museum working since 1946 became part of the Department, which since then comprised the Department of Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates and the Museum of Zoology. In 1970, the Department was renamed the Department of Comparative Anatomy, which finally evolved into the Department of Comparative Anatomy and Anthropology after the merger of the former Department of Anatomy and the Museum of Zoology. In 2001, a confocal microscopy laboratory was set up in the Department. In December 2008, the Museum of Zoology became a separate unit of the Faculty. In 2019, the Department of Comparative Anatomy and Anthropology became the Department of Functional Anatomy and Cytobiology.

Heads of the Department: prof. dr Kazimierz Sembrat (1946-1948); prof. dr August Dehnel (1948-1962); prof. dr Mirosław Chicewicz (1962-1966); prof. dr hab. Jerzy Kubik (1966-1996); prof. dr hab. Antoni Gawron (1996-2018); dr hab. Joanna Jakubowicz-Gil since October 2018.

Current research topics

Molecular mechanisms of programmed death induction;
Anticancer properties of compounds of natural origin;
Induction of repair and regeneration processes via stimulation of the entero-osseous axis with compounds of natural origin;
Prenatal programming vs. the structure and function of ovaries;
Biomorphological and population studies of micromammalian species in south-eastern Poland

Research projects

BIOSTRATEG 2 (NCBR) (2016-2020) „Strategia zapewnienia i ewaluacji bazy tanich, efektywnych i bezpiecznych paszowych surowców energetycznych do produkcji zwierzęcej w oparciu o zasoby krajowe ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem nowoczesnych odmian żyta”. [Strategy for provision and evaluation of cheap, effective, and safe energy feed raw materials for animal production based on domestic resources, with particular emphasis on current rye varieties], ENERGYFEED Consortium. Head of the project: dr Tomasz Schwarz (University of Agriculture in Kraków). Head of task 9: dr hab. Piotr Dobrowolski
MINIATURA 1 (NCN) (2017-2018) „Wpływ kwasu β-hydroksy-β-metylomasłowego (HMB) podawanego prenatalnie na strukturę i funkcjonowanie jajnika nowo narodzonych prosiąt” [Effect of prenatally administered β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyric acid (HMB) on the structure and function of the ovary in neonatal piglets]. Head of the project: dr Monika Hułas-Stasiak

Research cooperation

The Department of Functional Anatomy and Cytobiology cooperates with the following units of Lublin universities:

John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Laboratory of Confocal and Electronic Microscopy, Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Research, Faculty of Biotechnology and Environmental Sciences), UMCS (Institute of Physics, Department of Biophysics), Witold Chodźko Institute of Rural Medicine (Department of Medical Biology), Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 4 (Clinic of Neurosurgery and Paediatric Neurosurgery), Medical University (1^st Department and Clinic of Oncological Gynaecology and Gynaecology), University of Life Sciences (Department of Animal Anatomy and Histology, Department of Animal Physiology, Department of Physics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine).

We also cooperate with the following national research centres: University of Rzeszów (Department of Morphological Sciences, Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine), Jagiellonian University (Department of Endocrinology), National Research Institute of Animal Production, Balice/Kraków (Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science), University of Agriculture in Kraków (Department of Swine and Small Ruminant Breeding), Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków (Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals), Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw (Museum and Institute of Zoology), National Veterinary Research Institute in Puławy, University of Gdańsk (Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology), and Forest Research Institute in Raszyn (Department of Forest Ecology).

The Department of Functional Anatomy and Cytobiology cooperates with the following foreign research institutions: CQ-Vila Real, Chemistry Research Centre, Chemistry Department, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Portugal), State Scientific Research Control Institute of Veterinary Medicinal Products and Feed Additives, Lwów (Ukraine), School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown (South Africa), Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund (Sweden), Department of Physiological Sciences, Division of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Lund University, Lund (Sweden).

Awards and distinctions

Dr hab. Bożena Pawlikowska-Pawlęga - UMCS Rector's Team Award (2014)
Dr hab. Joanna Jakubowicz-Gil - UMCS Rector's Team Award (2014, 2016, 2019)
Dr Monika Hułas-Stasiak - UMCS Rector's Team Award (2014)
Dr Monika Hułas-Stasiak Award for the 2^nd place in the competition for the best poster “Regulation of follicle stimulation by growth factors in the ovary of piglets upon prenatal exposure to β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate”; 52^nd Congress of the Polish Society of Histochemists and Cytochemists, Białystok, 13-16 September 2018
Mgr Adrian Zając - Prof. Bolesław Skarżyński Award for the best article in Postępy Chemii (2018)
Mgr Jerzy Wydrych – 1^st degree UMCS Rector's Individual Award (2015)

