Professor Dr Agnieszka Chacinska

Research Priorities: Mitochondria, protein transport, protein degradation, protein synthesis
Agnieszka Chacinska is a Polish molecular biologist. Her main interest is in biochemistry and the molecular aspects of cell biology. These aspects include biogenesis, transport and degradation of mitochondrial proteins, and errors in these processes which can lead to diseases. The work of Agnieszka Chacinska led to fundamental insights into the processes that contribute to the development of functional mitochondria and cellular stress responses related to mitochondrial dysfunction.
The mitochondria are cellular organelles that deliver the needed energy to cells. They consist of 1000 to 1500 cellular proteins and have a distinct DNA. The mitochondria have a key role inside the cells for both the metabolism and regulation processes. The development of mitochondria (biogenesis) is based on the import, assembly, and maturing of proteins which are all governed by specialized machineries.
Agnieszka Chacinska studies the correlation between protein transport and protein homeostasis – cellular processes that control the synthesis, folding, and degradation of proteins in a cell. Thereby she contributes to the discovery of the mechanisms responsible for the protein transport and mechanisms engaged in the recovery of protein transport failures. The research group of Agnieszka Chacinska identified and analyzed numerous proteins and metabolic pathways that participate in these processes.
A groundbreaking discovery based on the research of Agnieszka Chacinska is the role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in mitochondrial biogenesis. With this degradation system many mitochondrial proteins in the liquid component of the cell, cytosol, are efficiently broken down before they are imported into the mitochondria.
Agnieszka Chacinska identified the cells’ responses to stress that are related to defects during the import of mitochondrial proteins. Here she was able to elucidate further regulation mechanisms including proteasomal degradation, as well as the influence of chaperones. Chaperones are proteins that aid in the correct folding of proteins and thus their proper functionality.
The goal of Agnieszka Chacinska is to better understand the complex and dynamic processes that are involved in the development of functional organelles. Furthermore, she wants to enquire into dysfunctions of cellular protein homeostasis. As these dysfunctions lead to both an accelerated aging of cells and to diseases, the knowledge thus gained is the basis for possible therapeutic developments.