M. Lewandowska

Fitness adaptations of Japanese encephalitis virus in pigs following vector-free serial passaging

This study shows that serial passaging of JEV in pigs leads to fitness adaptations and amino acid changes, but not increased direct transmission.

Induction of apoptosis by double-stranded RNA was present in the last common ancestor of cnidarian and bilaterian animals

The paper shows that double-stranded RNA induces apoptosis in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, suggesting this mechanism was present in the last common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians.

Dominant toxin hypothesis: unravelling the venom phenotype across micro and macroevolution

The paper investigates toxin expression dynamics in sea anemones, finding that a single toxin family dominates venom phenotype across species and populations, with significant variation in gene copy numbers and geographical distribution.

Functional characterization of the cnidarian antiviral immune response reveals ancestral complexity

This study investigates the antiviral immune response in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis, showing that RLRs trigger a complex immune response with features of both vertebrate and invertebrate systems.

Functional characterization of a "plant-like" HYL1 homolog in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis indicates a conserved involvement in microRNA biogenesis

The paper shows that a HYL1 homolog in Nematostella vectensis is essential for miRNA biogenesis and development, suggesting an ancestral miRNA system in animals and plants.

Unravelling the developmental and functional significance of an ancient Argonaute duplication

The paper investigates the role of miRNAs and their Argonaute paralogs in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, revealing new insights into miRNA evolution and function outside bilaterians.

Initial virome characterization of the common cnidarian lab model Nematostella vectensis

The paper analyzes transcriptome data from Nematostella vectensis to identify its virome, finding a core set of viral sequences present in adults but absent in early developmental stages, suggesting viral acquisition occurs later.