Senex sapiens et senex stupidus – wykorzystanie figury starca w alegorycznych kreacjach Sędziego, Lichwy i Alchemii w podręczniku Franza Langa SI „De actione scenica”, 1727

The article focuses on the analysis of the role and importance of the figure of an old man in the allegorical images of Judge (Iudex), Usury (Foeneratio) and Alchemy (Alchimia) proposed by the Jesuit lecturer, playwright, and author of theatrical performances and drama theatre theorist, Franz Lang in his very important (it marked an high point of theatrical outpoot) handbook of acting De actione scenica published in Munich in 1727.The article focuses on the analysis of the role and importance of the figure of an old man in the allegorical images of Judge (Iudex), Usury (Foeneratio) and Alchemy (Alchimia) proposed by the Jesuit lecturer, playwright, and author of theatrical performances and drama theatre theorist, Franz Lang in his very important (it marked an high point of theatrical outpoot) handbook of acting De actione scenica published in Munich in 1727

Analiza elegii Budae a Turcis occupatae querela ze zbioru Tristiów Klemensa Janickiego

Analiza elegii Budae a Turcis occupatae querela ze zbioru Tristiów Klemensa Janickiego (The analysis of the elegy Budae a Turcis occupatae querela of Klemens Janicki’s Tristia).This article contains the analysis of the so far little researched elegy from the book of Tristia by an Early Modern Polish poet Klemens Janicki (Clemens Ianicius) written after the Turks conquered Buda in the summer of 1541. The analysis focuses on the composition of Janicki’s elegy, the method and means used by the poet to get the recipients to take action against Turkey imperiling Europe.Analiza elegii Budae a Turcis occupatae querela ze zbioru Tristiów Klemensa Janickiego (The analysis of the elegy Budae a Turcis occupatae querela of Klemens Janicki’s Tristia).This article contains the analysis of the so far little researched elegy from the book of Tristia by an Early Modern Polish poet Klemens Janicki (Clemens Ianicius) written after the Turks conquered Buda in the summer of 1541. The analysis focuses on the composition of Janicki’s elegy, the method and means used by the poet to get the recipients to take action against Turkey imperiling Europe

Lenocinium, Avaritia, Hiems – stara kobieta w wizerunkach postaci symbolicznych w „De actione scenica” Franza Langa w świetle tradycji literackiej i artystycznej

The article focuses on the analysis of the role and importance of the theme of old woman in several allegorical images proposed by the Jesuit lecturer, playwright, and author of theatrical performances and drama theatre theorist, Franz Lang in his very important (it marked an high point of his dramatic output) handbook of acting De actione scenica published in Munich in 1727.The article focuses on the analysis of the role and importance of the theme of old woman in several allegorical images proposed by the Jesuit lecturer, playwright, and author of theatrical performances and drama theatre theorist, Franz Lang in his very important (it marked an high point of his dramatic output) handbook of acting De actione scenica published in Munich in 1727

Sacrae litterae. Anagramatyczne wariacje na temat Virginis – Deiparae w Oraculum Parthenium Józefa Stanisława Bieżanowskiego (1668) [Sacrae litterae. Anagrammatic variations on Virginis Deiparae in Oraculum Parthenium by Joseph Stanislaw Bieżanowski

Joseph Stanislaw Bieżanowski, a professor at the University of Krakow, a eulogist and poet, in the collection entitled Oraculum Parthenium (Krakow 1668) used a hundred of simple anagrams of Giovanni Battista Agnese published in Rome in 1661. These short (one-sentence) phrases, formed from the letters of the first part of the Angelic Salutation (Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus Tecum), accentuated on Mary’s immaculate purity and freedom from the stain of the original sin on the one hand and her divine motherhood on the other, thus increasing the role and the importance of Mary in God’s plan of salvation. Bieżanowski used these anagrams, making each of them a motto elaborated on in his epigrammatic comment. Epigrams of the Krakow lecturer are characterized not so much by the deepening of the religious reflection, as attention to the formal aspects, the pursuit of artistry. This is reflected in the application, many times within one work, of rhetorical figures highly valued in the Baroque (antitheses, oxymorons), the chiastic structure and interspersing the punch line of the epigram with the anagram from the motto (sometimes in a modified form). Anagram not only served as an additional rhetorical decoration, highlighting the main idea of a work, but also provided a bridge integrating the entire composition. Bieżanowski enclosed the anagrammatic-and-epigrammatic praise of the Virgin Mother of God by an interesting theory of the genre outlined in the preface to Pope Clement IX, whom the University of Cracow gave the collection while making efforts to proceed with the beatification of John Cantius. It combines the literary and theological reflection and in this way exalts the genre, contrary to the opinions of some seventeenth-century theorists. Bieżanowski’s original approach is also evident in the change in the system of anagrams proposed originally by Agnese. In this new system Oraculum Parthenium could perform several functions: educationional,  propagandistic and polemical. Above all, however, it was a poetic prayer, complementing the official Marian liturgy

