The common theme of the research projects in our groups is the investigation of medically relevant proteins and enzymes with interesting chemical properties, such as complex multifunctional systems and proteins performing unusual catalytic functions. The core of the research activity is represented by the study of three-dimensional structures of macromolecules, using crystallography and cryo- electron microscopy. These methods are integrated by other approaches such as biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology and computational chemistry. Current research includes understanding the reactivity of flavoenzymes with oxygen (Mattevi), extracellular systems involved in signal transduction and in ECM assembly (Forneris), enzymes of the neurotransmitter metabolism (Binda), membrane proteins (Magnani), and protein complexes involved in chromatin remodeling (Mattevi).
08/09/2024 - New publications
Thanks to the wonderful collaboration with the group of Phil Cole (Harvard), we studied the mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between two or more histone modifications in a epigenetic enzyme. See the original article in Nature Chemical Biology and the related News & Views. You are also welcome to look at the News & and Views published in Nature Catalysis on our work on coenzyme Q biosynthesis. To know about the intricacy and beauty of oxidative reactions in natural product biosynthesis, look at our review published in Biochemistry. - Browse the publications of our groups.
20/05/2024 - Two new publications
Our work on the biosynthesis of two essential cofactors is published! The article in Nature Catalysis unveils the mitochondrial metabolon that generates coenzyme Q10. Nature Communications describes the evolution of vitamin C biosynthesis. - Browse the publications of our groups.
Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani"
University of Pavia
Via Ferrata, 9
I-27100 PAVIA (Italy)< br>
