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Warsaw University Faculty of Physics
WERSJA POLSKA  Research    People    Education
Name: Dr. hab. Janusz Stępinski
Address: Department of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Warsaw University, Zwirki i Wigury 93, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland
Phone: +48 22 5540769
E-mail: jastep@biogeo.uw.edu.pl
Research interests: Synthesis and biochemical, biophysical and physicochemical properties of mono-, di- and oligonucleotide 5'-mRNA cap analogues.
Professional experience:
  • sugar synthesis and analysis including their 1H & 13C NMR spectroscopy
  • peptide synthesis
  • aminodeoxyalditol synthesis
  • 5'-mRNA cap structure synthesis
    1972 - 1978 Senior Assistant, Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University, Poland
    1978 - 1981, 1983 - 1999 Adjunct, Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University, Poland
    1981 - 1983 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Texas at Austin, TX.
    1999 - Assistant Professor, Department of Biophysics, Warsaw University, Poland
    • Selected publications:
    1. Darzynkiewicz E, Stepinski J, Ekiel I, Jin Y, Haber D, Sijuwade T, Tahara SM: ß-Globin mRNAs Capped with m7G, m2,7G or m2,2,7G Differ in Intrinsic Translation Efficiency. Nucleic Acids Res. 1988; 16; 8953-8962.
    2. Stepinski J, Grabowska L, Darzynkiewicz E, Temeriusz A, Stolarski R, Tahara SM, Shugar D, Järvinen P, Lönnberg H: Synthesis, Conformation and Hydrolytic Stability of Modified mRNA 5'-Cap Structures: P1,P3-Dinucleoside Triphosphates Derived from Guanosine and Acyclic Analogues of 7-Methyl-, N2,7-Dimethyl- and N2, N2,7-Trimethyl- guanosines. Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun. 1990; 55; 117-120.
    3. Jankowska M, Stepinski, Stolarski R, Temeriusz A, Darzynkiewicz E: Synthesis and Properties of New NH2 and N7 Substituted GMP and GTP 5'-mRNA Cap Analogues. Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun. 1993; 58; 138-141.
    4. Chlebicka L, Wieczorek Z, Stolarski R, Stepinski J, Darzynkiewicz E, Shugar D: Synthesis and Properties of mRNA 5'-Cap Analogues with 7-Methylguanine Replaced by Benzimidazole or 3-Methylbenzimidazole. Nucleosides & Nucleotides 1995; 14; 771-775.
    5. Stepinski J, Bretner M, Jankowska M, Felczak K, Stolarski R, Wieczorek Z, Cai AL, Rhoads RE, Temeriusz A, Haber D, Darzynkiewicz E: Synthesis and Properties of P1,P2-, P1,P3- and P1,P4-Dinucleoside Di-, Tri- and tetraphosphate mRNA 5'-Cap Analogues. Nucleosides & Nucleotides 1995; 14; 717-721.
    6. Joshi B, Cai AL, Keiper BD, Minich WB, Mendez R, Beach CM, Stepinski J, Stolarski R, Darzynkiewicz E, Rhoads RE: Phosphorylation of Eukaryotic Protein Synthesis Initiation Factor 4E at Ser-209. J. Biol. Chem. 1995; 270; 14597-14603.
    7. Jankowska M, Stepinski J, Stolarski R, Wieczorek Z, Temeriusz A, Haber D, Darzynkiewicz E: 1H NMR and Fluorescence Studies of New mRNA 5'-cap Analogues. Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun. 1996; 61; S197-S202.
    8. Guranowski A, Starzynska E, Bojarska E, Stepinski J, Darzynkiewicz E: Dinucleoside 5',5"-P1,P3-triphosphate Hydrolase from Yellow Lupin (Lupinus luteus) Seeds: Purification to Homogeneity and Hydrolysis of mRNA 5'-cap Analogs. Protein Express. Purif. 1996; 8; 416-422.
    9. Bojarska E, Kraciuk R, Wierzchowski J, Wieczorek Z, Stepinski J, Jankowska M, Starzynska E, Guranowski A, Darzynkiewicz E: Hydrolysis of Some mRNA 5'-cap Analogs Catalyzed by The Human Fhit Protein- and Lupin ApppA Hydrolases. Nuclosides & Nucleotides 1999;18; 1125-1126.
