Mechanisms of modulation of the cellular concentration of the neuromodulator D-serine: the hDAAO-pLG72 interaction

Il 04/04/2014 ore 14.30 - 15.30

Sala Conferenze CNR, Via P. Castellino, 111 80131 Napoli

Loredano Pollegioni is Full Professor of Biochemistry, University of Insubria, Varese (Italy)

His scientific career focuses, as a general topic, on the structure-function relationships in enzymatic proteins, as FAD-dependent oxidases. These enzymes have been investigated by using a multidisciplinary methodological approach: kinetic studies, reaction mechanism studies, structural studies, flavin reactivity and protein stability studies. This experience has been largely exploited in the field of protein biotechnology: flavooxidases, acylases and proteases have been employed as biocatalysts and as a pro-drug converter in cancer gene-therapy.

In the last years, the research activity focused on the evolution of enzymatic activities by using rational (site-directed mutagenesis) and directed evolution (random and site-saturation mutagenesis) methods, and in the investigation of human enzymes involved in pathologies and in important biochemical processes (DAAO, pLG72, proline oxidase: all related to schizophrenia susceptibility). These investigations allowed the production of new enzymatic activities and the characterization of human flavoenzymes. The DAAO enzymatic reaction has been also used for the production of a prototype biosensor for the analytical determination of D-amino acids (and recently to develop a microbiosensor for the determination of D-serine in the brain) and for the production of α-keto acids.

Prof. Loredano Pollegioni is author of more than 125 publications on main international journals in the field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology and Biotechnology.

 

Organizzato da:
IBP, CNR

Referente organizzativo:
Antonio Varriale
CNR - Istituto di biochimica delle proteine
Via Castellino, 111 80131 Napoli
a.varriale@ibp.cnr.it
081/6132283

Modalità di accesso: ingresso libero