![Renata Jurkowska](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/1086?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Renata Jurkowska
Reader
School of Biosciences
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
How can the same genetic sequence give rise to more than 200 cell types found in the human body, each with unique morphology and function?
I have always been fascinated by the processes of cellular differentiation, which illustrates how the genetic alphabet can elegantly be interpreted by an interplay of epigenetic processes to drive progenitor cells towards their specialized fates. This amazement has fueled the development of my research interests around epigenetics and stem cell differentiation.
My long-term research interests are to understand:
1) How different populations of human lung cells cooperate to form a functional organ
2) How epigenetic regulation drives cellular identity in the healthy lung
3) How dysregulation of epigenetic processes due to environmental insults, like cigarette smoke or air pollution contributes to development of lung diseases
Publication
2024
- Jurkowska, R. Z. 2024. Role of epigenetic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of chronic respiratory diseases and response to inhaled exposures: from basic concepts to clinical applications. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, article number: 108732. (10.1016/j.pharmthera.2024.108732)
- Piret, G. et al. 2024. A call-to-action to address escalating global threats to academic research. The Innovation
2023
- Schwartz, U. et al. 2023. High-resolution transcriptomic and epigenetic profiling identifies novel regulators of COPD. The EMBO Journal 42, article number: e111272. (10.15252/embj.2022111272)
- Dordevic, M. et al. 2023. EpiCRISPR targeted methylation of Arx gene initiates transient switch of mouse pancreatic alpha to insulin-producing cells. Frontiers in Endocrinology 14, article number: 1134478. (10.3389/fendo.2023.1134478)
2022
- Pohl, S. T., Prada, M. L., Espinet, E. and Jurkowska, R. 2022. Practical considerations for complex tissue dissociation for single-cell transcriptomics. In: Calogero, R. and Benes, V. eds. Single Cell Transcriptomics. Methods in Molecular Biology., Vol. 2584. New York: Springer, pp. 371-387., (10.1007/978-1-0716-2756-3_19)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2022. Enzymology of mammalian DNA methyltransferases. In: Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. eds. DNA Methyltransferases - Role and Function., Vol. 1389. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology Springer, pp. 69-110., (10.1007/978-3-031-11454-0_4)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2022. Mechanisms and biological roles of DNA methyltransferases and DNA methylation: From past achievements to future challenges. In: Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. eds. DNA Methyltransferases - Role and Function., Vol. 1389. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology Springer, pp. 1-19., (10.1007/978-3-031-11454-0_1)
- Ravichandran, M. et al. 2022. Pronounced sequence specificity of the TET enzyme catalytic domain guides its cellular function. Science Advances 8(36) (10.1126/sciadv.abm2427)
2021
- Prada, M. L. et al. 2021. Versatile workflow for cell-type resolved transcriptional and epigenetic profiles from cryopreserved human lung. JCI Insight 6(5), article number: e140443. (10.1172/jci.insight.140443)
2020
- Al-Amri, M. and Jurkowska, R. eds. 2020. Proceedings of Cardiff Institute for Tissue Engineering & Repair annual scientific meeting (CITER ASM 2020). Cardiff: CITER & Cardiff University.
