The common aim of the components of the Operative Unit is to address fundamental questions in the field of cell biology and genetics, in order to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying cellular processes and to analyze alterations of these mechanisms in inherited and acquired diseases. In particular, the operative unit pursues the following research lines: - Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism for the study of nervous system diseases - Study of genes involved in the piRNA pathway and in the genomic stability of gonads and of the nervous system - Effects of different kind of stress on genomic stability - Genotyping of human cells and tissues of patients with familial (genetic) and sporadic (cancer, heart diseases, sterility) diseases - Polymorphisms of genes involved in drug response - Genomic studies related to the cell-mediated immunity in mammals - Role of Rab GTPases in the regulation of endocytosis and lysosome biogenesis - Molecular basis of inherited neuropathies: Functional characterization of Rab7 mutant proteins causing Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2B neuropathy - Molecular basis of infectious diseases: investigation of molecular mechanisms involving regulators of membrane trafficking and underlying host-pathogen interactions in order to identify possible pharmacological targets - Role of intermediate filament proteins in late endocytic trafficking and human diseases - Identification and functional characterization of new effectors of endocytic regulatory proteins - Role of RAB7 and its interacting proteins in gaining tumorigenic properties - Understanding alterations of intracellular vesicular trafficking in chemioresistance - Therapeutic use of non-coding RNA All the research activities of the Operative Unit address relevant topics in the field of cell biology and genetics with implications for human diseases and face them with most advanced biotechnological tools and technologies.