Mission

The mission of the Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Bacteriology is to expand and strengthen knowledge and understanding of the nature of human cancer associated to infectious agents to improve and develop new strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of this type of cancer.

Activities

• Basic research in molecular pathogenesis of human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Epidemiological research of HPV and other pathogens at different anatomical sites
• Epigenetic analysis of HPV associated diseases
• Research on E6 and E7 oncogene role in HPV associated disease development
• Department unit for molecular analysis of viral and bacterial infections in humans
• The laboratory maintains Croatian bank of nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) isolated from HPV associated cancer and precursors lesions
• The laboratory maintains cell and bacterial cultures for growth and/or expression of HPV genes

Publications in the last 5 years

1. Pešut, Ena; Šimić, Ivana; Kužilkova, Daniela; Kalina, Tomáš; Fureš, Rajko; Erceg Ivkošić, Ivana; Milutin, Nina; Sabol, Ivan. Application of Mass Cytometry in Multiparametric Characterization of Precancerous Cervical Lesions // Cytometry part b-clinical cytometry, (2024), doi: 10.1002/cyto.b.22211
2. Lulić, Lucija; Šimić, Ivana; Božinović, Ksenija; Pešut, Ena; Manojlović, Luka; Grce, Magdalena; Dediol, Emil; Sabol, Ivan; Tomaić, Vjekoslav. Moderate SCRIB Expression Levels Correlate with Worse Prognosis in OPSCC Patients Regardless of HPV Status // Cells, 13 (2024), 12; 1002, 13. doi: 10.3390/cells13121002 
3. Mandić, Katarina; Milutin Gašperov, Nina; Božinović, Ksenija; Dediol, Emil; Krasić, Jure; Sinčić, Nino; Grce, Magdalena; Sabol, Ivan; Barešić, Anja. Integrative analysis in head and neck cancer reveals distinct role of miRNome and methylome as tumour epigenetic drivers // Scientific reports, 14 (2024), 9062, 12. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-59312-z
4. Pešut, Ena; Šimić, Ivana; Fureš, Rajko; Milutin Gašperov, Nina; Lež, Cvjetko; Feratović, Fabijan; Kukina Žvigač, Tomica; Grce, Magdalena; Erceg Ivkošić, Ivana; Sabol, Ivan. Monitoring HPV Prevalence and Risk Cofactors for Abnormal Cytology in the Post-Vaccination Period among Croatian Women // Viruses, 16 (2024), 4; 642, 10. doi: 10.3390/v16040642
5. Skelin, Josipa; Luk, Ho Yin; Butorac, Dražan; Boon, Siaw Shi; Tomaić, Vjekoslav. The effects of HPV oncoproteins on host communication networks: Therapeutic connotations // Journal of medical virology, 95 (2023), 12; e29315, 18. doi: 10.1002/jmv.29315
6. Skelin, Josipa; Đukić, Anamaria; Filić, Vedrana ; Hufbauer, Martin ; Akgul, Baki ; Thomas Miranda ; Lawrence, Banks ; Tomaić, Vjekoslav. MAML1-induced HPV E6 oncoprotein stability is required for cellular proliferation and migration of cervical tumor-derived cells // Journal of medical virology, 95 (2023), 3; 5, 19. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.28624
7. Skelin, Josipa; Tomaić, Vjekoslav. Comparative Analysis of Alpha and Beta HPV E6 Oncoproteins: Insights into Functional Distinctions and Divergent Mechanisms of Pathogenesis // Viruses, 15 (2023), 11; 2253, 25. doi: 10.3390/v15112253
8. Šimić, Ivana ; Božinović, Ksenija ; Milutin Gašperov, Nina ; Kordić, Mario ; Pešut, Ena ; Manojlović, Luka ; Grce, Magdalena ; Dediol, Emil ; Sabol, Ivan. Head and Neck Cancer Patients’ Survival According to HPV Status, miRNA Profiling, and Tumour Features—A Cohort Study // International journal of molecular sciences, 24 (2023), 4; 3344, 15. doi: 10.3390/ijms24043344