- Ogger, P. P., Silva, J. D., Aghapour, M., Persson, I. M., Tulen, C., Jurkowska, R. and Ubags, N. D. 2020. Early Career Members at the ERS Lung Science Conference 2020: metabolic alterations in lung ageing and disease. Breathe 16(3), article number: 200063. (10.1183/20734735.0063-2020)
- Gao, L. et al. 2020. Comprehensive structure-function characterization of DNMT3B and DNMT3A reveals distinctive de novo DNA methylation mechanisms. Nature Communications 11, article number: 3355. (10.1038/s41467-020-17109-4)
2019
- Serçin, ?. et al. 2019. A solid-phase transfection platform for arrayed CRISPR screens. Molecular Systems Biology 15(12), article number: e8983. (10.15252/msb.20198983)
2018
- Rajavelu, A. et al. 2018. Chromatin-dependent allosteric regulation of DNMT3A activity by MeCP2. Nucleic Acids Research 46(17), pp. 9044–9056. (10.1093/nar/gky715)
- Emperle, M., Dukatz, M., Kunert, S., Holzer, K., Rajavelu, A., Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2018. The DNMT3A R882H mutation does not cause dominant negative effects in purified mixed DNMT3A/R882H complexes. Scientific Reports 8(1), pp. -., article number: 13242. (10.1038/s41598-018-31635-8)
- Emperle, M., Rajavelu, A., Kunert, S., Arimondo, P. B., Reinhardt, R., Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2018. The DNMT3A R882H mutant displays altered flanking sequence preferences. Nucleic Acids Research 46(6), pp. 3130-3139. (10.1093/nar/gky168)
- Ravichandran, M., Jurkowska, R. and Jurkowski, T. 2018. Target specificity of mammalian DNA methylation and demethylation machinery. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry(9), pp. 1419-1435. (10.1039/C7OB02574B)
2017
- Jurkowska, R. Z. et al. 2017. H3K14ac is linked to methylation of H3K9 by the triple Tudor domain of SETDB1. Nature Communications 8, article number: 2057. (10.1038/s41467-017-02259-9)
- Stepper, P. et al. 2017. Efficient targeted DNA methylation with chimeric dCas9-Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L methyltransferase. Nucleic Acids Research 45(4), pp. 1703-1713. (10.1093/nar/gkw1112)
2016
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2016. Enzymology of mammalian DNA methyltransferases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 945, pp. 87-122. (10.1007/978-3-319-43624-1_5)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2016. Mechanisms and biological roles of DNA methyltransferases and DNA methylation: From past achievements to future challenges. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 945, pp. 1-17. (10.1007/978-3-319-43624-1_1)
- Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2016. Allosteric control of mammalian DNA methyltransferases - a new regulatory paradigm. Nucleic Acids Research 44(18), pp. 8556-8575. (10.1093/nar/gkw723)
2015
- Lungu, C., Muegge, K., Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2015. An ATPase-deficient variant of the SNF2 family member HELLS shows altered dynamics at pericentromeric Heterochromatin. Journal of Molecular Biology 427(10), pp. 1903-1915. (10.1016/j.jmb.2015.03.014)
2014
- Kungulovski, G. et al. 2014. Application of histone modification-specific interaction domains as an alternative to antibodies. Genome Research 24(11), pp. 1842-1853. (10.1101/gr.170985.113)
- Emperle, M., Rajavelu, A., Reinhardt, R., Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2014. Cooperative DNA binding and protein/DNA fiber formation increases the activity of the Dnmt3a DNA methyltransferase. Journal of Biological Chemistry 289(43), pp. 29602-29613. (10.1074/jbc.M114.572032)
- Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2014. New concepts in DNA methylation. Trends in Biochemical Sciences 39(7), pp. 310-318. (10.1016/j.tibs.2014.05.002)
- Bashtrykov, P., Jankevicius, G., Jurkowska, R. Z., Ragozin, S. and Jeltsch, A. 2014. The UHRF1 protein stimulates the activity and specificity of the maintenance DNA methyltransferase DNMT1 by an allosteric mechanism. Journal of Biological Chemistry 289(7), pp. 4106-4116. (10.1074/jbc.M113.528893)
2013
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2013. Genomic imprinting-the struggle of the genders at the molecular level. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 52(51), pp. 13524-13536. (10.1002/anie.201307005)
- Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2013. Multimerization of the Dnmt3a DNA methyltransferase and its functional implications. Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science 117, pp. 445-464. (10.1016/B978-0-12-386931-9.00016-7)
2012
- Siddique, A. N. et al. 2012. Targeted methylation and gene silencing of VEGF-A in human cells by using a designed Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L single-chain fusion protein with increased DNA methylation activity. Journal of Molecular Biology 425(3), pp. 479—491. (10.1016/j.jmb.2012.11.038)
- Bashtrykov, P., Jankevicius, G., Smarandache, A., Jurkowska, R., Ragozin, S. and Jeltsch, A. 2012. Specificity of Dnmt1 for methylation of hemimethylated CpG sites resides in its catalytic domain. Chemistry and Biology 19(5), pp. 572-578. (10.1016/j.chembiol.2012.03.010)
- Halby, L. et al. 2012. Rapid synthesis of new DNMT inhibitors derivatives of procainamide. ChemBioChem 13(1), pp. 157-165. (10.1002/cbic.201100522)
2011
- Jurkowska, R. Z., Jurkowski, T. P. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. Structure and function of mammalian DNA methyltransferases. ChemBioChem 12(2), pp. 206—222. (10.1002/cbic.201000195)
- Jurkowska, R. Z., Ceccaldi, A., Zhang, Y., Arimondo, P. B. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. DNA methyltransferase assays. In: Epigenetics Protocols., Vol. 791. Methods in Molecular Biology Humana Press, pp. 157-177., (10.1007/978-1-61779-316-5_13)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. et al. 2011. Oligomerization and binding of the Dnmt3a DNA methyltransferase to parallel DNA molecules. Journal of Biological Chemistry 286(27), pp. 24200-24207. (10.1074/jbc.M111.254987)
- Jurkowska, R. Z., Siddique, A. N., Jurkowski, T. P. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. Approaches to enzyme and substrate design of the murine Dnmt3a DNA methyltransferase. ChemBioChem 12(10), pp. 1589—1594. (10.1002/cbic.201000673)
- Ceccaldi, A. et al. 2011. C5-DNA methyltransferase inhibitors: from screening to effects on zebrafish embryo development. ChemBioChem 12(9), pp. 1337-1345. (10.1002/cbic.201100130)
- Siddique, A. N., Jurkowska, R. Z., Jurkowski, T. P. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. Auto-methylation of the mouse DNA-(cytosine C5)-methyltransferase Dnmt3a at its active site cysteine residue. FEBS Journal 278(12), pp. 2055—2063. (10.1111/j.1742-4658.2011.08121.x)
- Rajavelu, A., Jurkowska, R. Z., Fritz, J. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. Function and disruption of DNA Methyltransferase 3a cooperative DNA binding and nucleoprotein filament formation. Nucleic Acids Research 40(2), pp. 569–580. (10.1093/nar/gkr753)
2010
- Champion, C. et al. 2010. Mechanistic insights on the inhibition of C5 DNA methyltransferases by zebularine. PLoS ONE 5(8), article number: e12388. (10.1371/journal.pone.0012388)
- Dhayalan, A., Rajavelu, A., Rathert, P., Tamas, R., Jurkowska, R. Z., Ragozin, S. and Jeltsch, A. 2010. The Dnmt3a PWWP domain reads histone 3 lysine 36 trimethylation and Guides DNA methylation. Journal of Biological Chemistry 285(34), pp. 26114-26120. (10.1074/jbc.M109.089433)
- Zhang, Y. et al. 2010. Chromatin methylation activity of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3a/3L is guided by interaction of the ADD domain with the histone H3 tail. Nucleic Acids Research 38(13), pp. 4246–4253. (10.1093/nar/gkq147)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2010. Silencing of gene expression by targeted DNA methylation: concepts and approaches. In: Engineered Zinc Finger Proteins., Vol. 649. Humana Press, pp. 149-161., (10.1007/978-1-60761-753-2_9)
- Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2010. DNA methylation. In: The Chemical Biology of Nucleic Acids. Wiley, pp. 307-301., (10.1002/9780470664001.ch14)
- Métivier, R. et al. 2010. Erratum: Cyclical DNA methylation of a transcriptionally active promoter. Nature 463(7279), article number: 384. (10.1038/nature08661)
2008
- Jurkowska, R. Z. et al. 2008. Formation of nucleoprotein filaments by mammalian DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3a in complex with regulator Dnmt3L. Nucleic Acids Research 36(21), pp. 6656–6663. (10.1093/nar/gkn747)
- Rathert, P. et al. 2008. Protein lysine methyltransferase G9a acts on non-histone targets. Nature Chemical Biology 4(6), pp. 344–346. (10.1038/nchembio.88)
