Courses:
Histology ZOO 4244
Cellular
Pathology ZOO 4970/5970
Cell Biology ZOO 3113
Research
Interests
My research focuses
on cellular mechanisms of wound healing and the role of cell motility and the
cytoskeleton in this process. Cell migration, proliferation, formation and disassembly
of cell-substratum adhesions are essential events in wound healing. In the in
vivo state, several types of cells and components of extracellular matrix (ECM)
are involved in the wound healing process. Fibroblasts play a number of important
roles in wound healing – they migrate into the wound, proliferate, synthesize
components of ECM and contribute greatly to wound closure and tissue remodeling
by exerting contractile forces on ECM fibers. Cytoskeleton plays an essential
role in cell motility and contributes to the formation of adhesions. Cellular
migration and rapid proliferation are dependent on the presence of chemotactic
and mitogenic agents that attract cells to the wound space and stimulate cell
division in the wound microenvironment.
The wound healing is highly impaired in diabetics. I am interested in studying
the effects of hyperglycemic conditions (similar to those present in diabetic
state) on wound healing in vitro. Cell migration, proliferation, formation and
disassembly of cell-substratum adhesions and organization of the cytoskeleton
are studied in physiologic and diabetic conditions using in vitro wound models
(cells grown as monolayer and cells cultured in a reconstituted matrix closely
resembling the wound environment in vivo). Also effects of specific growth factors
and cytokines on the dynamics of wound healing are studied using these models.
One of the major complications of diabetes mellitus is increased incidence and
severity of periodontitis. Oral bacteria and their products (toxins, lipopolysaccharides,
gingipains) are present and have impact on the behavior of cells within the
periodontium. One of the ongoing projects is focused on the effects of bacterial
products on wound healing and cell motility using in vitro model.
I am also interested in improving and developing new methods of specimen preparation
for fluorescence, light, and high resolution scanning and transmission electron
microscopy.
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Distribution
of vinculin (red) and F-actin (green) in human gingival fibroblast
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Selected
publications:
- K. Hedberg, T. Bengtsson, B. Safiejko-Mroczka, P.B. Bell and M. Lindroth. 1993. PDGF and neomycin induce similar changes in the actin cytoskeleton in human fibroblasts. Cell Motility and the Cytoskeletoon 24:139-149.
- J.J. Dmytryk, B. Safiejko-Mroczka
and P.B. Bell. 1994. TGF-b and PDGF as modulators of fibroblast motility and contractility. In: The Biological Mechanisms of Tooth Eruption, Resorption and Replacement by Implants(Ed. Z. Davidovitch) pp. 451-458. Harvard Society for the Advancement of Orthodontics, Boston, MA.
- B. Safiejko-Mroczka
and P.B. Bell. 1995. The induction of protrusion by neomycin in human glioma
cells is correlated with a decrease followed by an increase in filamentous
actin. Cell Biology International 19: 655-674.
- P.B. Bell and B. Safiejko-Mroczka.
1995. Visualization of macromolecular structures by fluorescence and scanning
electron microscopy. Scanning Microscopy 9 (3):943-960.
- B. Safiejko-Mroczka
and P.B. Bell. 1996. Bifunctional protein crosslinking reagents improve labeling
of cytoskeletal proteins for qualitative and quantitative fluorescence microscopy.
Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry 44(6):641-656.
- P.B. Bell and B. Safiejko-Mroczka.
1997. Preparing whole mounts of biological specimens for imaging macromolecular
structures by light and electron microscopy. International Journal of Imaging
Systems and Technology 8:225-239.
- P.B. Bell and B. Safiejko-Mroczka.
1997. Using bifunctional protein crosslinking reagents to enhance the preservation
of cytoskeletal proteins for light and electron microscopy. Pierce Previevs
1 (2):8-13.
- B. Safiejko-Mroczka
and P.B. Bell. 1998. Distribution of cytoskeletal proteins in neomycin-induced
protrusions of human fibroblasts. Experimental Cell Research 242:495-514.
- B. Safiejko-Mroczka
and P.B. Bell. 2001. The effects of neomycin on cell motility and the actin
cytoskeleton in human fibroblasts. Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton 50:13-32.
- M. Qa Dan, M. Ramsey,
J. Daniel, L. Spyres, B. Safiejko-Mroczka, W. Ortiz-Leduc and J. Ballard.
2002. Clostridium difficile toxin B activates dual caspase-dependent and caspase-independent
apoptosis in intoxicated cells. Cellular Microbiology 4 (7): 425-434.
- A. Grzanka, D. Grzanka, A. Zuryn and B. Safiejko-Mroczka. 2006. Reorganization of actin in K-562 and HL-60 leikemia cell line treated with Taxol. Neoplasma 53:580-585.
- G. Abbineni, B. Safiejko-Mroczka and C. Mao. 2010. Development of the optimized protocol for studying the interaction of filamentous bacteriophage with mammalian cells by fluorescence microscopy. Microscopy Research and Technique 73:548-554.
- F.-S. Lan, B. Safiejko-Mroczka and Binil Starly. 2010. Long-term cultivation of HepG2 liver cells encapsulated in alginate hydrogels: A study of cell viability, morphology and drug metabolism. Toxicology in Vitro 24:1314-1323.
- G. Abbineni, S. Modali, B. Safiejko-Mroczka V.A. Petrenko and C. Mao. 2010. Evolutionary selection of new breast cancer cell-targeting peptides and phages with the cell-targeting peptides fully displayed on the major coat and their effects on actin dynamics during cell internalization. Molecular Pharmaceutics 7: 1629-1642.
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