Jan Łyczakowski, PhD

room: B105 (3.0.33)

phone: + 48 12 664 63 47

e-mail: jan.lyczakowski@uj.edu.pl

Research interests

1. Biochemistry and molecular architecture of wood

2. Biosynthesis of primary and secondary cell wall polysaccharides in trees

3. Impact of environmental signals on the process of wood biosynthesis

4. Use of cell wall polysaccharides for the manufacturing of biodegradable plastics

5. Use of lignocellulosic biomass in industrial processes

Awards and research grants

2023 - 2027 OPUS 24 NCN Structure and biosynthesis of primary cell wall hemicelluloses in trees and their significance in plant cell mechanics.Project being performed in collaboration with the University of Silesia.

2022-2025 SONATA 17 NCN The importance of polysaccharides for the dieback of European ash  (Fraxinus excelsior L.) 

2019 – 2022 NCN SONATINA3 Environment driven variation in the molecular architecture of softwood

2018 Cambridge Society for the Application of Research PhD student award for applied research

2014 – 2018 PhD at the University of Cambridge founded by BBSRC DTP

2014 Charles River Laboratories Prize for top biotechnology student at the University of Edinburgh

2012 Nuffield Foundation and BBSRC funded scholarship to work at the John Innes Centre in Norwich

Publications

1. Gallinari RH, Lyczakowski JJ, Llerena JPP, Mayer JLS, Rabelo SC, Menossi, M, Dupree P, Araujo P. Silencing ScGUX2 reduces xylan glucuronidation and improves biomass saccharification in sugarcane. Plant Biotechnology Journal (2023)
2. Krzeszowiec W, Lewandowska A, Lyczakowski JJ, Bebko K, Scholz SS, Gabryś H. Two types of GLR channels cooperate differently in light and dark growth of Arabidopsis seedlings. BMC Plant Biology (2023), 23, 358.
3. Bourdon M, Lyczakowski JJ, Cresswell R, Amsbury S, Vilaplana F, Le Guen MJ, Follain N, Wightman R, Su C, Alatorre-Cobos F, Ritter M, Liszka A, Terrett OM, Yadav SR, Vaten A, Nieminen K, Eswaran G, Alonso-Serra J, Muller KH, Iuga D, Miskolczi PC, Kolmbach L, Otero S, Mahonen AP, Bhalerao R, Bulone V, Mansfield SD, Hill S, Beaugrand I, Benitez-Alfonso Y, Dupree R, Dupree P, Helariutta Y. Ectopic callose deposition into woody biomass modulates the nano-architecture of macrofibrils. Nature Plants (2023), 9, 1530-1546.
4. Liszka A, Wightman R, Latowski D, Bourdon M, Krogh KBRM, Pietrzykowski M, Lyczakowski JJ. Structural differences of cell walls in earlywood and latewood of Pinus sylvestris and their contribution to biomass recalcitrance. Frontiers in Plant Science (2023) 14, 1283093.
5. Pu Duan, Samuel J. Kaser, Jan J. Lyczakowski, Pyae Phyo, Theodora Tryfona, Paul Dupree*, and Mei Hong. Xylan Structure and Dynamics in Native Brachypodium Grass Cell Walls Investigated by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy. ACS Omega 2021, 6, 23, 15460–15471; 
6. Jan J. Lyczakowski, Li Yu, Oliver M. Terrett, Christina Fleischmann, Henry Temple, Glenn Thorlby, Mathias Sorieul, Paul Dupree. Two conifer GUX clades are responsible for distinct glucuronic acid patterns on xylan. New Phytologist (2021)
7. Lyczakowski JJ, Bourdon M, Terrett OM, Helariutta Y, Wightman R, Dupree P. 2019. Structural Imaging of Native Cryo-Preserved Secondary Cell Walls Reveals the Presence of Macrofibrils and Their Formation Requires Normal Cellulose, Lignin and Xylan Biosynthesis, Frontiers in Plant Science, 10 (1398) 
8. Terrett OM, Lyczakowski JJ, Yu L, Iuga D, Franks TW, Brown SP, Dupree R, Dupree P. 2019. Molecular architecture of softwood revealed by solid-state NMR, Nature Communications, 10 (4978)
9. Santos AC, Morais ABM, Terrett OM, Lyczakowski JJ, Zanphorlin LM, Ferreira-Filho JA, Tonoli CCC, Murakami MT, Dupree P, Souza AP. 2019. An engineered GH1 β-glucosidase displays enhanced glucose tolerance and increased sugar release from lignocellulosic materials, Scientific Reports, 9 (4903)
10. Yu L, Lyczakowski JJ, Pereira CS, Kotake T, Yu X, Li A, Mogelsvang S, Skaf MS, Dupree P. 2018. The patterned structure of galactoglucomannan suggests it may bind to cellulose in seed mucilage, Plant Physiology, 178 (1011)
11. Grantham NJ, Wurman-Rodrich J, Terrett OM, Lyczakowski JJ, Stott K, Iuga D, Simmons TJ, Durand-Tardif M, Brown SP, Dupree R, Busse-Wicher M, Dupree P. 2017. An even pattern of xylan substitution is critical for interaction with cellulose in plant cell walls, Nature Plants, 3 (11)
12. Lyczakowski JJ, Wicher KB, Terrett OM, Faria-Blanc N, Yu X, Brown D, Krogh KBRM, Dupree P, Busse-Wicher M.  2017. Removal of glucuronic acid from xylan is a strategy to improve the conversion of plant biomass to sugars for bioenergy, Biotechnology for Biofuels, 10 (224)
13. Best RJ, Lyczakowski JJ, Abalde-Cela S, Yu Z, Abell C, Smith AG. 2016. Label-Free Analysis and Sorting of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria in Microdroplets by Intrinsic Chlorophyll Fluorescence for the Identification of Fast Growing Strains, ACS Analytical Chemistry, 88 (21)
14. Busse-Wicher M, Grantham NJ, Lyczakowski JJ, Nikolovski N, Dupree P. 2016. Xylan decoration patterns and the plant secondary cell wall molecular architecture, Biochem. Soc. Trans., 44 (1)
15. Lewicka AJ, Lyczakowski JJ (co-first authors) et al. 2014. Fusion of Pyruvate Decarboxylase and Alcohol Dehydrogenase Increases Ethanol Production in Escherichia coli, ACS Synth. Bio., 3 (12)