- Métivier, R. et al. 2008. Cyclical DNA methylation of a transcriptionally active promoter. Nature 452(7183), pp. 45–50. (10.1038/nature06544)
2007
- Jia, D., Jurkowska, R. Z., Zhang, X., Jeltsch, A. and Cheng, X. 2007. Structure of Dnmt3a bound to Dnmt3L suggests a model for de novo DNA methylation. Nature 449(7159), pp. 248–251. (10.1038/nature06146)
- Gallais, R. et al. 2007. Deoxyribonucleic acid methyl transferases 3a and 3b associate with the nuclear orphan receptor COUP-TFI during gene activation. Molecular Endocrinology -Baltimore- 21(9), pp. 2085–2098. (10.1210/me.2006-0490)
- Jeltsch, A., Jurkowska, R. Z., Jurkowski, T. P., Liebert, K., Rathert, P. and Schlickenrieder, M. 2007. Application of DNA methyltransferases in targeted DNA methylation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 75(6), pp. 1233—1240. (10.1007/s00253-007-0966-0)
2006
- Gowher, H., Loutchanwoot, P., Vorobjeva, O., Handa, V., Jurkowska, R. Z., Jurkowski, T. P. and Jeltsch, A. 2006. Mutational analysis of the catalytic domain of the murine Dnmt3a DNA-(cytosine C5)-methyltransferase. Journal of Molecular Biology 357(3), pp. 928—941. (10.1016/j.jmb.2006.01.035)
Articles
- Jurkowska, R. Z. 2024. Role of epigenetic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of chronic respiratory diseases and response to inhaled exposures: from basic concepts to clinical applications. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, article number: 108732. (10.1016/j.pharmthera.2024.108732)
- Piret, G. et al. 2024. A call-to-action to address escalating global threats to academic research. The Innovation
- Schwartz, U. et al. 2023. High-resolution transcriptomic and epigenetic profiling identifies novel regulators of COPD. The EMBO Journal 42, article number: e111272. (10.15252/embj.2022111272)
- Dordevic, M. et al. 2023. EpiCRISPR targeted methylation of Arx gene initiates transient switch of mouse pancreatic alpha to insulin-producing cells. Frontiers in Endocrinology 14, article number: 1134478. (10.3389/fendo.2023.1134478)
- Ravichandran, M. et al. 2022. Pronounced sequence specificity of the TET enzyme catalytic domain guides its cellular function. Science Advances 8(36) (10.1126/sciadv.abm2427)
- Prada, M. L. et al. 2021. Versatile workflow for cell-type resolved transcriptional and epigenetic profiles from cryopreserved human lung. JCI Insight 6(5), article number: e140443. (10.1172/jci.insight.140443)
- Ogger, P. P., Silva, J. D., Aghapour, M., Persson, I. M., Tulen, C., Jurkowska, R. and Ubags, N. D. 2020. Early Career Members at the ERS Lung Science Conference 2020: metabolic alterations in lung ageing and disease. Breathe 16(3), article number: 200063. (10.1183/20734735.0063-2020)
- Gao, L. et al. 2020. Comprehensive structure-function characterization of DNMT3B and DNMT3A reveals distinctive de novo DNA methylation mechanisms. Nature Communications 11, article number: 3355. (10.1038/s41467-020-17109-4)
- Serçin, ?. et al. 2019. A solid-phase transfection platform for arrayed CRISPR screens. Molecular Systems Biology 15(12), article number: e8983. (10.15252/msb.20198983)
- Rajavelu, A. et al. 2018. Chromatin-dependent allosteric regulation of DNMT3A activity by MeCP2. Nucleic Acids Research 46(17), pp. 9044–9056. (10.1093/nar/gky715)
- Emperle, M., Dukatz, M., Kunert, S., Holzer, K., Rajavelu, A., Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2018. The DNMT3A R882H mutation does not cause dominant negative effects in purified mixed DNMT3A/R882H complexes. Scientific Reports 8(1), pp. -., article number: 13242. (10.1038/s41598-018-31635-8)
- Emperle, M., Rajavelu, A., Kunert, S., Arimondo, P. B., Reinhardt, R., Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2018. The DNMT3A R882H mutant displays altered flanking sequence preferences. Nucleic Acids Research 46(6), pp. 3130-3139. (10.1093/nar/gky168)
- Ravichandran, M., Jurkowska, R. and Jurkowski, T. 2018. Target specificity of mammalian DNA methylation and demethylation machinery. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry(9), pp. 1419-1435. (10.1039/C7OB02574B)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. et al. 2017. H3K14ac is linked to methylation of H3K9 by the triple Tudor domain of SETDB1. Nature Communications 8, article number: 2057. (10.1038/s41467-017-02259-9)
