Luisa Lanfranco

Luisa Lanfranco is a Professor in the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology at the University of Turin, where she specializes in plant-fungal symbiotic relationships, particularly focusing on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Her research spans molecular biology, plant nutrition, and microbial ecology, with particular emphasis on nutrient exchange mechanisms and signaling pathways in plant-microbe interactions. She teaches courses in Plant Biology and Diversity, Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, and Principles of Plant and Microbial Biotechnologies across multiple degree programs including Biological Sciences and Plant Biotechnology.

Dr. Lanfranco's research interests center around the molecular mechanisms of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, with specific focus on small RNA signaling, strigolactone-mediated communication, nitrogen acquisition by plants, and the complex relationship between mycorrhizal symbiosis and plant viral infections. Her work has revealed how mycorrhizal associations can both enhance plant nutrient uptake while simultaneously influencing plant responses to pathogens. She has extensively studied the role of apocarotenoids as signaling molecules in establishing symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi.

Her publication record shows a consistent research trajectory spanning over three decades, with recent work increasingly focusing on molecular mechanisms including small RNA regulation in symbiotic relationships, nutrient exchange at the plant-fungal interface, and the complex interactions between mycorrhizal symbiosis and plant viral infections. The thematic evolution of her work demonstrates a progression from morphological and taxonomic studies of mycorrhizal fungi toward sophisticated molecular and genomic analyses of plant-fungal communication.

Dr. Lanfranco actively participates in multiple academic bodies including the Monitoring and Review Commission for Plant Biotechnology, the Master's Degree Course Council in Plant Biotechnology, the Teaching Commission, the Research Commission, and the Departmental Council. She leads the Biology of Mycorrhizal Interactions research group and is involved in the PRIN 2022 project studying viromes of fungi interacting with plants.