Lucia Di Marcotullio
Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
lucia.dimarcotullio@uniroma1.it
Academic Appointments
- 1994: Graduation, Faculty of Biology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy
- 1999: PhD degree in Experimental Medicine, University of L’Aquila, Italy
- 1999: Awarded of one year fellowship from the FIRC (Fondazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro), Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
- 2000-2002: Awarded of one year fellowship from the AICF (American-Italian Cancer Foundation),
- re-newed for the academic year 2001-2002, Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
- 2005-2013: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine; Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy
- 2013: Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine; Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy
- 2018-Present position: Full Professor, Faculty of Medicine; Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy
Honors and Awards
- 1999: awarded of one year felloship from the FIRC (Fondazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro)
- 2000: awarded of one year felloship from the AICF (American-Italian Cancer Foundation), renewed for the academic year 2001-2002
Scientific interests
- 1) Molecular and cellular biology of neural cell growth and differentiation. Characterization of a novel players involved in brain development and tumorigenesis;
- 2) Molecular and cellular biology of signal transduction and posttranslational regulation. Role of ubiquitination and proteolysis processes in brain development and tumorigenesis;
- 3) Characterization of the molecular events involved in brain tumorigenesis mainly focusing on medulloblastoma and dysregulated pathways (i.e. Hedgehog/Gli) controlling progenitor cell development;
- 4) Identification and development of novel molecular drugs effective in the treatment of Hedgehog-dependent
- tumors;
- 5) Study of the role of miRNAs and non-coding RNAs in cancer and genetic diseases.
Contribution to Science
I am a molecular biologist with a strong and long experience in cancer research, with particular focus on the molecular processes involved in brain development, tumorigenesis and deregulated pathways.
My research interest is to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying the HH signaling pathway and their role in onset and progression of tumor, with the aim to design innovative and more effective therapies.
My most significant contribution include the identification of genes and posttranslational events that regulate HH pathway activity and drive medulloblastoma tumorigenesis. Key achievements of my research are:
1) Elucidation of the role of ubiquitylation and proteolysis processes in both development and cancer;
2) Characterization of the molecular events involved in brain tumorigenesis, with a focus on medulloblastoma and dysregulated pathways (i.e. Hedgehog/Gli) that govern progenitor cell development;
3) Discovery and design of novel molecular drugs targeting Hedgehog-dependent tumors;
4) Investigation of RNAs as biomarkers and as co-adjuvants in the treatment of cancer and genetic disorders.
5 Selected publications
- Lospinoso Severini L, Loricchio E, Navacci S, Basili I, Alfonsi R, Bernardi F, Moretti M, Conenna M, Cucinotta A, Coni S, Petroni M, De Smaele E, Giannini G, Maroder M, Canettieri G, Mastronuzzi A, Guardavaccaro D, Ayrault O, Infante P, Bufalieri F, Di Marcotullio L. SALL4 is a CRL3REN/KCTD11 substrate that drives Sonic Hedgehog-dependent medulloblastoma. Cell Death Differ. 2024, vol 31:170-187. doi: 10.1038/s41418-023-01246-6.
- Infante P, Malfanti A, Quaglio D, Balducci S, De Martin S, Bufalieri F, Mastrotto F, Basili I, Garofalo M, Lospinoso Severini L, Mori M, Manni I, Moretti M, Nicoletti C, Piaggio G, Caliceti P, Botta B, Ghirga F, Salmaso S, Di Marcotullio L. Glabrescione B delivery by self-assembling micelles efficiently inhibits tumor growth in preclinical models of Hedgehog-dependent medulloblastoma. Cancer Lett. 2021 Feb 28;499:220-231. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2020.11.028.
- Bufalieri F, Infante P, Bernardi F, Caimano M, Romania P, Moretti M, Lospinoso Severini L, Talbot J, Melaiu O, Tanori M, Di Magno L, Bellavia D, Capalbo C, Puget S, De Smaele E, Canettieri G, Guardavaccaro D, Busino L, Peschiaroli A, Pazzaglia S, Giannini G, Melino G, Locatelli F, Gulino A, Ayrault O, Fruci D, Di Marcotullio L. ERAP1 promotes Hedgehog-dependent tumorigenesis by controlling USP47-mediated degradation of βTrCP. Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 24;10(1):3304. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11093-0.
- Infante P, Faedda R, Bernardi F, Bufalieri F, Lospinoso Severini L, Alfonsi R, Mazzà D, Siler M, Coni S, Po A, Petroni M, Ferretti E, Mori M, De Smaele E, Canettieri G, Capalbo C, Maroder M, Screpanti I, Kool M, Pfister SM, Guardavaccaro D, Gulino A, Di Marcotullio L. Itch/β-arrestin2-dependent non-proteolytic ubiquitylation of SuFu controls Hedgehog signalling and medulloblastoma tumorigenesis. Nat Commun. 2018 Mar 7;9(1):976. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03339-0.
- Infante P, Mori M, Alfonsi R, Ghirga F, Aiello F, Toscano S, Ingallina C, Siler M, Cucchi D, Po A, Miele E, D’Amico D, Canettieri G, De Smaele E, Ferretti E, Screpanti I, Uccello Barretta G, Botta M, Botta B, Gulino A, Di Marcotullio L. Gli1/DNA interaction is a druggable target for Hedgehog-dependent tumors. EMBO J. 2015, 34: 200-217.
On-going Grants
| Project Title | Funding source | Amount (Euros) | Period | Role of the PI |
| Dissecting the non-immunological role of ERAP1 in the control of the Hedgehog pathway and Hedgehog-dependent medulloblastoma | Istituto Pasteur Italia, Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti | 2025-2027 | PI | |
| Identification and validation of prognostic and predictive biomarkers, including E3 ubiquitin ligases and microRNA signature, for the development of new immunotherapeutic approaches in glioma | Ministry of Health | PNRR‐TR1‐2023‐12377378 | 2024-2026 | CoPI |
| Animal venom molecules modulating microRNAs as promising therapeutic candidates in brain tumors | Istituto Pasteur Italia, Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti | Actions Concertées Inter Pasteuriennes – ACIP 2024 1768- 2024 | 2024-2026 | CoPI |
| Dissecting new signaling pathways involved in Hh-dependent cancers for innovative targeted therapies and Immunotherapies | Foundation AIRC for Cancer Research | AIRC IG29329 | 2024-2028 | PI |
| Rationale approaches for multimodal targeting of medulloblastoma by modulation of Hedgehog signaling and mitochondrial activity | Ministry University & Research | PRIN-PNRR 2022_P2022JZ9RE | 2023-2025 | PI |
| Translational research to tackle tumour immune microenvironment for recurrent and metastatic Medulloblastoma | Ministry University & Research | PRIN 2022_2022MXFLMZ | 2023-2025 | CoPI |
| NextGenerationEU” DD. 3175/2021 E DD. 3138/2021 CN_3 | National Center for Gene Therapy and Drugs based on RNA Technology_CN 00000041 | 2022-2025 | Co-PI |
Complete list of published work in MyBibliography:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=di+marcotullio+l&sort=pubdate
KEYWORDS:
Cancer, brain tumors, ubiquitylation, drug discovery, targeted therapy.
