Bernecky Group
RNA-Based Gene Regulation
The regulated expression of genetic material is one of the most basic processes of a cell, affecting everything from organism development to environmental response. Through structural studies of the involved complexes, the Bernecky group works to unravel the gene expression regulatory networks that employ RNA as an intermediate.
RNA is an important focal point for the regulation of gene expression. Both protein-coding and noncoding RNAs are integral components of diverse regulatory pathways, and often act together with protein cofactors. Despite their importance, an understanding of the mechanisms of action of the involved RNA-protein complexes is lacking. Many of these RNA-containing complexes are flexible, modular, and lowly abundant. For such challenging targets, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has emerged as a particularly powerful tool for the determination of near-atomic structures while simultaneously providing insight into their dynamics. Using this and related methods, the Bernecky Lab aims to understand how RNA protein complexes assemble and regulate cellular RNA metabolism.
Group Leader
Administrative Support
Team
Current Projects
Molecular basis of transcriptional regulation | Transcriptional inhibition by non-coding RNA | Substrate recognition by RNA modifying enzymes
Publications
Ramadhin AR, Lee S-H, Zhou D, Testa Salmazo AP, Gonzalo-Hansen C, van Sluis M, Blom CMA, Janssens RC, Raams A, Dekkers D, Bezstarosti K, Slade D, Vermeulen W, Pines A, Demmers JAA, Bernecky C, Sixma TK, Marteijn JA. STK19 drives transcription-coupled repair by stimulating repair complex stability, RNA Pol II ubiquitylation, and TFIIH recruitment. Molecular Cell. View
Kaczmarek BM. 2024. Biochemical and structural insights into ADAR1 RNA editing. Institute of Science and Technology Austria. View
Gnyliukh N, Johnson AJ, Nagel M, Monzer A, Babic D, Hlavata A, Alotaibi S, Isono E, Loose M, Friml J. 2024. Role of dynamin-related proteins 2 and SH3P2 in clathrin-mediated endocytosis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Journal of Cell Science., jcs. 261720. View
Zapletal D, Taborska E, Pasulka J, Malik R, Kubicek K, Zanova M, Much C, Sebesta M, Buccheri V, Horvat F, Jenickova I, Prochazkova M, Prochazka J, Pinkas M, Novacek J, Joseph DF, Sedlacek R, Bernecky C, O’Carroll D, Stefl R, Svoboda P. 2022. Structural and functional basis of mammalian microRNA biogenesis by Dicer. Molecular Cell. 82(21), 4064–4079.e13. View
Daiß JL, Pilsl M, Straub K, Bleckmann A, Höcherl M, Heiss FB, Abascal-Palacios G, Ramsay EP, Tluckova K, Mars J-C, Fürtges T, Bruckmann A, Rudack T, Bernecky C, Lamour V, Panov K, Vannini A, Moss T, Engel C. 2022. The human RNA polymerase I structure reveals an HMG-like docking domain specific to metazoans. Life Science Alliance. 5(11), e202201568. View
Career
Since 2018 Assistant Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
2011 – 2017 Postdoc, LMU Munich and MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
2010 – 2011 Postdoc, University of Colorado Boulder, USA
2010 PhD, University of Colorado Boulder, USA
Selected Distinctions
2012 – 2014 Humboldt Research Fellowship
2005 – 2007 NIH Molecular Biophysics Training Grant
2002 Hughes Undergraduate Research Scholar (Cornell-HHMI)
