Marion Pesenti

Dr. Marion Pesenti serves as a Project Group Leader in the Mechanistic Cell Biology department at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund, Germany. Her research focuses on understanding the complex molecular organization, structure, and function of kinetochores - among the largest known macromolecular machines in cells that are essential for faithful chromosome segregation during mitosis.

Her research interests center on mitosis, chromosome segregation mechanisms, kinetochore structure and function, centromere biology, and microtubule organization. Using a combination of in vitro techniques including biochemical reconstitutions, structural studies, biophysical characterization, and sophisticated cell biology and microscopy technologies, her lab aims to unveil the organizational principles of these complex kinetochores.

Dr. Pesenti's publication record demonstrates significant contributions to understanding PLK1 kinase function, kinetochore architecture, centromere maintenance, and the molecular mechanisms of chromosome segregation. Her work spans structural biology, biochemical reconstitution, and cell biological approaches to dissect mitotic mechanisms.

Her scientific contributions include important insights into the human inner kinetochore CCAN complex, the reconstitution of a 26-subunit human kinetochore, and the role of PLK1 in centromere maintenance. Earlier in her career, she also conducted structural studies on pheromone binding proteins.