Members' Directory

Biography: I was born in Naples 22th/6/1966.
I obtained a diploma in Biology in 1990 and completed my PhD in 1996.
I worked as Postdoc at the Medical School of "Magna Grecia" and "Federico II" Universities.

Biography: PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTHDAY: Napoli (Italy) - November 19, 1957
CITIZENSHIP: Italian

EDUCATION
Degree in Biology. University "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
PhD in Cellular Biology, University of Pavia, Italy.

POSITIONS HELD
- From June 2002. Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, University "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
- January 1996 - May 2002. Research Associate. Dept. of Public Health – Parasitology Unit, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy. Prof. M. Coluzzi group. (From July 1999 to June 2000 at EMBL).
- 1990 -1995. IMBB- and EU-Postdoctoral fellow. Insect Molecular Genetics Group, Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (Heraklion, Crete, Greece). Supervisor: Prof. C. Savakis.
- 1989 -1990. CNR fellow. CNR Institute of Cybernetics, Arco Felice (Naples, Italy). Dr. L. De Petrocellis laboratory.
- 1986 -1989. Post-degree training. Department of Genetics, General and Molecular Biology (DGBM), University "Federico II", Naples, Italy. Prof. Laura Fucci laboratory.

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS
Molecular biology studies on the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae with special emphasis on the salivary glands, transgenesis and host-parasite interactions. Transposable elements.

Biography: Education:
1986 Doctoral Degree in Biological Sciences, summa cum laude, University of Naples ??Federico II?, Italy

Scientific and academic career:
1983-1986 Pre-doctoral fellow, Dept. of Organic and Biological Chemistry, University of Naples ?Federico II?, Italy
1987 Visiting fellow, European Laboratory for Molecular Biology (EMBL), Heidelberg
1988-1990 Post-doctoral fellow from Italian Association for Cancer Research, Dept. of Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples ?Federico II?, Italy
1991-1992 Scientific consultant for Genetic Engineering Center, Dept. of Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples ?Federico II?, Italy
1993-2005 Research Associate of Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Catanzaro ?Magna Graecia?, Italy
2005-onward Associate Professor of Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Catanzaro ?Magna Graecia?, Italy

Main research fields:
1983-1986 Studies on the primary structure of protamine from Chaetopterus variopedatus
1987-1990 Identification of promoter regions responsible for acute phase induction of the C-reactive protein gene; regulation by IL-1 and IL-6
1991-1992 Production in Escherichia coli and structure-function studies of IL-6 and Lipocortin-1
1993-1997 Thrombin engineering: production of mutants with altered enzymatic activity and studies on mitogenic activity
1998-2002 Thrombin-serpin complex: production of ATIII and protease Nexin1 (PN1); biochemical interactions with thrombin mutants. Role of thrombin-serpin balance in cell proliferation and differentiation
2003 Studies on selective inhibitory activity of tacrine-like molecules (paraquat, MPTP, MPDP and MPP+) on hydrolysis by acetylcholine and butyrylcholine esterase
2004-onward Studies on antitumor effects of IL-6 receptor super-antagonist Sant7 in vitro model of human myeloma

Biography: Education:
1972-1976 Degree with honours in Biological Sciences
University of Rome, IT
1976 Course in Marine Biology
Station Biologique, Roscoff, FR
1977 EMBO course 'Electron microscopy of nucleic acids'
EMBL, Heidelberg, DE
1987 EMBO course 'Antibodies in cell biology'
EMBL, Heidelberg, DE

Current position:
from 2000 Full Professor of Molecular Biology
University of Siena, IT

Previous positions:
1976-1978 Post-doctoral research associate
Centro Acidi Nucleici CNR, Rome, IT
1978-80 Post-doctoral long-term EMBO fellow
EMBL, Heidelberg, DE
1981-1986 Staff scientist
Dpt. of Genetics and Molecular Biology
University of Rome ?La Sapienza?, IT
1983 Visiting scientist
EMBL, Heidelberg, DE
1986-1998 Staff scientist
Dpt. of Evolutionary Biology
University of Siena, IT
1998-2000 Associate Professor of Molecular Biology
University of Siena, IT

Group leader and Co-ordinator of the research activities of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the Department of Evolutionary Biology (University of Siena)

Organization of courses and meetings
1994 EC COMET course 'PCR technology and its applications' Siena
1997, 1999, 2002 EMBO Workshop 'Lymphocyte antigen receptor and coreceptor signaling' Siena
Memberships:
Editorial Board Eur. J. Immunol.
Advisory Board Journal of Mol. Biol. Biotechnol. and Signal Transduction
Ad hoc reviewer of Blood, J. Biol. Chem., EMBO Reports, FEBS Lett, J. Cell. Physiol. , Hum.Mut., Tissue and Cell, Biochem. Pharmacol.
Member of the Italian Society of Biophysics and Molecular Biology and of the Italian Society of Immunology
Expert for the evaluation EC projects IV and V FP, INTAS, Wellcome Trust
Referee for the Italian National Institute of Health and the Italian Association for Cancer Research
Supervisor in the Open University PhD Program

Biography: Present Position
Lecturer in the Dept. Of Biothecnology and Biosciences, University of Milano ? Bicocca.

Reaserch Project: Mechanisms of alternative pre-mRNA processing and their role in human disease
In higher eukaryotes, many alternative splicing events involve the choice of alternative terminal exons. Studies on the definition of the terminal exon have shown that processing involves interactions between splicing factors at the 3' splice site of the last exon and components of the 3'-end processing complex at the poly(A) site. To eleucidate the role of polyadenylation factors on the definition of 3?-terminal exons we are concentrating on the study of the mammalian 3?-end processing factor CFI. Our working hypothesis is that CF Im might be the factor that together with some SR proteins couples pre-mRNA 3'-end processing and splicing.
To study the role of the interaction between CF Im and SR proteins in determining the cell?type specific alternative processing patterns we use two model transcripts: the calcitonin/calcitonin gene related peptide (CT/CGRP) and the ß-tropomyosin. Moreover, we are studying how alterations of the expression of these processing factors might be involved in the ethiology of human genetic diseases and in cancer. We want to investigate the mechanism that causes aberrant processing of the glutamate transporter EAAT2 (GLT?1) in patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and of the LGI1 pre-mRNA in brain tumors.

Reaserch Experience
1994 -2000 Assistant in Prof. W. Keller's laboratory, Cell Biology Department, Biozentrum, University Basel, Switzerland
1992 - July 1994: Post-doctoral Fellow in Dr. E. Boncinelli's laboratory, DIBIT, H S. Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
October 1988 - March 1992: Post-doctoral Fellow in Dr. A.I Lamond's laboratory, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.

Biography: Born in Bologna the 15th march 1969, mother of three daughters.

She has graduated at the University of Bologna in Agricultural science (100/100 lode) in 1994.

In the same year, she obtained an EMBL PhD fellowship to make a PhD thesis on Molecular Biology at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg (Germany). The thesis, entitled ‘Signal transduction domains: WW, DH and PH' was defended at the Ruprecht-Karl-Universität – Heidelberg and the PhD degree obtained with ‘magna cum laude' in 1998.

From 1998 to 1999 she worked as post-doc in laboratory of Prof. Chris Lamb at the Salk Institute in San Diego (CA-USA) and at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland-UK).

From the 1th November 1999 she is researcher at the University of Bologna (Scientific area: AGR/12- Plant Pathology) at DIPROVAL- Agricultural Faculty, teacher of the ‘Laboratory of molecular biology' at the Biotechnology three years university degree.