Ignazio Fontana
Role: CTER-VI
Section: Technicians
Division: Palermo
Tel: (39) 091-6574578
E-mail: ignazio.fontana@ibbr.cnr.it
URL: http://ibbr.cnr.it
Personal Info
Name: Ignazio Fontana
Date and Place of Birth: 22/03/1973
Professional Address:Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, Division of Palermo, National Research Council, Corso Calatafimi, 414, 90129 Palermo (PA), Italy.
Tel: +39 091 6574578, Fax. +39 091 423424
E-mail: ignazio.fontana@ibbr.cnr.it
Current Position
- From June 2010, Technician at the Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IBBR) UOS Palermo, CNR - National Research Council of Italy (former Institute of Plant Genetics).
Training
- International Course in “Automated Functional Annotation and Data Mining”,Centro de Investigaciones Príncipe Felipe - Valencia 23-25 October 2013
- EPS (Experimental Plant Sciences): “The power of RNA-seq” University of Wageningen, Netherlands, organized by “Laboratory of Bioinformatics of Wageningen university and the Netherlands Bioinformatics Centre (NBIC). 5 - 7 June 2013
- “NGS and non-coding RNA data analysis” organized by ITB CNR and NGS Network Italy - Bari 17-19 April 2013
Main Professional Skills
- Expertise in: Unix-like Systems programming, Scripting programming languages (Perl, Python, Shell), C++ and Java programming, Html, Networking, Relational Database Management.
Main research topics
Bioinformatics:
** Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies: De novo plastidial genome assembly and analysis, De novo transcriptome assembly and analysis, Molecular markers discovery in non-model species transcriptomes, DNA Barcoding.
Using the NGS approach we started studies on important topics of different species (Capparis spp., Vitis vinifera, Vitis sylvestirs, Olea europea L and medicinal plants). We performed a de novo assembly of the transcriptome of non-model species like Capparis spp. to develop a new and efficient panel of molecular markers to study inter and intra population diversity and increasing biodiversity conservation. We also carried out a differential expression study in Capparis spp. to discovery differentially expressed genes involved in the processes of environmental adaptation. In addition, since DNA barcoding is a widely used and effective tool that enables rapid and accurate identification of plant species, we isolated and sequenced whole plastidial genome of the principal olive and grape cultivars of Sicily to identify genetic variants and develop a barcoding system to characterize and safeguard the plant materials and their complex matrices (oil and wine).
** Bayesian analysis of genetic population structure, Computational Biology, Molecular markers data analysis.
Current Responsabilities
- Web editor of the IBBR web site
- Responsible for IT Infrastructure and Networking of the IBBR Division of Palermo
- GARR APM (Access Port Manager) for the IBBR Division of Palermo
Selected Publications
(full list available at CNR People)
Complete genome sequence of a new isolate of caper latent virus in caper
Tiberini A, Fontana I, Mercati F, Adams I, Fox A, Tomassoli L
Year: 2021
Phylogenetic relationship among wild and cultivated grapevine in Sicily: a hotspot in the middle of the Mediterranean Basin
De Michele R, La Bella F, Gristina AS, Fontana I, Pacifico D, Garfi G, Motisi A, Crucitti D, Abbate L, Carimi F
Year: 2019
Transcriptome analysis and codominant markers development in caper, a drought tolerant orphan crop with medicinal value
Mercati F, Fontana I, Gristina AS, Martorana A, El Nagar M, De Michele R, Fici S, Carimi F
Year: 2019
Urgent need for preservation of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. subsp. vinifera) germplasm from small circum-Sicilian islands as revealed by SSR markers and traditional use investigations
Gristina AS, De Michele R, Garfì G, La Mantia T, Fontana I, Spinelli P, Motisi A, Carimi F
Year: 2017
Survey of viral infections in spontaneous grapevines from natural environments in Sicily
Pacifico D, Stigliano E, Sposito L, Spinelli P, Garfì G, Gristina AS, Fontana I, Carimi F
Year: 2015
Hybridization in Capparis spinosa L.: molecular and morphological evidence from a Mediterranean island complex
Gristina AS, Fici S, Siragusa M, Fontana I, Garfì G, Carimi F
Year: 2014
Habitat features and genetic integrity of wild grapevine Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris (C.C. Gmel.) Hegi populations: A case study from Sicily
Garfì G, Mercati F, Fontana I, Collesano G, Pasta S, Vendramin GG, De Michele R, Carimi F
Year: 2013