- Stepper, P. et al. 2017. Efficient targeted DNA methylation with chimeric dCas9-Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L methyltransferase. Nucleic Acids Research 45(4), pp. 1703-1713. (10.1093/nar/gkw1112)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2016. Enzymology of mammalian DNA methyltransferases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 945, pp. 87-122. (10.1007/978-3-319-43624-1_5)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2016. Mechanisms and biological roles of DNA methyltransferases and DNA methylation: From past achievements to future challenges. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 945, pp. 1-17. (10.1007/978-3-319-43624-1_1)
- Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2016. Allosteric control of mammalian DNA methyltransferases - a new regulatory paradigm. Nucleic Acids Research 44(18), pp. 8556-8575. (10.1093/nar/gkw723)
- Lungu, C., Muegge, K., Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2015. An ATPase-deficient variant of the SNF2 family member HELLS shows altered dynamics at pericentromeric Heterochromatin. Journal of Molecular Biology 427(10), pp. 1903-1915. (10.1016/j.jmb.2015.03.014)
- Kungulovski, G. et al. 2014. Application of histone modification-specific interaction domains as an alternative to antibodies. Genome Research 24(11), pp. 1842-1853. (10.1101/gr.170985.113)
- Emperle, M., Rajavelu, A., Reinhardt, R., Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2014. Cooperative DNA binding and protein/DNA fiber formation increases the activity of the Dnmt3a DNA methyltransferase. Journal of Biological Chemistry 289(43), pp. 29602-29613. (10.1074/jbc.M114.572032)
- Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2014. New concepts in DNA methylation. Trends in Biochemical Sciences 39(7), pp. 310-318. (10.1016/j.tibs.2014.05.002)
- Bashtrykov, P., Jankevicius, G., Jurkowska, R. Z., Ragozin, S. and Jeltsch, A. 2014. The UHRF1 protein stimulates the activity and specificity of the maintenance DNA methyltransferase DNMT1 by an allosteric mechanism. Journal of Biological Chemistry 289(7), pp. 4106-4116. (10.1074/jbc.M113.528893)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2013. Genomic imprinting-the struggle of the genders at the molecular level. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 52(51), pp. 13524-13536. (10.1002/anie.201307005)
- Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2013. Multimerization of the Dnmt3a DNA methyltransferase and its functional implications. Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science 117, pp. 445-464. (10.1016/B978-0-12-386931-9.00016-7)
- Siddique, A. N. et al. 2012. Targeted methylation and gene silencing of VEGF-A in human cells by using a designed Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L single-chain fusion protein with increased DNA methylation activity. Journal of Molecular Biology 425(3), pp. 479—491. (10.1016/j.jmb.2012.11.038)
- Bashtrykov, P., Jankevicius, G., Smarandache, A., Jurkowska, R., Ragozin, S. and Jeltsch, A. 2012. Specificity of Dnmt1 for methylation of hemimethylated CpG sites resides in its catalytic domain. Chemistry and Biology 19(5), pp. 572-578. (10.1016/j.chembiol.2012.03.010)
- Halby, L. et al. 2012. Rapid synthesis of new DNMT inhibitors derivatives of procainamide. ChemBioChem 13(1), pp. 157-165. (10.1002/cbic.201100522)
- Jurkowska, R. Z., Jurkowski, T. P. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. Structure and function of mammalian DNA methyltransferases. ChemBioChem 12(2), pp. 206—222. (10.1002/cbic.201000195)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. et al. 2011. Oligomerization and binding of the Dnmt3a DNA methyltransferase to parallel DNA molecules. Journal of Biological Chemistry 286(27), pp. 24200-24207. (10.1074/jbc.M111.254987)
- Jurkowska, R. Z., Siddique, A. N., Jurkowski, T. P. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. Approaches to enzyme and substrate design of the murine Dnmt3a DNA methyltransferase. ChemBioChem 12(10), pp. 1589—1594. (10.1002/cbic.201000673)
- Ceccaldi, A. et al. 2011. C5-DNA methyltransferase inhibitors: from screening to effects on zebrafish embryo development. ChemBioChem 12(9), pp. 1337-1345. (10.1002/cbic.201100130)
