Developed skills and lines of research
Renato Fani has been an Associate Professor of Genetics since 2002, working at the Department of Biology of the University of Florence. He graduated in Biological Sciences in 1979 from the University of Florence, with an experimental thesis titled “Isolation and characterization of Bacillus subtilis mutants altered in the competence process,” conducted at the Institute of Genetics. In 1988, he earned his PhD in Genetic Sciences (Genetics and Molecular Biology) from the same institution.
He currently leads the Laboratory of Microbial and Molecular Evolution at the Department of Biology, University of Florence. The lab’s main research areas include:
Analysis of microbial communities: capable of generating electrical energy.
His scientific contributions include over 140 publications and more than 300 presentations at national and international conferences.
Molecular evolution: analyzing the molecular mechanisms responsible for gene and genome evolution.
Analysis of microbial populations: isolated from natural environments.
Isolation of novel natural antibiotics.
Projects funded by FFC Ricerca as Principal Investigator or as Research Manager
FFC#12/2011
New drugs for Burkholderia cepacia from Antarctic bacteria
FFC#13/2006
A two stage strategy for early and accurate detection of B. cepacia in routine clinical analysis involving CF patients
FFC#9/2003
Development of a rapid diagnostic test to discriminate B. cepacia complex species and genomovars in routine clinical analysis involving CF patients
Projects financed by FFC Ricerca as a partner
FFC#10/2012
A very promising drug against Burkholderia cenocepacia
Publications from FFC Research projects
Tabacchioni S, Ferri L, Manno G et al. Use of the gyrB gene to discriminate among species of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 2008 Apr;281(2):175-82. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2008.01105.x. Epub 2008 Feb 27.
Papaleo MC, Russo E, Fondi M, et al. Structural, evolutionary and genetic analysis of the histidine biosynthetic “core” in the genus Burkholderia. Gene. 2009 Dec 1;448(1):16-28. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2009.08.002. Epub 2009 Aug 13.
Ferri L, Perrin E, Campana S, Tabacchioni S et al. Application of multiplex single nucleotide primer extension (mSNuPE) to the identification of bacteria: the Burkholderia cepacia complex case. J Microbiol Methods. 2010 Mar;80(3):251-6. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2010.01.008. Epub 2010 Jan 14.
Perrin E, Fondi M, Papaleo MC et al. Exploring the HME and HAE1 efflux systems in the genus Burkholderia. BMC Evol Biol. 2010 Jun 3;10:164. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-10-164.
Romoli R, Papaleo MC, de Pascale D et al. Characterization of the volatile profile of Antarctic bacteria by using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Mass Spectrom. 2011 Oct;46(10):1051-9. doi: 10.1002/jms.1987.
Fondi M, Orlandini V, Perrin E et al. Draft genome sequence of the volatile organic compound-producing Antarctic bacterium Arthrobacter sp. Strain TB23, able to inhibit Cystic Fibrosis pathogens belonging to the Burkholderia cepacia complex. J. Bacteriol. November 2012 vol. 194 no. 22 6334-6335 doi: 10.1128/JB.01432-12
Papaleo MC, Fondi M, Maida I et al., Sponge-associated microbial Antarctic communities exhibiting antimicrobial activity against Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria. Biotechnol Adv. 2012 Jan-Feb;30(1):272-93. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2011.06.011. Epub 2011 Jun 29.
Papaleo MC, Romoli R, Bartolucci G et al. Bioactive volatile organic compounds from Antarctic (sponges) bacteria. New Biotechnology Volume 30, Issue 6, 25 September 2013, Pages 824-838
Romoli R, Papaleo MC, De Pascale D et al. GC–MS volatolomic approach to study the antimicrobial activity of the antarctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. TB41. Metabolomics, February 2014, Volume 10, Issue 1, pp 42–51
Orlandini V, Maida I, Fondi M et al. Genomic analysis of three sponge-associated Arthrobacter Antarctic strains, inhibiting the growth of Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria by synthesizing volatile organic compounds. Microbiol Res. 2014 Jul-Aug;169(7-8):593-601. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2013.09.018. Epub 2013 Oct 20.
Fondi M, Orlandini V, Fani R, et al. Draft genomes of three Antarctic Psychrobacter strains producing antimicrobial compounds against Burkholderia cepacia complex, opportunistic human pathogens. Mar Genomics, 2014 Feb;13:37-8. doi: 10.1016/j.margen.2013.12.009. Epub 2014 Jan 5.