Molecular and functional analysis of kinetochores

Curriculum vitae

Education


• 7/2005 - present
  Group leader. European Institute of Oncology, Dept. Experimental Oncology, Milan, Italy.
• 11/1999 - 6/2005
  Research associate in yeast chromosome segregation. Massachusetts
  Institute of Technology, Dept. Biology (Prof. P.K. Sorger), USA.
• 7/1996 - 10/1999
  Research associate in bacterial signal transduction. Harvard Medical
  School, Dept. Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (Prof. E.C.C. Lin), USA.
• 4-20/7/1999
  Course in Protein Purification and Characterization. Cold Spring Harbor
  Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
• 6-20/6/1997
  Course in Advanced Bacterial Genetics. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory,
  Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
• 6/1995 - 6/1996
  Training in molecular biology and genetics. University of Milan, Dept.
  General Physiology and Biochemistry (Prof. L. Alberghina), Italy.
• 2/1992 - 5/1995
  Ph.D. in Industrial Microbiology and Biocatalysis. University of Ghent,
  Dept. Biochemical and Microbial Technology (Prof. E.J. Vandamme), Belgium.
• 6/1993 - 9/1993
  Ph.D. research at the University of Vienna, Inst. Food Technology, Dept.
  Biochemical Technology (Prof. K.D. Kulbe), Austria.
• 10/1986 - 7/1991
  M.Sc. in Bioengineering. University of Ghent, Belgium.

Honors


• Post-Doctoral Fellowship of the Charles A. King Trust-The Medical Foundation (2001-2003).
• Elected Full Member to the Sigma Xi Society of Science and Engineering (2001).
• Merck Co.-M.I.T. Best Poster Award, M.I.T. Dept. Biology Retreat (2000).
• Dr. D. Collen-B.A.E.F. Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (1998-1999).
• Studax Post-Doctoral Training Fellowship (1996).
• Commett Scholarship (1995-1996).
• Erasmus Scholarship (1995).
• Greatest Distinction, Ph.D., University of Ghent, Belgium (1995).
• Finalist European Technology Awards, Delft, The Netherlands (1995).
• Winner of the "Biannual VCV-Exxon Co. Prize for Biochemistry 1994-1995".
• Pfeifer und Langen Doctoral Fellowship (1992-1995).

