Vitale Alessandro

Education

1971-76: Degree in Biology, Università degli studi di Milano. Mark: 110/110. Field OF ACTIVITY: Biochemistry.

Professional experience

2020-Now: CNR Senior Associate, Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria (CNR, Bio- Agricultural Sciences).

2017-Now: Member of the Science & Society group of the Italian Federation of Life Sciences (FISV)

2015-Oggi: Coordinator of the Communication Group of the Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics (SIGA).

2015: Co-author of the chapter on protein sorting and vesicular traffic in the new edition of the very popular university textbook “Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants” (Buchanan, Gruissem, Jones Eds.)

2008: Winner of the Corresponding Membership Award of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB).

2002-2020: Lead Scientist, Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria (CNR, Bio- Agricultural Sciences). Field of activity: plant molecular and cell biology, plant biotechnology. Ranked 1st at the National selection for these positions in Agricultural Sciences.

1998: Winner of the “Assunta Baccarini-Melandri” Prize of the Italian Society of Plant Biology (SIBV)

1998-2006: Professor of Plant Biotechnology on annual contract, Università degli studi di Milano

1996-2001: Senior Scientist, Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria (CNR, Bio-Agricultural Sciences). Field of activity: plant molecular and cell biology.

1986-96: Staff Scientist, Istituto Biosintesi Vegetali – former denomination of IBBA –  (CNR, Bio-Agricultural Sciences). Field of activity: plant molecular and cell biology

1982-83: Visiting scientist (awarded a CNR fellowship) in the laboratory of Maarten J. Chrispeels, UCSD, La Jolla, CA, to study the biosynthesis, intracellular transport and processing of bean phytohemagglutinin. Field of activity: plant cell biology

1982-86: Researcher, Istituto Biosintesi Vegetali, CNR. Field of activity: plant biochemistry and cell biology.

Research interests

• Molecular cell biology of plants
• Study of protein synthesis and the biogenesis of intracellular compartments (especially the endoplasmic reticulum with its associated protein quality control mechanism, and vacuoles).
• Mechanisms of accumulation of seed storage proteins (the major source of protein for human nutrition) and strategies to improve their nutritional value,

  such as immunoglobulins and potential vaccines.
• The mechanisms of biogenesis and proteostasis of the plant endoplasmic reticulum and vacuoles. These subcellular compartments are part of a system termed the endomembrane system, which in any eukaryotic cell is composed of the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, vacuoles (lysosomes in animal cells), the plasma membrane and endosomes. These compartments are functionally interconnected and host the secretory pathway, a metabolic pathway that takes care of the synthesis and correct distribution of proteins secreted out of the cell or belonging to each endomembrane compartment, collectively termed secretory proteins.
• The evolutionary molecular events that have led to a change in the compartment of accumulation of major storage proteins during the appearance of cereals: from the vacuole, where storage proteins are stored in the vast majority of plants, to the endoplasmic reticulum. This use of the endoplasmic reticulum to store proteins seems a unique case in nature.