9. Lulić, Lucija; Jakovčević, Antonia; Kovačić, Iva; Manojlović, Luka; Dediol, Emil; Skelin, Josipa; Tomaić, Vjekoslav. HPV16 impacts NHERF2 expression in oropharyngeal cancers // Pathogens, 12 (2023), 8; 1013, 11. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12081013
10. Skelin, Josipa ; Sabol, Ivan ; Tomaić, Vjekoslav. Do or Die: HPV E5, E6 and E7 in Cell Death Evasion // Pathogens, 11 (2022), 9; 1027, 16. doi: 10.3390/pathogens11091027
11. Tomaić, Vjekoslav ; Milutin Gašperov, Nina ; Sabol, Ivan ; Grce, Magdalena. Onkogeneza povezana s HPV-om u tumorima glave i vrata // Liječnički vjesnik : glasilo Hrvatskoga liječničkog zbora, 144 (2022), 3-4; 106-111. doi: 10.26800/lv-144-3-4-7
12. Milutin Gašperov, Nina ; Sabol, Ivan ; Tomaić, Vjekoslav ; Grce, Magdalena. Epigenetički biljezi u tumorima glave i vrata: posebni osvrt na tumore orofarinksa povezane s HPV-om // Liječnički vjesnik : glasilo Hrvatskoga liječničkog zbora, 144 (2022), 3-4; 96-105. doi: 10.26800/lv-144-3-4-6
13. Lulić, Lucija ; Jakovčević, Antonia ; Manojlović, Luka ; Dediol, Emil ; Banks, Lawrence ; Tomaić, Vjekoslav. Human DLG1 and SCRIB are distinctly regulated independently of HPV-16 during the progression of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas: a preliminary analysis // Cancers, 13 (2021), 17; 4461, 15. doi: 10.3390/cancers13174461
14. Pešut, Ena ; Đukić, Anamaria ; Lulić, Lucija ; Skelin, Josipa ; Šimić, Ivana ; Gašperov, Nina Milutin ; Tomaić, Vjekoslav ; Sabol, Ivan ; Grce, Magdalena. Human Papillomaviruses-Associated Cancers: An Update of Current Knowledge // Viruses, 13 (2021), 11; 2234, 32. doi: 10.3390/v13112234
15. Glodić, Goran ; Samaržija, Miroslav ; Sabol, Ivan ; Bulat Kardum, Ljiljana ; Carević Vladić, Vesna ; Džubur, Feđa ; Jakopović, Marko ; Kuhtić, Ivana ; Marušić, Ante ; Mihelčić, Dina  et al. Risk factors for nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) in Croatia // Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 133 (2021), 21-22; 1195-1200. doi: 10.1007/s00508-021-01923-x
16. Milutin Gašperov, Nina ; Sabol, Ivan ; Božinović, Ksenija ; Dediol, Emil ; Mravak-Stipetić, Marinka ; Licastro, Danilo ; Dal Monego, Simeone ; Grce, Magdalena. DNA methylome distinguishes head and neck cancer from potentially malignant oral lesions and healthy oral mucosa // International journal of molecular sciences, 21 (2020), 18; 6853, 23. doi: 10.3390/ijms21186853
17. Marušić, Ante ; Kuhtić, Ivana ; Mažuranić, Ivica ; Janković, Mateja ; Glodić, Goran ; Sabol, Ivan ; Stanić, Lucija. Nodular distribution pattern on chest computed tomography (CT) in patients diagnosed with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections // Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 133 (2020), s00508-020-01701-1, 8. doi: 10.1007/s00508-020-01701-1
18. Kirschberg, Matthias ; Heuser, Sandra ; Marcuzzi, Gian Paolo ; Hufbauer, Martin ; Seeger, Jens Michael ; Đukić, Anamaria ; Tomaić, Vjekoslav ; Majewski, Slawomir ; Wagner, Steffen ; Wittekindt, Claus  et al. ATP synthase modulation leads to an increase of spare respiratory capacity in HPV associated cancers // Scientific reports, 10 (2020), 1; 17339, 12. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-74311-6
19. Đukić, Anamaria ; Lulić, Lucija ; Thomas, Miranda ; Skelin, Josipa ; Saidu, Nathaniel Edward Bennett ; Grce, Magdalena ; Banks, Lawrence ; Tomaić, Vjekoslav. HPV Oncoproteins and the Ubiquitin Proteasome System: A Signature of Malignancy? // Pathogens, 9 (2020), 2; 1-27. doi: 10.3390/pathogens9020133