I am interested in dissecting pathways that control many developmental steps, and I use Drosophila melanogaster as model. I have been working with fruit fly for the last 10 years , investigating in different fields spanning from gametogenesis, metabolism, energy homeostasis, detoxification and larval development. AT the moment my research interest is focused on the important roles played by the clock core in orchestrating the secretion of the main developmental hormone (ecdysone) and modulate the timing of development in L3 larvae.

Di Cara F, Duca E, Dunbar D, Cagney G and Heck M. Invadolysin, a conserved lipid

droplet-associated protease interacts with mitochondrial ATP synthase and regulates

mitochondrial metabolism in Drosophila (manuscript in preparation).

Di Cara F, Cavaliere D, Galliero V, Polito LC, Digilio F A. (2010) Expressional and

functional analysis of the male specific cluster mst36F during Drosophila

spermatogenesis. Insect Molecular Biology (2010) 19(6), 807–813

Cobbe N, Marshall K, Rao SG, Chang CW, Di Cara F, Vass S and Heck M. (2009)

The conserved metalloprotease invadolysin localizes to the surface of lipid droplets.

Journal of Cell Science 122:3414-3423.

Cavaliere D, Di Cara F, Polito LC, Digilio FA. (2009) Cloning and functional

characterization of the intersex homologous gene in the pest lepidopteron Maruca

vitrata. The International Journal of Developmental Biology 53:1057-1062.

Di Cara F, Morra R, Cavaliere D, Sorrentino A, De Simone A, Polito LC, Digilio FA.

(2006) Structure and expression of a novel gene family showing male germline

specific expression in Drosophila melanogaster. Insect Molecular Biology. 15:813-

822.