Fax :+390649255125
nicoletta.corbi@cnr.it
Researcher
Istitute of Molecular Biology and Pathology - National Research Council
Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome , Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
My studies are centered on Gene expression and regulation. I contributed to the isolation of zinc finger genes involved in germ line and muscle differentiation. Thanks to the discovery of precise rules governing zinc finger domains and target DNA sequence binding, my interest on transcription regulation extended to the field of zinc finger based artificial transcription factors. I am currently involved in gene therapy projects based on the use of zinc finger artificial transcription factors to re-program the expression of disease-related genes, focusing on Duchenne muscular dystrophy pathology. In this field I am an inventor of one Italian and three international CNR patent clusters. Along with knowledge acquired in molecular and cell biology, I become an expert in siRNA methodologies, immuno-precipitation of respectively protein complexes (Ip-CoIP assays), DNA/protein complexes (ChIP assays) and ribonucleoprotein complexes (RIP-assay). Using two-hybrid system in yeast I contributed to identify/characterize several RNA polymerase II direct and/or indirect interactors: eEF1g, ATF4, CCHCR1, Myogenin, Keratin-19, HAX1 and the novel Che-1/AATF, a novel multivalent adaptor connecting transcriptional regulation, checkpoint control, apoptosis, My research group is currently involved in characterizing RNA polymerase II interactors (as eEF1g) and Che-1 partners, as HAX1, implicated in RNA metabolism, vesicular trafficking and oxidative stress response.
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- Gabanella F, Colizza A, Mottola MC, Francati S, Blaconà G, Petrella C, Barbato C, Greco A, Ralli M, Fiore M, Corbi N, Ferraguti G, Corsi A, Minni A, de Vincentiis M, Passananti C, Di Certo MG. The RNA-Binding Protein SMN as a Novel Player in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 16;24(2):1794. doi: 10.3390/ijms24021794. - Gabanella F, Barbato C, Corbi N, Fiore M, Petrella C, de Vincentiis M, Greco A, Ferraguti G, Corsi A, Ralli M, Pecorella I, Di Gioia C, Pecorini F, Brunelli R, Passananti C, Minni A, Di Certo MG. Exploring Mitochondrial Localization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by Padlock Assay: A Pilot Study in Human Placenta. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Feb 14;23(4):2100. doi: 10.3390/ijms23042100 - Gabanella F, Barbato C, Fiore M, Petrella C, de Vincentiis M, Greco A, Minni A, Corbi N, Passananti C, Di Certo MG. Fine-Tuning of mTOR mRNA and Nucleolin Complexes by SMN. Cells. 2021 Nov 4;10(11):3015. doi: 10.3390/cells10113015. - Pisani C, Onori A, Gabanella F, Di Certo MG, Passananti C, Corbi N. Identification of protein/mRNA network involving the PSORS1 locus gene CCHCR1 and the PSORS4 locus gene HAX1. Exp Cell Res. 2021 Feb 15;399(2):112471. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2021.112471. Epub 2021 Jan 5. - Pisani C, Strimpakos G, Gabanella F, Di Certo MG, Onori A, Severini C, Luvisetto S, Farioli-Vecchioli S, Carrozzo I, Esposito A, Canu T, Mattei E, Corbi N, Passananti C. Utrophin up-regulation by artificial transcription factors induces muscle rescue and impacts the neuromuscular junction in mdx mice. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2018 1864(4 Pt A):1172-1182 -Zalcman G, Corbi N, Di Certo MG, Mattei E, Federman N, Romano A. Heterozygous Che-1 KO mice show deficiencies in object recognition memory persistence. Neurosci Lett. 2016 Oct 6;632:169-74. -Gabanella F, Pisani C, Borreca A, Farioli-Vecchioli S, Ciotti MT, Ingegnere T, Onori A, Ammassari-Teule M, Corbi N, Canu N, Monaco L, Passananti C, Di Certo MG. SMN affects membrane remodelling and anchoring of the protein synthesis machinery. J Cell Sci. 2016 Feb 15;129(4):804-16. -De Arcangelis V, Strimpakos G, Gabanella F, Corbi N, Luvisetto S, Magrelli A, Onori A, Passananti C, Pisani C, Rome S, Severini C, Naro F, Mattei E, Di Certo MG, Monaco L. Pathways Implicated in Tadalafil Amelioration of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. J Cell Physiol. 