Nektarios Tavernarakis Explained

Nektarios Tavernarakis
Native Name:Νεκτάριος Νικολάου Ταβερναράκης
Native Name Lang:gre* / ell
Birth Date:2 May 1967
Birth Place:Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Fields:Biology, Cell Biology, Ageing, Neurodegeneration, Systems Biology, Metabolism
Workplaces:Foundation for Research & Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB)
University of Crete, Medical School
Education:BSc

Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1989)
PhD: Molecular Genetics, University of Crete (1995)

Alma Mater:Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Thesis Title:The yeast transcriptional activator Gcn4p: Expression and function
Thesis Url:http://www.tavernarakislab.gr/nektarios/PhD.pdf
Thesis Year:1995
Known For:Ageing, Necrosis, Neurodegeneration
Awards:European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Investigator grant award (twice, in 2008 and 2016)
European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept grant award (2016)
EMBO Young Investigator award (2002)
Academy of Athens BioMedical Research Award (2014)
Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel research award (2007)
Galien Scientific Research Award (2017)
Helmholtz International Fellow Award (2017)
Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) long-term postdoctoral fellowship (1996)
Bodossaki Foundation Excellence Award (2024)
Bodossaki Foundation Scientific Prize for Medicine and Biology (2005)
Foundation for Research and Technology Research Excellence award (2007)
Empeirikeion Foundation Academic Excellence Prize (2012)
Footnotes:Member of the Academy of Athens, the German National Academy of Sciences-Leopoldina, the European Academy of Sciences, the EMBO, Academia Europaea, & the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Fellow of the AAAS. Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. Chairman of the EIT Governing Board. Vice President of the ERC Scientific Council.

Nektarios N. Tavernarakis (Greek: Νεκτάριος Ν. Ταβερναράκης) is a Greek bioscientist, who studies Ageing, Cell death, and Neurodegeneration.[1] He is currently Distinguished Professor of Molecular Systems Biology at the Medical School of the University of Crete, and the chairman of the board of directors at the Foundation for Research and Technology, in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. He is also the founder and first director of the Graduate Program in Bioinformatics of the University of Crete Medical School, and has served as director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, where he is heading the Neurogenetics and Ageing laboratory. He was elected vice president of the European Research Council (ERC) in 2020,[2] and chairman of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) governing board and executive committee in 2022.[3]

Early years

Nektarios Tavernarakis was born and grew up in Megali Vrisi,[4] a small village in the municipality of Gortyna, about 30 Km to the south of Heraklion, and graduated with honours from the 1st High School of Heraklion (Kapetanakeio).[5]

Biographical information

Nektarios Tavernarakis completed his undergraduate studies at the Department of Biology of the Aristotle University, in Thessaloniki, Greece (graduated with honours in 1989), and obtained his PhD degree from the Department of Biology of the University of Crete, in Heraklion, Greece, having received the best PhD Thesis Award. He trained as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry of Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA. He has made notable contributions relevant to cell death, neurodegeneration and ageing, documented in the scientific literature.[6] [7]

In 2020, Nektarios Tavernarakis was elected vice president of the European Research Council (ERC),[2] and in 2022, he became chairman of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Governing Board,[3] He is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO),[8] the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc),[9] Academia Europaea,[10] the German National Academy of Sciences-Leopoldina[11] and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA).[12] He is also a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens,[13] and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).[14]

His work has received several prominent awards and scientific prizes, including two European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Investigator grant awards (in 2008 and 2016),[15] [16] a European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept grant award,[17] the EMBO Young Investigator award, the International Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) long-term postdoctoral fellowship, the BioMedical Research Award of the Academy of Athens, the Valergakis Post-Graduate Award of the Hellenic University Club of New York, the Galien Scientific Research Award,[18] the Helmholtz International Fellow Award,[19] the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel research award, the Research Excellence award of the Foundation for Research and Technology, and the Empeirikeion Foundation Academic Excellence Prize, among others. He is also the recipient of the Excellence Award,[20] and the Scientific Prize for Medicine and Biology,[21] of the Bodossaki Foundation, which are two of the most competitive scientific distinctions for Greeks, in Greece and abroad. He is the only Greek scientist to have been awarded both these prestigious prizes.

