The results of the SONATA 15 competition announced by the National Science Center (NCN) in Krakow are already known. The list of grants that have received funding also includes the project of Dr. Bartłomiej Zapotoczny: “From the structure of fenestrations in live Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells to real-time in vitro pharmacology“. The research will be carried out at the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN (IFJ PAN) and in the interdisciplinary laboratory of the Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics (JCET).
- Budget: 927 600 PLN
- Project implementation period: 36 months
For nearly 50 years since the discovery of fenestrae, the speed of processes associated with the changes in the number and size of fenestrae remained speculative. With the development of atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging methodology, new, so far out of reach, methods of investigating the porosity of LSEC cells appeared.
The current literature research, including ours which is based on AFM imaging, indicate the huge role of the cytoskeleton in the structure of fenestrae. The aim of this project is to understand the role of the cytoskeleton in fenestrae formation and maintenance, as well as the influence of vasoprotective mediators on the porosity of live primary, freshly isolated murine LSECs in vitro. The experiments will be conducted in three models of defenestration in LSECs. The research will provide information on the phenotypic changes in the cytoskeleton in real time. The interactions between cytoskeletal elements in living cells, both intact and exposed to pharmacological tools, can be translated into other cell types. This will allow you to learn about the dynamics of the LSEC cytoskeleton and to understand the mechanisms regulating fenestrae, which is of direct importance for the treatment of liver diseases.
Official results on NCN website.