Vito Nicola De Pinto
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2004-today Full Professor, Molecular Biology, University of Catania 1994-2003 Full Professor, Biochemistry, University of Catania 1992-1994 Associate Professor, Biochemistry, University of Bari 1983-1992 Assistant Professor, Biochemistry, University of Bari 1981-1983 Postodoctoral fellow, Biochemistry, University of Bari, advisor: prof. F. Palmieri 1981 Graduated with first-class honors degree in Pharmaceutical and Pharmacology, University of Bari, thesis in Biochemistry: Purification and characterization of Glutamate Dehydrogenase from Drosophila melanogaster
PRESENT RESEARCH TOPICS
1) Transmembrane mitochondrial transport proteins with special emphasis onto channel-forming protein porin (or VDAC: Voltage Dependent Anion selective Channel): purification, sequence determination, studies of the structure/function relationships also by means of molecular modeling, gene expression and regulation.
2) Production of artificial pore-forming proteins for bio-engineering applications.
3) Traceability of living species by DNA Barcoding analysis; application to foodstuff.
4) Apoptosis and autophagy: role of the mitochondrial outer membrane
5) Construction of new vectors with fluorescent tags and application in immunolocalization in vivo.
Several collaborations with italian and foreigner laboratories have been and are currently held, as can be deduced from the publication list.