LABORATORY OF CELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY – The Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology

Ultrastructure and cytochemistry of microorganisms from diverse phylogenetic groups – viruses, prokaryotes (bacteria, actinomycetes) and eukaryotes (yeast, fungi).
Biofilms – structure, development and control.
In situ nteraction of bacteria with cultured cells.
Bacterial phenotypes and phenotypic variations

PROJECTS:

Ongoing:

Contract КП-06 Н41/8, NSF, “Novel polymeric and natural agents for control of bacterial virulence”. Principal investigator: Assoc. Prof. Tsvetelina Paunova-Krasteva, PhD
Contract KP-06-Russia-17 NSF, Degradation of plastic wastes from extremophilic prokaryotes, Bilateral Projects 2019 – BULGARIA– RUSSIA. Principal investigator :M. Kambourova
Contract KP-06 OPR 03/16, NSF. PROBIOTTCS AND HEALTH: Mode of action of selected strains of Bulgarian Lactic acid bacteria. Principal investigator S. Danova
Contract DN01/1, NSF “Catalase in Antarctic fungi: antioxidant role, localization, regulation and properties” (2016-2019), Principal investigator E. Krumova.
Suppression and destruction of biofilm formation using novel antibiofilm nanostructurematerials: A multi-disciplinary approach. Bilateral project with ASRT, Egypt. Principal investigator S. Stoitsova.
Contract no. 2017/26/D/ST5/00062 “Star polymer nanolayer with antibacterial properties”, The Center of Polymer and Carbon Materials of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Zabrze, Poland, Principal investigator for SAIM Ts. Paunova-Krasteva

Completed recently:

PTR-43-16 “The Role of ExoY nucleotidyl cyclase toxin in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections” (1917-1918), Principal investigator U. Mechold, Institute Pasteur, Paris; Co-ordinator for SAIM: S. Stoitsova
Contract No DFNP-55/27.04.2016 “Invesiveness and biofolm formation adaptations for persistence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from patients with cystic fibrosis after tobramycin therapy” (2016 – 2017). Supported by “Programme for Carrier Development of Young Scientists”, BAS,. Principal investigator Paunova-Krasteva.
COST ActionBM1003 “Microbial cell surface determinants of virulence as targets for new therapeutics in Cystic fibrosis” (2010-2014). European network including 16 EU countries. Project co-ordinator: Professor A. Molinaro, Federico II University, Naples, Italy; Secretary: Dr R. Berisio, Federico II University, Naples, Italy; Co-ordinator for Bulgaria: Dr S. Stoitsova.

SELECTED PUBLICATION:

Krumova E., Koeva E., Stoitsova, S., Paunova-Krasteva, T., Stoyancheva G., Angelova M. Cell response of Antarctic strain Penicillium griseofulvum against low temperature stress. Polish Polar Research. 2021. (in press)

Atanasova, N., Paunova-Krasteva, T., Stoitsova, S., Radchenkova, N., Boyadzhieva, I., Petrov, K., Kambourova, M. Degradation of Poly(ε-caprolactone) by a Thermophilic Community and Brevibacillus thermoruber Strain 7 Isolated from Bulgarian Hot Spring. Biomolecules 2021, 11, 1488. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11101488

Atanasova, N., Stoitsova, S., Paunova-Krasteva, T., Kambourova, M. Plastic Degradation by Extremophilic Bacteria. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 5610. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22115610

Guncheva M., Idakieva K., Todinova S., Yancheva D., Paunova-Krasteva Ts., Ossowicz P., Janus E. Structural, Thermal, and Storage Stability of Rapana Thomasiana Hemocyanin in the Presence of Cholinium-Amino Acid-Based Ionic Liquids. Molecules 2021, 26, 1714. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26061714

Paunova-Krasteva Ts., Haladjova E, Petrov P, Forys A, Trzebicka B, Topouzova-Hristova T., Stoitsova S. 2020. Destruction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa preformed biofilms by cationic polymer micelles bearing silver nanoparticles. Biofouling, 36, (6), 679-695. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927014.2020.1799354

Ahmedova A., Mihaylova R, Stoykova S, Mihaylova V, Paunova-Krasteva Ts., Mihaylov L, Stoitsova S, Nihtianova D., Momekov G, Momekova D, Yoshizawa M. 2020. Enhanced cellular uptake of platinum by a tetracationic Pt(II) nanocapsule and its implications to cancer treatment. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 155 (2020), 105545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejps.2020.105545

Georgiev, G., Borisova, D., Petrov, P., 2020. Super-macroporous composite cryogels based on biodegradable dextran and temperature-responsive poly (N-isopropylacrylamide). J Appl Polymer Science, e49301. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/app.49301

Borisova, D., Haladjova, E., Kyulavska, M., Petrov, P., Pispas, S., Stoitsova, S., Paunova-Krasteva, Ts., 2018. Application of cationic polymer micelles for the dispersal of bacterial biofilms. Eng. Life Sci., 18(12), 943-948, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/elsc.201800040