Rythmes et structures dans le roman québécois de 1950 à 1965. Thèse de doctorat ès lettres (littérature québécoise), mai 1975, XXIV + 214 p.

Positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb), which comprises cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) kinase and cyclin T subunits, is an essential kinase complex in human cells. Phosphorylation of the negative elongation factors by P-TEFb is required for productive elongation of transcription of protein-coding genes by RNA polymerase II (pol II). In addition, P-TEFb-mediated phosphorylation of the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of pol II mediates the recruitment of transcription and RNA processing factors during the transcription cycle. CDK9 also phosphorylates p53, a tumor suppressor that plays a central role in cellular responses to a range of stress factors. Many viral factors affect transcription by recruiting or modulating the activity of CDK9. In this review, we will focus on how the function of CDK9 is regulated by viral gene products. The central role of CDK9 in viral life cycles suggests that drugs targeting the interaction between viral products and P-TEFb could be effective anti-viral agents

Regulation of immunological tolerance by the p53-inhibitor iASPP

Maintenance of immunological homeostasis between tolerance and autoimmunity is essential for the prevention of human diseases ranging from autoimmune disease to cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests that p53 can mitigate phagocytosis-induced adjuvanticity thereby promoting immunological tolerance following programmed cell death. Here we identify Inhibitor of Apoptosis Stimulating p53 Protein (iASPP), a negative regulator of p53 transcriptional activity, as a regulator of immunological tolerance. iASPP-deficiency promoted lung adenocarcinoma and pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis, while iASPP-deficient mice were less susceptible to autoimmune disease. Immune responses to iASPP-deficient tumors exhibited hallmarks of immunosuppression, including activated regulatory T cells and exhausted CD8+ T cells. Interestingly, iASPP-deficient tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells, CD4+, and γδ T cells expressed elevated levels of PD-1H, a recently identified transcriptional target of p53 that promotes tolerogenic phagocytosis. Identification of an iASPP/p53 axis of immune homeostasis provides a therapeutic opportunity for both autoimmune disease and cancer

