Monika Babnik in Uroša Diacci student research work entitled »The effect of ostreolysin on intracellular concentration of Ca2+ and the morphology of the neuroblastoma and smooth muscle cells« was awarded by the Prešeren award of University of Ljubljana for best student research work of the year 2014. Work was supervised by Robert Frangež and Milka Vrecl. The aim of the study was to evaluate the mechanisms underlying the toxic cardiorespiratory effects of the ostreolysin, isolated from the edible oyster mushroom. It was postulated that i) ostreolysin increases the cell volume of neuroblastoma NG108-15 cells and ii) ostreolysin increases the intracellular Ca2+ activity [Ca2+]i in differentiated NG108-15 neuroblastoma and A10 vascular smooth muscle cells. Confocal microscopy and spectrofluorimetric measurements revealed that ostreolysin induced cell swelling, plasma membrane bleb formation and increased intracellular [Ca2+]i level in both cell lines. Using different pharmacological treatments, the mechanisms underlying the generation of these changes were further explained. Our in vitro data could explain ostreolysin-induced in vivo effects that include respiratory arrest, increased intracellular [Ca2+]i level in coronary arteries smooth muscle cells and cardiac arrest. In overall, these observations are important steps towards understanding the toxic cardiorespiratory effects of the ostreolysin in vivo. Results obtained with the NG108-15 cells were published in January 2015, in a renowned scientific journal Toxicological Sciences.
E.01 National awards
COBISS.SI-ID: 3932026Research programme group member Gregor Majdič was president of the programme committee for the 5th Slovenian veterinary congress with international participation that was held in November 2014 in Portorož, Slovenia. Slovenian veterinary congress is the largest scientific and professional gathering in the field of veterinary medicine in Slovenia. Programme committee has prepared an interesting programme with several internationally renowned speakers. Importance, good organisation and interesting programme of the congress were confirmed by excellent attendance. Total number of participants at this congress was over 400, what is the largest number of attendants at all Slovenian veterinary congresses.
B.02 Presiding over the programming board of a conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 4583784Ana Nemec was invited as a lecturer for veterinary dentistry at National Veterinary Conference in Russia with over 3.000 attendees. She contributed two 90-minute lectures. Her lecture on oral tumors and principles of oral oncologic surgery covered aspects of canine and feline oral tumors biology, diagnostic approaches and treatment options, focusing on surgical treatment options. The lecture was well attended with about 100 attendees, and the lecturer also received an Award for the contribution to the development of the veterinary science and medicine in Russia.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 3945594In 2014 Gregor Majdič became a regular member of editorial board of Endocrinology, one of the most prestigious journals in the field of Endocrinology, published by the American Endocrine society. The journal has an impact factor around 4.5/5 through the years. As a editorial board member he is actively involved in both editorial decisions and reviewing papers as well as discussing and shaping the future of the journal.
C.06 Editorial board membership
From a methodological point of view Milka Vrecl interest is focused in developing/improving methods to assess direct protein-protein interaction (PPI) that are based on the bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). Due to her expertise in the field she was invited by Frontiers in Molecular and Structural Endocrinology and as a guest editor prepared a Research Topic entitled »The use of BRET to study receptor-protein interactions«. She gathered twelve articles of prominent researchers in the field of PPI that were published in 2014 in the form of the e-books. This book assembles for the first time a comprehensive selection of articles (review articles, original research, and opinion articles) on the BRET technology. Selected articles provide an illustrative overview of the principles and applications of the BRET technology that should be of interest for any scientist interested in monitoring PPI in intact cells.
C.01 Editorial board of a foreign/international collection of papers/book
COBISS.SI-ID: 3825018