Computational Biophysics - Associated partner: GPCR Lab
 |
Dr. Francesco Musiani |
francesco.musiani "at" sissa.it
+39Education
| 1998 | MSc. in Chemistry, University of Bologna, Italy |
| 2003 | Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences, University of Florence, Italy Thesis title: "Theoretical studies of some metallo-proteins" Supervisor: Prof. Ivano Bertini, University of Florence, Italy |
Professional Career
| 1999 - 2000 | Research fellowship at Prof. Stefano Ciurli’s Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Bologna, Italy |
| 2003 - 2006 | Postdoc at Prof. Stefano Ciurli’s Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry Department of Agro-Environmental Science and Technology, University of Bologna, Italy |
| 2006 - 2007 | Postdoc at Prof. Bruno Samorì’s NanoBioScience lab Department of Biochemistry “G. Moruzzi”, University of Bologna, Italy |
| 2008 - 2011 | Postdoc at Prof. Stefano Ciurli’s Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry Department of Agro-Environmental Science and Technology, University of Bologna, Italy |
| 2011 - | Postdoc at the SISSA/ISAS, Trieste, Italy |
Current research
Molecular Dynamics simulations of biological relevanceProtein-protein and protein-ligand docking
Homology modeling of protein structure
QM modeling of transition metal complexes, e.g. zinc(II)
Publications
Peer Reviewed
• Musiani, F.; Arnofi, E.; Casadio, R.; Ciurli S. J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. (2001), 6:300-314. “Structure based computational study of catalytic and inhibition mechanisms of urease”.• Venturoli, G.; Mamedov, M.D.; Mansy S.S.; Musiani, F.; Strocchi, M.; Francia, F.; Semenov, A.Y.; Cowan, J.A.; Ciurli, S. Biochemistry (2004), 43:437-445. “Electron transfer from HiPIP to the photo-oxidized tetraheme cytochrome subunit of Chromatium vinosum reaction center. New insights from site-directed mutagenesis and computational studies”.
• Musiani, F.; Zambelli, B.; Stola, M.; Ciurli, S. J. Inorg. Biochem. (2004), 98:803-813. “Nichel trafficking: insight into the fold and function of UreE, a urease metallochaperone”.
• Musiani, F.; Carloni, P.; Ciurli, S. J. Phys. Chem. B (2004) 108:7495-7499. “The Asn 38-Cys 84 H-bond in plastocyanin”.
• Zambelli, B.; Stola, M.; Musiani, F.; De Vriendt, K.; Samyn, B.; Devreese, B.; Van Beeumen, J.; Turano, P.; Dikiy, A.; Bryant, D.A.; Ciurli, S. J. Biol. Chem. (2005), 280:4684-4695. “UreG, a chaperone in the urease assembly process, is an intrinsically unstructured GTPase that specifically binds Zn2+”.
• Ciurli, S.; Musiani, F. Photosynth. Res. (2005) 85:115-131. “High potential iron sulfur proteins and their role as soluble electron carriers in bacterial photosynthesis: tale of a discovery”.
• Musiani, F.; Dikiy, A.; Semenov, A.Y.; Ciurli, S. J. Biol. Chem. (2005) 280:18833-18841. “Structure of the intermolecular complex between plastocyanin and cytochrome f from spinach”.
• Stola, M.; Musiani, F.; Mangani, S.; Turano, P.; Safarov, N.; Zambelli, B.; Ciurli, S. Biochemistry (2006) 45:6495-6509. “The nickel site of Bacillus pasteurii UreE, a urease metallo-chaperone, as revealed by metal-binding studies and X-ray absorption spectroscopy”.
• Zambelli, B.; Musiani, F.; Savini, M.; Tucker, P.; Ciurli, S. Biochemistry (2007) 46:3171-3182. “Biochemical studies on Mycobacterium tuberculosis UreG and comparative modeling reveal structural and functional conservation among the bacterial UreG family”.
