Dottorato in GENETICA E BIOLOGIA MOLECOLARE

email: fiammetta.verni@uniroma1.it

PERSONAL DATA
Name: Fiammetta VERNI'
Citizenship: Italian
Work address: Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin
Sapienza University of Rome
Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5 - 00185 Rome, Italy
E-mail: fiammetta.verni@uniroma1.it
ACADEMIC TRAINING AND WORK POSITIONS
2022 to present Associate Professor of Genetics, Sapienza University of Rome (Department of
Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin )
1997 Researcher, Sapienza University of Rome (Department of Biology and Biotechnology
Charles Darwin )
1995 Annual research fellowship of Telethon, Sapienza, University of Rome
1994 Annual research fellowship of Istituto Pasteur Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti Sapienza,
University of Rome
1994 PhD Degree in Evolutionary Biology, Sapienza, University of Rome
1989 Research Fellowship at Cornell University (Ithaca N.Y.) USA
1988 Biological Sciences Degree, Sapienza University of Rome.
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
In the past my research activity has mainly concerned the characterization of genes controlling
different aspects of Drosophila cell cycle. Currently, I focused my attention on the impact of the
diet on genome integrity. In particular I m studying the relationship between vitamin B6,
genome instability, diabetes and cancer using Drosophila as a model system, with the aim of
clarify the mechanisms behind this relationship.
TECHNICAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES
General genetic and cytogenetic methodologies. Immunofluorescence. General molecular
biology methodologies.
PUBLICATIONS (of the last 10 years):
1. Pilesi E, Angioli C, Graziani C, Parroni A, Contestabile R, Tramonti A and Fiammetta Vernì. A
gene-nutrient interaction between vitamin B6 and serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT)
affects genome integrity in Drosophila J Cell Physiol 2023 (in revision).
2. La Torre M, Merigliano C, Maccaroni K, Chojnowski A, Goh WI, Giubettini M, Vernì F, Capanni
C, Rhodes D, Wright G, Burke B, Soddu S, Burla R, Saggio I. Combined alteration of lamin and
nuclear morphology influences the localization of the tumor-associated factor AKTIP. J Exp Clin
Cancer Res. 2022 41:273. doi: 10.1186/s13046-022-02480-5.
3. Mascolo E, Liguori F, Merigliano C, Schiano L, Gnocchini E, Pilesi E, Volonté C, Di Salvo ML,
Contestabile R, Tramonti A, Vernì F. Vitamin B6 rescues insulin resistance and glucose-induced
DNA damage caused by reduced activity of Drosophila PI3K. J Cell Physiol 2022 237:3578-3586.
doi: 10.1002/jcp.30812.
4.Vernì F. DNA Damage Response (DDR) and DNA Repair. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 vol 23:7204. doi:
10.3390/ijms23137204
5.Gnocchini E, Pilesi E, Schiano L, Vernì F. Vitamin B6 deficiency promotes loss of heterozygosity
(LOH) at the Drosophila warts (wts) locus Int J Mol Sci 2022, vol 23: 6089 doi:
10.3390/ijms23116087.
6. Liguori F, Mascolo E, Vernì F. The genetics of diabetes: what we can learn from Drosophila.
Int J Mol Sci 2021, vol. 22, ISSN: 1661-6596, doi: 10.3390/ijms222011295
7. Merigliano C, et al , AKTIP interacts with ESCRT I and is needed for the recruitment of ESCRT
III subunits to the midbody. PLOS GENETICS (2021)., vol. 17, ISSN: 1553-7404, doi:
10.1371/journal.pgen.1009757
8. Mascolo E, Liguori F, Stufera Mecarelli L, Amoroso N, Merigliano C, Amadio S, Volonté C,
Contestabile R, Tramonti A, Vernì F. Functional Inactivation of Drosophila GCK Orthologs
Causes Genomic Instability and Oxidative Stress in a Fly Model of MODY-2. Int J Mol Sci.
