Publications

Papers

13 peer-reviewed articles and reviews, plus 1 preprint. Full, always-current lists are on ORCID, Google Scholar and PubMed.

An ancestral tRNA maturation enzyme repurposed for cytoplasmic non-coding RNA processingShaukat A-N., Dondeti M.F., Maniatis A., Skeparnias I., Kaliatsi E.G., Anastasakis D.G., Zhang J., Vourekas A. and Stathopoulos C.
bioRxiv (2026)First authorPreprint · not yet peer-revieweddoi:10.64898/2026.10.07.757187
Human ELAC1 (RNase Z^S) is dispensable for canonical tRNA processing but binds structured RNA polymerase III transcripts and directly cleaves all four vault RNAs near their 3′ ends — evidence that the two human RNase Z paralogs have specialised.
PNLDC1 deadenylase affects translational rate and cell proliferation in mESCsSkeparnias I., Shaukat A-N., Katsioulas C., Anastasakis D., Grafanaki K., Chondrou V., Sgourou A., Zhang J., Papakyriakou A. and Stathopoulos C.
RNA (2026) advance online publicationdoi:10.1261/rna.081162.126
Pnldc1-knockout mouse embryonic stem cells stay pluripotent but translate less; the gene is silenced by promoter methylation during differentiation, and two compounds found by virtual screening against a PNLDC1 model curb aberrant proliferation.
Mitochondrial tRNA biogenesis, modifications and disease relevanceZhu W-Y., Skeparnias I., Shaukat A-N., Zhang J. and Liu R-J.
Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol (2026) advance online publicationReviewdoi:10.1038/s41580-026-00999-5
Reviews how mitochondrial tRNAs are processed, modified and recognised by co-evolved synthetases and mitoribosomes, and links to human disease and emerging therapies.

Conduits, Doppelgängers, and Chimeras: RNA Structures at the Virus–Host InterfaceShaukat A-N. and Zhang J.
Annu Rev Virol (2025) 12(1):277–298First authorReviewdoi:10.1146/annurev-virology-100422-031237
Reviews how structured viral RNAs subvert host machinery — often by mimicking cellular RNAs (“doppelgängers”) or fusing features of several host RNAs (“chimeras”).
Vault Particles in Cancer Progression, Multidrug Resistance, and Drug Delivery: Current Insights and Future ApplicationsManiatis A., Rizopoulou D., Shaukat A-N., Grafanaki K., Stamatopoulou V. and Stathopoulos C.
Int J Mol Sci (2025) 26(4):1562Reviewdoi:10.3390/ijms26041562
How vault particles and vault RNAs contribute to cancer progression and multidrug resistance, and their promise as drug-delivery vehicles.

Integrative analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and exosomes from small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients: a comprehensive approachPapakonstantinou D., Roumeliotou A., Pantazaka E., Shaukat A-N., Christopoulou A., Koutras A., Dimitrakopoulos F.I., Georgoulias V., Xagara A., Chantzara E., Koinis F., Kotsakis A., Stathopoulos C. and Kallergi G.
Mol Oncol (2024) 19(7):2038–2055doi:10.1002/1878-0261.13765
In 100 SCLC patients, JUNB, CXCR4 and PD-L1 in circulating tumour cells and exosomes emerged as prognostic markers; JUNB/CXCR4-positive CTCs predicted poorer survival.
Recombinant Human TSH Fails to Induce the Proliferation and Migration of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cell LinesKalampounias G., Varemmenou A., Aronis C., Mamali I., Shaukat A-N., Chartoumpekis D.V., Katsoris P. and Michalaki M.
Cancers (2024) 16(14):2604doi:10.3390/cancers16142604
Clinically relevant rhTSH doses did not drive growth or migration of papillary thyroid cancer cells, questioning the rationale for aggressive TSH suppression.

Integrated signaling and transcriptome analysis reveals Src-family kinase individualities and novel pathways controlled by their constitutive activityKoutras N., Morfos V., Konnaris K., Kouvela A., Shaukat A-N., Stathopoulos C., Stamatopoulou V. and Nika K.
Front Immunol (2023) 14:1224520doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1224520
Lck and Lyn act on overlapping substrates but are regulated differently; on their own they trigger activation-like gene expression and ER-phagy in B cells.

LRF Promotes Indirectly Advantageous Chromatin Conformation via BGLT3-lncRNA Expression and Switch from Fetal to Adult HemoglobinChondrou V., Shaukat A-N., Psarias G., Athanasopoulou K., Iliopoulou E., Damanaki A., Stathopoulos C. and Sgourou A.
Int J Mol Sci (2022) 23(13):7025doi:10.3390/ijms23137025
The transcription factor LRF drives BGLT3 lncRNA expression, opening chromatin to support the switch from fetal to adult haemoglobin.

The Dynamic Network of RNP RNase P SubunitsShaukat A-N., Kaliatsi E.G., Skeparnias I. and Stathopoulos C.
Int J Mol Sci (2021) 22(19):10307First authorReviewdoi:10.3390/ijms221910307
A review of RNase P protein subunits — the ribonucleoprotein that matures tRNA 5′ ends — and their emerging moonlighting roles in human cells.
Mitochondrial tRNA-Derived Fragments and Their Contribution to Gene Expression RegulationShaukat A-N., Kaliatsi E.G., Stamatopoulou V. and Stathopoulos C.
Front Physiol (2021) 12:729452First authorReviewdoi:10.3389/fphys.2021.729452
How fragments cleaved from mitochondrial tRNAs under stress, mutation or infection may act as regulators of gene expression.

Functional and Structural Aspects of La Protein Overexpression in Lung CancerKaliatsi E.G., Argyriou A.I., Bouras G., Apostolidi M., Konstantinidou P., Shaukat A-N., Spyroulias G.A. and Stathopoulos C.
J Mol Biol (2020) 432(24):166712doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2020.11.011
La overexpression in lung cancer cells boosts growth and motility and shifts translation toward IRES-driven initiation; NMR shows the La motif alone binds pre-tRNA.

Expanding the repertoire of deadenylasesSkeparnias I., Anastasakis D., Shaukat A-N., Grafanaki K. and Stathopoulos C.
RNA Biology (2017) 14(10):1320–1325doi:10.1080/15476286.2017.1300222
Perspective on newly identified deadenylases such as PNLDC1 and their roles in piRNA biogenesis, stem-cell gene regulation and epigenetics.

Mammalian PNLDC1 is a novel poly(A) specific exonuclease with discrete expression during early developmentAnastasakis D., Skeparnias I., Shaukat A-N., Grafanaki K., Kanellou A., Taraviras S., Papachristou D.J., Papakyriakou A. and Stathopoulos C.
Nucleic Acids Research (2016) 44(18):8908–8920doi:10.1093/nar/gkw709
PNLDC1 is a new poly(A)-specific exonuclease expressed in embryonic stem cells, testes and early embryos, silenced by DNMT3B methylation.