ERIKA ZARA

Dottoressa di ricerca

ciclo: XXXV



Titolo della tesi: Molecular bases of RAS superfamily-related diseases

The RAS GTPase pathway is involved in several key processes, essential in development and growth, so it is understandable that genetic mutations leading to dysregulated RAS function cause various types of diseases. Specifically, somatic mutations in RAS-related genes are associated with several forms of cancer, while RAS-related germline mutations induce a heterogeneus group of rare syndromic conditions, named RASopathies. In the last fifteen years, thanks to Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) analyses, novel disease genes and variants were associated with previously undiagnosed diseases. Moreover, mutations of genes belonging to the RAS superfamily were associated to novel syndromic conditions, including RASopathy-like diseases. In this context, I focused my work on studying the molecular basis of the diseases caused by mutations affecting three genes of the RAS superfamily, ARF3, RAC1 and CDC42, associated with a heterogeneous spectrum of pediatric neurodevelopmental or autoinflammatory disorders. Particularly, in this PhD Thesis I have addressed the pathogenic mechanisms induced by a total of fourteen variants as well as the genotype-phenotype correlations. To characterize the consequences of the pathogenic mutations, I chose to perform in vitro studies in cell culture models. I induced ectopic expression of the putative pathogenic variants compared to the wild-type proteins by transient transfection of engineered constructs in mammalian cell lines, then analyzed protein and cell function dysregulation. Specifically, I have analyzed the localization, stability, activation, effector binding of each pathogenetic variant and their cellular effects (i.e., polarized migration, cellular organization, MAP kinase activation). The results obtained in this thesis have enabled me to demonstrate an impairment of diverse functional processes induced by the variants, possibly underlying the heterogeneity of the clinical features associated with the mutations.  

Produzione scientifica

11573/1617200 - 2022 - Mutations at the C-terminus of CDC42 cause distinct hematopoietic and autoinflammatory disorders
Coppola, S.; Insalaco, A.; Zara, E.; Di Rocco, M.; Marafon, D. P.; Spadaro, F.; Pannone, L.; Farina, L.; Pasquini, L.; Martinelli, S.; De Benedetti, F.; Tartaglia, M. - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY (Mosby Year Book Incorporated:6277 Sea Harbor Drive:Orlando, FL 32887:(800)654-2452, (407)345-4000, EMAIL: hhspcs@harcourt.com, INTERNET: http://www.mosby.com, Fax: (407)363-9661, (314)432-1380) pp. - - issn: 0091-6749 - wos: WOS:000828766100025 (21) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85125476806 (22)

11573/1617327 - 2022 - Pro nerve growth factor and Its receptor p75NTR activate inflammatory responses in Synovial Fibroblasts: a novel targetable mechanism in Arthritis
Farina, Luciapia; Minnone, Gaetana; Alivernini, Stefano; Caiello, Ivan; Macdonald, Lucy; Soligo, Marzia; Manni, Luigi; Tolusso, Barbara; Coppola, Simona; Zara, Erika; Adrian Conti, Libenzio; Aquilani, Angela; Magni-Manzoni, Silvia; Kurowska-Stolarska, Mariola; Gremese, Elisa; De Benedetti, Fabrizio; Bracci-Laudiero, Luisa - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY (Lausanne : Frontiers Research Foundation, 2010-) pp. - - issn: 1664-3224 - wos: WOS:000776772500001 (8) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85126844889 (8)

11573/1661315 - 2022 - Dominant {ARF}3 variants disrupt Golgi integrity and cause a neurodevelopmental disorder recapitulated in zebrafish
Fasano, Giulia; Muto, Valentina; Radio, Francesca Clementina; Venditti, Martina; Mosaddeghzadeh, Niloufar; Coppola, Simona; Paradisi, Graziamaria; Zara, Erika; Bazgir, Farhad; Ziegler, Alban; Chillemi, Giovanni; Bertuccini, Lucia; Tinari, Antonella; Vetro, Annalisa; Pantaleoni, Francesca; Pizzi, Simone; Adrian Conti, Libenzio; Petrini, Stefania; Bruselles, Alessandro; Guarnetti Prandi, Ingrid; Mancini, Cecilia; Chandramouli, Balasubramanian; Barth, Magalie; Bris, C('(E))Line; Milani, Donatella; Selicorni, Angelo; Macchiaiolo, Marina; Gonfiantini, Michaela V.; Bartuli, Andrea; Mariani, Riccardo; Curry, Cynthia J.; Guerrini, Renzo; Slavotinek, Anne; Iascone, Maria; Dallapiccola, Bruno; Reza Ahmadian, Mohammad; Lauri, Antonella; Tartaglia, Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (London: Nature Publishing Group-Springer Nature) pp. 6841- - issn: 2041-1723 - wos: WOS:000882306500018 (10) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85141710854 (9)