Research and scientific achievements

Nektarios Tavernarakis has contributed to the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of necrotic cell death and neurodegeneration, the interplay between cellular metabolism and ageing, the mechanisms of sensory transduction and integration by the nervous system.[22] [23] He has also contributed towards the development of novel genetic tools for biomedical research, including an RNA interference (RNAi) method that allows efficient knockdown of neuronal genes.[24] His PhD Thesis research focused on the expression and function of key stress response transcriptional activators in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and provided original insights on the regulation of these activators by nutrient limitation, and the role of DNA in determining interactions between transcription factors and co-factors.[25] His laboratory at IMBB was the first to commence Caenorhabditis elegans research in Greece. He has published more than 250 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, such as Nature. His work has received more than 55,000 citations.[26] Among the notable discoveries of his team are the sophisticated molecular mechanisms, by which diverse physiological signals are integrated to modulate cellular mitochondrial content,[27] protein synthesis,[28] [29] and energy homeostasis during ageing.[30] These studies revealed intricate signaling pathways that coordinate mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis, to determine the number of mitochondria in cells, under stress and during ageing.[31] [32] [33] Work from his lab implicated autophagy,[34] lysosomal function,[35] [36] endocytosis,[37] intracellular calcium homeostasis[38] and specific proteolytic enzymes[39] as major contributors to necrosis and neurodegeneration. His group developed, for the first time, experimental heat stroke models; and identified mechanisms protecting against heat cytotoxicity and other necrotic insults.[40] He has isolated and characterized specific ion channels, involved in proprioception and coordinated locomotion,[41] in dopaminergic signalling and associative learning.[42] His team was the first to delineate the role of autophagy in the regulation of synaptic plasticity and behaviour under nutrient deprivation and stress.[43] [44] Work in his laboratory also led to the identification of specific nuclear autophagy mediators and the characterization of their role in ageing and germline immortality.[45] [46]

Personal life

Nektarios Tavernarakis is married and the father of two daughters. He is a licensed radio amateur, active mainly in the VHF, UHF and SHF radio bands. His callsign is SV9IOR.[47] [48]

