Francesco Massimo Lasorsa

Biography

"University education: 1996, graduated in Pharmacy with honors at the University of Bari, 2000, Ph.D. degree in “Cellular biochemistry and cellular pharmacology”. Actual position: permanent researcher at the Institute of Biomembrane and Bioenergetics of the Italian National Council of Research(IBBE – CNR) in Bari. Scientific career Francesco Massimo Lasorsa obtained his Ph.D. in “Cellular biochemistry and cellular pharmacology” on february 2000 at the Department of Pharmaco-Biology, University of Studies of Bari. He carried out his research activity at the Department of Pharmaco-Biology, also as technical assistant from 1999 to March 2001 and he is currently researcher of the Institute of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes, National Council of Research, Bari from March 2001. Francesco Massimo Lasorsa performed his research also as visiting scientist in the following research institutes: -) Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Physikalische Biochemie und Zellbiologie der Ludwig - Maximilians Universität Munich, Germanyin the laboratories leaded by Prof. Martin E. Klingenberg for the development of techniques for the functional reconstitution of membrane proteins in artificial membranes and fluorimetric methodologies. -) Max-Planck Institut für Biophysik, Frankfurt am Main, Germany in the laboratories of Prof. Ernst Bamberg for the acquisition of biophysical techniques and for the study of electrogenic properties of membrane transporters in BLM (Black Lipid Membrane) e SSM (Solid Support Membrane); -) Department of Experimental and Diagnostic Medicine, Section of General Pathology, University of Ferrara, Italy in the laboratories leaded by Prof. Rosario Rizzuto for the accomplishment of methodologies in fluorescence microscopy and luminometry in culture cells and for the study of the role of Ca2+ in cellular and mitochondrial physiology. -) Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, University Medical Centre, Geneve, Switzerland in the laboratories of Prof. Pierre Maechler for the study of the role of mitochondrial trasnporters in pancreatic insulin secretion. "

Research Interest

"In vitro and in vivo studies of the function mitochondrial inner membrane transporters and peroxisomal membrane proteins in eukaryotic cells. - Structural and evolutionistic analysis of genes encoding mitochondrial transporters and peroxisomal membrane proteins. - Studies on the expression and subcellular localization of mitochondrial transporters and peroxisomal proteins in mammals and other eukaryotic organisms. - Identification of new eukaryotic genes encoding the mitochondrial transporters and peroxisomal membrane proteins: cloning, over-expression in E. coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae, purification and functional characterization of their gene product. - Ca2+ signaling transduction mechanisms in mitochondrial metabolism. - Overexpression and silencing of human genes encoding members of mitochondrial carrier family in mammalian cell lines. - Study of the role of mitochondrial transporters in pancreatic insulin secretion. - Study of metabolic diseases caused by nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial transport proteins. "