Pompeo Volpe has a long-standing interest in the molecular physiology of intracellular calcium stores (1981-present). The red line is made up by his interests in skeletal muscle biology and physiopathology. In recent years some attention has been focussed on cardiac muscles (2003-present) and for a number of years some interest has been paid to calcium stores of non muscle-cells (1988-1995).
In the last six years, scientific contributions have been centered on the molecular physiology of intracellular calcium stores of skeletal muscle, with emphasis on the targeting mechanisms of calsequestrin, and, both in skeletal and cardiac muscles, in relation to the key regulatory role of calsequestrin for calcium release and also to the understanding of the pathogenesis of Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT).

  • P. Volpe, G. Salviati, F. Di Virgilio and T. Pozzan. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate induces calcium release from sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle. Nature 316: 347-349, 1985.
  • P. Volpe, B.H. Alderson-Lang, L. Madeddu, E. Damiani, J.H. Collins and A. Margreth. Calsequestrin, a component of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca2+ store of chicken cerebellum. Neuron 5: 713-721, 1990.
  • P. Volpe, A. Villa, P. Podini, A. Martini, A. Nori, M.C. Panzeri and J. Meldolesi. The endoplasmic reticulum-sarcoplasmic reticulum connection. Distribution of endoplasmic reticulum markers in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle fibers. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 89: 6142-6146, 1992.
  • A. Nori, G. Valle, E. Bortoloso, F. Turcato and P. Volpe. Calsequestrin targeting to sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle fibers. Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 291: C245 - C253, 2006.
  • H. Chen, G. Valle, S. Furlan, A. Nani, S. Gyorke, Fill, M and P. Volpe. Mechanism of calsequestrin regulation of single cardiac ryanodine receptor in normal and pathological conditions. J. Gen Physiol. 142: 127-136, 2013

Research activity is presently funded by Telethon Founadation and by Italian Ministry for University and Research