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Bernecky Group

RNA-Based Gene Regulation

The regulated expression of genetic material is one of the most basic processes of a cell, affecting everything from organism development to environmental response. Through structural studies of the involved complexes, the Bernecky group works to unravel the gene expression regulatory networks that employ RNA as an intermediate.

RNA is an important focal point for the regulation of gene expression. Both protein-coding and noncoding RNAs are integral components of diverse regulatory pathways, and often act together with protein cofactors. Despite their importance, an understanding of the mechanisms of action of the involved RNA-protein complexes is lacking. Many of these RNA-containing complexes are flexible, modular, and lowly abundant. For such challenging targets, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has emerged as a particularly powerful tool for the determination of near-atomic structures while simultaneously providing insight into their dynamics. Using this and related methods, the Bernecky Lab aims to understand how RNA protein complexes assemble and regulate cellular RNA metabolism.




Team


Current Projects

Molecular basis of transcriptional regulation | Transcriptional inhibition by non-coding RNA | Substrate recognition by RNA modifying enzymes


Publications

Zapletal D, Taborska E, Pasulka J, Malik R, Kubicek K, Zanova M, Much C, Sebesta M, Buccheri V, Horvat F, Jenickova I, Prochazkova M, Prochazka J, Pinkas M, Novacek J, Joseph DF, Sedlacek R, Bernecky C, O’Carroll D, Stefl R, Svoboda P. 2022. Structural and functional basis of mammalian microRNA biogenesis by Dicer. Molecular Cell. 82(21), 4064–4079.e13. View

Daiß JL, Pilsl M, Straub K, Bleckmann A, Höcherl M, Heiss FB, Abascal-Palacios G, Ramsay EP, Tluckova K, Mars J-C, Fürtges T, Bruckmann A, Rudack T, Bernecky C, Lamour V, Panov K, Vannini A, Moss T, Engel C. 2022. The human RNA polymerase I structure reveals an HMG-like docking domain specific to metazoans. Life Science Alliance. 5(11), e202201568. View

Appel L-M, Franke V, Bruno M, Grishkovskaya I, Kasiliauskaite A, Kaufmann T, Schoeberl UE, Puchinger MG, Kostrhon S, Ebenwaldner C, Sebesta M, Beltzung E, Mechtler K, Lin G, Vlasova A, Leeb M, Pavri R, Stark A, Akalin A, Stefl R, Bernecky C, Djinovic-Carugo K, Slade D. 2021. PHF3 regulates neuronal gene expression through the Pol II CTD reader domain SPOC. Nature Communications. 12(1), 6078. View

Pinotsis N, Zielinska K, Babuta M, Arolas JL, Kostan J, Khan MB, Schreiner C, Testa Salmazo AP, Ciccarelli L, Puchinger M, Gkougkoulia EA, Ribeiro E de A, Marlovits TC, Bhattacharya A, Djinovic-Carugo K. 2020. Calcium modulates the domain flexibility and function of an α-actinin similar to the ancestral α-actinin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117(36), 22101–22112. View

Bezeljak U, Loya H, Kaczmarek BM, Saunders TE, Loose M. 2020. Stochastic activation and bistability in a Rab GTPase regulatory network. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117(12), 6504–6549. View

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Career

Since 2018 Assistant Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
2011 – 2017 Postdoc, LMU Munich and MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
2010 – 2011 Postdoc, University of Colorado Boulder, USA
2010 PhD, University of Colorado Boulder, USA


Selected Distinctions

2012 – 2014 Humboldt Research Fellowship
2005 – 2007 NIH Molecular Biophysics Training Grant
2002 Hughes Undergraduate Research Scholar (Cornell-HHMI)


Additional Information

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