Post graduated training
1982 abilitation
for assistant research C.N.R. (National Research Council),
Italy
1983 -1985 PhD
in "Citomorphology" University of Rome, Italy
1985-2001
Assistant researcher C.N.R., Bologna Italy
1991
Master in "Biocompatibility and Biomaterials" Medical school,
University of Bologna
1996
Department of Ultrastructure,"Istituto Superiore Sanità, Rome,
Italy
1997 and 1999 Department of cristallography Ludwig
Maximillian Universitat, Munchen, Germany
1991-2001
coordinator of a C.N.R. scientific project "morphological analisys
of DNA replication and chromosome organization.
1999-2000
Tutorial activity and seminars in Human Anatomy - medical school,
Chieti, Italy
2001-2008
Associate Professor of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Pharmacy,
University of Bologna
President of the Quality control of products for
health course, and of Pharmacy Course, University of Bologna
2008 – present Full Professor of Human Anatomy, University of
Bologna
RESEARCH PROJECTS:
The research projects are mainly focused on ultrastructural
analysis of chromatin, chromosomes and proteins involved in DNA
structure and replication. In particular, she studied specific
human genes and proteins in chromosome and in interphasic nuclei at
ultrastructural level. Furthermore, she also worked on the
localization of specific nuclear phospholipids. Moreover, she
developed a new protocol for the detection of biological samples
for high resolution scanning electron microscopy(FEISEM). She
demonstrated a three dimensional structure in metaphase chromosomes
with fibers of 10nm diameter. This structure is stable and still
present after DNA denaturation with high temperature and in situ
hybridization techniques used to localize specific DNA sequences on
human chromosomes. These results suggested a nucleosome fiber
organization of human chromosomes. A method for the analysis of
interphasic cryosectioned cells was developed and it was possible
to detect the inner structure of, chromatin appeared like a
fibrillar network with fiber of 10nm diameter delimiting areas of
80-100nm. In some points, fibers overlap each other making domains
of 30nm of diameter. In this chromatin model it has been showed the
presence and the localization of DNA Pol alfa and Bromodeoxyuridine
(BrdU), an analogue of thymidine, demonstrating the replication
units like areas of 80 and 150nm. She was interested even in
nuclear phospholipids and mainly phosphoinositol signalling. These
data highlighted the presence of a specific nuclear phosphoinositol
signaling pathway involved in the regulation of specific nuclear
functions. This pathway has been showed in different normal and
tumor cell lines.
In the last years, she focused her attention on dentinal tissues
and investigated the relationship between adhesive materials and
dentin matrix. By the use of the FEISEM and Transmission Electron
Microscopy (TEM), she described the ultra-morphological structure
of the dentin collagen fibrils after different acid etching
treatments.It has been developed a new protocol for the
immunolocalization of collagen fibrils and proteoglycans in
peritubular and intertubular dentine.
Recently she has focused her research interest in
biocompatibility and toxicity induced by resin based materials,
commonly utilized in dentistry. Morphological analyses performed by
FEISEM and TEM had shown ultramorphological changes in primary
culture of gingival and pulp fibroblasts exposed to resin
biomaterials.
Effects on the synthesis and expression of specific cell
markers, such as collagen type I protein and its precursor
procollagen type I, have been demonstrated by western blotting
analysis, RT-PCR and Real Time PCR.
