Particular attention is given to the study of mitochondri¬al biogenesis and its regulation under physiopathological conditions. Indeed, mitochondria, organelles equipped with membranes for energy transduction, have a pivotal role in the cell response to various kind of stress. The following topics are studied in detail: i) molecules of the mitochondrial membrane, such as cardiolipin, ii) aspects of mitochondrial bioenergetics under physiopathological and metabolic con¬ditions; iii) mitochondrial DNA and nuclear factors that regu¬late its expression; iv) mitochondrial proteome.
The study of membranes for energy transduction has also been extended to other systems, such as the chloroplasts membranes of spinach, as the seat of proteins involved in light capture (light harvesting complex), and photosynthetic bacteria (Rhodobacter sphaeroides) for their involvement in environmental bioremediation.
The interest in bacteria and the possibility to exploit them as a source of enzymes of industrial interest, gave the start to new studies based on metagenomic approaches for the identification of enzymes active in extreme and harsh con¬ditions.
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