Current Position

Biography

Dr. Chatzifrangkeskou completed her undergraduate studies in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Democritus University of Thrace, Greece (2008–2012), followed by an MRes in Post-Genomic Biology at the University of York, UK (2012–2013). She obtained her PhD through the Sorbonne Université and Freie Universität Berlin International PhD Programme in Cell Biology (2013–2016). Her doctoral research focused on cytoskeletal and mechanotransduction pathways in LMNA-associated cardiomyopathies, revealing how ERK1/2 and TGF-β signaling disrupt nuclear and cytoskeletal mechanics in disease.

Following her PhD, Dr. Chatzifrangkeskou carried out postdoctoral research at the Institute of Myology (Sorbonne Université, 2016–2017), and at the University of Oxford, Department of Oncology (2017–2020), where she made key discoveries on Hippo/RASSF1A regulation of nuclear actin and mechanosensitive transcription. She then returned to Cyprus and was recruited as Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the University of Cyprus (2020–2025), where she established an independent mechanobiology research line and secured highly competitive funding, including a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship and a Small-Scale Infrastructure grant to establish advanced mechanobiology and Xenopus platforms. Her work has contributed to Cyprus’s international research profile, including representation in the Nature Index for Biological Sciences.

In 2026, Dr. Chatzifrangkeskou joined the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, where she founded and now leads the Nuclear Envelopathies Group. Her laboratory investigates how nuclear envelope proteins, cytoskeletal forces, and nuclear actin integrate to regulate genome organization and transcription in cardiomyopathies, skeletal muscle disorders.

Selected publications

1. Chatzifrangkeskou M., Stanly T., Könnig D. Campos L., Eyres M., Hasson A., Perdiou A., Das S., Gardner S., Skourides P., Szele F., O’Neill E., “ATR-hippo drives force signaling to nuclear f-actin and links mechanotransduction to neurological disorders’’ (2025), Science Advances 
2. Chatzifrangkeskou M*., Kouis P., Skourides P., “JNK is a novel ciliogenesis regulator controlling actin driven processes” (2023), Journal of Cell Biology
3. Le Dur C.*, Chatzifrangkeskou M*. Macquart C.*, Magiera MM., Peccate C., Jouve C., Virtanen L., Heliō T., Aalto-Setālā K., Crasto S., Cadot B., Cardoso D., Marjault E., Mougenot N., Adesse D., Di Pascale E., Taimen P., Hulot JB., Janke C., Muchir A., “Actin-microtubule cytoskeletal crosstalk mediated by serum response factor promotes dilated cardiomyopathy caused by LMNA mutations” (2022), Nature Communications
4. Chatzifrangkeskou M*., Le Dour C., Muchir A., “Modulation of cytoskeleton in cardiomyopathy caused by mutation in LMNA gene” (2023), American Journal of Cell Physiology
5. Vignier N.*, Chatzifrangkeskou M.*, Pinton L., Wioland H., Marais T, Lemaitre M., Le Dur C., Peccate C., Cardoso D. Schmitt A., Naouar N., Macquart C., Beuvin M., Decostre V., Ferry A., Bonne G., Muchir A. “The non-muscle ADF/cofilin-1 controls sarcomeric actin filament integrity and force production in striated muscle laminopathies” (2021): Cell Reports
6. Chatzifrangkeskou M., Kah D. Langer R.J., Goldmann H.W., Muchir A.  “Mutated lamin A modulates stiffness” (2020) Biochem Biophys Res Comm.
7. 7.    Chatzifrangkeskou M., Pefani D.E., Eyres M., Vendrell I., Fischer R., Pankova D., O’Neill E., “RASSF1A is required for the maintenance of nuclear actin levels” (2019): The EMBO Journal 38(16): e101168 (featured on cover page)
8. Chatzifrangkeskou M., Yadin D., Tanguy Y., Marais T., Chardonnet S., Mougenot N., Schmitt A., Macquart C., Goldmann H.W., Knaus P., Bonne G., Worman J.H., Muchir A. “Cofilin-1 phosphorylation catalyzed by ERK1/2 alters cardiac actin dynamics in dilated cardiomyopathy caused by lamin A/C gene mutation” (2018): Human Molecular Genetics: ddy215
9. Chatzifrangkeskou M. Le Dour C., Wu W., Morrow J.P., Joseph L.C, Sera F., Homma S., Vignier N.,Mougenot N., Bonne G., Lipson K.E., Worman H.J, Muchir A., “ERK1/2 directly acts on CTGF/CCN2 expression to mediate myocardial fibrosis in cardiomyopathy caused by mutations in the lamin A/C gene” (2016):Human Molecular Genetics 25 (11): 2220-2233

Awards

Dr. Chatzifrangkeskou has received national and international awards in recognition of her scientific excellence, including the Early-Career Researcher Award from the University of Oxford (2019), a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (2021–2023), and an EMBO Short-Term Fellowship (2020). She has also been awarded major competitive grants from the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation, including a Small-Scale Infrastructure Award, an Excellence Grant, and an ERC Second Opportunity Grant supporting the development of a highly rated ERC proposal.