Major publications

Lemieszek M.K., Nunes, F.M., Marques G., Rzeski W. Cantharellus cibarius branched mannans inhibits colon cancer cells growth by interfering with signals transduction in NF-ĸB pathway. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2019; 134,770-780.
Lemieszek M.K., Nunes F.M., Rzeski W. Branched mannans from the mushroom Cantharellus cibarius enhance the anticancer activity of natural killer cells against human cancers of lung and colon. Food and Function 2019; 10(9), 5816-5826.
Lemieszek M.K., Marques, P.S., Ribeiro M., Ferreira D., Marques G., Chaves R., Pozarowski P., Nunes, F.M., Rzeski W. Mushroom small RNAs as potential anticancer agents: a closer look at Cantharellus cibarius proapoptotic and antiproliferative effects in colon cancer cells. Food and Function, 2019; 10(5), 2739-2751.
Kozioł E., Luca S.V., Marcourt L., Nour M., Hnawia E., Jakubowicz-Gil J., Paduch R., Mroczek T., Wolfender J.-L., Skalicka-Woźniak K. Efficient extraction and isolation of skimmianine from New Caledonian Plant Medicosmaleratii and evaluation of its effects on apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. Phytochem. Lett. 2019; 30:224-230.
Hułas-Stasiak M, Jakubowicz-Gil J, Dobrowolski P, Tomaszewska E, Muszyński S. Maternal β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation during pregnancy affects early folliculogenesis in the ovary of newborn piglets. Theriogenology 2019; 128:91-100.
Vertyporokh L, Hułas-Stasiak M, Wojda I. Host-pathogen interaction after infection of Galleria mellonella with the filamentous fungus Beauveria bassiana. Insect Sci. 2019; doi: 10.1111/1744-7917.12706.
Vertyporokh L, Kordaczuk J, Mak P, Hułas-Stasiak M, Wojda I. Host-pathogen interactions upon the first and subsequent infection of Galleria mellonella with Candida albicans. J Insect Physiol. 2019; 117:103903. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103903.
Agnieszka Zdybicka-Barabas, SylwiaStączek,BożenaPawlikowska-Pawlęga, Paweł Mak, Rafał Luchowski,Krzysztof Skrzypiec, Ewaryst Mendyk, Jerzy Wydrych, Wiesław I. Gruszecki, Małgorzata Cytryńska. Studies on the interactions of neutral Galleria mellonella cecropin D with living bacterial cells. Amino Acids 2019; 51: 175-191
Barbara Chudzik, Katarzyna Bonio, Wojciech Dąbrowski, Daniel Pietrzak, Andrzej Niewiadomy, Alina Olender, Bożena Pawlikowska-Pawlęga, Mariusz Gagoś, Antifungal effect of a 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivative determined by cytochemical and vibrational spectroscopic studies. PLoS ONE 2019;14(9):e0222775. doi.org/10.1371/journal
Muszyński S, Świątkiewicz S, Arczewska-Włosek A, Dobrowolski P, Valverde Piedra JL, Arciszewski MB, Szymańczyk S, Zacharko-Siembida A, Kowalik S, Hułas-Stasiak M, Tomczyk-Warunek A, Schwarz T, Tomaszewska E. Analysis of mechanical properties of bones and tendons shows that modern hybrid rye can be introduced to corn-wheat based diet in broiler chickens as an alternative energy source irrespective of xylanase supplementation. Poult Sci. 2019; 98: 5613-5621
Dobrowolski P., Tomaszewska E.,. Klebaniuk R,. Tomczyk-Warunek A,. Szymanczyk S,. Donaldson J, Swietlicka I.,. Mielnik-Błaszczak M, Kuc D. and Muszynski S. Structural changes in the small intestine of female turkeys receiving a probiotic preparation are dose and region dependent. Animal, page 1 of 9 © The Animal Consortium 2019 animal doi:10.1017/S17517311190011495
Milart Pawel, Paluszkiewicz Piotr, Dobrowolski Piotr, Tomaszewska Ewa, Smolinska Katarzyna, Debinska Iwona, Gawel Kinga, Walczak Katarzyna, Bednarski Jerzy, Turska Monika, Raban Michal, Kocki Tomasz, Turski Waldemar A. Kynurenic acid as the neglected ingredient of commercial baby formulas. Scientific Reports 2019; 9:6108 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42646-4
Muszyński S, Tomaszewska E, Dobrowolski P, Kwiecień M, Wiącek D, Świetlicka I, Skibińska M, Szymańska-Chargot M, Orzeł J, Świetlicki M, Arczewska M, Szymanek M, Zhyla M, Hułas-Stasiak M, Rudyk H, Tomczyk-Warunek A. Analysis of bone osteometry, mineralization, mechanical and histomorphometrical properties of tibiotarsus in broiler chickens demonstrates a influence of dietary chickpea seeds (Cicer arietinum L.) inclusion as a primary protein source. PLoS One 2018; 11;13(12):e0208921. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208921.