Selected awards and distinctions

Selected publications

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nektarios Tavernarakis - Google Scholar . 2015-11-23.
  2. Composition of the ERC Scientific Council on the site of ERC: https://erc.europa.eu/about-erc/erc-president-and-scientific-council
  3. Nektarios Tavernarakis appointed EIT Governing Board Chair: https://eit.europa.eu/news-events/news/nektarios-tavernarakis-appointed-eit-governing-board-chair
  4. Web site: Megali Vrisi, Towns and villages - Heraklion.
  5. Web site: 1ο Γενικό Λύκειο Ηρακλείου (Καπετανάκειο).
  6. Web site: Nektarios Tavernarakis B-9684-2013 . ResearcherID.com . 2014-01-02 . 2015-11-23.
  7. Web site: Nektarios Tavernarakis (0000-0002-5253-1466) - ORCID | Connecting Research and Researchers . ORCID . 2015-11-23.
  8. Web site: EMBO members . Embo.org . 2015-11-23.
  9. Web site: Members – European Academy of Sciences.
  10. Web site: Academy of Europe: Tavernarakis Nektarios . Ae-info.org . 2015-11-23.
  11. Web site: Prof. Dr. Nektarios Tavernarakis. leopoldina.org.
  12. Web site: European Academy of Sciences and Arts members . euro-acad.eu.
  13. Web site: Εκλογή του Καθηγητή της Ιατρικής Σχολής του Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης κ. Νεκτάριου Ταβερναράκη ως αντεπιστέλλοντος μέλους της Ακαδημίας Αθηνών στην Έδρα της Νευροβιολογίας-Βιολογίας της Γήρανσης. academyofathens.gr.
  14. Web site: AAAS Announces Leading Scientists Elected as 2020 Fellows . aaas.org.
  15. Web site: European Commission : CORDIS : Projects & Results Service : Molecular Basis of Neuronal Ageing . Cordis.europa.eu . 2015-11-23.
  16. Web site: ERC Advanced Grants: €647 million from the EU to 277 senior research leaders . erc.europa.eu . 2016-05-25.
  17. Web site: ERC Proof of Concept Grants: 45 ERC grantees receive top-up innovation funding . erc.europa.eu . 2016-09-30.
  18. Web site: Prix Galien: Galien Scientific Research Award . prixgalien.gr . 2017-04-06.
  19. Web site: Helmholtz International Fellow Award . helmholtz.de.
  20. Web site: Bodossaki Excellence Award . en . Bodossaki.gr .
  21. Web site: Bodossaki Distinguished Young Scientist Awards . en . Bodossaki.gr .
  22. Web site: Tavernarakis N - PubMed - NCBI. pubmeddev. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  23. Web site: Nektarios Tavernarakis - Google Scholar. scholar.google.com.
  24. Heritable and inducible genetic interference by double-stranded RNA encoded by transgenes. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. Shi L.. Wang. Maxim. Dorovkov. Alexey. Ryazanov. Monica. Driscoll. 1 February 2000. Nature Genetics. 24. 2. 180–183. 10.1038/72850. 10655066. 24334113.
  25. Web site: Διατριβή: Ο ΜΕΤΑΓΡΑΦΙΚΟΣ ΕΝΕΡΓΟΠΟΙΗΤΗΣ GCNH: ΜΕΛΕΤΗ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΦΡΑΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΥ ΜΗΧΑΝΙΣΜΟΥ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΙΑΣ ΤΟΥ - Κωδικός: 3450. thesis.ekt.gr.
  26. Web site: Nektarios Tavernarakis Google Scholar. scholar.google.ch.
  27. Balancing mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy to maintain energy metabolism homeostasis. K.. Palikaras. E.. Lionaki. N.. Tavernarakis. 1 September 2015. Cell Death & Differentiation. 22. 9. 1399–1401. 10.1038/cdd.2015.86. 26256515. 4532782.
  28. eIF4E function in somatic cells modulates ageing in Caenorhabditis elegans. Popi. Syntichaki. Kostoula. Troulinaki. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. 22 February 2007. Nature. 445. 7130. 922–926. 10.1038/nature05603. 17277769. 2007Natur.445..922S. 4323753.
  29. Rieckher M, Markaki M, Princz A, Schumacher B, Tavernarakis N . Maintenance of proteostasis by P body-mediated regulation of eIF4E availability during ageing in Caenorhabditis elegans . Cell Reports . 25 . 1 . 199–211 . 2018 . 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.09.009 . 30282029 . 6180348 .
  30. Prohibitin couples diapause signalling to mitochondrial metabolism during ageing in C. elegans. Marta. Artal-Sanz. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. 8 October 2009. Nature. 461. 7265. 793–797. 10.1038/nature08466. 19812672. 2009Natur.461..793A. 4429858.
  31. Coordination of mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis during ageing in C. elegans. Konstantinos. Palikaras. Eirini. Lionaki. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. 28 May 2015. Nature. 521. 7553. 525–528. 10.1038/nature14300. 25896323. 2015Natur.521..525P. 4451530.
  32. Palikaras K, Lionaki E, Tavernarakis N . Mechanisms of mitophagy in cellular homeostasis, physiology and pathology . Nature Cell Biology . 20 . 9 . 1013–1022 . 2018 . 10.1038/s41556-018-0176-2 . 30154567 . 52113802 .
  33. Lionaki E, Gkikas I, Daskalaki I, Ioannidi MK, Klapa MI, Tavernarakis N . Mitochondrial protein import determines lifespan through metabolic reprogramming and de novo serine biosynthesis . Nature Communications . 13 . 1 . 651 . 2022 . 10.1038/s41467-022-28272-1 . 35115503 . 8814026 . 2022NatCo..13..651L . free .
