[Professor Lech Wojtczak (1926-2019) as remembered by his four former students].

The sudden death of Professor Lech Wojtczak, the great Polish biochemist and a remarkable man, our Mentor and Friend, left us in sorrow and emptiness difficult to accept. Two years have passed already from this event and our memories seem to be even more vivid, and his absence even more felt. Hence we decided to put on paper our personal reflections on Lech Wojtczak, each of us concentrating on a slightly different aspect of this towering figure.

Memories and comments on the last 42 years in the Nencki Institute as seen through the eyes of a former director.

The author describes his 42 years in the Nencki Institute (1976-2018), with special emphasis on people and events that marked the life of the Institute during this time. The article contains some personal memories and comments, starting with author's early research in the Nencki Institute, under communism, years of directorship of the Institute (1991-2002) and, finally, the current time.

[Carnitine - mitochondria and beyond].

Carnitine [(3R)-3-hydroxy-4-(trimethylazaniumyl)butanoate] in mammals is mainly delivered with diet. It enters the cell due to the activity of organic cation/carnitine transporter OCTN2 (SLC22A5), it can be as well transported by CT2 (SLC22A16) and a transporter of neutral and basic amino acids ATB (SLC6A14). The hydroxyl group of carnitine is able to form esters with organic acids (xenobiotics, fatty acids) due to the activity of acylcarnitine transferases.

Interaction of palmitoylcarnitine with protein kinase C in neuroblastoma NB-2a cells.

As reported previously [Acta Neurobiol. Exp. 57 (1997) 263], palmitoylcarnitine was observed to promote differentiation of neuroblastoma NB-2a cells with a concomitant inhibition of proliferation and of the phorbol ester stimulated activity of the protein kinase C (PKC).