World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Claudio E. Sunkel

Claudio E. Sunkel

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Molecular Biology
Portugal
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Molecular Biology

D-Index
48
Citations
7848
World Ranking
2693
National Ranking
3

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Molecular Biology in Portugal Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Molecular Biology in Portugal Leader Award
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

Overview

Claudio E. Sunkel is affiliated with the University of Porto in Portugal. Their research primarily focuses on the fields of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, with particular emphasis on Cell Biology and Molecular Biology. Subfields of study also include Plant Science, Immunology, and Biomaterials.

The main topics of Claudio E. Sunkel's work cover a range of cellular and molecular processes, including:

  • Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
  • Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
  • Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
  • DNA Repair Mechanisms
  • Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways
  • Cellular transport and secretion
  • Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics

The scientist has contributed multiple papers to various journals, with a notable focus on mechanisms related to cell division and chromosome behavior. Recent publications include:

  • aPKC regulates apical constriction to prevent tissue rupture in the Drosophila follicular epithelium, 2022, published in Current Biology
  • Mps1-mediated release of Mad1 from nuclear pores ensures the fidelity of chromosome segregation, 2020, published in The Journal of Cell Biology
  • The Role of Mitotic Kinases and the RZZ Complex in Kinetochore-Microtubule Attachments: Doing the Right Link, 2022, published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
  • RZZ-SPINDLY-DYNEIN: you got to keep 'em separated, 2020, published in Cell Cycle
  • Proximity-based activation of AURORA A by MPS1 potentiates error correction, 2025, published in Current Biology

Claudio E. Sunkel frequently publishes in venues such as Current Biology, bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), The Journal of Cell Biology, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, and Cell Cycle.

The scientist has collaborated extensively with various co-authors, including:

  • Carlos Conde
  • João Barbosa
  • Nelson Leça
  • Arianna Esposito Verza
  • Margarida Moura

Award recognition includes membership in the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Best Publications

  • polo, a mitotic mutant of Drosophila displaying abnormal spindle poles.

    C.E. Sunkel;D.M. Glover

  • polo encodes a protein kinase homolog required for mitosis in Drosophila.

    S Llamazares;A Moreira;A Tavares;C Girdham

  • Mutations in the Essential Spindle Checkpoint Gene bub1 Cause Chromosome Missegregation and Fail to Block Apoptosis in Drosophila

    Joydeep Basu;Hassan Bousbaa;Elsa Logarinho;ZeXiao Li

  • The 55 kd regulatory subunit of Drosophila protein phosphatase 2A is required for anaphase

    Regina E. Mayer-Jaekel;Hiroyuki Ohkura;Rui Gomes;Claudio E. Sunkel

  • Human CLASP1 Is an Outer Kinetochore Component that Regulates Spindle Microtubule Dynamics

    Helder Maiato;Helder Maiato;Elizabeth A.L. Fairley;Conly L. Rieder;Jason R. Swedlow

  • Gamma-tubulin is required for the structure and function of the microtubule organizing centre in Drosophila neuroblasts.

    C.E. Sunkel;R. Gomes;P. Sampaio;J. Perdigão

  • A role for Drosophila SMC4 in the resolution of sister chromatids in mitosis

    Soren Steffensen;Paula A. Coelho;Neville Cobbe;Sharron Vass

  • RNA polymerase II kinetics in polo polyadenylation signal selection

    Pedro A B Pinto;Telmo Henriques;Marta O Freitas;Torcato Martins

  • Condensin-dependent localisation of topoisomerase II to an axial chromosomal structure is required for sister chromatid resolution during mitosis.

    Paula A. Coelho;Joana Queiroz-Machado;Joana Queiroz-Machado;Claudio E. Sunkel;Claudio E. Sunkel

  • The Drosophila RAD21 cohesin persists at the centromere region in mitosis.

    W D Warren;S Steffensen;E Lin;P Coelho

  • Human Autoantibodies Reveal Titin as a Chromosomal Protein

    Cristina Machado;Claudio E. Sunkel;Deborah J. Andrew

  • MAST/Orbit has a role in microtubule–kinetochore attachment and is essential for chromosome alignment and maintenance of spindle bipolarity

    Helder Maiato;Paula Sampaio;Catarina L. Lemos;John Findlay

  • Different spindle checkpoint proteins monitor microtubule attachment and tension at kinetochores in Drosophila cells.

    Elsa Logarinho;Hassan Bousbaa;José Miguel Dias;Carla Lopes

  • Mast, a conserved microtubule-associated protein required for bipolar mitotic spindle organization

    Catarina L. Lemos;Paula Sampaio;Helder Maiato;Madalena Costa

  • Drosophila atm/telomere fusion is required for telomeric localization of HP1 and telomere position effect

    Sarah R. Oikemus;Nadine McGinnis;Joana Queiroz-Machado;Joana Queiroz-Machado;Hanna Tukachinsky

  • Synaptonemal complex-dependent centromeric clustering and the initiation of synapsis in Drosophila oocytes.

    Satomi Takeo;Cathleen M. Lake;Eurico Morais-de-Sá;Cláudio E. Sunkel;Cláudio E. Sunkel

  • The Drosophila POLO kinase localises to multiple compartments of the mitotic apparatus and is required for the phosphorylation of MPM2 reactive epitopes

    Elsa Logarinho;Claudio E. Sunkel

  • Spatiotemporal control of mitosis by the conserved spindle matrix protein Megator

    Mariana Lince-Faria;Stefano Maffini;Bernard Orr;Yun Ding

  • Localization of the Drosophila checkpoint control protein Bub3 to the kinetochore requires Bub1 but not Zw10 or Rod.

    Joydeep Basu;Elsa Logarinho;Siegrun Herrmann;Hassan Bousbaa

  • The Condensin I Subunit Barren/CAP-H Is Essential for the Structural Integrity of Centromeric Heterochromatin during Mitosis

    Raquel A. Oliveira;Raquel A. Oliveira;Paula A. Coelho;Claudio E. Sunkel;Claudio E. Sunkel

Frequent Co-Authors

Helder Maiato
Helder Maiato University of Porto
David M. Glover
David M. Glover California Institute of Technology
William C. Earnshaw
William C. Earnshaw University of Edinburgh
Cayetano Gonzalez
Cayetano Gonzalez Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats
Michael L. Goldberg
Michael L. Goldberg Cornell University
François Schweisguth
François Schweisguth Institut Pasteur
Susanne M.A. Lens
Susanne M.A. Lens Utrecht University
R. Scott Hawley
R. Scott Hawley Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Hugo J. Bellen
Hugo J. Bellen Baylor College of Medicine
Daniel L. Hartl
Daniel L. Hartl Harvard University

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