2016 Jan;231(1):224-32. -Salles A, Boccia M, Blake M, Corbi N, Passananti C, Baratti CM, Romano A, Freudenthal R. Hippocampal dynamics of synaptic NF-kappa B during inhibitory avoidance long-term memory consolidation in mice. Neuroscience. 2015 Apr 16;291:70-80. - Strimpakos G, Corbi N, Pisani C, Di Certo MG, Onori A, Luvisetto S, Severini C, Gabanella F, Monaco L, Mattei E, Passananti C. Novel adeno-associated viral vector delivering the utrophin gene regulator jazz counteracts dystrophic pathology in mdx mice. J Cell Physiol. 2014 Sep;229(9):1283-91. -Federman N, de la Fuente V, Zalcman G, Corbi N, Onori A, Passananti C, Romano A. Nuclear factor κB-dependent histone acetylation is specifically involved in persistent forms of memory. J Neurosci. 2013 Apr 24;33(17):7603-14. - Onori A, Pisani C, Strimpakos G, Monaco L, Mattei E, Passananti C, Corbi N. UtroUp is a novel six zinc finger artificial transcription factor that recognises 18 base pairs of the utrophin promoter and efficiently drives utrophin upregulation. BMC Mol Biol. 2013 Jan 30;14:3. -Di Certo MG, Corbi N, Strimpakos G, Onori A, Luvisetto S, Severini C, Guglielmotti A, Batassa EM, Pisani C, Floridi A, Benassi B, Fanciulli M, Magrelli A, Mattei E, Passananti C. The artificial gene Jazz, a transcriptional regulator of utrophin, corrects the dystrophic pathology in mdx mice. Hum Mol Genet. 2010 Mar 1;19(5):752-60. -Desantis A, Onori A, Di Certo MG, Mattei E, Fanciulli M, Passananti C, Corbi N Novel activation domain derived from Che-1 cofactor coupled with the artificial protein Jazz drives utrophin upregulation. Neuromuscul Disord. 2009 Feb;19(2):158-62. -Mattei E, Corbi N, Di Certo MG, Strimpakos G, Severini C, Onori A, Desantis A, Libri V, Buontempo S, Floridi A, Fanciulli M, Baban D, Davies KE, Passananti C. Utrophin up-regulation by an artificial transcription factor in transgenic mice. PLoS ONE. 2007 Aug 22;2(1):e774 -Onori A, Desantis A, Buontempo S, Di Certo MG, Fanciulli M, Salvatori L, Passananti C, Corbi N. The artificial four zinc finger protein Bagly binds human utrophin promoter A at the endogenous chromosomal site and activates transcription. Biochem Cell Biol. 2007 (3) 358-365 -Bruno T, De Nicola F, Iezzi S, Lecis D, D’Angelo C, Di Padova M, Corbi N, Dimiziani L, Zannini L, Jekimovs C, Scarsella M, Porrello A, Chersi A, Crescenzi M, Leonetti C, Khanna KK, Soddu S, Floridi A, Passananti C, Delia D and Fanciulli M. Che-1 phosphorylation by ATM/ATR and Chk2 kinases activates p53 transcription and the G2/M checkpoint. Cancer Cell, 2006, 6, 473-486. -Corbi N, Bruno T, De Angelis R, Di Padova M, Libri V. Di Certo MG, Spinardi L, Floridi A, Fanciulli M, and Passananti C. RNA Polymerase II subunit 3 is retained in the cytoplasm by its interaction with HCR, the psoriasis vulgaris candidate gene product. J Cell Sci. 2005, 118, 4253-60 -Libri V, Onori A, Fanciulli M, Passananti C, Corbi N. The artificial zinc finger protein 'Blues' binds the enhancer of the fibroblast growth factor 4 and represses transcription. FEBS Lett. 2004 Feb 27;560(1-3):75-80. -Corbi N, Di Padova M, De Angelis R, Bruno T, Libri V, Iezzi S, Floridi A, Fanciulli M, Passananti C. The alpha-like RNA polymerase II core subunit 3 (RPB3) is involved in tissue-specific transcription and muscle differentiation via interaction with the myogenic factor myogenin. FASEB J. 2002 Oct;16(12):1639-41. -Corbi N, Libri V, Fanciulli M, Tinsley JM, Davies KE and Passananti C. The artificial zinc finger coding gene “Jazz” binds Utrophin promoter and activates transcription.Gene therapy (7) 2000, 1076-1083.
