Mauro A. Zordan
In brief
- I was born in Salisbury (now Harare), Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) on the 12th November 1958.
- In 1976, I completed my secondary school education (A levels) at Prince Edward High School (Salisbury, Rhodesia) in the subjects of Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.
- In 1983 I graduated in Biology at the University of Padova, Italy, following the presentation of a thesis entitled: “Protein polymorphism at the esterase-6 locus in Drosophila melanogaster”.
- In 1989 I obtained a PhD in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Padova, Italy.
- In 1990, I became a Researcher in Genetics, Department of Biology, School of Sciences, University of Padova, Italy.
- Since 2002 my position is Associate Professor in Genetics, Department of Biology, School of Sciences, University of Padova, Italy.
Teaching activity
Genetics, Population Genetics, Behavioural Genetics, Programming in R (Applied Statistics).
I am currently responsible for the ERASMUS International Student Exchange program for the Department of Biology, and within this framework I am actively involved in maintaining a Double Diploma program between our University and the University of Paris Cite’ (France), for the Master’s degree in Molecular Biology and the Master’s degree in Genetics (Magistére en Génétique), respectively.
Research Interests
I have been involved in research aimed at understanding the adaptive meaning of the molecular machinery implicated in the generation and maintenance of biological circadian rhythms in Drosophila melanogaster as well as other insects. In this context I developed most of my experience in conducting behavioural analyses with the objective of establishing the presence of locomotor defects, as well as alterations in integrative neuronal functions, such as those involved in the response to visual and/or olfactory stimuli.
In this respect:
I have participated in research in which Drosophila melanogaster was used as a model to study genes involved in human hereditary neuromuscular and/or mitochondrial diseases. I have been involved in a collaborative research project in which the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction was used as a model chemical synapse (glutamatergic) in which to study the detailed interplay between proteins and membrane lipids (among which the sphingolipids) in the process of neuronal vesicle recycling. Currently, my main interest rests in the use of Drosophila as a model of neuropsychiatric disease. The complex constellation of behavioural phenotypes involved in neuropsychiatric disorders and the largely familiar pattern of inheritance, which is of a complex genetic nature, are the main reasons why so little is known of the pathogenesis of these diseases. Flies allow experimental approaches which are still difficult to address in other vertebrate model organisms, with particular reference to the sophisticated genetics and a very powerful toolbox of transgenic methods for neuronal circuit analysis. In addition, Drosophila has a relatively complex nervous system which shares many fundamental cellular and neurobiological processes with that of humans.
Altogether the common denominator of my ongoing research activity entails the use of Drosophila melanogaster as a model to study the genetics of behavioural, neuromuscular and synaptic defects which have some relation to known human hereditary diseases.
Selected Publications
1: Menti GM, Meda N, Zordan MA, Megighian A. Towards a unified vision on animal navigation. Eur J Neurosci. 2023 Jun;57(12):1980-1997. doi: 10.1111/ejn.15881. Epub 2022 Dec 14. PMID: 36458915.
2: De Lazzari F, Agostini F, Doni D, Malacrida S, Zordan MA, Costantini P, Bubacco L, Sandrelli F, Bisaglia M. DJ-1 and SOD1 Act Independently in the Protection against Anoxia in Drosophila melanogaster. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 Aug 5;11(8):1527. doi: 10.3390/antiox11081527. PMID: 36009245; PMCID: PMC9405364.
3: Malacrida S, De Lazzari F, Mrakic-Sposta S, Vezzoli A, Zordan MA, Bisaglia M, Menti GM, Meda N, Frighetto G, Bosco G, Dal Cappello T, Strapazzon G, Reggiani C, Gussoni M, Megighian A. Lifespan and ROS levels in different Drosophila melanogaster strains after 24 h hypoxia exposure. Biol Open. 2022 Jun 15;11(6):bio059386. doi: 10.1242/bio.059386. Epub 2022 Jun 29. PMID: 35616023; PMCID: PMC9253781.
4: Frighetto G, Zordan MA, Castiello U, Megighian A, Martin JR. Dopamine Modulation of Drosophila Ellipsoid Body Neurons, a Nod to the Mammalian Basal Ganglia. Front Physiol. 2022 Apr 14;13:849142. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.849142. PMID: 35492587; PMCID: PMC9048027.
5: Meda N, Menti GM, Megighian A, Zordan MA. A heuristic underlies the search for relief in Drosophila melanogaster. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2022 Apr;1510(1):158-166. doi: 10.1111/nyas.14730. Epub 2021 Dec 20. PMID: 34928521; PMCID: PMC9300192.
6: Meda N, Frighetto G, Megighian A, Zordan MA. Searching for relief: Drosophila melanogaster navigation in a virtual bitter maze. Behav Brain Res. 2020 Jul 1;389:112616. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112616. Epub 2020 Apr 30. PMID: 32361039.
7: Frighetto G, Zordan MA, Castiello U, Megighian A. Action-based attention in Drosophila melanogaster. J Neurophysiol. 2019 Jun 1;121(6):2428-2432. doi: 10.1152/jn.00164.2019. Epub 2019 May 1. PMID: 31042449.
Where I work
Drosophila Neurogenetics and Behaviour lab
located on the 2nd Floor of the:
Vallisneri Biology Building
Via U. Bassi 58/B
35131 Padova
ITALY