Where we are
Via Pietro Castellino 111
80131 Naples
Tel. 0039 081 6132 579
Links
Amministrazione trasparente
Maria Inmaculada Ayala Grande
Current Position:
Researcher
Contacts:
Phone: +39 0816132538
Lab: +39 08161325645
Email: i.ayala@ieos.cnr.it
Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3329-1428
Publons https://publons.com/researcher/1838614/inmaculada-ayala/
Scopus Author ID 7003299002
WoS Researcher ID U-4565-2018
Keywords:
Golgi complex, mitosis, cell cycleDuring my PhD (1996-2000), I started working in membrane trafficking, investigating the transport of membrane and soluble proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane in cells transformed with an inducible oncogene and cells with different degree of invasiveness. In 2000, I did a first post-doctorate at the University of California (San Diego) studying the role of Protein Kinase D1 and 2 in the regulation of the post-Golgi trafficking.
In 2003, I did a second post-doctorate at the Department of Cell Biology and Oncology of the Consorzio Mario Negri (S. Maria Imbaro), investigating the structure and regulation of the invadopodia, which are specialized plasma membrane protrusions formed by invasive cells and involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix.
In 2009, I joined the Institute of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, initially working to a project focused on a family of multifunctional proteins, the C-terminal-binding proteins (CtBPs), which act both at the nuclear level, modulating the expression of anti-apoptotic and differentiating genes, and in the cytosol, controlling aspects of membrane trafficking and cell mitotic progression. Since 2014, I started the investigation of a novel cell cycle regulatory mechanism that is regulated by the pre-mitotic disassembly of the Golgi complex. In particular, I am focusing on the molecular mechanisms and regulation of GRASP65, a protein essential to for the maintenance of Golgi structure.
Education
2000 Ph. D. in Biological Sciences, “Cum Laude”. University of Barcelona, Spain.
1995 Master Degree in Biological Sciences. University of Barcelona, Spain.
Positions
Jul 2011 to date Researcher, CNR, Naples, Italy.
2009- 2011 Postdoctoral fellow, TIGEM, Naples, Italy.
2003- 2009 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Cell Biology and Oncology, Mario Negri Sud, Italy.
2000-2003 Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego.
Apr/May 1999 Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego.
May/Aug 1998 Department of Cell Biology and Oncology, Mario Negri Sud, Italy.
Aug/Sep 1997 Department of Pathology, University of Oulu, Finland.
1996-2000 Department of Cellular Biology, University of Barcelona, Spain.
Ayala I, Crispino R, Colanzi A. GRASP65 controls Golgi position and structure during G2/M transition by regulating the stability of microtubules. Traffic. 2019 Oct;20(10):785-802. doi: 10.1111/tra.12682.
Ayala I, Giacchetti G, Caldieri G, Attanasio F, Mariggio S, Tete S, Polishchuk R, Castronovo V, Buccione R (2009) “Faciogenital dysplasia protein Fgd1 regulates invadopodia biogenesis and extracellular matrix degradation and is upregulated in prostate and breast cancer“ Cancer Research 69(3): 747-752
PMID: 19141649
Ayala I, Baldassarre M, Giacchetti G, Caldieri G, Luini A,Buccione R (2008);“Multiple regulatory inputs converge on cortactin to control invadopodia biogenesis and extracellular matrix degradation”. J. Cell Sci. 121(3): 369-378
PMID: 18198194
Yeaman CA*, Ayala MI*, Wright JR, Bard F, Bossard C, Ang A, Maeda Y, Seufferlein T, Mellman I, Nelson WJ, Malhotra V (2004) “Protein Kinase D regulates basolateral membrane protein exit from trans-Golgi Network” Nat. Cell Biol. 6(2): 106-112.
PMID: 14743217 *Equal contribution
Ayala I, Babià T, Baldassarre M, Pompeo A, Fabra A, Kok JW, Luini A, Buccione R, Egea G (1999) "Morphological and biochemical analysis of the secretory pathway in melanoma cells with distinct metastatic potential" FEBS Let. 451, 315-320
PMID:10371212
Full publications list: Publons https://publons.com/researcher/1838614/inmaculada-ayala/
Available in Colanzi’s lab
2018-2022 Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (AIRC) IG grant “Development of a GRASP65/Aurora-A signalling network as a therapeutic target for cancer.
2018-2020 POR Campania, “Sviluppo di Approcci Terapeutici Innovativi per patologie Neoplastiche resistenti ai trattamenti - SATIN”
2013-2015 POR Campania “Oncology and Cardiology Key Targets” (OCKEY)
2012-2015 PON Ricerca e Innovazione “Antigens and adjuvants for vaccines and immunotherapy”.