Research interest 

• The molecular basis of dysregulated metabolism in developmental disorder arising from HRAS germline mutations
• LZTR1: a novel modulator of RAS-MAPK pathway

Academic and Scientific education

04/2022-current         Postdoctoral Researcher in the lab of Dr. Ion C. Cirstea Ulm University, Institute of Comparative Molecular Endocrinology, Ulm, Germany

11/2016-04/2022        PhD in Molecular Medicine (Dr. rer. nat.) (summa cum laude) Ulm University, International Graduate School in Molecular Medicine (IGradU), Institute of Comparative Molecular Endocrinology, Ulm, Germany

04/2015-11/2016        Master of Science (M. Sc.) in Molecular Medicine Ulm University, Ulm, Germany

09/2009-02/2015        Bachelor of Science (B. Sc.) in Molecular Biology and Genetics Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey

Prizes and awards

06/2022           Bridging programme for the career entry of female junior researchers, Ulm University

3 selected publications

Caratti B, Fidan M, Caratti G, Breitenecker K, Engler M, Kazemitash N, Traut R, Wittig R, Casanova E, Ahmadian MR, Tuckermann JP#§, Moll HP#§, Cirstea IC#§. The glucocorticoid receptor associates with RAS protein complex to inhibit cell proliferation and tumor growth. Science Signaling, 22;15(726): eabm4452.

Fidan M, Chennappan S and Cirstea IC. Studying metabolic abnormalities in the Costello Syndrome HRAS G12V mouse model: isolation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts and their in vitro adipocyte differentiation. Methods Mol. Biol. 2262: Ras Activity and Signaling, Editors Ignacio R and Prior I, Springer.

Motta M*, Fidan M*, Bellacchio E, Pantaleoni F, Schneider-Heieck K, Coppola S, Borck G, Salviati L, Zenker M, Cirstea IC# and Tartaglia M#. Dominant Noonan syndrome-causing LZTR1 mutations specifically affect the Kelch domain substrate-recognition surface and enhance RAS-MAPK signaling. Hum. Mol. Genet., 2019, 28(6):1007-1022. *, Equal contribution. #, Equal contribution and joint coordination.