Lecture „Sleep, synuclein and microbiome“
2025-02-17 15:00 - 16:00 (Europe/Prague) | Kinosal, Vídeňská 1083, Praha

Seminář Ludovica Antiga, M.Sc.
2025-02-12 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“PIP2-RNA-protein interactions in phase separation of Pol II transcription”
The RNA Polymerase II transcription is a multifaceted process crucial for gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Over the last decade, liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) was shown to be crucial in regulation of RNA pol II transcription. We have shown that nuclear phosphoinositides are pivotal for regulating biological processes and PIP2 has been shown to localize with RNA Pol II machinery and nascent RNA, linking it to the initiation step of transcription. Here, by using lipid-interacting RNA sequencing (LIPRNAseq) and confocal microscopy, we found a PIP2-binding AU-rich RNA motif and identified the long non-coding RNA HANR (lncHANR) in complex with PIP2 as a part of oncogenic super-enhancers in perinucleolar region of the nucleus.Furthermore, we used PIP2-pull down coupled with mass spectrometry to identify RNA-dependent PIP2 interactome associated with nuclear processes emphasizing the role of PIP2 in liquid-liquid phase separation of RNA Pol II transcription machinery.

Školení Genderová dimenze v obsahu výzkumu
2025-02-11 09:00 - 12:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
Seminář povedou Eva Oliva a Gabriela Langhammerová z NKC – gender a věda.
Na semináři se dozvíte:
– jaké jsou požadavky evropských i domácích grantových agentur
– co je genderová dimenze a proč je důležité ji zohlednit
– jaká je souvislost s ins􀀃tucionální změnou a plány genderové rovnos􀀃
– v čem spočívají koncepty intersekcionality a inkluzivity
– a jak vše začlenit do obsahu výzkumu

Seminář - Prof. Cheng Zhu - "Mechanotransduction through immunoreceptors"
2025-02-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
Dear colleagues,
I am delighted to invite you to a seminar by Prof. Cheng Zhu (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA) at the Institute of Molecular Genetics on February 6 at 14:00 (Hasek Lecture Hall). Prof. Zhu is a recognized leader and pioneer at the interface of immunology, structural biology, and mechanosensing with groundbreaking contributions that have advanced our understanding of how immune receptors work at the cell-cell contacts.
Invitation: https://www.img.cas.cz/files/2025/01/20250206_Cheng_Zhu.pdf
Publication profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_tPv2wEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
With best regards,
Ondrej Stepanek

Seminář Lenka Ungrová, M.Sc.
2025-02-05 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“Birds do it their way: avian interferon regulatory factors (almost) resolved”
Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) are transcription factors that play a key role in vertebrate innate antiviral immunity. IRF3 and IRF7 activate the expression of IFN-β, which in response induces the assembly of STAT1, STAT2 and IRF9 into the ISGF3 complex. Subsequently, this complex activates the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) mounting the antiviral state of the cell. Interestingly, IRF9 and IRF3 have been reported to be missing in birds. As part of our efforts to search for hidden genes in avian genomes, we have identified IRF3 in paleognathous birds and IRF9 in most bird orders with the notable exception of the chicken. We focus on the experimental characterization of IRF9 in a duck cell line and also look for a possible substitute for IRF9 in chickens.

Seminář Mgr. et Mgr. Evžen Bouřa, Ph.D.
2025-01-29 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“RNA cap methylation in poxviruses and coronavirus – differences and similarities”
RNA methyltransferases (MTases) are responsible for synthesizing the 5′ RNA cap, which plays a crucial role in RNA stability and efficient translation. Over the past two years, both our research team and others have developed numerous inhibitors targeting coronaviral MTases. Through our efforts, we have successfully determined the crystal structures of these inhibitors bound to the coronaviral nsp14 and nsp16/nsp10 MTases. Additionally, we recently elucidated the crystal structure of the monkeypox virus MTase VP39, in complex with the broad-spectrum MTase inhibitor sinefungin and several other inhibitors. These structural studies have unveiled notable distinctions between coronaviral and poxviral MTases, while also highlighting the potential for targeting these enzymes with the same or closely related compounds.

