Università degli Studi di Verona
Dipartimento di Biotecnologie
Strada Le Grazie 15, Ca' Vignal 1
37134 Verona, Italy
Tel.: +39 045 8027949
email: michael.assfalg@univr.it
CURRICULUM
Michael Assfalg
Michael Assfalg received the master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Florence in
December 1997. He earned the Doctor of Phylosophy degree in Chemistry from the University of
Florence in 2001. During his master’s and doctoral theses, he studied the structural and dynamic
properties of proteins in solution via Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, focussing on
paramagnetic metalloproteins. His research activity, also in the year following the PhD, was based in
the Center of Magnetic Resonance, CERM, Florence, recognized as Large Scale Facility for NMR
spectroscopy by the European Union.
M.A. was post-doctoral research assistant from 2002 to 2004 at the University of Maryland, USA,
where he applied the NMR technique to the study of poly-ubiquitin chains in solution, contributing to
the understanding of their specificity towards substrates.
From 2004 to 2005 he was research collaborator in the University spin-off Protera Srl. During that
period he participated in a TOK European project, granted with a Marie Curie Fellowship, with
secondment to the University of Frankfurt, Germany. He performed basic and applied research in the
field of drug discovery and metabolomics, still focussing on applications of NMR spectroscopy. He
contributed to the implementation of a metabolomics technology platform at CERM, in Florence, Italy.
M.A. joined the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Verona in January 2006 as assistant
professor of Organic Chemistry. He teaches and carries research studies in the fields of organic
chemistry and biomolecular NMR spectroscopy. He is author of about 50 research publications in
international peer-reviewed journals. M.A. is Director of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Spectroscopy Facility of the University of Verona.
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Selected publications:
1. Assfalg M, Bertini I, Colangiuli D, Luchinat C, Schäfer H, Schütz B, Spraul M., “Evidence of
different metabolic phenotypes in humans.”, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Feb 5;105(5):1420-4.
2. Guariento M, Raimondo D, Assfalg M, Zanzoni S, Pesente P, Ragona L, Tramontano A, Molinari
H., “Identification and functional characterization of the bile acid transport proteins in nonmammalian ileum and mammalian liver.”, Proteins. 2008 Feb 1;70(2):462-72.
3. Eliseo T, Ragona L, Catalano M, Assfalg M, Paci M, Zetta L, Molinari H, Cicero DO. Structural
and dynamic determinants of ligand binding in the ternary complex of chicken liver bile acid
binding protein with two bile salts revealed by NMR. Biochemistry. 2007 Nov 6;46(44):12557-67.
4. Assfalg M, Gianolio E, Zanzoni S, Tomaselli S, Russo VL, Cabella C, Ragona L, Aime S, Molinari
H., NMR Structural Studies of the Supramolecular Adducts between a Liver Cytosolic Bile Acid
Binding Protein and Gadolinium(III)-Chelates Bearing Bile Acids Residues: Molecular
Determinants of the Binding of a Hepatospecific Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agent.”, J
Med Chem. 2007, Nov 1;50(22):5257-68.
5. Tomaselli S, Ragona L, Zetta L, Assfalg M, Ferranti P, Longhi R, Bonvin AM, Molinari H.,
“NMR-based modeling and binding studies of a ternary complex between chicken liver bile acid
binding protein and bile acids.”, Proteins. 2007 Oct 1;69(1):177-91.
6. Assfalg M, Bertini I, Del Conte R, Giachetti A, Turano P.,”Cytochrome c and organic molecules:
solution structure of the p-aminophenol adduct., Biochemistry. 2007 May 29;46(21):6232-8.
7. Varadan R, Assfalg M, Fushman D., “Using NMR spectroscopy to monitor ubiquitin chain
conformation and interactions with ubiquitin-binding domains.” Methods Enzymol. 2005;399:17792.
8. Varadan R, Assfalg M, Raasi S, Pickart C, Fushman D., “Structural determinants for selective
recognition of a Lys48-linked polyubiquitin chain by a UBA domain.” Mol Cell. 2005 Jun
10;18(6):687-98.
9. Varadan R, Assfalg M, Haririnia A, Raasi S, Pickart C, Fushman D., “Solution conformation of
Lys63-linked di-ubiquitin chain provides clues to functional diversity of polyubiquitin signaling.” J
Biol Chem. 2004 Feb 20;279(8):7055-63.
10. D.Fushman, R.Varadan, M.Assfalg, O.Walker, “Determining domain orientation in
macromolecules by using spin-relaxation and residual dipolar coupling measurements”, Prog NMR
Spectr., (2004) 44, 189-214
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