• Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari


Tel :+390649912392 office +390649912318 lab
Fax :+390649912500
micaela.caserta@cnr.it
MICAELA CASERTA
Senior Researcher

Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology - National Research Council
Department of Biology and Biotechnology - Charles Darwin
Sapienza University of Rome - Edificio Fisiologia Generale Lab 36, piano seminterrato - P. le A.Moro 5, 00185 Roma
Focus of the research is on the molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of gene expression. The major interest is on the structural organization of promoters from the point of view of nucleosome positioning, regulatory factors binding, modification of histone tails and proteins by epigenetic enzymes such as acetyltransferases,  deacetylases, poly(ADP)-ribose polymerases. The aim is to understand how environment induces modulation of gene expression at the chromatin level to allow cell adaptation, and how different epigenetic modifications are interconnected.

The model systems utilized to understand epigenetic rules include: yeast genes regulated by glucose limitation, mouse fibroblasts genes coding for acetyltransferases in the presence of poly(ADP)-ribose polymerases inhibitors, and human monocytes genes coding for proteins involved in the answer to environmental stimuli such as particulate matter (PM) due to atmospheric pollution.

More recently, a pilot study on the analysis of the levels of neurothrophins, in saliva samples of human subjects performing a defined motor-cognitive training activity, started in collaboration with researchers of the Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication. The results indicate that Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) increases in healthy subjects after a period of daily training, suggesting an increase of neuroplasticity.
Verdone L, La Fortezza M, Caiafa P, Zampieri M and Caserta M. (2015) Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation affects promoter histone acetylation and transcription. PLoS One 10: e0144287. 
 
Venditti S, Verdone L, Pesce C, Tocci T, Caserta M and Ben-Soussan TD (2015) Creating well-being: Increased creativity and proNGF decrease following Quadrato Motor Training. BioMed Research International 2015: 275062. Epub 2015 Jun 7.
 
Ben-Soussan TD, Piervincenzi C, Venditti S, Verdone L, Caserta M and Carducci F. (2014) Increased Cerebellar Volume and BDNF Level Following Quadrato Motor Training. Synapse 69: 1-6. Epub 2014 Oct 20.
 
Abate G, Bastonini E, Braun KA, Verdone L, Young ET, and Caserta M. Snf1/AMPK regulates Gcn5 occupancy, H3 acetylation and chromatin remodelling at S. cerevisiae ADY2 promoter (2012) Biochim Biophys Acta. 1819: 419 427.
 
Bastonini E, Verdone L, Morrone S, Santoni A, Settimo G, Marsili G, La Fortezza M, Di Mauro E, Caserta M. (2011) Transcriptional modulation of a human monocytic cell line exposed to PM(10) from an urban area. Environ Res. 111: 765-774. 
 
Travers A, Hiriart E, Churcher M, Caserta M, and Di Mauro E. (2010) The DNA sequence-dependence of nucleosome positioning in vivo and in vitro. J Biomol Struct Dyn. 27: 713-724.
 
Travers A, Caserta M, Churcher M, Hiriart E, and Di Mauro E. (2009) Nucleosome positioning – what do we really know? Mol. BioSystems. 5: 1582-1592.
 
Caserta M, Agricola E, Churcher M, Hiriart E, Verdone L, Di Mauro E, Travers A. (2009) A translational signature for nucleosome positioning in vivo. Nucleic Acids Res. 37: 5309-5321.
 
Agricola E, Verdone L, Di Mauro E, Caserta M. (2006) H4 acetylation does not replace H3 acetylation in chromatin remodelling and transcription activation of Adr1-dependent genes. Mol Microbiol. 62: 1433-1446.
 
Verdone L, Agricola E, Caserta M, Di Mauro E. (2006) Histone acetylation in gene regulation. Brief Funct Genomic Proteomic. 5: 209-221. 
 
Xella B, Goding C, Agricola E, Di Mauro E, Caserta M. (2006) The ISWI and CHD1 chromatin remodelling activities influence ADH2 expression and chromatin organization. Mol Microbiol. 59: 1531-1541.
 
Verdone L, Caserta M, Di Mauro E. (2005) Role of histone acetylation in the control of gene expression. Biochem Cell Biol. 83: 344-353. 
 
Agricola E, Verdone L, Xella B, Di Mauro E, Caserta M. (2004) Common chromatin architecture, common chromatin remodeling, and common transcription kinetics of Adr1-dependent genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochemistry. 43: 8878-8884.
 
Caserta M, Verdone L, Di Mauro E. (2002) Aspects of nucleosomal positional flexibility and fluidity. Chembiochem. 3: 1172-1182. 
 
Verdone L, Wu J, van Riper K, Kacherovsky N, Vogelauer M, Young ET, Grunstein M, Di Mauro E, Caserta M. (2002) Hyperacetylation of chromatin at the ADH2 promoter allows Adr1 to bind in repressed conditions. EMBO J. 21: 1101-1111.
 
Di Mauro E, Verdone L, Chiappini B, Caserta M. (2002) In vivo changes of nucleosome positioning in the pretranscription state. J Biol Chem. 277: 7002-7009. 
 
Di Mauro E, Kendrew SG, Caserta M. (2000) Two distinct nucleosome alterations characterize chromatin remodeling at the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ADH2 promoter. J Biol Chem. 275: 7612-7618.
 
Camilloni G, Negri R, Caserta M, Di Mauro E. (1999) Purification and use of DNA minicircles with different linking numbers. Methods Mol Biol. 94: 51-60. 
 
Rubbi L, Camilloni G, Caserta M, Di Mauro E, Venditti S. (1997) Chromatin structure of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA topoisomerase I promoter in different growth phases. Biochem J. 328: 401-407.
 