Seminář Michal Mrkáček, M.Sc.
2025-01-22 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“Tipping the Lipid Scales: Negative Feedback Regulation via ORMDLs Protein Degradation Ensures Sphingolipid Homeostasis”
Sphingolipids are essential lipid molecules that contribute to cellular structure and signaling. Their de novo synthesis is initiated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and catalyzed by the multimeric serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) complex. The ER-resident ORMDL proteins are well-established regulators of sphingolipid synthesis, directly inhibiting the SPT complex to control the pathway at its origin. Here, we identify a negative feedback loop that fine-tunes this regulatory mechanism. Using pharmacological inhibitors such as myriocin and fumonisin B1, which target different steps of the sphingolipid pathway, we demonstrate that reduced sphingolipid levels promote enhanced degradation of ORMDL proteins. This degradation alleviates SPT inhibition, thereby accelerating de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis and restoring metabolic balance.

Lecture “Iron and bone: a (not so) unusual liaison? Unraveling the role of cell metabolism in osteoblasts during iron overload”
2025-01-20 15:00 - 16:00 | Kinosal, Vídeňská 1083, Praha
Speaker: Martina Rauner, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

Seminář Karolína Vaníčková, M.Sc.
2025-01-15 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“Infections and hematopoietic stem cells: how do they communicate?”
Infections are primarily cleared by immune cells in our bodies. However, we observed that the most immature hematopoietic stem cells also contribute to this process. In this lecture, we will report on the mechanisms that activate an hematopoietic stem cell during infection and the cellular adaptations that these cells undertake. Special attention will be given to the contribution of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.

Seminář Dr. Nicolas Rivron
2025-01-08 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
Modeling human early pregnancy with stem cells”
The blastocyst is the early mammalian organism before implantation in the uterus. We have promoted the self-organization of stem cells into models of mouse and human blastocysts, which we have named blastoids (Nature 2018, Nature 2021). Blastoids are morphologically and transcriptionally similar to the blastocyst and contain analogs of all three cell types that would eventually develop into the complete organism (embryonic and extraembryonic). Because blastoids are complete and model the preimplantation stage, they can be introduced into the uterus (mouse model) or combined in vitro with uterine cells (human model) to recapitulate aspects of the normally hidden implantation processes. Unlike blastocysts, blastoids come in large numbers and facilitate a more systematic modulation and analysis of development. As such, they represent both a scientific and ethical alternative to the use of embryos for research. Using this approach, we are investigating the genome evolution underlying species-specific aspects of blastocyst development and implantation, with the long-term goal of understanding the evolutionary basis of human pregnancy characteristics (50% of fertilized eggs never develop). This knowledge could help solve the global health problems of family planning, fertility decline and prenatal preventive medicine.

Seminář Karolina Kowalska, M.Sc.
2024-12-18 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“Structural basis of MICAL autoinhibition and activation”
In this talk, we will explore the role of MICAL proteins in cellular dynamics, focusing on their ability to disassemble actin filaments and their implications for processes like axon guidance, cytokinesis, and cell morphology. We will present our recent findings based on the cryoEM structure of human MICAL1, which reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying MICAL1 autoinhibition. Specifically, we will discuss how an intramolecular interaction between the N-terminal catalytic and C-terminal coiled-coil domains blocks F-actin interaction, and how structural changes and domain interactions mediate activation. These findings highlight evolutionarily conserved mechanisms within the MICAL family, shedding light on their broader functional relevance.

