Dr. Šarūnė Morkūnaitė Haimi

ORCiD iD: 0000-0001-8137-8686
Tel. +370 37 55 52 53 
E-mail: sarune.morkunaite@lammc.lt 
Kauno St. 30, Babtai, LT-54333 Kauno r.

Education 

1999–2003 Doctor degree student at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University.

1996–1998 Masters degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University.

1992–1996 Bachelor of Science in Biology at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University.  

Academic degrees and pedagogical titles

PhD in Biochemistry, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania. Title of the thesis “Induction of Mitochondrial Permeability Transition: Stimulation by Dihydrolipoic acid”.

Research fields

• Biochemistry
• Agronomy

Professional experience

Since 2019 Researcher, Institute of Horticulture, LAMMC.

Since 2016 Lecturer at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University.

2008–2019 Senior Researcher, Institute of Horticulture, LAMMC.

1998 Laboratory Technician, Biomedical Research Institute, Kaunas Medical University (present LSMU).

Memberships and affiliations with professional organizations

• Lithuanian Biochemical Society

Other activities

• Since 2012 Master’s and Bachelor’s thesis committee member at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University.

In-service training

• 2013 Courses by “EU Structural Funds project „Capacity building for the transfer of university and technologies (UniGeb). Unified and unique scientific methodology for innovative agricultural and forestry sciences research”
• 2002 training at University of Helsinki on ethical handling of laboratory animals.
• 1999–2002 multiple visit as visiting/exchange student at University of Helsinki, Department of Medical Chemistry, Helsinki, Finland.
• 2001 Visiting student at University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna,  Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Vienna, Austria.
• 1999 Visiting student at Russian Academy of Science, Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics of the Pushchino.

Involvement in programmes and projects

• 2015–2018 researcher at LRC Scientists group project “Role of lipids in low-temperature adaptation of Apple” (LIPOBA).
• 2001–2002 researcher at Helsinki university project “Mitochondria, apoptosis and diabetes mellitus – pathophysiology of the glucose metabolite methylglyoxal.
• 1998–1999 researcher at CIMO (Centre of International Mobility) funded project “Dihydrolipoic Acid effect on Mitochondria Permeability Transition” University of Helsinki.

MAJOR RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Articles in journals indexed in Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database

1. Morkūnaitė‐Haimi Š., Vinskiene J., Stanienė G., Haimi P. 2019. Differential chloroplast proteomics of temperature adaptation in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) microshoots. Proteomics, 19 (19): 1800142. IF – 3,254
2. Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š., Vinskienė J., Stanienė G., Haimi P. 2018. Efficient isolation of chloroplasts from in vitroshoots of Malus and Prunus. Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, 105 (2): 171–176. IF – 1,020
3. Bendokas V., Šarkinas A., Jasinauskienė D., Anisimovienė N., Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š., Stanys V., Šikšnianas T. 2018. Antimicrobial activity of berries extracts of four Ribes species, their phenolic content and anthocyanin composition. Folia Horticulturae, 30 (2): 249–257. IF – 0,532
4. Stanys V., Baniulis D., Morkunaite-Haimi S., Siksnianiene J. B., Frercks B., Gelvonauskiene D., Stepulaitiene I., Staniene G., Siksnianas T. 2012. Characterising the genetic diversity of Lithuanian sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars using SSR markers. Scientia Horticulturae, 142: 136–142. IF – 1,396
5. Speer O., Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š., Liobikas J., Franck M., Hensbo L., Linder M., Kinnunen P., Wallimann T., Eriksson O. 2003. Rapid suppression of mitochondrial permeability transition by methylglytoxal. Role of reversible arginine modification. The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
6. Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š., Kruglov A., Teplova V., Stolze K., Gille L., Nohl H., Saris N. E. 2003. Reactive oxygen species are involved in the stimulation of the mitochondrial permeability transition by dihydrolipoate. Biochemical Pharmacology, 65: 43–49.
7. Linder M., Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š., Bernardi P., Kinnunen P., Eriksson O. 2002. Ligand-selective modulation of permeability transition pore by arginine modification. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 277: 937–942.
8. Teplova V., Kruglov A., Morkūnaitė Š., Saris N. E. 2002. Induction of superoxide generation and permeability transition in mitochondria by dihydrolipoic acid. Biologicheskije membrany, 19 (3): 238–246.
9. Morkūnaitė Š., Teplova V., Saris N. E. 2000. Mechanism of dihydrolipoate stimulation of the mitochondrial permeability transition: effect of different respiratory substrates. IUMBM-life, 49: 211–216.

Other peer-reviewed publications

1. Šikšnianas T., Stanys V., Rugienius R., Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š. 2009. Tarprūšinių serbentų hibridų ištvermingumas žiemą ir žiedų atsparumas pavasario šalnoms. Sodininkystė ir daržininkystė, 28 (1): 55–63.
2. Stanienė G., Šikšnianas T, Stanys V, Šikšnianienė J. B, Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š. 2008. Požymių raiška juodojo serbento diploidiniuose ir tetraploidiniuose augaluose. Sodininkystė ir daržininkystė, 27 (4): 67–72.
3. Mažeikienė I., Stanys V., Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š., Stanienė G. 2008. Morfologinis ir genetinis žolinių bijūnų polimorfizmas. Sodininkystė ir daržininkystė,  27 (4): 261–274
4. Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š., Mildažienė V., Saris N. E. 2003. Inhibition of pyruvate oxidation in rat liver mitochondria by dihydrolipoic acid. Biologija, 2: 35–37.
5. Morkūnaitė Š., Teplova V., Mildažienė V., Saris N. E. 2000. Stimulation of the mitochondrial permeability transition by dihydrolipoate. The involvement of pyridine nucleotide oxidation and ”P-site” thiol. Biologija, 2: 210–212.
6. Morkūnaitė Š., Banienė R., Marcinkevičiūtė A., Mildažienė V. 1998. Calcium effects on oxidative phosphorylation in rat heart mitochondria. Biologija, 1: 89–91
7. Mildažienė V., Marcinkevičiūtė A., Banienė R., Morkūnaitė Š. 1998. The reversible effect of calcium overload on oxidative phosphorylation in rat heart mitochondria oxidizing different substrates. In BioThermoKinetics In The Post genomic Era (Larsson C., Pahlman I.L., Gustafsson L., Eds). Fiskelbäckskil, SE, p. 147–151.

Monographs, books, textbooks and their sections published by international publishers

1. Rugienius R., Vinskienė J., Andriūnaitė E., Morkūnaitė-Haimi Š., Haimi P.-J., Graham J. 2022. Genomic design of abiotic stress-resistant berries. In: Chittaranjan Kole (ed.). Genomic Designing for Biotic Stress Resistant Fruit Crops. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, p. 197–249.