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INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR GENETICS
AND GENETIC ENGINEERING
University of Belgrade

Muscle Cellular and Molecular Biology

  • The Group for Muscle Cellular and Molecular Biology investigates different aspects of the structure and function of striated muscle - heart and skeletal muscle. Of our particular interest are molecular mechanisms of:

    • Heart regeneration
    • Skeletal muscle repair
    • Adaptation of muscle cells to stress
    • Rhabdomyosarcoma development and progression.

    Central role in studying the processes involved in recovery of muscle tissue after injury and adaptive response to stress belongs to the genes encoding members of the family of muscle proteins with ankyrin repeats (Muscle Ankyrin Repeat Proteins, MARP). ANKRD1 and ANKRD2 participate in mechanotransduction of signals from the sarcomere to the nucleus, where they modulate the expression of target genes. They are expressed during the development of the heart and skeletal muscle, upon increased mechanical load and in pathological conditions, such as myocardial infarction and myopathies. By profiling their expression, identification of interacting partners and signaling pathways in which they are involved, and deciphering their function we are getting deeper insight into mechanisms of muscle regeneration and repair, both in physiological and stress conditions. We analyze ANKRD1 and ANKRD2 genes as markers for the differential diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma, and consider them as potential therapeutic targets.

    We employ the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an in vivo model system. In order to decipher the function of genes under the study, we use mutants generated by Crispr / Cas9 technology and reporter lines. We established a model of myocardial infarction, mechanical injury of skeletal muscle, and model of increased physical activity by forced swimming. In addition to zebrafish, we use cell cultures and cadaveric human muscle samples. A wide range of methods and techniques for protein analysis, including western blot, immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, methods for detection of protein-protein interactions (such as pull down and co-immunoprecipitation), as well as fluorescence and confocal microscopy are proficiently used in our research.

  • Snežana Kojić

    Full Research Professor

    Group for Muscle Cellular and Molecular Biology
    Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Genomics

    Snežana Kojić is a Full Research Professor and Head of the Muscle Cellular and Molecular Biology Group at the IMGGE, where she has been employed since 1992. Since 2023, she has also served as Chair of the Institute’s Scientific Council. From 2017 to 2025, she served as a member or chair of the Ethics Committee for the Welfare of Experimental Animals at IMGGE, and she is one of the co-founders of the registered zebrafish breeding facility at the Institute.

    Her current research focuses on various aspects of the structure and function of striated muscle. Utilizing the zebrafish as a model organism known for its exceptional regenerative capacity, her work explores comparative molecular mechanisms underlying heart regeneration and skeletal muscle repair. Although differing in their injury response mechanisms, the heart and skeletal muscle share numerous similarities, including involvement of the immune response, extracellular matrix remodeling, and conserved signaling pathways. Insights from this research may inform the development of therapeutic strategies for restoring damaged muscle tissues in mammals.

    She was the principal investigator of the ZEBARR project, funded by the IDEAS program of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, which was dedicated to identifying shared and tissue-specific transcriptional programs activated during heart regeneration and skeletal muscle repair, and to uncovering the regulatory role of one of the key shared components of these two processes. Her team offers expertise built on the intersection of regenerative biology, molecular cardiology, and translational research in the areas of cardiovascular drug development, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering initiatives, exercise physiology and rehabilitation science and partnerships for zebrafish model-based screening platforms.

    Dr. Kojić is the author of the monograph “Structure and Dynamics of the Sarcomere”, published in 2017. She has supervised four PhD theses and is currently supervising one more. Since 2007, she has been actively involved in the doctoral program in Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, where she is an accredited mentor.

  • ASSISTANT RESEARCH PROFESSOR

    RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    JUNIOR RESEARCHER

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