Lecture „Unlocking the secrets of the heart – toward an understanding of molecular sex differences in cardiac health and disease“
2024-12-17 10:00 - 11:00 | Kinosal, Vídeňská 1083, Praha
Lukáš Chmátal, Ph.D., Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT, USA
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, but its effects are far from uniform. Men and women experience striking differences in symptoms, prevalence, and outcomes – yet the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences remain poorly understood. In this lecture, I will reveal how male and female hearts fundamentally differ in their energy metabolism, which is driven by mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouse. I will also outline innovative experimental approaches to uncover the role of sex chromosomes in regulating these differences – insights that will shape the research agenda of my own laboratory. Please, join me to explore how understanding these mechanisms could transform the way we approach cardiac health for both sexes.
More: https://fgu.cas.cz/udalost/lukas-chmatal-ph-d/

Seminář Nenad Radivojević, M.Sc.
2024-12-11 08:00 - 17:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“Quality control in snRNP biogenesis”
Before being assembled into spliceosomes, small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) undergo a complex and regulated maturation pathway. Cajal bodies (CBs) have been shown to monitor the final stage of this process by sequestering immature or misassembled particles through a yet unknown quality control mechanism. Here, we have identified coilin, a CB marker protein, as the quality control factor. We further characterize coilin domains interacting with snRNPs and elucidate the molecular mechanism how coilin recognize immature snRNPs.

IDP – Image Data Presentation
2024-12-10 - 2024-12-11 | IMG
The human eye is our primary tool for interpreting images, so scientific images should be adjusted with this perception in mind. However, display and print transfer characteristics often degrade images, making them differ from reality. This course offers a unique approach, focusing on preparing image data for presentation.
We’ll cover essential topics like gamma correction and print preparation to ensure your posters and figures appear as true-to-life as possible.
Day 1: Lectures with scientific colleagues and the opportunity to consult with top experts in advanced graphic displays (Antonin Charvat, EIZO) and professional photo preparation for print (Karel Pones, ITF).
Day 2: Hands-on practice with image processing software and figure-making techniques (Adobe CS and freeware alternatives).
You’re welcome to attend the lectures without registration, but registration is required for the practical sessions.
We look forward to seeing you!
The Organizing Team
Oldrich Benada, MBU & Ivan Novotny, IMG

19th BioCEV-Krč Methodological Seminar
2024-12-09 15:00 - 16:30 | Kinosal, Vídeňská 1083, Praha

Seminář Marie Zelená, M.Sc.
2024-12-04 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“Every stick has two ends – Using high resolution imaging to characterize both ends of the eukaryotic flagellum”
The eukaryotic flagellum is important for cell motility. The microtubule-based axoneme generating the flagellar beating has been extensively studied. However, additional structures are associated with the proximal and distal end of the flagellum, with their composition and processes of their formation being poorly understood.
To gain an insigth into these structures we have studied them in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, which is experimentally highly tractable. First, we focused on the flagellar pocket around the proximal end of the flagellum, which is the exclusive site for endocytosis and exocytosis of the parasite. Using expansion microscopy we were able to define discrete stages of the flagellar pocket division and formation of the flagellar pocket collar, which seals the pocket. Second, we took advantage of our knowledge of the flagellum distal-end proteome and combined it with expansion microscopy and cryo-electron tomography to characterize the enigmatic microtubule plugs at the distal end of the flagellum.
Our work elucidates aspects of the flagellar biology of an important parasite. Moreover, given the conserved nature of the organelle, our results have also implications for flagella across eukaryotes.

Live Cell Imaging Course 2024
2024-12-03 - 2024-12-05 | IMG
The course is very practically-oriented, theoretical lectures are followed by 6 hours of hands-on session every day in small groups. You will learn widefield, confocal, and advanced methods including super-resolution, photomanipulation, and FLIM. You will have a chance to work on high-end microscopes and compare wide variety of approaches and instrumentation.
For detailed program and overview of taught methods and microscopes please check course webpage: https://course.img.cas.cz/lci/
Looking forward to seeing you!
Jan Valečka and Helena Chmelová

Seminář Michaela Procházková, M.Sc.
2024-11-27 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“CRL4COP1 ubiquitination complex as a balancer of early odontogenesis”
Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase (CRL) complexes have been heavily studied in connection to cancer progression but there is limited evidence about their physiological roles. One of the exceptions is disruption of limb development by thalidomide induced by inhibition of CRL4 complex via regulation of Fgf8 (Ito et al., 2010). Notably, Fgf8 expressing population is essential also for development of tooth primordia and we found CRL4 genes to be specifically expressed within odontognic epithelium. We further identified COP1 as a substrate binding protein which can bind ETS transcription factors, downstream targets of Fgf pathway, and unveiled that conditional deletion of CRL4 genes severly affects size and morphology of molar primordia and future teeth.