  34. Autophagy is required for necrotic cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans. C.. Samara. P.. Syntichaki. N.. Tavernarakis. 28 September 2007. Cell Death & Differentiation. 15. 1. 105–112. 10.1038/sj.cdd.4402231. 17901876. free.
  35. Lysosomal biogenesis and function is critical for necrotic cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans. Marta. Artal-Sanz. Chrysanthi. Samara. Popi. Syntichaki. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. 24 April 2006. J Cell Biol. 173. 2. 231–239. 10.1083/jcb.200511103. 16636145. 2063814.
  36. The Vacuolar H+-ATPase Mediates Intracellular Acidification Required for Neurodegeneration in C. elegans. Popi. Syntichaki. Chrysanthi. Samara. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. 12 July 2005. Current Biology. 15. 13. 1249–1254. 10.1016/j.cub.2005.05.057. 16005300. 16500500. free.
  37. Endocytosis and intracellular trafficking contribute to necrotic neurodegeneration in C. elegans. Kostoula. Troulinaki. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. 1 February 2012. The EMBO Journal. 31. 3. 654–666. 10.1038/emboj.2011.447. 22157748. 3273398.
  38. Necrotic Cell Death in C. elegans Requires the Function of Calreticulin and Regulators of Ca2+ Release from the Endoplasmic Reticulum. Keli. Xu. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. Monica. Driscoll. 27 September 2001. Neuron. 31. 6. 957–971. 10.1016/S0896-6273(01)00432-9. 11580896. 14026924. free.
  39. Specific aspartyl and calpain proteases are required for neurodegeneration in C. elegans. Popi. Syntichaki. Keli. Xu. Monica. Driscoll. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. 31 October 2002. Nature. 419. 6910. 939–944. 10.1038/nature01108. 12410314. 2002Natur.419..939S. 4317198.
  40. Small heat-shock proteins protect from heat-stroke-associated neurodegeneration. Nikos. Kourtis. Vassiliki. Nikoletopoulou. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. 11 October 2012. Nature. 490. 7419. 213–218. 10.1038/nature11417. 22972192. 2012Natur.490..213K. 4404066.
  41. unc-8, a DEG/ENaC Family Member, Encodes a Subunit of a Candidate Mechanically Gated Channel That Modulates C. elegans Locomotion. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. Wayne. Shreffler. Shiliang. Wang. Monica. Driscoll. 1 January 1997. Neuron. 18. 1. 107–119. 10.1016/S0896-6273(01)80050-7. 9010209. 16667697. free.
  42. A synaptic DEG/ENaC ion channel mediates learning in C. elegans by facilitating dopamine signalling. Giannis. Voglis. Nektarios. Tavernarakis. 17 December 2008. The EMBO Journal. 27. 24. 3288–3299. 10.1038/emboj.2008.252. 19037257. 2609744.
  43. Nikoletopoulou V, Sidiropoulou K, Kallergi E, Dalezios Y, Tavernarakis N . Modulation of autophagy by BDNF underlies synaptic plasticity . Cell Metabolism . 26 . 1 . 230–42 . 2017 . 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.06.005 . 28683289 . free .
  44. Nikoletopoulou V, Tavernarakis N . Regulation and roles of autophagy at synapses . Trends in Cell Biology . 28 . 8 . 230–42 646–661 . 2018 . 10.1016/j.tcb.2018.03.006 . 29731196 . 19206766 .
  45. Papandreou ME, Konstantinidis G, Tavernarakis N . Nucleophagy delays ageing and preserves germline immortality . Nature Aging . 2022 . 10.1038/s43587-022-00327-4 . free . 10154226 .
  46. Tavernarakis N . Research Briefing: Nuclear autophagy promotes longevity and germline immortality . Nature Aging . 2022 . 10.1038/s43587-022-00336-3 .
  47. Web site: SV9IOR - Callsign Lookup by QRZ Ham Radio.
  48. Web site: Station info for SV9IOR.
  49. Web site: Members – European Academy of Sciences.
  50. Web site: Royal Society of Biology Membership . rsb.org.uk.
  51. Web site: Nektarios Tavernarakis appointed EIT Governing Board Chair . 29 March 2022 . eit.europa.eu.
  52. Web site: AAAS Announces Leading Scientists Elected as 2020 Fellows . aaas.org.
  53. Web site: Andrzej Jajszczyk and Nektarios Tavernarakis elected new ERC Vice Presidents . erc.europa.eu.
  54. Web site: European Commission: 4 members to EIT Governing Board . 2 July 2020 . eit.europa.eu.
  55. Web site: Prof. Dr. Nektarios Tavernarakis. leopoldina.org.
  56. Web site: Education Business Award . educationbusinessawards.gr . 2017-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170516034358/http://www.educationbusinessawards.gr/ . 2017-05-16 . dead .
  57. Web site: ERC Scientific council . erc.europa.eu.
  58. Web site: Fondation Santé . Fondationsante.org . 2015-10-01 . 2015-11-23.
  59. Web site: Ακαδημια Αθηνων . Academyofathens.gr . 2015-11-23.
  60. Web site: Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation - Researching the Network . Humboldt-foundation.de . 2015-11-23.
  61. Web site: Nektarios Tavernarakis: Faculty Member in Cellular Death & Stress Responses - F1000Prime . F1000.com . 2006-07-18 . 2015-11-23.
  62. Web site: Search the YIP database . 194.94.44.233 . 2015-11-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151123215757/http://194.94.44.233/EMBO_YIP_search/search.htm . 2015-11-23 . dead .
  63. Web site: Awards Archive | Human Frontier Science Program . Hfsp.org . 2015-11-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110219212552/http://www.hfsp.org/awardees/awards-archive . 2011-02-19 . dead .