CNR staff: Rosa Anna Vacca, Daniela Valenti, Anna Atlante, Lidia de Bari, Sergio Giannattasio, Clara Musicco, Giuseppe Petrosillo, Domenico De Rasmo, Paolo Lattanzio.
Main research lines:
• Study and characterization of mitochondrial metabolism in pathophysiological conditions.
• Mitochondrial structure, function and dynamics in response to AMPc-dependent signal: implications in pathophysiology
• Study of mitochondrial functionality in various pathophysiological situations with particular attention to the structural and functional interactions of the cardiolipin phospholipid with
mitochondrial respiratory complexes. Study of the effect of oxygen free radicals (ROS) on the phospholipid composition of mitochondrial membranes and on bioenergetics
mitochondrial.
• Functionality of mitochondria and phospholipid composition of mitochondrial membranes in pathophysiology: molecular aspects and possible protective agents
• Analysis of the mitochondrial proteome in pathophysiological conditions
• Proteomic characterization of specific cellular profiles
• Characterization of the molecular mechanisms responsible for mitochondrial alterations associated with neurogenesis and neuroplasticity deficits in neurodevelopmental diseases
• Characterization of signaling pathways activated in the early stages of neurodegeneration and the role of mitochondria in an experimental model of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Study of new regulatory factors of programmed cell death in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae; mitochondria-nucleus retrograde communication in response
cellular to stress; biodiversity and applications in the biomedical and bio-agri-food fields.
• Read-through strategies for the therapeutic treatment of genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations; heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of proteins of
biomedical interest.
• Study of the bioenergetics and glucose metabolism of the tumor and identification of new compounds capable of determining the death of tumor cells, in vitro.
• Characterization of the network of intra- and inter-cellular interactions in the regulation of cell proliferation, invasion and death.
• Identification of aberrant signaling pathways that are activated in the course of neoplastic transformation.
• Identification of molecular targets for therapeutic purposes
• Identification of new molecular targets for natural active ingredients, for non-pharmacological therapies and / or drug repurposing for the management of bioenergetic alterations and
neurocognitive in intellectual disability.
Cell systems / Model organisms used:
Human cell lines
Rat
Research goals:
Understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the alterations of mitochondrial bioenergetics in different physiopathological situations aimed at the elaboration of new therapeutic approaches.
