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Prof. Dr. habil. biol. Nikolajs Sjakste |
Biochemistry Group is organized following pattern of a mixed research unit, its staff work in co-operation with Department of Medical Biochemistry of the University of Latvia and Genomics and Bioinformatics Team of Institute of Biology of the University of Latvia. Premises of the Group are outside main building of the Institute, the team is housed downtown in the building of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Latvia. Main branches of the research: mechanism of action of the drugs developed in LIOS, role of nitric oxide in mechanism of action of pharmacological remedies, DNA-drug interactions. In recent years scientific interest of the team is focused on search for remedies for treatment of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Substances with both DNA-protecting and antioxidant activities are sought. Exploration of the direct interaction of ftorafur with DNA and mechanism of interaction of antimutagenic 1,4-dihydropyridine with DNA are our recent achievements.
Selected recent publications
- Leonova E, Sokolovska J, Boucher JL, Isajevs S, Rostoka E, Baumane L, Sjakste T, Sjakste N. New 1,4-Dihydropyridines Down-regulate Nitric Oxide in Animals with Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes Mellitus and Protect DNA against Peroxynitrite Action. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2016;119(1):19-31
- Leonova E, Shvirksts K, Grube M, Ignatovich L, Yu-Chian Chen C, Sjakste T and Sjakste N. Spectrophotometric study of DNA interactions with ftorafur and its elementoorganic derivatives. Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry. 2017; 99, Issue 4, 601-612
- Germini D, Bou Saada Y, Tsfasman T, Osina K, Robin C, Lomov N, Rubtsov M, Sjakste N, Lipinski M, Vassetzky Y. A One-Step PCR-Based Assay to Evaluate the Efficiency and Precision of Genomic DNA-Editing Tools. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 2017;5:43-50
- Germini D, Tsfasman T, Zakharova VV, Sjakste N, Lipinski M, Vassetzky Y. A Comparison of Techniques to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Genome Editing. Trends Biotechnol. 2017 pii: S0167-7799(17)30272-X
- Ošiņa K, Leonova E, Isajevs S, Baumane L, Rostoka E, Sjakste T, Bisenieks E, Duburs G, Vīgante B, Sjakste N. Modifications of expression of genes and proteinsinvolved in DNA repair and nitric oxide metabolism by carbatonides [disodium-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine- 3,5-bis(carbonyloxyacetate) derivatives] in intact and diabetic rats. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 2017 26;68(3):212-227
- Leonova E, Rostoka E, Sauvaigo S, Baumane L, Selga T, Sjakste N. Study of interaction of antimutagenic 1,4-dihydropyridine AV-153-Na with DNA-damaging molecules and its impact on DNA repair activity. PeerJ. 2018; 6:e4609. doi: 10.7717/peerj.4609. eCollection 2018.