Phd in GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

email: giovanna.serino@uniroma1.it
phone:

CURRICULUM VITAE

Family name, First name: Serino, Giovanna
Researcher unique identifier (ORCID): orcid.org/ 0000-0001-8689-6132
- NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS: 38
- TOTAL NUMBER OF CITATIONS: 3426
- H-INDEX: 25

EDUCATION

2002 PhD Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University
1993 Laurea cum laude in Biological Sciences, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

CURRENT POSITION

2007- present Associate professor, tenured, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

PREVIOUS POSITIONS

2003-2007 Assistant professor, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
2002-2003 Post-doctoral fellow, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
1996-2002 Graduate student, Yale University, USA
1993-1996 Research associate, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
1990-1993 Undergraduate, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

FELLOWSHIPS and AWARDS

2015 National Scientific Qualification at the level of Full Professor in Plant Physiology
2005 Short-Term Fellowship, Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science
2002-2004 Long Term Fellowship, European Molecular Biology Organization
2002 John Spangler Nicholas Prize for outstanding doctoral candidate in Biology, Yale University, USA
1996-1998 Joseph Cullman Fellowship for Excellence in Research, Yale University, USA
1995-1996 Fellowship, Pasteur Institute-Cenci Bolognetti Foundation, Rome, Italy
1993-1995 Fellowship, National Research Council, Rome, Italy

HONORARY APPOINTMENTS

2017-2022 Scientific Secretary of the Italian Federation for the Life Sciences (FISV)
2014-2018 Management Committee Substitute for the COST Action Proteostasis
2011-present Associate scientist at the CNR (National Research Council), Italy
2009-present Member of the editorial board of the Journal of Integrative Plant Biology
2009-2013 Adjunct Curator in the Genomics Program, New York Botanical Garden, USA
2008-2015 Italian Coordinator for the Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee

COMPETITIVE GRANTS OBTAINED COORDINATOR (C) OR PARTICIPANT (P)
o 2023 PRIN 2022 Research Grant, Italian Ministry of Research. LIDS, Light and drought signals integration driving development transitions in plants 70000 euros (P;unit leader)
2021 Research Grant, Lazio Innova, Regione Lazio, Italy. Top of the crops: interazioni tra luce e ormoni nel controllo dell apertura fiorale in specie modello e ortive, 150000 EUR, C
2020 Research Grant, Sapienza University. Molecular mechanisms controlling the trade-off between drought stress and growth in plants - RP120172B587077F, 3500 EUR
2012-2014 MAE-MOST Grant for Italy-Israel Joint Research, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regulation of autophagy by the CSN complex, a possible therapeutic target for neurodegeneration. 20000 EUR
2010 Research Grant, Sapienza University. Role of the COP9 signalosome in chromatin structure and transcription in plants and yeast 15000 EUR
2009 Research Grant, Sapienza University Structure, function and interactions of CSN6, an essential protein for plant and animal development. 1700 EUR
2008 Research Grant, Sapienza University Mapping the interaction surfaces in the ubiquitin-proteasome system. 19000 EUR
2007-2010 Italy- Japan Joint Project, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fine mapping of interaction surfaces within components of the ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway 30000 EUR
2007-2009 Italy- Japan Joint Project, JSPS- CNR. Transcriptional regulation in higher plants by COP9 signalosome. 19000 EUR
2003-2007 Grant for Returning Scientists from abroad, Italian Ministry of Research 56000 EUR.
COMPETITIVE GRANTS OBTAINED PARTICIPANT (P) OR UNIT LEADER (UL)
2019 Research Grant, Sapienza University Conserved mechanisms for the epigenetic regulation of telomere maintenance. Coordinator Gianni Cenci, Sapienza University. 13500 EUR P
2018 Research Grant, Sapienza University. Coordinator: Sabrina Sabatini P
2017 Research Grant, Sapienza University Conserved mechanisms for the epigenetic regulation of telomere maintenance. Coordinator Gianni Cenci, Sapienza University. 40000 EUR P
2016 Research Grant, Sapienza University. Molecular mechanisms in developmental boundary formation. Coordinator Paolo Costantino, Sapienza University Total budget 15000 EUR P
2015 Research Grant, Sapienza University. To the root of organ growth: the control of root meristem activity in Arabidopsis. Coordinator Paolo Costantino, Sapienza University 28586 EUR P
2013-2015 Grant for Italy- Japan Joint Projects, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Common regulatory mechanisms at the basis of hypocotyl and stamen growth in Arabidopsis. Coordinator: Maura Cardarelli, CNR 60000 EUR UL
2011-2013 PRIN 2010-2011. To the root of organ growth: the control of root meristem activity in Arabidopsis.Coordinator Paolo Costantino, Sapienza University P
2011 Research Grant, Sapienza University. Post-translational regulation of seed germination and hypocotyl elongation. Coordinator: Paola Vittorioso, Sapienza University. Total budget 8000 EUR P
2009-2011 Research Grant, Pasteur Institute-Cenci Bolognetti Foundation, Rome, Italy. Role of the COP9 signalosome in transcription modulation and chromatin organization in yeast and plants. Coordinator: Rodolfo Negri, Sapienza University. 50000 EUR UL
2007-2010 ERA-NET Plant Genomics. Coordinator for Italy: Paolo Costantino, Sapienza University. Total budget 1788397 EUR P

