- MASSIMO CRIMI - CURRICULUM VITAE -

 

TITLE: PhD in Biology and Biochemistry

DATE OF BIRTH: November 29, 1960

PLACE OF BIRTH: Bologna, Italy

CITIZENSHIP: Italian

MARITAL STATUS: married

EDUCATION: University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

POSITION: Associate Professor of Plant Physiology and Plant Biochemistry

INSTITUTION: University of Verona, Faculty of Science, Verona, Italy
 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: Structure and function of mitochondrial bc1 complex, SDS-PAGE resolution and 14C-DCCD chemical labeling of protein subunits and effects on proton translocation; purification of iron-sulphur protein (Rieske protein) and other protein subunits of the bc1 complex with chromatographic methods; C.D. studies of the FeS cluster of the Rieske protein and of cytochrome b and c1; kinetic studies on bc1 complex activity, titration with specific inhibitors, spectroscopic studies; purification of human skeletal muscle mitochondria, functional studies; deductive procedure for evaluating the transmembrane folding of integral proteins and for deducing the heme-binding sites and the inhibitor-binding sites in cytochromes; elaboration of computer programs for statistical analysis of protein sequences. Functional analysis of the effect of LHON mutations (Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy) in mitochondrial complex I (NADH-Q:oxidoreductase) and resistance to specific inhibitors. Molecular biology techniques, Dna purification, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of cytochrome b. Sequence analysis, design of specific primers for PCR, synthesis of DNA probes for the screening of DNA libraries, mapping, subcloning and sequencing of ATPase operons in Rhodobacter capsulatus. Functional studies on the FoF1-ATPase activity in chromatophores; measure of the DmH+ formation during ATP hydrolysis with 9AA (D pH) and thiocyanate distribution or oxonol VI absorption (Dj ). DNA typing for forensic purposes (HLA-DQa and other loci) from biological material (e.g. hair, blood, etc.).

Purification of antenna proteins from higher plants, spectroscopic characterization, time resolved fluorescence and lifetime analysis, protein structure modeling and site-directed mutagenesis design.

Purification of nsLTPs (non specific Lipid transfer proteins) from plants. Structural and functional studies on LTPs. Production of recombinant LTPs.

Role played by lipids and lysolipids in mitochondrial apoptosis.  Structural and fuctional studies on human and mouse Bid protein.

MAJOR RESEARCH INTERESTS: Structure and function of membrane proteins; energy production and coupling systems, energy conservation and excitation energy dissipation in biological systems; purification, biochemical analysis and enzymatic activity of membrane proteins; computation and analysis of protein sequences; molecular biology and evolution of membrane proteins; molecular modeling and protein structure modeling .
 

PUBLICATIONS:

  1. Lenaz, G., Degli Esposti, M., Crimi, M., Saus, J.B., Swoboda, P. and Timoneda, J. "Studies on the mechanism of proton translocation in the mitochondrial bc complex" in "Water and Ions in Biological Systems" (1985) (A. Pullman, V. Vasilescu and L. Packer Eds.) pp. 271-280, University of Bucarest, Bucarest, Romania.

  2. Degli Esposti, M., Crimi, M., Lenaz, G., Timoneda, J., Barber, T., Cabo Soler, J. and Saus, J.B. "Studies on the binding of dicycloexilcarbodiimide to the mitochondrial bc complex" (1986) J. Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics 16, 301-316.

  3. Degli Esposti, M., Crimi, M., Samworth, C.M., Solaini, G. and Lenaz, G. "Resolution of the circular dichroism spectra of the mitochondrial citochrome bc complex" (1987) Biochimica Biophysica Acta 892, 245-252.

  4. Solaini, G., Crimi, M., Ballester, F., Degli Esposti, M. and Lenaz, G. "The circular dichroism properties of the Rieske protein and the b and c cytochromes of the mitochondrial bc complex" in "Cytochrome Systems: Molecular Biology and Bioenergetics" (1987) (S. Papa, B. Chance and L. Ernster Eds.) pp. 337-338, Plenum Press, New York.

  5. Popinigis, J., Crimi, M., Lenaz, G. and Mercuri, M. "External acidification does not affect coupled respiration of human skeletal muscle mitochondria" (1988) 5th EBEC Short Reports, p. 277, 20-26/7/1988, Aberystwyth, U.K.

  6. Degli Esposti, M., Ghelli, A., Luchetti, R., Crimi, M. and Lenaz, G. "New approaches to the prediction of the folding of membrane proteins with redox function" (1989) Ital. Journal of Biochemistry 38, 1-22.