Pubblicatons in Peer-Reviewed Journals


• Miranda JJ.M., De Wulf P., Sorger P.K. and Harrison S.C. (2005). The yeast DASH complex decorates microtubules as a closed ring. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 12: 138- 143.
• Liu X. and De Wulf P. (2004). Probing the ArcA-P signal transduction modulon of Escherichia coli by whole-genome transcriptional analysis and promoter-recognition profiling. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 279: 12588-12597.
• De Wulf P., McAinsh A.D. and Sorger P.K. (2003). Hierarchical assembly of the budding yeast kinetochore from multiple subcomplexes. Genes and Development, 17: 2902-2921.
• De Wulf P., McGuire A.M., Liu X. and Lin E.C.C. (2002). Genome-wide profiling of promoter recognition by the two-component response regulator CpxR-P in Escherichia coli. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 277: 26652-26661.
• De Wulf P. and Lin E.C.C. (2000). Cpx two-component signal transduction in Escherichia coli: excessive CpxR-P levels underlie CpxA* phenotypes. Journal of Bacteriology, 182:1423- 1426.
• De Wulf P., Akerley B.J. and Lin E.C.C. (2000). Presence of the Cpx system in bacteria. Microbiology, 146: 247-248.
• De Wulf P., Brambilla L., Vanoni M., Porro D. and Alberghina L. (2000). Real-time flow cytometric quantification of GFP expression and Gfp fluorescence generation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 42: 57-64.
• De Wulf P., Soetaert W. and Vandamme E.J. (2000). Optimized synthesis of L-sorbose by C5- dehydrogenation of D-sorbitol with Gluconobacter oxydans. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 69: 339-343.
• McGuire A.M.*, De Wulf P.*, Church G.M. and Lin E.C.C. (1999). A weight matrix for binding recognition by the redox-response regulator ArcA-P of Escherichia coli. Molecular Microbiology, 32: 219-221 (*Contributed equally).
• Membrillo-Hernandez J., Kwon O., De Wulf P., Finkel S.E. and Lin E.C.C. (1999). Regulation of adhE (encoding ethanol oxidoreductase) by the Fis protein in Escherichia coli. Journal of Bacteriology, 181: 7390-7393.
• Pellicer M.T., Lynch A.S., De Wulf P., Boyd D., Aguilar J. and Lin E.C.C. (1999). A mutational study of the ArcA-P binding sequences in the aldA promoter of Escherichia coli. Molecular and General Genetics, 261: 170-176.
• De Wulf P., Kwon O. and Lin E.C.C. (1999). The CpxRA two-component signal transduction system of Escherichia coli: growth-related autoactivation and control of unanticipated target operons. Journal of Bacteriology, 181: 6772-6778. (I.F.: 4.18).
• Georgellis D., Kwon O., De Wulf P. and Lin E.C.C. (1998). Signal decay through a reverse phosphorelay in the Arc two-component signal transduction system. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 273: 32864-32869.
• Pogliano J., Dong J.-M., De Wulf P., Furlong D., Boyd D., Losick R., Pogliano K. and Lin E.C.C. (1998). Aberrant timing of cell division and random positioning of the cell division site in Escherichia coli cpxA* mutants. Journal of Bacteriology, 180: 3486-3490.
• De Wulf P. (1998). Presence of the ribulose monophosphate pathway in Bacillus subtilis. Microbiology, 144: 596-597.
• Vandamme, E.J., De Baets S., Vanbaelen A., Joris K. and De Wulf P. (1998). Improved production of bacterial cellulose and its application potential. Polymer degradation and stability, 59: 93-99.
• De Wulf P., Soetaert W., Schwengers D. and Vandamme E.J. (1997). Specific organic acids enhance the D-ribose productivity of a transketolase-defective Bacillus subtilis strain. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 70: 311-315.
• De Wulf P. and Vandamme E.J. (1997). Microbial synthesis of D-ribose: metabolic deregulation and fermentation process. Advances in Applied Microbiology, 44: 167-214.
• De Wulf P. and Vandamme E.J. (1997). Production of D-ribose by fermentation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 48: 141-148.
• De Wulf P., Soetaert W., Schwengers D. and Vandamme E.J. (1997). Optimization of D-ribose production with a transketolase-affected Bacillus subtilis mutant strain in glucose and gluconic acid-based media. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 83: 25-30.
• De Wulf P., Soetaert W., Schwengers D. and Vandamme E.J. (1996). D-Glucose does not catabolite repress a transketolase-deficient D-ribose producing Bacillus subtilis mutant strain. Journal of Industrial Microbiology, 17: 104-109.
• De Wulf P., Soetaert W., Schwengers D. and Vandamme E.J. (1996). Screening and mutational improvement of a D-ribose secreting Candida pelliculosa. Journal of Fermentation and Bioengineering, 82: 1-7.
• De Wulf P., Joris K. and Vandamme E.J. (1996). Improved cellulose formation by an Acetobacter xylinum mutant limited in (keto)gluconate synthesis. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 67: 376-380.
• Joris K., Billiet F., De Wulf P. and Vandamme E.J. (1994). Enhanced bacterial cellulose yield in aerated Acetobacter xylinum cultures by adding micro-particles. In: Cellulosics: Materials for Selective Separations and Other Technologies (Polymer Science and Technology). Eds. Kennedy J.F., Phillips G.O. and Williams P.A.; Prentice Hall Publ., U.K., p. 239-245.

News and views on published research


• McIntosh J.R. (2005). Rings around kinetochore microtubules in yeast. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 12: 210-212.
• Heinrichs A. (2005). Robust rings. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 6: 196.
• Salmon E.D. (2005). Microtubules: a ring for the depolymerizing motor. Current Biology, 15: R299-R302.
• Wells A.W. (2005). Kinetochores hold on with a ring. Journal of Cell Biology, 168: 349.
• Measday V. and Hieter P. (2004). Kinetochore sub-structure comes to MIND. Nature Cell Biology, 6: 94-95.

Professional Experience


• Industrial microbiology: cell-based biocatalysis (bacteria, yeast); fermentation technology; metabolic pathway engineering; metabolite production, characterization (GLC, HPLC) and isolation.
• Molecular biology and genetics: standard techniques for the manipulation of phage, bacteria, and yeast.
• Cell biology: in vitro chromosome-microtubule binding; real-time 3D-Deltavision microscopy for analysis of protein localization, kinetochore mutant phenotyping and chromosome dynamics.
• Biochemistry: affinity purification of proteins from bacteria, yeast and insect cells; chromatin immunoprecipitation; biophysical characterization of proteins by size-exclusion chromatography, sedimentation velocity ultracentrifugation; FPLC.
• Bioinformatics: development of recognition weight matrices for DNA binding proteins; whole- genome protein-affinity screening; whole-genome expression profiling.

PERSONAL INFORMATION


• Languages:
  - Dutch (mother tongue), English, Italian: speaking, reading, writing: very good.
  - French, German: Reading, understanding: very good; Speaking, writing: good but need a polish.
• Interests: - Playing soccer, running (e.g. New York City Marathon). - Poetry, cinema, theater, dining out, traveling.