• Salomone Stagni, M; Musiani, F.; Zambelli, B.; Ciurli, S. Proteins (2007) 68:749-761. “A model-based proposal for the role of UreF as a GTPase-activating protein in the urease active site biosynthesis”.
• Sandal, M.; Valle, F.; Tessari, I.; Mammi, S.; Bergantino, E.; Musiani, F.; Brucale, M.; Bubacco, L.; Samorì, B. PLoS Biology (2008) 6:99-108. “Conformational equilibria in monomeric α-Synuclein at the single-molecule Level”.
• Zambelli, B.; Turano, P.; Musiani, F.; Neyroz, P.; Ciurli, S. Proteins (2009) 74:222-239. “Zn2+-linked dimerization of UreG from Helicobacter pylori, a chaperone involved in nickel trafficking and urease activation”.
• Zubini, P.; Zambelli, B.; Musiani, F.; Ciurli, S.; Bertolini, P.; Baraldi, E. Plant Physiology (2009) 150:1235-1247. “The RNA hydrolysis and the cytokinin binding activities of PR-10 proteins are differently performed by two isoforms of the Pru p 1 peach major allergen and are possibly functionally related”.
• Bellucci, M.; Zambelli, B.; Musiani, F.; Turano, P.; Ciurli, S. Biochemical Journal (2009) 422:91-100. “Helicobacter pylori UreE, a urease accessory protein: specific Ni2+ and Zn2+ binding properties and interaction with its cognate UreG”.
• Candela, M.; Biagi, E.; Centanni, M.; Turroni, S.; Vici, M.; Musiani, F.; Vitali, B.; Bergmann, S.; Hammerschmidt, S.; Brigidi P. Microbiology (2009) 155:3294-3303. "Bifidobacterial enolase, a cell surface receptor for human plasminogen".
• Musiani, F.; Bertosa, B.; Magistrato, A.; Zambelli, B.; Turano, P.; Losasso, V.; Micheletti, C.; Ciurli, S.; Carloni, P. J. Chem. Theory Comput. (2010) 6:3503-3515. "Computational study of the DNA-binding protein Helicobacter pylori NikR: the role of Ni2+".
• Musiani, F.; Ciurli, S.; Dikiy, A. J. Proteome Res. (2011) 10:968-976. "The interaction of selenoprotein W with 14-3-3 proteins: a computational approach".
• Zambelli, B.; Musiani, F.; Benini, S.; Ciurli, S. Acc. Chem. Res. (2011) 44:520-530. "Chemistry of Ni2+ in urease: sensing, trafficking and catalysis".
• Musiani, F.; Bellucci, M.; Ciurli, S. J. Chem. Inf. Model. (2011) 51:1513-1520. "Model structures of Helicobacter pylori UreD(H) domains: a putative molecular recognition platform".
• Martin-Diaconescu, V.; Bellucci, M.; Musiani, F.; Ciurli, S.; Maroney, M.J. J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. (2012) in press. "Unraveling the Helicobacter pylori UreG zinc binding site using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and structural modelling".
• Real-Guerra, R.; Staniscuaski, F.; Zambelli, B.; Musiani, F.; Ciurli, S.; Carlini, C.R. Plant Mol. Biol. (2012) in press. "Biochemical and structural studies on native and recombinant Glycine max UreG: a detailed characterization of a plant urease accessory protein".
Book Chapters
• Zambelli, B.; Musiani, F.; Ciurli, S. "Metal ion-mediated DNA-protein interactions". In Sigel, A.; Sigel, H.; Sigel, R.K.O. (Eds.) "Metal ions in life sciences - Volume 10: Interplay between metal ions and nucleic acids" (2012) in press.• Benini, S.; Musiani, F.; Ciurli, S.; “Urease“ In “Encyclopedia of Metallo Proteins” (2012) Springer Editions, in press.