11573/1620615 - 2022 - Expanding the molecular spectrum of pathogenic SHOC2 variants underlying Mazzanti syndrome
Motta, Marialetizia; Solman, Maja; Alice Bonnard, Adeline; Kuechler, Alma; Pantaleoni, Francesca; Priolo, Manuela; Chandramouli, Balasubramanian; Coppola, Simona; Pizzi, Simone; Zara, Erika; Ferilli, Marco; Kayserili, Hülya; Onesimo, Roberta; Leoni, Chiara; Brinkmann, Julia; Vial, Yoann; Kamphausen, Susanne; Thomas-Teinturier, Cécile; Guimier Md15, Anne; Cordeddu, Viviana; Mazzanti, Laura; Zampino, Giuseppe; Chillemi, Giovanni; Zenker, Martin; Cavé, Hélène; Den Hertog, Jeroen; Tartaglia., Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS (Oxford University Press:Journals Department, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP United Kingdom:011 44 1865 556767, EMAIL: jnlorders@oup.co.uk, INTERNET: http://www.oup.co.uk, Fax: 011 44 1865 267485) pp. 2766-2778 - issn: 0964-6906 - wos: WOS:000787997700001 (9) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85137124974 (9)

11573/1661320 - 2022 - Functional variability of novel CDC42 pathogenic variants is associated with phenotypic heterogeneity of neurodevelopmental and immune-hematologic related disorders
Zara, E.; Di Rocco, M.; Pannone, L.; Mosaddeghzadeh, N.; Ahmadian, M. R.; Simone, Martinelli; Tartaglia, M.; Coppola., S. - 04f Poster
congresso: XXV Congresso Nazionale SIGU (Società Italiana Genetica Umana). Trieste. 7-9 settembre 2022 (Trieste)
libro: XXV Congresso Nazionale SIGU (Società Italiana Genetica Umana) - ()

11573/1661321 - 2022 - Novel de novo CDC42 variants cause variable functional alterations and heterogeneous spectrum of neurodevelopmental and immune-hematologic rare diseases
Zara, Erika; Di Rocco, Martina; Mosaddeghzadeh, Niloufar; Reza Ahmadian, Mohammad; Spadaro, Francesca; Martinelli, Simone; Tartaglia, Marco; Coppola, Simona - 04f Poster
congresso: Small G proteins in cellular signalling and disease. Liverpool. 12-15 settembre 2022 (Liverpool)
libro: Small G proteins in cellular signalling and disease. Liverpool. 12-15 settembre 2022 - ()

11573/1661322 - 2022 - Mutations at the C-terminus of CDC42 cause distinct post-translational modifications and hematopoietic and autoinflammatory disorders
Zara, Erika; Insalaco, Antonella; Spadaro, Francesca; Pannone, Luca; Martinelli, Simone; De Benedetti, Fabrizio; Tartaglia, Marco; Coppola., Simona - 04f Poster
congresso: Small G proteins in cellular signalling and disease. Liverpool. 12-15 settembre 2022 (Liverpool)
libro: Small G proteins in cellular signalling and disease. Liverpool. 12-15 settembre 2022 - ()

11573/1661319 - 2021 - De novo mutations involving the C-terminal tail of CDC42 cause distinct dyshematopoietic and autoinflammatory disorders
Zara, Erika; Insalaco, Antonella; Di Rocco, Martina; Pannone, Luca; Farina, Luciapia; Spadaro, Francesca; Pasquini, Luca; Martinelli, Simone; De Benedetti, Fabrizio; Tartaglia, Marco; Coppola., Simona - 04f Poster
congresso: XXIV Congresso Nazionale SIGU (Società Italiana Genetica Umana). Virtual edition. 17-19 novembre 2021 (Virtual edition)
libro: XXIV Congresso Nazionale SIGU (Società Italiana Genetica Umana). Virtual edition. 17-19 novembre 2021 - ()

11573/1349738 - 2019 - Functional characterization of novel germline mutations affecting CDC42 highlighted their differential impact on multiple signaling pathways.
Di Rocco, Martina; Zara, Erika; Pannone, Luca; Farina, Luciapia; Coppola, Simona; Martinelli, Simone; Tartaglia., Marco - 04f Poster
congresso: XXII congresso nazionale SIGU (Roma)
libro: Abstract Book - ()

11573/1338555 - 2019 - A novel disorder involving dyshematopoiesis, inflammation, and HLH due to aberrant CDC42 function
Lam, M. T.; Coppola, S.; Krumbach, O. H. F.; Prencipe, G.; Insalaco, A.; Cifaldi, C.; Brigida, I.; Zara, E.; Scala, S.; Di Cesare, S.; Martinelli, S.; Di Rocco, M.; Pascarella, A.; Niceta, M.; Pantaleoni, F.; Ciolfi, A.; Netter, P.; Carisey, A. F.; Diehl, M.; Akbarzadeh, M.; Conti, F.; Merli, P.; Pastore, A.; Levi Mortera, S.; Camerini, S.; Farina, L.; Buchholzer, M.; Pannone, L.; Cao, T. N.; Coban-Akdemir, Z. H.; Jhangiani, S. N.; Muzny, D. M.; Gibbs, R. A.; Basso-Ricci, L.; Chiriaco, M.; Dvorsky, R.; Putignani, L.; Carsetti, R.; Janning, P.; Stray-Pedersen, A.; Erichsen, H. C.; Horne, A.; Bryceson, Y. T.; Torralba-Raga, L.; Ramme, K.; Rosti, V.; Bracaglia, C.; Messia, V.; Palma, P.; Finocchi, A.; Locatelli, F.; Chinn, I. K.; Lupski, J. R.; Mace, E. M.; Cancrini, C.; Aiuti, A.; Ahmadian, M. R.; Orange, J. S.; De Benedetti, F.; Tartaglia, M. - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: THE JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE (New York, NY : Rockefeller University Press) pp. 2778-2799 - issn: 1540-9538 - wos: WOS:000523636900008 (129) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85074111717 (142)

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