2021;22. doi:10.3390/ijms22020918
9. Burla R, La Torre M, Maccaroni K, Verni F, Giunta S, Saggio I. Interplay of the nuclear
envelope with chromatin in physiology and pathology. Nucleus. 2020;11: 205 218.
doi:10.1080/19491034.2020.1806661
10. Mascolo E, Vernì F. Vitamin B6 and Diabetes: Relationship and Molecular Mechanisms. Int J
Mol Sci. 2020;21. doi:10.3390/ijms21103669
11. Licursi V, Anzellotti S, Favaro J, Sineri S, Carucci N, Cundari E, Fiore M, Guarguaglini G,
Pippa S, Nisi P S, Vernì F, Biagioni S, Cacci E, Amendola R, Lupo G, Negri R. X-ray irradiated
cultures of mouse cortical neural stem/progenitor cells recover cell viability and proliferation
with dose-dependent kinetics. Sci Rep. 2020;10: 6562. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-63348-2
12. Contestabile R, di Salvo ML, Bunik V, Tramonti A, Vernì F. The multifaceted role of vitamin
B(6) in cancer: Drosophila as a model system to investigate DNA damage. Open Biol.
2020;10:200034. doi:10.1098/rsob.200034
13. Raimondo D, Remoli C, Astrologo L, Burla R, La Torre M, Vernì F, Tagliafico E, Corsi A, Del
Giudice S, Persichetti A, Giannicola G, Robey PG, Riminucci M, Saggio. Changes in gene
expression in human skeletal stem cells transduced with constitutively active Gs correlates
with
hallmark histopathological changes seen in fibrous dysplastic bone. PLoS One. 2020;15:
e0227279. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0227279
14. Mascolo E, Amoroso N, Saggio I, Merigliano C, Vernì F. Pyridoxine/pyridoxamine 5 -
phosphate oxidase (Sgll/PNPO) is important for DNA integrity and glucose homeostasis
maintenance in Drosophila. J Cell Physiol. 2020;235: 504 512. doi:10.1002/jcp.28990
15. Mascolo E, Barile A, Mecarelli LS, Amoroso N, Merigliano C, Massimi A, Saggio I, Hansen
T, Tramonti A, Di Salvo M., Barbetti F, Contestabile R, Vernì F. The expression of four pyridoxal
kinase (PDXK) human variants in Drosophila impacts on genome integrity. Sci Rep. 2019;9:
14188. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-50673-4
16. Merigliano C, Mascolo E, Cesta A, Saggio I, Vernì F. A new role for Drosophila Aurora-A in
maintaining chromosome integrity. Chromosoma. 2019;128: 41 52. doi:10.1007/s00412-018-
00687-0
17. Burla R, La Torre M, Zanetti G, Bastianelli A, Merigliano C, Del Giudice S, Vercelli A, Di
Cunto F, Boldo M, Vernì F, Saggio I. p53-Sensitive Epileptic Behavior and Inflammation in Ft1
Hypomorphic Mice. Front Genet. 2018;9: 581. doi:10.3389/fgene.2018.00581
18. Merigliano C, Mascolo E, Burla R, Saggio I, Vernì F. The Relationship Between Vitamin B6,
Diabetes and Cancer. Front Genet. 2018;9: 388. doi:10.3389/fgene.2018.00388
19.Merigliano C, Mascolo E, La Torre M, Saggio I, Vernì F. Protective role of vitamin B6 (PLP)
against DNA damage in Drosophila models of type 2 diabetes. Sci Rep. 2018;8: 11432.
doi:10.1038/s41598-018-29801-z
20. Burla R, La Torre M, Merigliano C, Vernì F, Saggio I. Genomic instability and DNA
replication defects in progeroid syndromes. Nucleus. 2018;9: 368 379.
