BIOLOGY OF MEMBRANE TRAFFICKING, SIGNALING AND DEVELOPMENT
Our lab investigates fundamental questions concerning the role of membrane trafficking in signal transduction during organ development and homeostasis. In particular, we focus on the function of key trafficking regulators, such as Endosomal Sorting Required for Transport (ESCRT) proteins, vacuolar-H+ ATPase (V-ATPase) components and the Soluble NSF Attachment Protein Receptors (SNAREs). We currently study how these factors act in endocytosis, autophagy, lysosomal biogenesis and cell division in human cells and in vivo, using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as an animal model. Our work is useful to characterize genes and mechanisms associated to the development of tumors, congenital rare diseases and neurodegeneration.
Website: http://www.vaccarilab.unimi.it
Thomas VaccariAssociate Professor in Applied Biology
Email: thomas.vaccari@unimi.it
Phones: +39 02 503 14886
Address: Building B, Floor 2
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Keywords: Endocytosis, autophagy, lysosomes, tumorigenesis, rare diseases, neurodegeneration, Drosophila, ESCRTs, V-ATPase, SNAREs
Main topics of the group: Questions that are being answered by specific projects in the lab at the moment: How is endosomal sorting preventing tumor formation? How does autophagy contribute to tissue health? Which lysosomal gene is associated to congenital defects? How is normal and oncogenic Notch signaling controlled by endocytosis? How does membrane fusion govern cell division?