    10. Niedzwiecka-Kornas A, Przedmojski R, Balaspiri L, Wieczorek Z, Stepinski J, Jankowska M, Lönnberg H, Darzynkiewicz E, Stolarski R: Studies on Association of mRNA Cap-analogues with a Synthetic Dodecapeptide DGIEPMWEDEKN. Nucleosides & Nucleotides 1999;18; 1105-1106.
    11. Lampio A, Ahola T, Darzynkiewicz E, Stepinski J, Jankowska-Anyszka M, Kaariainen L: Guanosine Nucleotide Analogs as Inhibitors of Alphavirus mRNA Capping Enzyme. Antivirial Res. 1999; 42; 35-46.
    12. Cai AL, Jankowska-Anyszka M, Centers A, Chlebicka L, Stepinski J, Stolarski R, Darzynkiewicz E, Rhoads RE: Quantitative Assessment of mRNA Cap Analogs as Inhibitors of Cell-Free Translation. Biochemistry 1999; 38; 8538-8547.
    13. Stepinski J, Waddell C, Stolarski R, Darzynkiewicz E, Rhoads RE: Synthesis and properties of mRNAs containing the novel 'anti-reverse' cap analogs 7-methyl-(3'-O-methyl)GpppG and 7-methyl-(3'-deoxy)GpppG. RNA 2001; 7; 1486-1495.
    14. Zuberek J., Wyslouch-Cieszynska A., Niedzwiecka A., Dadlez M., Stepinski J., Augustyniak W., Gingras A-C., Zhang Z., Burley S.K., Sonenberg N., Stolarski R., Darżynkiewicz E.: "Phosphorylation of eIF4E attenuates its interaction with mRNA 5' cap analogs by electrostatic repulsion: Intein-mediated protein ligation strategy to obtain phosphorylated protein", RNA 2003, 9; 52-61.
    15. Jemielity J, Fowler T, Żuberek J, Stępiński J, Lewdorowicz M, NiedĽwiecka A, Stolarski R, Darżynkiewicz E, Rhoads RE: Novel 'anti-reverse' cap analogs with superior translational properties. RNA 2003; 9; 1108-1122.
    16. Żuberek J, Jemielity J, Jabłonowska A, Stępiński J, Dadlez M, Stolarski R, Darżynkiewicz E: Influence of electric charge variation at residues 209 and 159 on interaction of eIF4E with the mRNA 5' terminus. Biochemistry 2004; 43; 5370-5379.
    17. Lewdorowicz M, Yoffe Y, Żuberek J, Jemielity J, Stępiński J, Kierzek R, Stolarski R, Shapira M, Darżynkiewicz E: Chemical synthesis and binding activity of the trypanosomatid cap-4 structure. RNA 2004; 10; 1469-1478.
    18. Grudzień E, Stępiński J, Jankowska-Anyszka M, Stolarski R, Darżynkiewicz E. Rhoads RE: Novel cap analogs for in vitro synthesis of mRNAs with high translational efficiency. RNA 2004; 10; 1479-1487.
    19. Cohen LS, Mikhli C, Friedman C, Jankowska-Anyszka M, Stępiński J, Darżynkiewicz E, Davis RE: Nematode m7GpppG - and m32,2,7GpppG - RNA decapping: Activities in Ascaris embryos and characterization of C. elegans scavenger DcpS. RNA 2004; 10; 1609-1624.
    20. Yoffe Y, Żuberek J, Lewdorowicz M, Zeira Z, Keasar C, Orr-Dahan I, Jankowska-Anyszka M, Stępiński J, Darżynkiewicz E, Shapira M: Cap-binding activity of an eIF4E homolog from Leishmania. RNA 2004; 10; 1764-175.
    21. Kałek M, Jemielity J, Stępiński J, Stolarski R, Darżynkiewicz E: A direct method for the synthesis of nucleoside 5'-methylenebis(phosphonate)s from nucleosides. Tetrahedron Lett. 2005; 46; 2417-2421.
    22. Worch R, NiedĽwiecka A, Stępiński J, Mazza C, Jankowska-Anyszka M, Darzynkiewicz E, Cusack S, Stolarski R: Specificity of recognition of mRNA 5' cap by human nuclear cap-binding complex. RNA 2005; 11; 1355-1363.
