SENIOR RESEARCHER
sergio.molinari(AT)ipsp.cnr.it
080.543.9239
publications: Orcid
personal details and activity: People
Curriculum Vitae
I am a senior scientist of CNR, graduated in Biological Science and Biochemist for my training and work experience. I have been involved in the biochemistry of plant-pathogen interactions since 1986, and I have been in charge of the Biochemistry Laboratory at BARI SS since long time.
I mainly deal with studying the mechanisms of functioning of the immune system of plants, and in particular, the processes of induction of resistance (SAR, MIR, TIR) with treatments of plant hormones, or with symbiont mycorrhiza forming fungi (AMF), or antagonist fungi such as Trichoderma spp. (BCF). I also study the role of these beneficial microorganisms as bio-fertilizers. Generally, I deal with the activation of plant defense systems as an eco-sustainable control strategy against sedentary endoparasitic nematodes and some insects. I also deal with compounds extracted from plants that can have an anti-inflammatory function, and therefore with nutraceutical substances. I am part of the Functional Food Network with the activity “Nutraceuticals with phytotherapeutic constituents: relationship between Plant Physiology and Biochemistry with human health”. In this context, I am the contact person for the Institute for the Operational Unit WP1- task 1.4 of the FOE 2019 NUTR-AGE project (New diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of degenerative diseases). I keep populations of root-knot and cyst nematodes, on vegetables, potatoes, beets, legumes, in greenhouse. I conduct genetic resistance tests to nematodes of tomato, pepper, and potato cultivars. I also study the mechanisms of resistance given by single genes against sedentary endoparasitic nematodes. I am an expert in isolation and purification of proteins and enzymatic tests, mainly antioxidant enzymes – of this activity I had an initial one year training at Imperial College London, Dept. of Pure and Applied Biology. I also worked on molecular biology for one year at the University of Riverside, California, focusing on gene regulation in saprophytic nematodes. At the moment, in my WOS web site, there are 63 publications with 973 citations and H-index 13