  7. Degli Esposti, M. and Crimi, M. (1990) "The membrane proteins that interact with quinones have common structural features" in "Highlights in Ubiquinone research" (G. Lenaz et al. Eds.), pp. 166-169, Taylor and Francis, London.

  8. Degli Esposti, M., Crimi, M. and Venturoli, G. (1990) "A critical evaluation of the hydropathy profile of membrane proteins" Eur. J. Biochem. 190, 207-219.

  9. Degli Esposti, M., Ballester, F., Timoneda, J., Crimi, M. and Lenaz, G. (1990) "The oxidation of ubiquinol by the isolated "Rieske" iron-sulphur protein in solution" Archives Biochem. Biophys. 283, 258-265.

  10. Degli Esposti, M., Crimi, M., Kortner, C., Kroeger, A. and Link, T. (1991) "The structure of the dihaem cytochrome b of fumarate reductase in Wolinella Succinogenes: circular dichroism and sequence analysis studies" Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1056, 243-249.

  11. Crimi, M. and Degli Esposti, M. (1991) "Structural predictions for membrane proteins: the dilemma of hydrophobicity scales" Trends Biochem. Sci.16, 119.

  12. Tron, T., Crimi, M., Colson, A.M. and Degli Esposti, M. (1991) "Structure/function relationships in mitochondrial cytochrome b revealed by the kinetic and circular dichroic properties of two yeast inhibitor-resistant mutants" Eur. J. Biochem. 199, 753-760.

  13. Popinigis, J., Antosiewicz, J., Crimi, M., Lenaz, G. and Wakabayashi, T. (1991) "Human skeletal muscle: participation of different metabolic activities in oxidation of L-lactate" Acta Biochimica Polonica 38, 169-175.

  14. Degli Esposti, M., Ghelli, A., Crimi, M., Baracca, A., Solaini, G., Tron, T. and Meyer, A. (1992) "Cytochrome b of fish mitochondria is strongly resistant to funiculosin, a powerful inhibitor of respiration" Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 295, 198-204.

  15. Ghelli, A., Crimi, M., Orsini, S., Gradoni, L., Zannotti, M., Lenaz, G. and Degli Esposti, M. (1992) "Cytochrome b of protozoan mitochondria: relationships between function and structure" Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 103B, 329-338.

  16. Crimi, M., Degli Esposti, M., Ghelli, A. and Lenaz, G. (1992) "Resistance to funiculosin in mammalian mitochondria" in 7th EBEC Short Reports, Vol. 7, 26-31/7/1992, Helsinki, Finlandia.

  17. Degli Esposti, M., DeVries, S., Crimi, M., Ghelli, A., Patarnello, T. and Meyer, A. (1993) "Mitochondrial cytochrome b: evolution and structure of the protein" Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1143, 243-271.

  18. Degli Esposti, M., Ghelli, A., Crimi, M., Estornell, E., Fato, R. and Lenaz, G. (1993) "Complex I and Complex III of mitochondria have common inhibitors acting as ubiquinone antagonists" Biochem. Biophys. Res Commun.190, 1090-1096.

  19. M. Degli Esposti, M. Crimi e A. Ghelli (1994) "Natural variation in the potency and binding sites of mitochondrial quinone-like inhibitors" Biochem. Soc. Trans. 22, 209-213.

  20. M. Degli Esposti, V. Carelli, A. Ghelli, M. Ratta, M. Crimi, S. Sangiorgi, P. Montagna, G. Lenaz, E. Lugaresi e P. Cortelli (1994) "Functional alterations of the mitochondrially encoded ND4 subunit associated with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy" FEBS Letters 352, 375-379.

  21. M. Crimi, A. Ghelli, M. Ratta e M. Degli Esposti (1994) "Sequence analysis of ND4 subunit of Complex I: structural and functional relationships" in 8th EBEC Short Reports, Vol. 8, pag. 33, 12-17/9/1994, Valencia, Spain.

  22. M. Crimi, V. Fregni, A. Altimari e B.A. Melandri (1995) "Unreliability of carotenoid electrochromism for the measure of electrical potential differences induced by ATP hydrolysis in bacterial chromatophores" FEBS Letters367, 167-172.

  23. M. Crimi, V. Fregni, A. Altimari e B.A. Melandri (1995) "The driving force for the activation of the F-ATPase in chromatophores is not correctly estimated by the carotenoid electrochromic response" in 10th International Photosynthesis Congress, 20-25/8/1995, Montpellier, France.

