The main topics of my research interests:

• Differential role of Ca²⁺-related second messengers IP₃, cADPr, and NAADP during oocyte maturation and fertilization (Lim et al., 2001, 2003; Moccia et al., 2006). This project I carried out during my PhD training at the SZN. This is summarised on the following pages.
• Currently I am interested in the role of Ca²⁺ and Ca²⁺ transporters in neuronal function in health and disease.

During last few years I am mainly focused on studying the calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction in striatal neurons of Huntingtons Disease (Lim et al., 2007). To study neuronal Ca²⁺ signaling in our Lab we use combination of the two powerful methodologies: the lentiviral gene transfer technology and the aequorin-based Ca²⁺ measurement technique, which we use to study Ca²⁺ dynamics directly within different cell organelles, shuch us the cytoplasm, the mitochondrial matrix, the ER lumen and others. We also use state-of-the-art tools of cell and molecular biology including primary cultures of striatal neurons and quantitative real-time PCR.

During these years I was also involved in other two projects: a study of mutations of the plasma-membrane calcium-pump isoform 2 causing digenic deafness (Ficarella et al., 2007), and the second project dealt with the control of neuronal Ca²⁺ homeostasis by the transcriptional repressor DREAM.

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Faculty of 1000
about our recent paper
Calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction in striatal neurons of huntington's disease. J Biol Chem 2007 Dec 21