- Siddique, A. N., Jurkowska, R. Z., Jurkowski, T. P. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. Auto-methylation of the mouse DNA-(cytosine C5)-methyltransferase Dnmt3a at its active site cysteine residue. FEBS Journal 278(12), pp. 2055—2063. (10.1111/j.1742-4658.2011.08121.x)
- Rajavelu, A., Jurkowska, R. Z., Fritz, J. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. Function and disruption of DNA Methyltransferase 3a cooperative DNA binding and nucleoprotein filament formation. Nucleic Acids Research 40(2), pp. 569–580. (10.1093/nar/gkr753)
- Champion, C. et al. 2010. Mechanistic insights on the inhibition of C5 DNA methyltransferases by zebularine. PLoS ONE 5(8), article number: e12388. (10.1371/journal.pone.0012388)
- Dhayalan, A., Rajavelu, A., Rathert, P., Tamas, R., Jurkowska, R. Z., Ragozin, S. and Jeltsch, A. 2010. The Dnmt3a PWWP domain reads histone 3 lysine 36 trimethylation and Guides DNA methylation. Journal of Biological Chemistry 285(34), pp. 26114-26120. (10.1074/jbc.M109.089433)
- Zhang, Y. et al. 2010. Chromatin methylation activity of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3a/3L is guided by interaction of the ADD domain with the histone H3 tail. Nucleic Acids Research 38(13), pp. 4246–4253. (10.1093/nar/gkq147)
- Métivier, R. et al. 2010. Erratum: Cyclical DNA methylation of a transcriptionally active promoter. Nature 463(7279), article number: 384. (10.1038/nature08661)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. et al. 2008. Formation of nucleoprotein filaments by mammalian DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3a in complex with regulator Dnmt3L. Nucleic Acids Research 36(21), pp. 6656–6663. (10.1093/nar/gkn747)
- Rathert, P. et al. 2008. Protein lysine methyltransferase G9a acts on non-histone targets. Nature Chemical Biology 4(6), pp. 344–346. (10.1038/nchembio.88)
- Métivier, R. et al. 2008. Cyclical DNA methylation of a transcriptionally active promoter. Nature 452(7183), pp. 45–50. (10.1038/nature06544)
- Jia, D., Jurkowska, R. Z., Zhang, X., Jeltsch, A. and Cheng, X. 2007. Structure of Dnmt3a bound to Dnmt3L suggests a model for de novo DNA methylation. Nature 449(7159), pp. 248–251. (10.1038/nature06146)
- Gallais, R. et al. 2007. Deoxyribonucleic acid methyl transferases 3a and 3b associate with the nuclear orphan receptor COUP-TFI during gene activation. Molecular Endocrinology -Baltimore- 21(9), pp. 2085–2098. (10.1210/me.2006-0490)
- Jeltsch, A., Jurkowska, R. Z., Jurkowski, T. P., Liebert, K., Rathert, P. and Schlickenrieder, M. 2007. Application of DNA methyltransferases in targeted DNA methylation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 75(6), pp. 1233—1240. (10.1007/s00253-007-0966-0)
- Gowher, H., Loutchanwoot, P., Vorobjeva, O., Handa, V., Jurkowska, R. Z., Jurkowski, T. P. and Jeltsch, A. 2006. Mutational analysis of the catalytic domain of the murine Dnmt3a DNA-(cytosine C5)-methyltransferase. Journal of Molecular Biology 357(3), pp. 928—941. (10.1016/j.jmb.2006.01.035)
Book sections
- Pohl, S. T., Prada, M. L., Espinet, E. and Jurkowska, R. 2022. Practical considerations for complex tissue dissociation for single-cell transcriptomics. In: Calogero, R. and Benes, V. eds. Single Cell Transcriptomics. Methods in Molecular Biology., Vol. 2584. New York: Springer, pp. 371-387., (10.1007/978-1-0716-2756-3_19)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2022. Enzymology of mammalian DNA methyltransferases. In: Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. eds. DNA Methyltransferases - Role and Function., Vol. 1389. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology Springer, pp. 69-110., (10.1007/978-3-031-11454-0_4)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2022. Mechanisms and biological roles of DNA methyltransferases and DNA methylation: From past achievements to future challenges. In: Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. eds. DNA Methyltransferases - Role and Function., Vol. 1389. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology Springer, pp. 1-19., (10.1007/978-3-031-11454-0_1)
- Jurkowska, R. Z., Ceccaldi, A., Zhang, Y., Arimondo, P. B. and Jeltsch, A. 2011. DNA methyltransferase assays. In: Epigenetics Protocols., Vol. 791. Methods in Molecular Biology Humana Press, pp. 157-177., (10.1007/978-1-61779-316-5_13)
