Laboratorium Iwony Mruk
prof. dr hab. Iwona Mruk
Professor
Dept. of Microbiology
Faculty of Biology
University of Gdansk
Poland
Mruk lab studies the bacterial genetics with special focus on:
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Genetic regulatory networks and gene expression control
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Molecular basis of genetic switch and temporal regulators
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Biology and dynamics of restriction-modification systems
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Control of horizontal gene transfer
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Bacteria – phages interaction dynamics
Selected publications:
Wons E, Gucwa K, Lewandowska N, Wiśniewska A, Kozlowski LP, Mruk I. A transcription factor from the cryptic Escherichia coli Rac prophage controls both phage and host operons. Nucleic Acids Research. (2025) 53:1–21. doi:10.1093/nar/gkaf113
Gucwa K, Wons E, Wisniewska A, Jakalski M, Dubiak Z, Kozlowski LP, Mruk I: Lethal perturbation of an Escherichia coli regulatory network is triggered by a restriction-modification system’s regulator and can be mitigated by excision of the cryptic prophage rac. Nucleic Acids Res. (2024) 52(6):2942-2960
Wisniewska A, Wons E, Potrykus K, Hinrichs R., Gucwa K, Graumann P, Mruk I: Molecular basis for lethal cross-talk between two unrelated bacterial transcription factors – the regulatory protein of a restriction-modification system and the repressor of a defective prophage. Nucleic Acids Res. (2022) 50(19):10964-10980
Negri A, Werbowy O, Wons E., Dersch S, Hinrichs R., Graumann P, Mruk I: Regulator-dependent temporal dynamics of a restriction-modification system’s gene expression upon entering new host cells: single-cell and population studies. Nucleic Acids Res. (2021) 49(7):3826-3840
Negri A, Jakalski M, Szczuka A, Pryszcz LP, Mruk I: Transcriptome analyses of cells carrying the Type II Csp231I restriction-modification system reveal the cross-talk between two unrelated transcription factors: C protein and the Rac prophage repressor. Nucleic Acids Res. (2019) 47(18):9542-9556
Mruk I, Kaczorowski T, Witczak A.: Natural tuning of restriction endonuclease synthesis by cluster of rare arginine codons. Sci Rep. (2019) 9(1):5808
Mruk I, Kobayashi I.: Epigenetics mediated by restriction modification systems. Book chapter in: Stress and environmental regulation of gene expression and adaptation in bacteria, vol.1/ ed. by Frans J. De Bruijn; Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley Blackwell, (2016)
Rezulak M., Borsuk I., Mruk I.: Natural C-independent expression of restriction endonuclease in a C protein-associated restriction-modification system. Nucleic Acids Res. (2016) 44(6):2646-60
Mruk I. and Kobayashi I. To be or not to be: regulation of restriction-modification systems and other toxin-antitoxin systems. Nucleic Acids Res. (2014) 42(1):70-86