  24. D. Dorra, M. Crimi, E. Giuffra, R. Croce, A.R. Holzwarth and R. Bassi (1997) "Zeaxanthin-induced fluorescence quenching in the recombinant PSII antenna CP29" in 7th Congress of the European Society for Photobiology, 8-13/9/1997, Stresa, Italy.

  25. D. Sandona', R. Croce, A. Pagano, M. Crimi and R. Bassi (1998) "Higher plants light harvesting proteins. Structure and function as revealed by mutation analysis of either protein or chromophore moieties" Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1365, 207-214.

  26. M. Crimi, D. Dorra, C.S. Boesinger, E. Giuffra, R. Bassi, and A.R. Holzwarth (1998) "Zeaxanthin-induced fluorescence quenching in the minor antenna CP29" in "Photosynthesis: Mechanisms and Effects" Volume I (G. Garab ed.), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, 333-336.

  27. M. Crimi, R. Croce, D. Sandona', C. Varotto, R. Simonetto and R. Bassi (1998) "Mutation analysis of either protein or chromophore moieties in Higher Plants Light Harvesting Proteins"in "Photosynthesis: Mechanisms and Effects" Volume I (G. Garab ed.), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, 253-258.

  28. R. Simonetto, M. Crimi, D. Sandona', R. Croce, G. Cinque, J. Breton and R. Bassi (1999) "Orientation of Chlorophyll Transition Moments in the Higher-Plant Light Harvesting Complex CP29". Biochemistry, 38:40, 12974-83.

  29. C. Jegerschold, A. W. Rutherford, T. A. Mattioli, M. Crimi and R. Bassi (1999) "Calcium binding to the photosystem II subunit CP29" J. Biol. Chem., 275, 17, 12781-12788

  30. M. Crimi, D. Dorra, C. Boesinger, E. Giuffra, R. Bassi and A. Holzwarth (2001) "Time-resolved fluorescence analysis of the recombinant Photosystem II antenna complex CP29. Effects of zeaxanthin, pH and phosphorylation" Eur. J. Biochem., 268, 260-267.

  31. H.A. Frank, S.K. Das, J.A. Bautista, D. Gosztola, G.P. Wiederrecht, D.Bruce, S. Vasil'ev, M. Crimi, R. Croce and R. Bassi (2001) "The photochemical behavior of xanthophylls in the recombinant photosystem II antenna complex CP26" Biochemistry, 40, 1220-1225.

  32. P. Dominici, S. Caffarri, F. Armenante, S. Ceoldo, M. Crimi, and R. Bassi (2002) "Biochemical properties of the PsbS subunit of photosystem II either purified from chloroplast or recombinant" J. Biol. Chem., 277, 22750-22758.

  33. M. Crimi, A. Astegno, G. Zoccatelli and M. Degli Esposti (2006) "Pro-apoptotic effect of maize lipid transfer protein on mammalian mitochondria" Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 445, 65-71.

  34. Y. Pii, M. Crimi, G. Cremonese, A. Spena and T. Pandolfini (2007) "Auxin and nitric oxide control indeterminate nodule formation" BMC Plant Biology, 7:21.

  1. E. Darra, S. Abdel-Azeim, A. Manara, K. Shoji, J.D. Marechal, S. Mariotto, E. Cavalieri, L. Perbellini, C. Pizza, D. Perahia, M. Crimi, H. Suzuki (2008) "Insight into the apoptosis-inducing action of a-bisabolol towards malignant tumor cells: Involvement of lipid rafts and Bid" Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 476, 113-123.

  2. A. Manara, J. Lindsay, M. Marchioretto, A. Astegno, A.P.Gilmore, M. Degli Esposti and M. Crimi (2009) "Bid binding to negatively charged phospholipids may not be required for its pro-apoptotic activity in vivo" Biochim. Biophys. Acta - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids, 1791, 997-1010.

  3. Y. Pii, A. Astegno, E. Peroni, M. Zaccardelli, T, Pandolfini and M. Crimi (2009) "The Medicago truncatula N5 gene encoding a root-specific lipid transfer protein, is required for the symbiotic interaction with Sinorhizobium meliloti" Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions, 22, 1577-1587.

  4. Y. Pii, T. Pandolfini and M. Crimi (2010) "Signaling LTPs: A new plant LTPs sub-family?" Plant Signal. Behav. 5, 594-597.

  5. M. Crimi and M. Degli Esposti (2011) "Apoptosis-induced changes in mitochondrial lipids" Biochim. Biophys. Acta  - Molecular Cell Research, 1813, 551-557.

     




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