- Assistant Professor, Structural Biology Initiative
- Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, CCNY
Francesca Vallese
Francesca Vallese, Ph.D. is a biochemist and structural biologist. Throughout her career, she has explored various techniques, working from the cellular to the atomic level. Her focus on native membranes makes her a specialist in the purification of supercomplexes from endogenous systems. Vallese’s research group will employ diverse techniques to investigate not only the molecular organization of membrane complexes but also to analyze these complexes in the context of their cellular function.Being part of CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC), and in close proximity to the New York Structural Biology Center (NYSBC), places the Vallese Lab at the heart of the structural biology scene in New York City.
Francesca received her Ph.D. in Biosciences and Biotechnologies from the University of Padova (Italy) for her research on the assemblies and activity of the enzyme [FeFe]-hydrogenase (HydA). She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Zanotti, obtaining X-ray structures of H. pylori proteins involved in chronic inflammation. Dr. Vallese later joined Columbia University to learn single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). She solved the cryo-EM structure of the ankyrin-1 complex from human erythrocytes, providing new insights into the architecture, dynamics, and regulation of red blood cells.
About the Vallese Lab
The Vallese Lab employs an integrated structural biology approach to discover protein assemblies and unveil their architecture and function within their native biological context, utilizing cutting-edge biochemical and biophysical techniques, with a focus on Cryo-EM.
Research Interests
The Lab research focuses on ankyrin complexes, which play a crucial role in maintaining the structural integrity of cells. Investigating these protein complexes in different cell types provides valuable insights into their roles in cellular structure and function.
Publications
Poggio E*, Vallese F*, Hartel AJW*, Morgenstern TJ, Kanner SA, Rauh O, Giamogante F, Barazzuol L, Shepard KL, Colecraft HM, Clarke OB, Brini M, Calì T. “Perturbation of the host cell Ca2+ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M”. (2023) Cell Death Dis. 29;14(4):297. doi: 10.1038/s41419-023-05817-w. PMID: 37120609
Vallese F, Maso L, Giamogante F, Poggio E, Barazzuol L, Salmaso A, Lopreiato R, Cendron L, Navazio L, Zanni G, Weber Y, Kovacevic-Preradovic T, Keren B, Torraco A, Carrozzo R, Peretto F, Peggion C, Ferro S, Marin O, Zanotti G, Calì T, Brini M, Carafoli E. “The ataxia-linked E1081Q mutation affects the sub-plasma membrane Ca2+-microdomains by tuning PMCA3 activity”. (2022) Cell Death Dis.13(10):855 PMID: 36207321
Vallese F, Kim K, Yen LY, Johnston JD, Noble AJ, Calì T, Clarke OB. “Architecture of the human erythrocyte ankyrin-1 complex” (2022). Nat Struct Mol Biol. PMID: 35835865
Li J*, Han L*, Vallese F*, Ding Z, Choi SK, Hong S, Luo Y, Liu B, Chan CK, Tajkhorshid E, Zhu J, Clarke O, Zhang K, Gennis R. “Cryo-EM structures of Escherichia coli cytochrome bo3 reveal bound phospholipids and ubiquinone-8 in a dynamic substrate binding site”. (2021). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 118(34):e2106750118. PMID: 34417297
