Professor of Applied Biology, Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Sannio (Benevento).

Research interests
Our interest has long focused on the regulation of proliferation and differentiation of cultured thyroid cells by thyrotrophin (TSH) and cyclic AMP. In the last four years we have studied the prostate and the mechanism controlling the onset of hormone independent cells within prostate tumors, which plays a predominant role in the development and progression of highly malignant prostate cancer.
The future aims of our laboratory are to understand better the pathways by which steroids regulate cell proliferation and transformation in the prostate, with particular attention to the signaling mechanisms that promote neuroendocrine
differentiation associated to the terminal steps of prostate cancer progression. We are investigating a number of key protein complexes that are involved in steroid-stimulated cell cycle progression.

Selected publications
Colasanti A, Kisslinger A, Liuzzi R, Quarto M, Riccio
P, Roberti G, Tramontano D, Villani F. Hypericin
photosensitization of tumor and metastatic cell
lines of human prostate. J Photochem Photobiol
B 2000;54:103-7.

Chieffi P, Colucci-D’Amato GL, Staibano S, Franco
R, Tramontano D. Estradiol-induced mitogen-activated
protein kinase (extracellular signal-regulated
kinase 1 and 2) activity in the frog
(Rana esculenta) testis. J Endocrinol
2000;167:77-84.

Stanzione R, Picascia A, Chieffi P, Imbimbo C,
Palmieri A, Mirone V, Staibano S, Franco R, De
Rosa G, Schlessinger J, Tramontano D. Variations
of proline-rich kinase Pyk2 expression correlate
with prostate cancer progression. Lab Invest
2000;8:51-9.

Barone MV, Sepe L, Melillo RM, Mineo A, Santelli G,
Monaco C, Castellone MD, Tramontano D, Fusco
A, Santoro M. RET/PTC1 oncogene signaling in
PC Cl 3 thyroid cells requires the small GTPbinding
protein Rho. Oncogene 2001;20:6973-82.

Picascia A, Stanzione R, Chieffi P, Kisslinger A, Dikic
I, Tramontano D. Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2
regulates proliferation and differentiation of
prostate cells. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2002;186:81-7.