COMMISSIONS OF TRUST

- Reviewer for National Evaluation and Funding Agencies (VQR 2004-2010, 2010-2014, ANVUR, CIVR).
- Reviewer for International Funding Agencies (BSF, GIF, ESF, BARD)
- Reviewer/ rapporteur for the European Commission FP7 People and Horizon 2020 (ERC, ITN, IF), HORIZON EUROPE
- Panel member for FWO (2022-present)
- Reviewer for international journals (Journal of Experimental Botany, Plant Cell, Cell Reports, Plant Journal, Plos).
- Member of the editorial board of the Journal of Integrative Plant Biology (2009-2018).
- Member of the editorial board of the Journal Biomolecules (2019-present).
- Member of the editorial board of Frontiers in Plant Science (2022-present)
- See also my profile on Publons.

MEMBERSHIPS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

Since 2018 Member of the Italian Society for Biophysics and Molecular Biology (SIBBM, https://sibbm.org)
2017-2022 Scientific Secretary of the Italian Federation for the Life Sciences (FISV, www.fisv.org)
Since 2023 Member of the Italian Society for Agricultural genetics (SIGA,http://www.geneticagraria.it/home.asp)

ORGANISATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

2020 Member of the scientific committee of the international FISV symposium on SARS-CoV-2 Biology and COVID-19: Current research and perspectives (on line,16/09/2020)
2019 Member of the Scientific committee of the International Conference ZOMES X, Akko, Israel, 4-7/02/2019
2018 Member of the Organizing Scientific committee of the XV FISV congress, Sapienza Università di Roma, IT, 18-21/09/2018
2017 Main organizer of the Workshop The ubiquitin-proteasome system in yeast, plant and human. Hypotheses for new anti-cancer therapies , Sapienza University, Rome IT, 13/02/2017
2017 Main organizer of the International Conference ZOMES IX, Hotel Aran Mantegna, Rome, IT, 14-17/02/2017
2011 Co-organizer of the workshop Control of protein degradation in plant development and environmental
response , CNR, Rome, IT, 11/11/2011

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS

The research in my lab aims at understanding how environmental factors affect the molecular mechanisms regulating plant development. More in detail, we are interested in understanding how and why light and drought affect the activity and protein stability of key developmental regulators. In the lab, we use Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system, because of its small size, fast life cycle, trim genome and easy genetics. We are currently pursuing two main research lines:

· Regulation of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway and its targets during plant development and in response to combined drought and light stress
We have recently discovered that the function of the major class of ubiquitin ligase enzymes (the enzymes that regulate the stability of many regulatory proteins) is differentially regulated during plant development, as well as in response to abiotic stress, such as drought. We are currently characterizing the physiological relevance and the cellular and molecular pathways responsible for this regulation.

· Regulation of flower organs development by light
While we have a very clear picture of how light regulates flowering time, very little is known on how light affect the growth of flower organs. We have found that light is able to regulate the growth of stamens (the male reproductive organs), using a signaling cascade that shared similarities with the one employed by light and temperature to regulate the growth of another organ, the hypocotyl; this suggests that the same signaling module has been recruited multiple times during evolution to translate environmental stimuli into distinct adaptational growth processes.

MAJOR CURRENT COLLABORATORS

Prof. NIng Wei , School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China, on light regulated plant development

SELECTED/RECENT OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
2023 Organization of the workshop on Symmetries and Asymmetries in Nature open to the general public, MACRO museum, Rome, IT
2020 Invited talk The COP9 signalosome regulates developmental phase transitions in Arabidopsis thaliana, 4th International and 16th Iranian Genetic Congress 2020 (GC2020) co-organized by SIBBM, 30/09-02/10/2020, online
2020 Invited seminar Molecular mechanisms of drought response in plants , PhD program in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Tor Vergata University, Rome, 06/07/2020, online
2019 Invited Seminar The ubiquitin proteasome pathway in the environmental control of plant growth and development to the PhD students in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, IT
2019 Invited Seminar Cullin Neddylation is regulated during plant development and response to abiotic stress", Scuola Superiore Sant Anna, Pisa, IT
2019 Participated to the Walking with Science Project (PLS- piano Lauree Scientifiche) by giving seminars and organizing classes projects on plant science with High School students from the Rome area (Liceo Cannizzaro).
2017-2020 Organization, coordination and promotion of the FISV days , an event that brings scientist and high school students together (https://www.fisv.org/25-fisv-days-1.html). Under my guidance the FISV days have grown from being hosted only by La Sapienza University to a National event with multiple locations from southern to northern Italy.