Prof. Mariano Stornaiuolo. University of Naples Federico II
Metabolic Echoes: Paternal Signals Shaping Early Embryonic Life
Abstract
For a long time, the paternal contribution to early development was
reduced to DNA alone. Today, a different picture is emerging—one in
which fathers transmit a rich constellation of signals that extend far
beyond genetics. Sperm cells carry epigenetic marks shaped by diet,
metabolism, and environmental exposures, and these marks accompany the
embryo from the very first moments, influencing how it interprets and
responds to its surroundings. At the same time, sperm also delivers a
metabolic cargo: polar metabolites, hormones, lipids and other bioactive
molecules that persist after fertilization and integrate into the
embryo’s early metabolic circuits.
Together, these informational and metabolic layers form a paternal
imprint that resonates through the earliest stages of development,
subtly guiding growth, hormonal balance, and long‑term metabolic
trajectories. This expanded view reveals a continuous dialogue between
paternal physiology and embryonic fate—one that begins well before
conception and may echo across generations.
Biography
Mariano Stornaiuolo is Associate Professor of Applied Biology at the
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II. He holds a
Master’s degree in Chemistry (2001) and a PhD in Genetics and
Molecular Medicine (2006), both from the University of Naples Federico
II. After completing his doctoral work on protein misfolding and
intracellular trafficking, he carried out postdoctoral research in the
Netherlands, first at Utrecht University (2006) and later at the
Netherlands Cancer Institute (2009), where he investigated mitochondrial
metabolism and the structural biology of ligand‑gated ion channels.
He returned to Italy in 2013, expanding his research into cell
metabolism and how it influences cell decisions, fate, disease, and
transformation. Since 2016 he has been part of the Department of
Pharmacy at Federico II, first as Researcher and, from 2019, as
Associate Professor. His work now focuses on paternal epigenetic
inheritance, sperm biology, and the metabolic determinants of early
embryonic development.
In addition to his research and teaching activities, since 2018 he
serves as the Rector’s Delegate for Academic Studies in Prison in
Nisida, Secondigliano and Poggioreale Penitentiary Education Programs,
promoting higher education and scientific training in correctional
institutions.