Tomaszewska Ewa, Dobrowolski Piotr, Klebaniuk Renata, Kwiecień Małgorzata, Tomczyk-Warunek Agnieszka, Szymańczyk Sylwia, Kowalik Sylwester, Milczarek Anna, Blicharski Tomasz, Muszyński Siemowit. Gut-bone axis response to dietary replacement of soybean meal with raw low-tannin faba bean seeds in broiler chickens PLoS One 2018; doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194969
Bożena Pawlikowska-Pawlega, Justyna Kapral, Antoni Gawron, Anna Stochmal, Jerzy Zuchowski, Lukasz Pecio, Rafal Luchowski, Wojciech Grudzinski, Wieslaw I. Gruszecki. Interaction of a quercetin derivative - lensoside Aβ with liposomal membranes. BBA - Biomembranes 2018; 1860, 292-299
Hułas-Stasiak M., Dobrowolski P., Pawlikowska-Pawlęga B., Tomaszewska E., Muszyński S. The effects of dexamethasone administered during pregnancy on the postpartum spiny mouse ovary. PLoS One 2017; 12(8): e0183528 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183528; ISSN: 1932-6203
Blicharski T., Tomaszewska E., Dobrowolski P., Hułas-Stasiak M., Muszyński S. A metabolite of leucine (β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate) given to sows during pregnancy alters bone development of their newborn offspring by hormonal modulation. PLoS One 2017; 12(6):e0179693 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179693.eCollection 2017. ISSN: 1932-6203
Jakubowicz-Gil J., Bądziul D., Langner E., Wertel I., Zając A., Rzeski W. Temozolomide and sorafenib as programmed cell death inducers of human glioma cells. Pharmacol. Rep. 2017; 69:779-787
Dobrowolski Piotr, Tomaszewska Ewa, Muszynski Siemowit, Blicharski Tomasz and Stefan G Pierzynowski. Dietary 2-oxoglutarate prevents bone loss caused by neonatal treatment with maximal dexamethasone dose. Experimental Biology and Medicine 2017; 242: 671–682. DOI: 10.1177/1535370217693322
Sachanowicz K., Piskorski M., TerebaA. Systematics and taxonomy of Pipistrellus kuhlii(Kuhl, 1817) in Central Europe and the Balkans. Zootaxa 2017; 4306 (1), 53–66.
Hułas-Stasiak M., Dobrowolski P., Tomaszewska E. Prenatally administered dexamethasone impairs folliculogenesis in the spiny mouse offspring. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 2016; 28:1038-1048.
Dobrowolski Piotr, Ewa Tomaszewska, Paulina Kurlak and Stefan G Pierzynowski. Dietary 2-oxoglutarate mitigates gastrectomy-evoked structural changes in cartilage of female rats. Experimental Biology and Medicine 2016; 241: 14–24. DOI: 10.1177/1535370215595466
Sachanowicz K., Ciechanowski M., Rachwald A., Piskorski M. Overview of bat species reported in Albania with the first country records for eight species. Journal of Natural History, 2016; 50, (7-8): 513-521
Wertel I., Surówka J., Polak G., Barczyński B., Bednarek W., Jakubowicz-Gil J., Bojarska-Junak A., Kotarski J. Macrophage-derived chemokine CCL22 and regulatory T cells in ovarian cancer patients. Tumor Biol. 2015; 36:4811-4817
Grąz M., Pawlikowska-Pawlega B., Jarosz-Wilkołazka A.: Intracellular distribution of cadmium during the growth of Abortiporus biennis on cadmium-amended media. Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 2015, 61: 545-554
Gottfried I., Gottfried T., Fuszara E., Fuszara M., Ignaczak M., Jaros R., Piskorski M. Breeding sites of the barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus (Schreber, 1774) in Poland. North-Western Journal of Zoology 2015; 11 (2): 194-203
Piskorski M. Bat fauna of the Poleski National Park and some adjoining areas. Zoologica Poloniae 2015; 60 (1): 67-83.
Pawlikowska-Pawlęga B., Dziubinska H., Król E., Trębacz K., Jarosz-Wilkołazka A., Paduch R., Gawron A., Gruszecki W.I.: Characteristics of quercetin interactions with liposomal and vacuolar membranes. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta – Biomembranes, 2014, 1838, 254-265
Pawlikowska-Pawlęga B., Misiak L.E., Jarosz-Wilkołazka A., Zarzyka B., Paduch R., Gawron A., Gruszecki W.I.: Biophysical characterization of genistein-membrane interaction and its correlation with biological effect on cells – The case of EYPC liposomes and human erythrocyte membranes. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta Biomembranes, 2014;1838:2127-2138

Institute of Biological Sciences

Department of Functional Anatomy and Cytobiology