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| Claudio Passananti, Cinzia Pisani, Annalisa Onori, Nicoletta Corbi |
Main Collaborations -Dr. Maria Grazia Di Certo and Dr. Francesca Gabanella IBBC-CNR, Rome, Italy. -Dr. Maurizio Fanciulli and Dr. Simona Iezzi, SAFU Laboratory, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy. - Prof. Arturo Romano and Prof. Ramiro Freudenthal, Buenos Aires University, IFIBYNE, UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires. Argentina -Prof. Gian Maria Fimia, National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Rome, Italy/ Sapienza University of Rome. -Prof. Kay E. Davies, Oxford University, Oxford,UK
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Education -1998 PhD (4 years program) at University of Rome “La Sapienza” in “Human Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology Bases”. -1991 Degree in Biology, University of Rome “La Sapienza” Department of Human Biopathology. University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy. Experimental Thesis, summa cum laude.
Current position and research experience -From 2009 to present CNR Researcher (III level) at Istituto Biologia e Patologia Molecolari (IBPM), CNR, Rome, Italy. -From 1999 to 2008 post-doctoral fellow at CNR, Istituto Biologia e Patologia Molecolari (IBPM), Rome, Italy. -From 1994 to1998 PhD (4 years program) at University of Rome “La Sapienza” in “Human Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology Bases.” Thesis on artificial zinc finger transcription factors programmed to upregulate utrophin gene in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Supervisor: Dr. Claudio Passananti. -From 1995 to 1993 research experience as PhD/fellow in the field of "Regulation of gene expression and development” in the laboratory of Prof. Claudio Basilico at NYU Medical Center, School of medicine, New York, awarded by the American-Italian Foundation for Cancer Research to study the transcriptional regulation of the fibroblast growth factor/oncogene FGF-4. -From 1988 to 1992 undergraduate student research activity and postgraduate training at University of Rome “La Sapienza” Department of Human Biopathology. University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy, in the field of zinc finger protein coding genes.
Teaching From 1998 to 2004 teacher at “La Sapienza”, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Latina, first level Degree courses. 2003-2004 “Genetic Medicine” course, 2001-2002, 2002-2003 “Human Genetic” course, 2000-2001, 1999-2000, 1998-99 “Laboratory methodologies” course. Supervision of several experimental thesis at Sapienza University and Roma Tre University, from 1999 to present. Licensing agreement between CNR and ILIT Bio-Ventures/ ZINGENIX on 2014 (prot. CNR-IBPM n. 0001360 del 01/08/ 2014) Research collaboration agreement between CNR and ILIT ZINGENIX since 2019 (prot. CNR-IBPM n. 0000912, 16/04/2019). Granted USA patent n. US10301367B2 (2019) Granted European patent n. EP3194600B1 (2019) Inventors: Claudio Passananti, Nicoletta Corbi, Maria Grazia Di Certo, Elisabetta Mattei, Cinzia Pisani, Georgios Strimpakos, Siro Luvisetto. Title: “Compositions and Methods for treatment of Muscular Dystrophy”. Validated in Ireland, Germany, France and UK. International publication number: WO2016/016119. Granted USA patent n. US10286085B2 (2019) Granted European patent n. EP3030666B1 (2019) Inventors: Claudio Passananti, Nicoletta Corbi, Maria Grazia Di Certo, Elisabetta Mattei, Cinzia Pisani, Georgios Strimpakos. Title: “Compositions and Methods for treatment of Muscular Dystrophy”. From Italian patent application n TO2013A000669, 2013: “Vettore adeno-associato ricombinante muscolo specifico e suo impiego nel trattamento di patologie muscolari”. International publication number: WO2015/018503.
Granted USA patent n. US8,304,235 (2012) Granted European patent n. EP2193200B1 (2011) Granted Italian patent n. 1379230 (2010) Inventors: Claudio Passananti, Maria Grazia Di Certo, Annalisa Onori, Nicoletta Corbi. Title: “Nucleic acid codifying for a utrophin transcription specific regulating protein, protein codified thereby and uses thereof.” Validated in Italy, Germany, France and UK.
Granted Italian patent n. 0001359932 (2007) Inventors: Nicoletta Corbi, Elisabetta Mattei and Claudio Passananti. Title: “Mouse transgenic animal expressing a synthetic zinc finger gene, regulating utrophin at transcriptional level.”
International publications: 43 Book chapters: 3 |