doi:10.1080/19491034.2018.1476793
21. La Torre M, Merigliano C, Burla R, Mottini C, Zanetti G, Del Giudice S, Carcuro M, Virdia
I, Bucciarelli E, Manni I, Rampioni Vinciguerra G, Piaggio G, Riminucci M, Cumano A,
Bartolazzi A, Vernì F, Soddu S, Gatti M, Saggio I. Mice with reduced expression of the telomere
associated protein Ft1 develop p53-sensitive progeroid traits. Aging Cell. 2018;17: e12730.
doi:10.1111/acel.12730
22. Di Giorgio ML, Esposito A, Maccallini P, Micheli E, Bavasso F, Gallotta I, Vernì F, Feiguin
F, Cacchione S, McCabe BD, Di Schiavi E, Raffa GD. WDR79/TCAB1 plays a conserved role in the
control of locomotion and ameliorates phenotypic defects in SMA models. Neurobiol Dis.
2017;105: 42 50. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2017.05.005
23. Bianchi FT, Tocco C, Pallavicini G, Liu Y, Vernì F, Merigliano C, Bonaccorsi S, El-Assawy
N, Priano L, Gai M, Berto GE, Chiotto AA, Sgrò F, Caramello A, Tasca L, Ala U, Neri F, Oliviero S,
Mauro A, Geley S, Gatti M, Di Cunto F. Citron Kinase Deficiency Leads to Chromosomal
Instability and TP53-Sensitive Microcephaly. Cell Rep. 2017;18: 1674 1686.
doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2017.01.054
24. Merigliano C, Marzio A, Renda F, Somma MP, Gatti M, Vernì F. A Role for the Twins Protein
Phosphatase (PP2A-B55) in the Maintenance of Drosophila Genome Integrity. Genetics.
2017;205: 1151 1167. doi:10.1534/genetics.116.192781
25. Cicconi A, Micheli E, Vernì F, Jackson A, Gradilla AC, Cipressa F, Raimondo D, Bosso G,
Wakefield JG, Ciapponi L, Cenci G, Gatti M, Cacchione S, Raffa GD. The Drosophila telomere
capping protein Verrocchio binds single-stranded DNA and protects telomeres from DNA
damage response. Nucleic Acids Res. 2017;45: 3068 3085. doi:10.1093/nar/gkw1244
26. Gai M, Bianchi FT, Vagnoni C, Vernì F, Bonaccorsi S, Pasquero S, Berto GE, Sgrò F, Chiotto
AA, Annaratone L, Sapino A, Bergo A, Landsberger N, Jacqueline Bond J, Huttner WB, Di Cunto
F. ASPM and CITK regulate spindle orientation by affecting the dynamics of astral microtubules.
EMBO Rep. 2017;18: 1870. doi:10.15252/embr.201745023
27. Vernì F, Cenci G. The Drosophila histone variant H2A.V works in concert with HP1 to
promote kinetochore-driven microtubule formation. Cell Cycle. 2015;14: 577 588.
doi:10.4161/15384101.2014.991176
28. Messina G, Damia E, Fanti L, Atterrato MT, Celauro E, Mariotti FR, Accardo MC, Walther
M, Vernì F, Picchioni D, Moschetti M, Caizzi R, Piacentini L, Cenci G, Giordano E, Dimitri P.
Yeti, an essential Drosophila melanogaster gene, encodes a protein required for chromatin
organization. J Cell Sci. 2014;127: 2577 2588. doi:10.1242/jcs.150243
29. Marzio A, Merigliano C, Gatti M, Vernì F. Sugar and chromosome stability: clastogenic
effects of sugars in vitamin B6-deficient cells. PLoS Genet. 2014;10: e1004199.
doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1004199
30. Cipressa F, Romano S, Centonze S, zur Lage PI, Vernì F, Dimitri P, Gatti M, Cenci G. Effete, a
Drosophila chromatin-associated ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme that affects telomeric and
heterochromatic position effect variegation. Genetics. 2013;195: 147 158.
doi:10.1534/genetics.113.153320