- Jurkowska, R. Z. and Jeltsch, A. 2010. Silencing of gene expression by targeted DNA methylation: concepts and approaches. In: Engineered Zinc Finger Proteins., Vol. 649. Humana Press, pp. 149-161., (10.1007/978-1-60761-753-2_9)
- Jeltsch, A. and Jurkowska, R. Z. 2010. DNA methylation. In: The Chemical Biology of Nucleic Acids. Wiley, pp. 307-301., (10.1002/9780470664001.ch14)
Books
- Al-Amri, M. and Jurkowska, R. eds. 2020. Proceedings of Cardiff Institute for Tissue Engineering & Repair annual scientific meeting (CITER ASM 2020). Cardiff: CITER & Cardiff University.
Research
The human lung is built by more than 50 cell types, which cooperate to create a beautiful organ essential for us to breathe. Critically, lack of regenerative capacity is a key feature of many lung diseases and ageing. Hence, understanding molecular processes required for lung regeneration is vitally important for biological research.
Our group investigates how epigenetic regulation drives cellular identity in the human lung with the aim of discovering novel therapeutic interventions for lung regeneration.
To develop new treatments, we need to understand how healthy individuals develop lung diseases and identify suitable targets for drug development. Epigenetic modifications are chemical groups on our genetic information that determine which genes are active and which are shut off. They get dysregulated by environmental exposures causing disease. Excitingly, they can also be manipulated with the potential to cure disease. Thus, epigenetic signalling provides an exciting and largely unexplored level of regulation for the identification of disease-driving events, novel disease regulators, and biomarkers.
We employ genome-wide epigenomic assays and single-cell -omics approaches in combination with CRISPR-based epigenetic editing tools and 3D organoid models, to advance the biological understanding of lung cell differentiation and identify epigenetic biomarkers and novel therapeutic strategies for patients with chronic respiratory diseases.
Teaching
Module contributor: BI2331 Physiology
Module contributor: BI2332 Concepts of Disease
Module contributor: BI3254 Genes to Genomes
Module contrributor: BI3252 Omics Revolution
Biography
Since September 2019 I have been a Senior Lecturer in the Biomedicine Division within the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, where I have the pleasure to work in a highly collaborative and inspiring research environment. I have recently secured the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, which I started in June 2024.
After completing my BSc and MSc studies in Biotechnology at Warsaw University in Poland, I joined the group of Prof. Albert Jeltsch (Jacobs University Bremen, Germany) for PhD studies in Biochemistry, which I concluded with special distinction. I investigated the enzymatic properties and regulation of human DNA methyltransferases, key enzymes involved in cellular identity and function. My PhD triggered a long-life fascination with epigenetics and crystallised my research interests around stem cell differentiation and tissue regeneration. During my postdoctoral time (initially at Jacobs University Bremen, Germany and then at the University of Stuttgart, Germany), I investigated the mechanisms of different classes of epigenetic enzymes to understand their function and contribution to human diseases.
I like exploring emerging fields and engaging in interdisciplinary projects. Therefore, after my postdoc, I changed my research field from biochemistry to lung diseases and the research sector from academia to a start-up company. From the end of 2015 until July 2019, I was a group leader of the Epigenetics and COPD research team at BioMed X Innovation Center in Heidelberg (Germany), an institution promoting a novel collaboration model at the interface between academia and industry. There, I designed and successfully delivered an innovative research project carried out in collaboration with the pharma industry, which explored epigenetic regulation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to provide novel therapeutic avenues for this uncurable lung disease. The success of the project and its impact were demonstrated by the acquisition of all results by the pharma partner for internal continuation.
