진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

KEY WORDS: RNA biology, non-coding RNAs, regulatory RNAs, miRNAs, circRNAs, neuroscience, pituitary gland, neuroendocrine cells, transcriptomics, scRNA-seq, bulk RNA-seq.

Research topic: From the third ventricle of the brain to the pituitary gland: Regulatory RNA networks in posttranscriptional modulation of gene expression in neurosecretion.

Principal Investigator: dr hab. Monika Piwecka

I. Project description

This project will focus on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which are anatomically and functionally linked to form the neuroendocrine system. We will explore and discover regulatory non-coding RNAs that influence gene expression regulation in various unique cell types of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland - ependymocytes, tanycytes, gonadotropes, thyrotropes, and others. To this end, we will employ advanced molecular, cellular, and systems biology methods and tools, as well as various research models—from standard cell lines to primary lines and several mouse models. This project will be implemented due to the joint forces of three laboratories from three different countries: Poland, Switzerland, and Germany, and three different leading specializations: RNA biology, neuroanatomy, and bioinformatics.

The main goal of the project is to expand our understanding of the intersection of hypothalamic-pituitary communication and the molecular biology of the individual cell types that comprise the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. We will apply cutting-edge molecular biology tools and techniques to generate high-throughput information on miRNA, circRNA, and mRNA profiles in specialized cell populations. We will use diverse transcriptomic technologies, proteomics, and eCLIP to generate high-throughput information on miRNA, circRNA, and mRNA profiles in specialized cell populations of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. These analyses will be conducted under homeostatic and energy imbalance and/or stress conditions. We will monitor how miRNAs respond to various stimuli and interact with their mRNA targets. We will obtain detailed information on whether and how circular RNA Cdr1as and various miRNAs are involved in molecular pathways in the investigated cell types. We expect that this interdisciplinary, innovative and ambitious project will generate a solid foundation for understanding the molecular underpinnings of homeostatic and malfunctioning neurosecretion as well as the regulation of genes upon energy imbalance.

Collaborating research units include the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and the Berlin Institute of Health at the Charité Medical University (Berlin, Germany). Principal Investigator in Poland is Dr. Monika Piwecka.

Research will be carried out within the Project OPUS LAP no. 2024/55/I/NZ3/02929, entitled “From third ventricle to pituitary gland: regulatory RNA networks in posttranscriptional modulation of gene expression in neurosecretion”, funded by the National Science Centre (PL).

IBCH PAS is one of the leading scientific units in Poland and conducts research activities in the field of chemistry, molecular biology and biomedicine. The Institute provides access to technologically advanced research equipment.