Control of expression of human snRNA genes

In humans, protein-coding genes and most small nuclear (sn)RNA genes are transcribed by RNA polymerase II (pol II).The carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of pol II possesses multiple heptapetide repeats of the consensus Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7. Phosphorylation of Ser2, Ser5 and Ser7 mediates the recruitment of transcription and RNA processing factors during the transcription cycle. There are notable differences between snRNA genes and protein-coding genes in terms of mechanisms controlling their expression. Pol II does not appear to make the transition to long-range productive elongation during transcription of snRNA genes, as happens during transcription of protein-coding genes. In addition, recognition of the snRNA gene-type specific 3' box RNA processing element requires initiation from an snRNA gene promoter. These characteristics may, at least in part, be driven by factors recruited to the promoter. Initiation of transcription of most human genes transcribed by pol II requires the formation of a preinitiation complex (PIC) comprising TFIIA, B, D, E, F and H and pol II. The general transcription factor, TFIID is composed of the TATA-binding protein and up to 13 TBP-associated factors (TAFs). Differences in the complement of TAFs might result in differential recruitment of elongation and RNA processing factors. It has already been shown that the promoters of some protein-coding genes do not recruit all the TAFs found in TFIID. Although TAF5, has been shown to be associated with pol II-transcribed snRNA genes, the full complement of TAFs associated with these genes remained unclear. Here I show, using a ChIP and siRNA-mediated knockdown approach, that the TBP/TAF complex on snRNA genes differs from that on protein-coding genes. Interestingly, the largest TAF, TAF1 and the core TAFs, TAF10 and TAF4 are not detected on snRNA genes. I propose that this snRNA gene-specific TAF subset plays a key role in gene-type-specific control of expression. In addition, in order to further understand the molecular mechanism underlying the differences between expression of protein-coding genes and snRNA genes, I have investigated the role of RNA pol II-associated protein 2 (RPAP2) in transcription of snRNA genes. Here I show that RPAP2 recognizes the phospho-Ser7 mark on the pol II CTD, siRNA mediated knockdown of RPAP2 causes defects in snRNA gene expression and that RPAP2 is a CTD Ser5 phosphatase. I also present my studies of the mechanism of inhibition of phospho-Ser2 by herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) protein ICP22. Phosphorylation of Ser2 by the positive transcription elongation factor (P-TEFb) is associated with productive transcriptional elongation. However, P-TEFb is not required for elongation of transcription of snRNA genes, but functions only to activate 3' box-directed RNA processing. In addition, there are conflicting data as to whether Cdk9 is acting as a Ser2 kinase during transcription of pol II-transcribed snRNA genes. As ICP22 is thought to inhibit P-TEFb, this protein could provide an alternative means to study P-TEFb function in expression of snRNA genes.</p

Control of expression of human snRNA genes

In humans, protein-coding genes and most small nuclear (sn)RNA genes are transcribed by RNA polymerase II (pol II).The carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of pol II possesses multiple heptapetide repeats of the consensus Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7. Phosphorylation of Ser2, Ser5 and Ser7 mediates the recruitment of transcription and RNA processing factors during the transcription cycle. There are notable differences between snRNA genes and protein-coding genes in terms of mechanisms controlling their expression. Pol II does not appear to make the transition to long-range productive elongation during transcription of snRNA genes, as happens during transcription of protein-coding genes. In addition, recognition of the snRNA gene-type specific 3' box RNA processing element requires initiation from an snRNA gene promoter. These characteristics may, at least in part, be driven by factors recruited to the promoter. Initiation of transcription of most human genes transcribed by pol II requires the formation of a preinitiation complex (PIC) comprising TFIIA, B, D, E, F and H and pol II. The general transcription factor, TFIID is composed of the TATA-binding protein and up to 13 TBP-associated factors (TAFs). Differences in the complement of TAFs might result in differential recruitment of elongation and RNA processing factors. It has already been shown that the promoters of some protein-coding genes do not recruit all the TAFs found in TFIID. Although TAF5, has been shown to be associated with pol II-transcribed snRNA genes, the full complement of TAFs associated with these genes remained unclear. Here I show, using a ChIP and siRNA-mediated knockdown approach, that the TBP/TAF complex on snRNA genes differs from that on protein-coding genes. Interestingly, the largest TAF, TAF1 and the core TAFs, TAF10 and TAF4 are not detected on snRNA genes. I propose that this snRNA gene-specific TAF subset plays a key role in gene-type-specific control of expression. In addition, in order to further understand the molecular mechanism underlying the differences between expression of protein-coding genes and snRNA genes, I have investigated the role of RNA pol II-associated protein 2 (RPAP2) in transcription of snRNA genes. Here I show that RPAP2 recognizes the phospho-Ser7 mark on the pol II CTD, siRNA mediated knockdown of RPAP2 causes defects in snRNA gene expression and that RPAP2 is a CTD Ser5 phosphatase. I also present my studies of the mechanism of inhibition of phospho-Ser2 by herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) protein ICP22. Phosphorylation of Ser2 by the positive transcription elongation factor (P-TEFb) is associated with productive transcriptional elongation. However, P-TEFb is not required for elongation of transcription of snRNA genes, but functions only to activate 3' box-directed RNA processing. In addition, there are conflicting data as to whether Cdk9 is acting as a Ser2 kinase during transcription of pol II-transcribed snRNA genes. As ICP22 is thought to inhibit P-TEFb, this protein could provide an alternative means to study P-TEFb function in expression of snRNA genes.This thesis is not currently available via ORA