Current Position

Associate Scientist, Biochemical Genetics Department

The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics 

Education

• PhD in Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus

• B.Sc. in Chemistry, Chemistry Department, University of Cyprus

• Part-time Lecturer at the “Community Health Care” MSc program, Department of Nursing, Frederick University, Cyprus (Oct/13, Oct/14).
• Teaching General and Inorganic Chemistry Labs, Department of Pharmacy, Frederick University, Cyprus (Sept/13-Dec/13).

Research Interests

Her main research interests are focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of inherited metabolic disorders with emphasis on lysosomal storage disorders. In particular, her work focusses on the functional characterization of acid ceramidase, an enzyme involves in the metabolism of ceramide, in epithelial and neuronal cell lines.  

Biography

Dr. Anna Malekkou received her BSc degree in Chemistry from the University of Cyprus in 2002 and her PhD in Molecular Biology from the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus in 2011. Subsequent to completion of her undergraduate studies (BSc), she was employed as a Post-Graduate Researcher at the laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, at the University of Cyprus and she was also awarded a scholarship by the European Union to work as a Post-Graduate Researcher at the laboratory of Structural Molecular Biology of Prof. E. Mandelkow at the Max-Planck Institute, Hamburg of Germany. Since 2013 she is a post-doctoral fellow at the Biochemical Genetics Department at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics. She has a strong background in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology. She is currently working on the cellular pathology of lysosomal storage diseases with emphasis on neurodegeneration mechanisms.  

• Kyriakou, K., Lederer, W. C., Kleanthous, M., Drousiotou, A. and Malekkou, A. (2020). Acid Ceramidase Depletion Impairs Neuronal Survival and Induces Morphological Defects in Neurites Associated with Altered Gene Transcription and Sphingolipid Content. Inter. J. Mol. Sci. 2020; 21(5), 1607.  
• Malekkou A, Sevastou I, Mavrikiou G, Georgiou T, Vilageliu L, Moraitou M, Michelakakis H, Prokopiou C, Drousiotou A. A novel mutation deep within intron 7 of the GBA gene causes Gaucher disease. Mol. Genet. Genomic Med. 2019;00:e1090.
• Malekkou A, Samarani M, Drousiotou A, Votsi C, Sonnino S, Pantzaris M, Chiricozzi E, Zamba-Papanicolaou E, Aureli M, Loberto N, Christodoulou K. Biochemical Characterization of the GBA2 c.1780G>C Missense Mutation in Lymphoblastoid Cells from Patients with Spastic Ataxia. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2018;10;19(10). 
• Drakou, C.E., Malekkou, Α., Hayes, J.M., Lederer, C.W., Leonidas, D.D., Oikonomakos, N.G., Lamond A.I., Santama, N. and Zographos, S.E. hCINAP is an atypical mammalian nuclear adenylate kinase with ATPase motif: Structural and functional studies. Proteins. 2012;80: 206-220.
• Malekkou, A., Lederer, C.W., Lamond A.I. and Santama, N. The nuclear ATPase/Adenylate Kinase hCINAP is recruited to perinucleolar caps generated upon RNA pol. II inhibition. FEBS Letters. 2010;584: 4559-4564.
• Santama, N., Ogg, S.C., Malekkou, A., Zographos, S.E., Weis, K. and Lamond, A.I. Characterization of hCINAP, a Novel Coilin-interacting Protein Encoded by a Transcript from the Transcription Factor TAFIID32 Locus. J. Biol. Chem. 2005;280: 36429-36441.