Scientific Personnel

Brief Bio

Lukas H. Margaritis, born in Nea Erythraia Attika, Greece has studied Physics and Biology in the University of Athens from where he received his PhD in Biological Sciences, under the supervision of Prof. F.C. Kafatos. on the “Programmed specific protein synthesis in the follicles of Drosophila melanogaster during choriogenesis”. He earned a two-year Postdoctoral fellowship in the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University (Branton’s lab) researching on the Structure of membrane proteins with Freeze fracturing and teaching Cell Biology. Returning as faculty member at the University of Athens School of Biology he gradually obtained a tenured position as a Professor of Cell Biology and Electron Microscopy. He served as Chairman of the School and the Dept. of Cell Biology and Biophysics for several years. He has received training on TEM, confocal microscopy, image analysis, in the Philips laboratories, Eindhoven, Leiden University, MRC, Cambridge, U.C Boulder, CNRS, Gif Sur Yvette, EMBL, Heidelberg, and he has been invited in a number of National and International Conferences as a main speaker.

Current research interests are focused on the translational research dealing with effects of non-ionizing radiation emitted by the wireless communication devices on the structure, function and behavior of cells, Insects, Rodents and Plants through biochemical fine structural, molecular, physiological and high throughput approaches. He has and still is collaborating with Drs. Thanos, Tsangaris, Kostomitsopoulos, Syntichaki, Beis at BRFAA. He has supervised directly or indirectly more than 40 PhD students and more that 150 undergraduate and MSc diploma Thesis students. Teaching activities include under/postgraduate courses in Cell Biology Electron Microscopy and Radiobiology for students of Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Dentistry and the MSc course “Radiation: Health Hazards and Applications in Biomedical Imaging”. He is in charge of TEM operation in BRFAA.

Prof Margaritis’ work has made pioneering contributions in the fields of Cell Biology, Cellular Differentiation and Electromagnetic Biology by relating structure and function in the egg-shell of insects, the follicle differentiation during oogenesis and the mechanisms underlying the bioeffects of nonionizing radiation into cells, as follows:

• Demonstrating the existence of 10 follicle cell subpopulations during differentiation in Drosophila that produce extracellular layers of specific structural functions during embryogenesis, providing a clear ultrastructural pathway of their self-assembly processes.
• Discovering the enzyme ESP (egg shell peroxidase) and its crystalline supramolecular assembly that forms a tight crystalline layer, evolutionary conserved surrounding the oocyte of Drosophila.
• Proposing a possible mechanism of action for the non-ionizing radiation exposure of cells and organisms, namely nematodes, insects, lizards, mice, rats, lizards through the increase or ROS causing cell death in Drosophila ovaries, memory impairments in mice, possibly through gene/protein expression changes in flies and mouse brain regions.
• Through his research he was and still is, able to provide useful hints to the public in order to avoid being exposed to radiation, through articles, meetings, web sites in Greek, or in English and TV interviews.

Professor Margaritis has co-authored 169 peer reviewed articles (March,2018) in International scientific journals and 8 book chapters. Citations:6111, h-index:40, i10index:121.
COMPLETE CV AND PUBLICATION LIST

Selected Publications

Mobile-phone radiation-induced perturbation of gene-expression profiling, redox equilibrium and sporadic-apoptosis control in the ovary of Drosophila melanogaster. Manta AK, Papadopoulou D, Polyzos AP, Fragopoulou AF, Skouroliakou AS, Thanos D, Stravopodis DJ, Margaritis LH. Fly (Austin). Dec 14:1-21, 2016.

Effects of pre- and post-natal exposure to 1880-1900 MHz DECT base radiation on rat development. Stasinopoulou M, Fragopoulou AF, Stamatakis A, Mantziaras G, Skouroliakou K, Papassideri IS, Stylianopoulou F, Lai H, Kostomitsopoulos N and LH Margaritis. Reproductive Toxicology, Aug 65:248-262, 2016

Response of Caenorhabditis elegans to wireless devices radiation exposure. Fasseas MK, Fragopoulou AF, Manta AK, Skouroliakou A, Vekrellis K, Margaritis LH and Syntichaki P. Int J Rad Biol, Mar. 91(3) 286-93, 2015

Reactive oxygen species elevation and recovery in Drosophila bodies and ovaries following short term and long term exposure to  DECT base EMF  Manta, A. K., Stravopodis, D. J., Papassideri, I. S., Margaritis, L. H Electromagn. Biol. Med. 33(2), 118-131, 2014

The aftermath of long-term exposure to non-ionizing radiation on laboratory cultivated pine plants (Pinus halepensis M.) Stefi,AL LH Margaritis, NS Christodoulakis Flora 234, September,173-186, 2017

Drosophila as a bio-marker responding to EMF sources. Margaritis, L. H., Manta, A. K., Kokkaliaris, C. D., et al.. Electromagn.  Biol. Med. 33(3), 165-189, 2014.

Proteomic analysis of normal murine brain parts. Taraslia VK, Kouskoukis A, Anagnostopoulos AK, Stravopodis DJ, Margaritis LH, Tsangaris GT. Cancer Genomics Proteomics.  May-Jun;10(3):125-54, 2013.

Detrimental effects of proteasome inhibition activity in Drosophila melanogaster: implication of ER stress, autophagy and apoptosis. Velentzas PD, Velentzas AD, Mpakou VE, Antonelou MH, Margaritis LH Papassideri IS, Stravopodis DJ. Cell Biology and Toxicology, 29(1):13-37, 2013.

Transient and cumulative memory impairments induced by GSM 1.8 GHz cell phone signal in a mouse model. Ntzouni MP, Skouroliakou A, Kostomitsopoulos N, Margaritis LH. Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine.32(1):95-120, 2012.

Silencing of CCDC6 reduces the expression of 14-3-3σ in colorectal carcinoma cells. Thanasopoulou A, Xanthopoulou AG, Anagnostopoulos AK, Konstantakou EG, Margaritis LH, Papassideri IS, Stravopodis DJ, Tsangaris GT, Anastasiadou E. Anticancer Res. Mar;32(3):907-13, 2012.

Brain proteome response following whole body exposure of mice to mobile phone or wireless DECT base radiation. Fragopoulou AF, Samara A, Antonelou MH, Xanthopoulou A, Papadopoulou A, Vougas K, Koutsogiannopoulou E, Anastasiadou E, Stravopodis DJ, Tsangaris GT, Margaritis LH. Electromagn Biol Med. Dec;31(4):250-74, 2012.

Cell-produced alpha-synuclein is secreted in a calcium-dependent manner by exosomes and impacts neuronal survival. Emmanouilidou E, Melachroinou K, Roumeliotis T, Garbis SD, Ntzouni M, Margaritis LH, Stefanis L, Vekrellis K. J Neurosci. May 19;30(20):6838-51, 2010.

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