    23. Westman B, Beeren L, Grudzień E, Stępiński J, Worch R, Żuberek J, Jemielity J, Stolarski R, Darżynkiewicz E, Rhoads RE, Preiss T: The antivirial drug ribavirin does not mimc the 7-methylguanosine moiety of the mRNAs cap structure in vitro. RNA 2005; 11; 1505-1513 .
    24. Kalek M, Jemielity J, Darzynkiewicz ZM, Bojarska E, Stepinski J, Stolarski R, Davis RE, Darzynkiewicz E: Enzymatically stable 5' mRNA cap analogs: Synthesis and binding studies with human DcpS decapping enzyme. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2006; 14; 3223-3230.
    25. Zuberek J., Kubacka D., Jablonowska A., Jemielity J., Stepinski J., Sonenberg N., Darzynkiewicz E.: Weak binding affinity of human 4EHP for mRNA cap analogs; RNA; 2007; 13; 691-697.
    26. Cheng G., Cohen L., Mikhli C., Jankowska-Anyszka M., Stepinski J., Darzynkiewicz E., Davis R. E.: In vivo translation and stability of trans-spliced mRNAs in nematode embryos; Mol. Biochem. Parasitology; 2007; 153; 95-106.
    27. Darzynkiewicz Z.M., Bojarska E., Kowalska J., Lewdorowicz M., Jemielity J., Kalek M., Stepinski J., Davis R.E., Darzynkiewicz E.: Interaction of human decapping scavenger with 5' mRNA cap analogues: structural requirements for catalytic activity; J. Phys. Condens. Mat; 2007; 19; 285217(6pp).
    28. Stepinski J., Wojcik J., Sienkiewicz A., Niedzwiecka A.: Synthesis and NMR spectral properties of spin labelled mRNA 5' cap analogue, a new tool for biochemical studies of cap binding proteins; J. Phys. Condens. Mat.; 2007; 19; 285202(10pp).
    29. Niedzwiecka A., Stepinski J., Antosiewicz J.M., Darzynkiewicz E., Stolarski R.: Biophysical approach to studies of cap-eIF4E interaction by synthetic cap analogues; Methods Enzymol.; 2007; 430; 209-246.
    30. Grudzien-Nogalska E., Stepinski J., Jemielity J., Zuberek J., Stolarski R., Rhoads R.E., Darzynkiewicz E.: Synthesis of Anti-Reverse Cap Analogs (ARCAs) and Their Applications in mRNA Translation and Stability; Methods Enzymol.; 2007; 431; 203-227.
    31. Blachut-Okrasinska E., Bojarska E., Stepinski J., Antosiewicz J.M.: Kinetics of binding the mRNA cap analogues to the translation initiation factor eIF4E under second-order reaction conditions; Biophysical Chem. 2007; 47; 289-297.
    32. Lewdorowicz M., Stepinski, Kierzek R., Jemielity J., Zuberek J., Yoffe Y., Shapira M., Stolarski R., Darzynkiewicz: Synthesis of Leishmania cap-4 intermediates, cap-2 and cap-3; Nucleos. Nucleot. Nucl. Acids; 2007; 26; 1339-1348.
    33. Darzynkiewicz Z.M., Bojarska E., Stepinski J., Jemielity J., Jankowska-Anyszka M., Davis R.E., Darzynkiewicz E.: Affinity of dinucleotide cap analogues for human decapping scavenger (hDcpS); Nucleos. Nucleot. Nucl. Acids; 2007; 26; 1349-1352.
    34. Mittra B., Zamudio J.R., Bujnicki J.M., Stepinski J., Darzynkiewicz E., Campbell D.A., Sturm N.R.: The TbMTr1 spliced lesder RNA cap 1 2'-O-ribose methyltransferase from Trypanosoma brucei acts with substrate specificity; J. Biol. Chem.; 2008; 283; 3161-3172.
    Participation in research projects:
    Role of 5' mRNA and 5' U snRNA cap structures in regulation of gene expression

    Structure and function of cap-4 in early eukaryotes - trypanosomatides; its chemical analogues as potential drug targets against Leishmania