Simona Abbà

I have been working as a research scientist at CNR since September 2011. My research is currently focused on: de novo genome assembly and RNAseq analysis of phytoplasmas; in silico study of the grapevine/phytoplasma interactions through a system biology approach; SNP genotyping in grapevine; functional characterization of proteins in Cryphonectria parasitica. I am also collaborating to the “V2P2 repository”, an open source and open access e-infrastructure designed to preserve and share research data about plant-microbe interactions. During my PhD, I explored the interactions between plants and mycorrhizal fungi (Tuber borchii, in particular). More recently, during my post-doc, I was interested in the possibility of exploiting the ericoid mycorrhizal fungus Oidiodendron maius in the bioremediation of heavy metal-polluted soils. These aspects were investigated mainly with biochemical, cell and molecular biology techniques, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism to test gene mutations, analyze phenotypes and explore protein–protein interactions (interactomics).