ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0803-7591 e-mail: tomas.morosinotto@unipd.it Tomas Morosinotto, Full professor in Plant Physiology, Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Padova. Since 2021, Director of the Botanical Garden of the University of Padova. Current research focuses on studying photosynthesis across various organisms to understand how evolution has shaped the regulation of this metabolic process—from algae to mosses to higher plants. These studies are characterized by the integration of multiple approaches, starting from generation of lines with genetic modifications and using biophysical, biochemical and functional investigation in combination with genome, transcriptome, lipidome, and metabolome analyses. Insights from this fundamental research are being used to develop genetically engineered algal strains and plants with enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and increased biomass productivity. PUBBLICATIONS (selected): 134 publications in peer-reviewed journals, 47 as last or corresponding author. 5 selected publications as senior author are: - Vera-Vives AM, Mellon M, Gurrieri L, Westhoff P, Segalla A, Tan SL, Bizzotto E, Campanaro S, Sparla F, Weber APM, Alboresi A, Morosinotto T. Cytochrome c oxidase inactivation in Physcomitrium patens reveals that respiration coordinates plant metabolism. Plant Cell. 2025 doi: 10.1093/plcell/koaf101. Vera-Vives AM, Novel P, Zheng K, Tan SL, Schwarzländer M, Alboresi A, Morosinotto T. Mitochondrial respiration is essential for photosynthesis-dependent ATP supply of the plant cytosol. New Phytol. 2024 Sep;243(6):2175-2186. doi: 10.1111/nph.19989. - Perin G, Bellan A, Michelberger T, Lyska D, Wakao S, Niyogi KK, Morosinotto T. Modulation of xanthophyll cycle impacts biomass productivity in the marine microalga Nannochloropsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Jun 20;120(25):e2214119120. - Gerotto C, Alboresi A, Meneghesso A, Jokel M, Suorsa M, Aro EM, Morosinotto T*, Flavodiiron proteins act as safety valve for electrons in Physcomitrella patens. PNAS 2016 113(43):12322-12327 - Alboresi A, Gerotto C, Giacometti GM, Bassi R and Morosinotto T, Mutants on heat dissipation in the moss Physcomitrella patens provide insights on the evolution of protection mechanisms upon land colonization, PNAS 2010 Jun 15;107(24):11128-33 GRANTS (selected): 2025-2027: PI of a PRIN project entitled: The essential role of mitochondrial respiration in plants metabolism – InMeta 2023-2028: Local PI of H2020 project entitled “Best-Crop Boosting photosynthESis To deliver novel CROPs for the circular bioeconomy”. 2021-2024: International coordinator of project “CooCE- Harnessing potential of biological CO2 capture for Circular Economy”. ACT Accelerating CCS Technologies, (https://cooce.eu/) 2020-2025: Local PI of H2020 project entitled “Gain4Crops Rewiring photorespiration using natural and synthetic pathways to sustainably increase crop yield”, http://gain4crops.eu/” 2012-2017: ERC Starting Grant with a project entitled : “BioLEAP— Biotechnological optimization of light use efficiency in algae photobioreactors” AWARDS (selected): - “Robin Hill” award presented by the International Society of Photosynthesis as a young scientist (under 40) in photosynthesis. ORGANISATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS (selected) 2024: chair of 2nd European Congress on Photosynthesis Research, ePS-2 in Padova, Italy (ww.eps2.org)

Curriculum PDF File

Research focuses on the study of photosynthesis in different organisms investigating how evolution shaped the regulation of this metabolic process going from algae, mosses and plants. Information from basic research is exploited for the development of the application of algae for the production of biomolecules. The objective of the research is to improve algae efficiency in converting light into biomass. Key limiting steps of photosynthesis are being identified by integrating biophysical, biochemical and functional investigation of algae photosynthetic apparatus with genome, transcriptome, lipidome and metabolome analysis. Information obtained is exploited to develop genetically engineered strains with improved productivity.

students are invited to join one of the two main projects in the lab: 1. Algae metabolic engineering for the sustainable production of Bio-commodities 2. Molecular mechanisms for metabolic regulation of photosynthetic organisms specific project are proposed based on students background and research interests

Last update: 08/04/2025