Verdone L, Cesari F, Denis CL, Di Mauro E, Caserta M. (1997) Factors affecting Saccharomyces cerevisiae ADH2 chromatin remodeling and transcription. J Biol Chem. 272: 30828-30834.
 
Caserta M, Di Mauro E. (1996) The active role of DNA as a chromatin organizer. Bioessays. 18: 685-693.
 
Verdone L, Camilloni G, Di Mauro E, Caserta M. (1996) Chromatin remodeling during Saccharomyces cerevisiae ADH2 gene activation. Mol Cell Biol. 16: 1978-1988.
 
Caserta M, Camilloni G, Venditti S, Venditti P, Di Mauro E. (1994) Conformational information in DNA: its role in the interaction with DNA topoisomerase I and nucleosomes. J Cell Biochem. 55: 93-97. 
 
Di Mauro E, Camilloni G, Verdone L, Caserta M. (1993) DNA topoisomerase I controls the kinetics of promoter activation and DNA topology in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Cell Biol. 13: 6702-6710.
 
Perini R, Caserta M, Di Mauro E. (1993) DNA tridimensional context affects the reactivity of eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I. J Mol Biol. 231: 634-645.
 
Camilloni G, Caserta M, Amadei A, Di Mauro E. (1991) The conformation of constitutive DNA interaction sites for eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I on intrinsically curved DNAs. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1129 :73-82.
 
Cianfriglia M, Yassen A, Tombesi M, Samoggia P, Barca S, Caserta M. (1991) Expression of lymphocyte homing receptor gene is lost in multi-drug-resistant variants of human T-lymphoblastoid CCRF-CEM cells. Int J Cancer. 49: 394-397.
 
Dupuis ML, Ramoni C, Yassen A, Samoggia P, Tombesi M, Caserta M, Cianfriglia M. (1991) The over-expression of P-glycoprotein in K-562 and DAUDI cells, is associated with a high susceptibility to NK and LAK cells. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 5: 137-141.
 
Caserta M, Amadei A, Camilloni G, Di Mauro E. (1990) Regulation of the function of eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I: analysis of the binding step and of the catalytic constants of topoisomerization as a function of DNA topology. Biochemistry. 29: 8152-8157.
 
Caserta M, Amadei A, Di Mauro E, Camilloni G. (1989) In vitro preferential topoisomerization of bent DNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 17: 8463-8474.
 
Camilloni G, Di Martino E, Di Mauro E, Caserta M. (1989) Regulation of the function of eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I: topological conditions for inactivity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 86: 3080-3084.
 
Zacharias W, Caserta M, O'Connor TR, Larson JE, Wells RD. (1988) Cytosine methylation as an effector of right-handed to left-handed DNA structural transitions. Gene. 74: 221-224.
 
Venditti S, Caserta M, Di Mauro E, Camilloni G. (1988) DNA conformational variations in the in vitro torsionally strained Ig kappa light chain gene localize on consensus sequences. Biochim Biophys Acta. 951: 139-148.
 
Camilloni G, Di Martino E, Caserta M, di Mauro E. (1988) Eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I reaction is topology dependent. Nucleic Acids Res. 16: 7071-7085.
 
Caserta M, Zacharias W, Nwankwo D, Wilson GG, Wells RD. (1987) Cloning, sequencing, in vivo promoter mapping, and expression in Escherichia coli of the gene for the HhaI methyltransferase. J Biol Chem. 262: 4770-4777.
 
Di Mauro E, Caserta M, Negri R, Carnevali F. (1985) Activation of in vitro transcription and topology of closed DNA domains. J Biol Chem. 260: 152-159.
 
Carnevali F, Caserta M, Di Mauro E. (1984) Transitions in topological organization of supercoiled DNA domains as a potential regulatory mechanism. J Biol Chem. 259: 12633-12643.
 
Carnevali F, Caserta M, Di Mauro E. (1983) Topological modifications and template activation are induced in chimaeric plasmids by inserted sequences. J Mol Biol. 165: 59-77.
 
Carnevali F, Caserta M, Di Mauro E. (1982) In vitro transcription by purified yeast RNA polymerase II. Coarse promoter mapping on homologous cloned genes. Nucleic Acids Res. 10: 3195-3209. 
 
Loredana Verdone (Researcher IBPM, Sapienza University of Rome)

Sabrina Venditti (Researcher Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Charles Darwin)

 

Within IBPM:  

Associate members:
Prof. Ernesto Di Mauro (Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome)
Prof. Giorgio Camilloni (Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome)

With other institutions:
Prof. Paola Caiafa (Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Haematology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome)
Prof. Angela Santoni (Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome)
Dr. Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan (Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication)
Prof. Elton T. Young (Department of Biochemistry, Washington University at Seattle, USA)
1982 Degree in Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

1983-1986 PhD student in Robert D. Wells laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA)

1987 Doctorate degree in Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Permanent position as Senior Researcher at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, CNR, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

International meetings

International meeting “Epigenetics”, organized by Istituto Pasteur Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome. Title of the talk: “DNA structure and acetylation-dependent chromatin remodeling in the control of S. cerevisiae transcription”. (2003)

European Science Foundation Conference “Gene transcription in Yeast”, San Feliu de Guixols, Spain. Title of the talk: “Common chromatin structure and transcription activation in the regulation of Adr1 dependent genes”. (2004)

European Science Foundation Conference “Gene transcription in Yeast”, San Feliu  de Guixols, Spain. Title of the talk: “Chromatin remodeling and activation of Adr1-dependent genes”. (2006)

Educational activity

Since 1989 tutor of experimental theses in Molecular Biology and in Molecular Genetics and tutor of PhD theses in Genetics and Molecular Biology and of PhD theses in Scienze Pasteuriane