We Study Molecular Recognition

Signal transduction pathways represent an accurate, complex and intricate way of transporting messages between neighboring cells. The accurate recognition of soluble, extracellular ligands by complex receptor assemblies determines multiple cellular functions by triggering or inhibiting the expression of specific target genes. It is clear that any malfunction of such a delicate, tightly regulated system would result in the re-programming of many cell functions, often with tremendous, unexpected effects.

We study these communication mechanisms by focussing on molecular recognition and regulation processes in bio-medically relevant proteins. Please check the detailed research topic pages on the side menu.

In many cases, the proteins involved are multi-domain proteins, functioning as a unique protein machinery that carries out elementary regulatory functions such as activation, stabilization, localization and inhibition. Our goal is to reveal the mechanisms of tertiary and quaternary-induced activation in multi-domain proteins and multi-protein complexes that underlie these recognition and regulation processes.


        Our work received financial support from:

NextGenerationEU Program - National Reprise and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Partenariato Esteso Malattie Infettive Emergenti - INF-ACT Foundation    Programmi di Ricerca di Interesse Nazionale (PRIN) from the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR)    Piano Operativo Salute (POS), Traiettoria 4 (Biotecnologia, bioinformatica e sviluppo farmaceutico) - Immuno-Hub Project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health    The Armenise-Harvard Foundation    Programma Giovani Ricercatori Rita Levi-Montalcini    H2020 MSCA IF
Mizutani Foundation for Glycoscience    Fondazione Cariplo    Velux Stiftung    Ehlers-Danlos Society    University Institute of Superior Studies, Pavia    NATO Science for Peace and Security Program    Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro    Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation    Regione Lombardia    University of Pavia InROAD program   



This video (in Italian) was recorded on Sep 23rd, 2021 during the European Researcher's Night to show the PASS-BioMed Facility of our University, a state-of-the-art center for light and electron microscopy.



This video (in Italian) was recorded on Nov 13th, 2017 and contains the full lectio magistralis given for the Inauguration of the University of Pavia Academic Year 2017-2018.

 




This interview (in English) was recorded in our lab in October 2014 to describe our research topics and methodologies. This is part of a series of videos created by the Armenise-Harvard Foundation - Website.





This interview (in Italian) was recorded in our lab in March 2014 to illustrate our approach to the University of Pavia WebTV.