Borisova, D., Strateva, T., Paunova-Krasteva, Ts., Mitov, I., Stoitsova, S., 2018. Phenotypic investigation of paired Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from cystic fibrosis patients prior- and post-tobramycin treatment. CR de l’Academie Bulgare des Sciences, 71(8), 1044-1051, DOI:10.7546/CRABS.2018.08.05

Georgieva, K., Georgieva, L., Mizinska-Boevska, Ya., Stoitsova, SR, 2016. Study of surface carbohydrates of Galba truncatula tissuas before andafter infection with Fasciola hepativa. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 111(7), 475-483. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4957501/pdf/0074-0276-mioc-0074-02760160141.pdf

Stoitsova, S.R., Paunova-Krasteva, Ts., Borisova, D., 2016. Modulation of biofilm growth by sub-inhibitory amounts of antibacterial substances. In: Microbial Biofilms. Importance and Applications. Dhanasekaran D. & Thajuddin N, Eds., InnTech, Rijeka, Croatia, ISBN 978-953-51-2435-1. pp 441-462. https://www.intechopen.com/books/microbial-biofilms-importance-and-applications/modulation-of-biofilm-growth-by-sub-inhibitory-amounts-of-antibacterial-substances

Cullen L, Weiser R, Olszak T, Maldonado RF, Moreira AS, Slachmuylders L, Brackman G, Paunova-Krasteva TS, Zarnowiec P, Czerwonka G, Reilly J, Drevinek P, Kaca W, Melter O, de Soyza A, Perry A, Winstanley C, Stoitsova SR, Lavigne R, Mahenthiralingam E, Sá-Correia I, Coenye T, Drulis-Kawa Z, Augustyniak D, Valvano MA, McClean S., 2015. Phenotypic characterization of an international Pseudomonas aeruginosa reference panel: Strains of cystic fibrosis origin show less in vivo virulence than non-CF strains. Microbiology. 161(10):1961-77. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.000155. https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.000155#tab2

Tropcheva R., Lesev N., Danova S., Stoitsova S., Kaloyanova S. , 2015. Novel cyanine and homodimeric styryl dyas as fluorescent probes for assessment of lactic acid bacteria cell viability. J. Photochem. Photobiol. B: Biology, 143: 120-129. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1011134415000068

Paunova-Krasteva Ts., Pavlova V., DeCastro C., Ivanova R., Molinaro A., Nikolova E., Stoitsova S., 2014. Cyclic enterobacterial common antigens from Escherichia coli O157 as microbe-associated molecular patterns. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 60, 173-176. Doi 10.1139/cjm-2013-0697. PMID: 24588391, https://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full/10.1139/cjm-2013-0697?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&

Abrashev R., Stoitsova S., Krumova E., Pashova S., Paunova-Krasteva T., Vassilev S., Dolashka-Angelova P., Angelova M., 2014. Temperature stress tolerance of the fungal strain Aspergillus niger 26: physiological and ultrastructural changes. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 30, 1661-1668. doi: 10.1007/s11274-013-1586-8, PMID: 24366816. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11274-013-1586-8

De Soyza, A., Hall, A., Mahenthiralingam, E., Drevinek, P., Kaca, W., Drulis-Kawa, Z., Stoitsova S., Toth, V., Coenye, T., Zlosnik, J., Burns, J., Correia, I., De Vos, D., Pirnay, J.-P., Kidd, T., Reid, D., Manos, J., Klockgether, J., Wiehlmann, L., Tummler, B., McClean, S., Winstanley, C., 2013. Developing an international Pseudomonas aeruginosa reference panel. MicrobiologyOpen, doi: 10.1002/mbo3.141, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/mbo3.141

Nikolova K., Kaloyanova S., Mihaylova N., Stoitsova S., Chausheva S., Vsilev A., Lesev N., Dimitrova P., Deligeorgiev T., Tchorbanov A., 2013. New fluorogenic dyes for analysis of cellular processes by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. J. Photochem. Photobiol. B, 129C, 125-134, doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2013.10.010, PMID: 24214409. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1011134413002352

Vacheva A, Ivanova R, Paunova-Krasteva T, Stoitsova S., 2012. Released products of pathogenic bacteria stimulate biofilm formation by Escherichia coli K-12 strains. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 102(1), 105-19, doi: 10.1007/s10482-012-9718-y PMID: 22419503 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10482-012-9718-y

Fregolino E, Ivanova R, Lanzetta R, Molinaro A, Parrilli M, Paunova-Krasteva T, Stoitsova SR, De Castro C., 2012. Occurrence and structure of cyclic common enterobacterial antigen from Escherichia coli O157:H(-). Carbohydr Res. 363, 29-32, doi: 10.1016/j.carres.2012.09.017. PMID: 23103511. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0008621512003953?via%3Dihub

Sotirova A, Avramova T, Stoitsova S, Lazarkevich I, Lubenets V, Karpenko E, Galabova D., 2012, The importance of rhamnolipid-biosurfactant-induced changes in bacterial membrane lipids of Bacillus subtilis for the antimicrobial activity of thiosulfonates. Curr Microbiol., 65 (5): 534-41, PMID: 22810959. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00284-012-0191-7