IEM CAS Introduction to Programming for Image Processing 2024
2024-11-27 08:00 - 2024-11-29 17:00
Due to reaching capacity for in-person participation, registration is now only available for online attendance. Thank you for your understanding.
Basic information
The course is tailored to users already familiar with the basics of image processing. It will be focused on automatization, high throughput and basic scripting. Course participants will learn how to create and edit macros in ImageJ and how to write more sophisticated scripts for batch processing. Furthermore, they will learn the basics of image processing in Matlab and Cellpose.
Duration: 3 days
Language: English
Programme
Location: Turquoise Auditorium
Speakers: Barbora Hyklová, Štěpán Kortus, Iva Švecová, Jakub Zahumenský
Day 1 / Wednesday / 27. 11. 2024

Introduction, macro recording and editing in ImageJ
Writing a complex macro for batch processing – automatic data import, cell segmentation, measurements, export in organized format

Day 2 / Thursday / 28. 11. 2024

Script automation, ImageJ customization
Cell segmentation using Cellpose and integration of Cellpose into the workflow
Demonstration of a complex ImageJ/Cellpose workflow

Day 3 / Friday / 29.11. 2024

Optional: Discussion of individual projects and data analysis questions.

Requirements
Prior Experience with ImageJ: Participants should have a basic familiarity with ImageJ and its fundamental features. They should be comfortable with tasks like image import, basic processing (e.g., brightness/contrast adjustments), and measurements.
Own laptop: Participants are required to bring their own laptop for hands-on exercises. If you do not have access to a laptop, please inform us in advance, and we will provide you with one. Prior to the event, you will receive a list of required software programs to install for the course.

Registration
Registration here: free of charge

IEM CAS - BIOCEV Regeneration IV
2024-11-26 10:00 - 17:30
We are pleased to announce the annual mini-symposium BIOCEV Regeneration IV, which will be held on November 26th, 2024, in BIOCEV Centre, Vestec.
BIOCEV Regeneration is an annual open one-day mini-symposium that brings together researchers from different fields of biomedicine, from regenerative medicine and tissue engineering to cancer research, drug discovery, and cryobiology.
This year, the BIOCEV Regeneration IV will focus on the exciting field of cryobiology and cryobanking and highlight its important role in state-of-the-art biomedical research. The mini-symposium is endorsed by the international Society for Low Temperature Biology (SLTB) and will bring together keynote speakers and young researchers from different biomedical disciplines, employing low temperatures in their research and development. This year we will focus on two major directions of cryobiology: cryotechnologies in clinically-oriented research (ATMP production, cell and tissue banking for therapy and diagnostics) and biodiversity preservation and regeneration.
The mini-symposium will be held in the main conference hall and surrounding spaces of the BIOCEV and broadcast online.
Along with several lectures given by our invited speakers, we encourage early career researchers to contribute to our symposium and share achievements in stem cell research, tissue engineering, 3D culture, cancer research or cryobiology during the poster session.
The event is free of charge. More information can be found in the official invitation.
We look forward to seeing you.

Registration

18th BioCEV-Krč Methodological Seminar
2024-11-25 15:00 - 16:00

Seminář Matthias G. Fischer
2024-11-21 11:00 - 12:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg
“Viruses of unicellular eukaryotes: A tale of giants and hyperparasites”
Viruses of protists play important roles in ecology and evolution by influencing microbial population dynamics and shaping eukaryotic genomes by endogenization. Of particular interest are complex DNA viruses whose particle and genome sizes overlap with those of bacteria. In this talk, I will highlight some remarkable properties of these giant viruses and explore their relationship with smaller DNA viruses, called virophages, which can parasitize giant viruses and thus act as an antiviral defense system in certain protist species.