Honours and awards
- UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (2024)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) (2023)
- Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Award (2022)
- Geoffrey Laurent Award for the Best Oral Presentation at the Lung Science Conference, Portugal (2024 and 2020)
- Cardiff Futures Program Awardee (2021)
- Welsh Crucible Program Awardee (2021)
- Postdoctoral fellowship and research grant awarded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation (2015)
- EMBO short-term fellowship award (2014)
- Best poster award at the 6th NEB meeting and workshop, Bremen, Germany (2010)
- Scholarship for distinguished scientific achievements from Polish Ministry of Education (2004-2003 and 2003-2002)
- Scholarship granted for distinguished achievements, Warsaw University, Poland (2004-2000)
Professional memberships
- Member of the British Association for Lung Research (BALR) (from 2019) and BALR executive committee member (from 2023)
- Member of the Revision Committee of the International Society for Molecular and Clinical Epigenetics (isMOCLEP) (from 2022)
- Member of the Welsh Thoracic Society (from 2021) and WTS executive committee member (2022)
- Member of the Biochemical Society (from 2019)
- Member of the European Respiratory Society (from 2016)
Academic positions
- June 2024 - present: UKRI Future Leaders Fellow
- 2019 - present: Senior Lecturer, Cardiff University
- 2015 - 2019: Project and Group Leader at BioMed X Innovation Center (Heidelberg, Germany)
- 2012 - 2019: Postdoctoral Researcher, Stuttgart University (Germany)
- 2009 - 2011: Postdoctoral Researcher, Jakobs University Bremen (Germany)
Speaking engagements
Selected examples of recent speaker invitations:
- European Respiratory Society Congress, Vienna, Austria (2024)
- American Thoracic Society, San Diego, USA (2024)
- Seminar talk at the MTWC for Fibrosing Lung Disease Seminar Series, Imperial College London, UK (2024)
- British Association for Lung Research meeting, Dundee, UK (2024)
- Seminar talk at Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Belfast, Northern Irland (2024)
- World Laureate Forum, Shanghai, China (nomination from the Academy of Medical Sciences) (2024)
- Seminar talk at the Shanghai Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (2024)
- Epigenetics Society International Meeting, Rome, UK (2023)
- British Thoracic Society Meeting, London, UK (2023)
- Welsh Thoracic Society meeting, Cardiff, UK (2023)
- Speaker seminar presentation for the COPDiNET network (online) (2023)
Committees and reviewing
- Member of the BBSRC Pool of Experts, BBSRC Doctoral Landscape Award panel and BBSRC Responsive Mode Committee C panel (from January 2024)
- Member of the UKRI Talent Peer Review College and reviewer for the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship Scheme (from 2023)
- Grant reviewer for the UKRI, Welcome Trust, Polish Science Foundation and French Science Foundation
- Member of the Editorial Board of Clinical Epigenetics (from 2022), Epigenetic Communications (from 2022) and Epigenomes (from 2018)
- Journal reviewer of diverse journals, including Nucleic Acid Research, European Respiratory Journal, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, Science Advances, Clinical Epigenetics and Chromatin and Epigenetics.
Supervisions
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:
- epigenetics
- stem cell differentiation
- lung biology
- chronic lung diseases
- development of new epigenomic profiling technologies
Current Lung Epigenetics Group members:
Dr Stephanie Pohl (PDRA)
Petar Popov (PhD student / Teaching Associate)
Pheobe Ross (PhD student)
Megan Nicholson (MPhil student)
Laura Sear (Integrated master student)
Past Lung Epigenetics Group members:
Dr Xinsheng Nan (PDRA)
Renjiao Li (visiting PhD student from China)
Stephanie Pohl (PhD student)
Isaac Al-Moosawi (MRes student)
Diana Stoian (MRes student)
Alex Titimeaua (MRes student)
Alice Pike (Integrated master student)
Jacob Hill (Integrated master student)
Amelia Nathan (Integrated master student)
Deborah Ackesson (Integrated master student)
Simran Tac (MSc in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine student)
Arthur Pasanen-Zentz (MSc in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine student)
Contact Details
JurkowskaR@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 29208 79067
Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
+44 29208 79067
Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
Research themes
Specialisms
- Epigenetics
- Respiratory diseases
- Ageing
