BIOGRAPHY

I graduated from the University of Milano-Bicocca with a degree in Molecular Biology in 2008. For my final degree project, I worked on cytoskeleton remodeling with Dr Daniela Talarico in the Department of Molecular Genetics (HSRMilano). Here, I studied the role of EFA6A (Guanine Exchange Factor for Arf6) phosphorylation in neuronal cells.

I received my Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology under the supervision of Prof Bill Earnshaw in the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology at University of Edinburgh. Here, I was awarded a competitive Darwin Trust of Edinburgh Ph.D studentship. My Ph.D. project was focused on studying the role of Telophase Disk -60 kDa (TD-60) in mitosis, which led me to reveal for the first time its GEF activity and to link the Ras-related protein RalA to the Chromosomal Passenger Complex (CPC) during mitosis (Papini et.al 2015, Nat. Comm.). 

In late 2014, I joined the lab of Prof Jonathan Higgins in the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biosciences (today part of the Newcastle University Biosciences Institute - NUBI) at Newcastle University to work on understanding a potential new error correction mechanism for chromosome segregation in anaphase (Responsive Mode BBRSC grant: Higgins-Papini awarded in March 2017).

In late 2021, I joined the Newcastle Drug Discovery unit in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute (NUTCRI) to work on understanding new roles and mechanisms of CDKs to generate hypotheses for drug discovery under the supervision of Prof Jane Endicott.

Publications

Papini D, Levasseur MD, Higgins JM. The Aurora B gradient sustains kinetochore stability in anaphase(accepted on 18th September 2021 in Cell Reports Papini et al., 2021, available on 9^thNovember 2021).

Manuscript also available in on its pre-print version on Biorxiv https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/

Papini D, Fant X, Ogawa H, Desban N, Samejima K, Feizbakhsh O, Askin B, Ly T, Earnshaw WC, Ruchaud S. Cell cycle-independent furrowing triggered by phosphomimetic mutations of the INCENP STD motif requires Plk1. 

J Cell Sci. 2019 (Oct 10th 2019) doi: 10.1242/jcs.234401

Papini D, First Person.J Cell Sci. 2019 doi: 10.1242/jcs.240473 

Papini D, Langemeyer L, Abad MA, Kerr A, Samejima I, Eyers PA, Jeyaprakash AA, Higgins JM, Barr FA, Earnshaw WC. TD-60 links RalA GTPase function to the CPC in mitosis. Nat Commun.2015 doi: 10.1038/ncomms8678

GRANTS and AWARDS

- Ph.D fellowship : “The Darwin Trust of Edinburgh”at The University of Edinburgh (January 2010)

- Ph.D Poster Prize - School of Biological Sciences at The University of Edinburgh (September 2012)

- BBSRC Responsive Mode : 3 years grant (J.M.G. Higgins & D.Papini – Newcastle University March 2017)

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

My research interests are Cell Cycle, Cell Division, mitosis, chromosome segregation, lagging chromosomes, aneuploidy and chromosome instability (CIN). 

SKILLS AND EXPERTISE:

Cell and molecular biology, live and fix high resolution microscopy, super-resolution microscopy (STED and iSIM), and mammalian cell culture including generation of stably expressing fluorescence cell lines.

Protein expression and purification for activity assay (i.e. GEF/kinases proteins) by using Baculovirus system.

TEACHING

During my Postdoctoral I have supervised and mentored several BSc Graduate students, and summer/erasmus students.

At the moment, together with Prof Jon Higgins and Christine Harrison, I am co-supervisor of 3 years Ph.D student funded by The Andrew Walker Cancer Studentship (sponsored by JGW Patterson Foundation).

• Papini D, Levasseur MD, Higgins JMG. The Aurora B gradient sustains kinetochore stability in anaphase. Cell Reports 2021, 37(6), 109818.
• Papini D, Fant X, Ogawa H, Desban N, Samejima K, Feizbakhsh O, Askin B, Ly T, Earnshaw WC, Ruchaud S. Cell cycle-independent furrowing triggered by phosphomimetic mutations of the INCENP STD motif requires Plk1. Journal of Cell Science 2019, 132(21), jcs234401.
• Papini D. First Person. Journal of Cell Science 2019, 132(21), jcs240473.
• Papini D, Langemeyer L, Abad MA, Kerr A, Samejima I, Eyers PA, Jeyaprakash AA, Higgins JMG, Barr FA, Earnshaw WC. TD-60 links RalA GTPase function to the CPC in mitosis. Nature Communications 2015, 6, 7678.