Seminář doc. Mgr. Lumír Krejčí, Ph.D. - ZRUŠENO
2024-11-20 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“Homologous Recombination – From Repair of DSBs to Processing Stalled Replication Forks and Human Diseases”
Our lab focuses on the mechanisms ensuring accurate DNA replication and the role of homologous recombination (HR) in preventing genome instability. We investigate how endogenous hard-to-replicate regions, G-quadruplexes (G4) and R-loops, impact replication and contribute to disease development. A key aspect involves studying the formation and regulation of RAD51 filaments during HR. We explore how positive regulators like BRCA2 and RAD51 paralogs promote filament assembly and its stability, while negative regulators like RECQ5 and RECQ4 helicase help balance replication stress and genome stability.

Den otevřených dveří
2024-11-19 09:00 - 14:00 | IMG
Prohlídka laboratoří, ukázky experimentů v oblasti molekulární genetiky, imunologie, buněčné biologie, virologie, prohlídka posterů a diskuse k vybraným tématům.

Lecture „The role of cornichons in the biogenesis and functioning of monovalent-cation transport systems“
2024-11-18 16:00 - 17:00

Seminář Aleš Neuwirth, Ph.D.
2024-11-13 15:00 - 16:00 | Posluchárna Milana Haška / Milan Hašek Auditorium
“Unravelling autoimmunity in Addison’s disease using a new mouse model”
Autoimmune Addison’s disease is a disorder targeting steroid-producing cells in the adrenal glands. Due to the lack of suitable animal models, the immune mechanisms underlying adrenal destruction remain largely unknown. To address this, we developed the first defined mouse model of experimental autoimmune adrenalitis by immunizing C57BL/6 mice with immunogenic peptides derived from CYP11A1, a rate-limiting enzyme in steroidogenesis. This model allows us to study the pathogenesis of Addison’s disease and provides a unique opportunity to investigate the fate decisions of self-reactive CD4+ T cells and their clonal lineages in a well-defined autoimmune setting.

Lecture „Tissue-specific sex-dependent difference in the metabolism of fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids“
2024-11-11 15:00 - 16:00 | Kinosal, Vídeňská 1083, Praha

IEM CAS Institutional Seminar Series 11/2024
2024-11-07 14:00 - 15:00
Conserved mechanism of Xrn1 regulation by glycolytic flux and protein aggregation
Lecturer: Satyendra Mondal, MSc. / Department of Functional Organisation of Biomembranes
Annotation: The regulation of eukaryotic gene expression via mRNA degradation is an evolutionarily conserved process, with the 5′-3′ exoribonuclease 1 (Xrn1) playing a pivotal role. In yeast, following the depletion of fermentable carbon source, Xrn1 is sequestered at the plasma membrane-associated protein complex, the eisosome, where it becomes inactive. In this study, we show that the plasma membrane localisation of Xrn1 requires the core eisosome components and identify a putative eisosome-binding domain of Xrn1. Our findings demonstrate that the eisosome binding of Xrn1 is subject to the halting of ongoing glycolytic flux rather than the availability of fermentable carbon sources. Furthermore, we show that the localisation of the human orthologue of Xrn1 resembles that of its yeast counterpart when expressed in yeast. Our results advance our understanding of the plasma membrane-associated regulation of Xrn1 and indicate that the regulation principle may be evolutionarily conserved from yeast to humans.
The seminar will take place on 7. 11. 2024 from 2 p.m. in the Turquoise Auditorium of the IEM CAS.
We look forward to your participation.

Den otevřených dveří - FGÚ
2024-11-07 | Kinosal, Vídeňská 1083, Praha

3-day course on Single cell analysis - from qPCR to sequencing
2024-11-04 - 2024-11-07
This course will provide valuable insights and practical skills in the rapidly evolving field of single cell analyses and spatial transcriptomics. With a maximum of 10 participants, you’ll receive personalized attention and the opportunity to engage deeply with the subject.
If you’re interested in joining us, please respond via email to sindelka@ibt.cas.cz as soon as possible, as space is limited.
We look forward to an enriching experience together!
