Phd in EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE

email: mara.cirone@uniroma1.it
phone: 06-4997310
building: Patologia Generale
room: A41

Mara Cirone
Date of Birth: 20-08-1961
Place of Birth: Avezzano
Citizenship: Italian

Education
University graduation 1986
University of Rome Sapienza
MD degree

Post-graduate studies:
1992 PhD in Experimental Medicine
University of Rome Sapienza

1999 Specialty
University of Rome Sapienza
Allergology and Clinical Immunology

Appointments:
1989-1991
La Scripps Research Institute, USA

Research Fellow
1991-2001

Tecnico laureato University of Rome La Sapienza

2001-2019 Ricercatore MED04 University of Rome La Sapienza

2019- present PA MED04 University of Rome La Sapienza

Other Appointments:
2005-present
Servizio di Virologia, Policlinico Umberto I, University of Rome La Sapienza
Dirigente Medico I livello

Teaching experience:
2001-present
University of Rome Sapienza
General Pathology nei corsi di laurea magistrale in Medicina e Chirurgia e Odontoiatria e Protesi Dentale.
Oncology nei corsi di laurea in Tecniche di Laboratorio Biomedico e Tecniche di Radiologia Medica per Immagini e Radioterapia.


Brief Description of Research area:
Keywords: viruses, immunology, cancer, autophagy

The research is aimed at investigating herpesvirus-mediated strategies that promote neurodegenerative diseases, tumorigenesis and immune suppression and is mainly focused on virus-mediated manipulation of autophagy.

Publications 2014-2019
1) STAT3 phosphorylation affects p53/p21 axis and KSHV lytic cycle activation.
Santarelli R, Carillo V, Romeo MA, Gaeta A, Nazzari C, Gonnella R, Granato M, D'Orazi G, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Virology. 2019 Jan 5;528:137-143. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.12.015. [Epub ahead of print] (I.F. 3.374)
2) Cytotoxic Drugs Activate KSHV Lytic Cycle in Latently Infected PEL Cells by Inducing a Moderate ROS Increase Controlled by HSF1, NRF2 and p62/SQSTM1.
Granato M, Gilardini Montani MS, Angiolillo C, D'Orazi G, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Viruses. 2018 Dec 24;11(1). pii: E8. doi: 10.3390/v11010008 (I.F. 3.737)
3) Impact of HHV-6A and HHV-6B lytic infection on autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress.
Romeo MA, Masuelli L, Gaeta A, Nazzari C, Granato M, Gilardini Montani MS, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
J Gen Virol. 2019 Jan;100(1):89-98. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.001176. Epub 2018 Nov 14. (I.F. 2.76)
4) EBV and KSHV Infection Dysregulates Autophagy to Optimize Viral Replication, Prevent Immune Recognition and Promote Tumorigenesis.
Cirone M.
Viruses. 2018 Oct 31;10(11). pii: E599. doi: 10.3390/v10110599. Review (I.F. 3.737)
5) EBV reduces autophagy, intracellular ROS and mitochondria to impair monocyte survival and differentiation.
Gilardini Montani MS, Santarelli R, Granato M, Gonnella R, Torrisi MR, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Autophagy. 2018 Oct 16:1-16. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2018.1536530. [Epub ahead of print] (I.F. 11.1)
6) EBV up-regulates PD-L1 on the surface of primary monocytes by increasing ROS and activating TLR signaling and STAT3.
Gilardini Montani MS, Santarelli R, Falcinelli L, Gonnella R, Granato M, Di Renzo L, Cuomo L, Vitillo M, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
J Leukoc Biol. 2018 Oct;104(4):821-832. doi: 10.1002/JLB.2A0118-029RR. Epub 2018 Jul 24
(I.F. 4.22)
7) Chloroquine supplementation increases the cytotoxic effect of curcumin against Her2/neu overexpressing breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo in nude mice while counteracts it in immune competent mice.
Masuelli L, Granato M, Benvenuto M, Mattera R, Bernardini R, Mattei M, d'Amati G, D'Orazi G, Faggioni A, Bei R, Cirone M.
Oncoimmunology. Jul 31;6(11):e1356151. 2017 (I.F. 7.719)
8) Bortezomib promotes KHSV and EBV lytic cycle by activating JNK and autophagy.
Granato M, Romeo MA, Tiano MS, Santarelli R, Gonnella R, Gilardini Montani MS, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Sci Rep. Oct 12;7(1):13052. 2017 (I.F. 4.259)
9) Metformin triggers apoptosis in PEL cells and alters bortezomib-induced Unfolded Protein Response increasing its cytotoxicity and inhibiting KSHV lytic cycle activation.
Granato M, Gilardini Montani MS, Romeo MA, Santarelli R, Gonnella R, D'Orazi G, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Cell Signal. Dec;40:239-247. 2017 (I.F. 3.937)
10) Oxidant species are involved in T/B-mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation that activates p53-p21 axis to promote KSHV lytic cycle in PEL cells.
Gonnella R, Yadav S, Gilardini Montani MS, Granato M, Santarelli R, Garufi A, D'Orazi G, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Free Radic Biol Med. Nov;112:327-335. 2017 (I.F. 5.606)
11) KSHV reduces autophagy in THP-1 cells and in differentiating monocytes by decreasing CAST/calpastatin and ATG5 expression.
Santarelli R, Granato M, Pentassuglia G, Lacconi V, Gilardini Montani MS, Gonnella R, Tafani M, Torrisi MR, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Autophagy. Dec;12(12):2311-2325. 2016 (I.F. 8.593)
12) The activation of KSHV lytic cycle blocks autophagy in PEL cells.
Granato M, Santarelli R, Filardi M, Gonnella R, Farina A, Torrisi MR, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Autophagy. Nov 2;11(11):1978-1986. 2015 (I.F. 9.108)
13) Capsaicin triggers immunogenic PEL cell death, stimulates DCs and reverts PEL-induced immune suppression.
Granato M, Gilardini Montani MS, Filardi M, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Oncotarget. Oct 6;6(30):29543-54. 2015 (I.F. 5.008)
14) Tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin AG490 triggers both apoptosis and autophagy by reducing HSF1 and Mcl-1 in PEL cells.
Granato M, Chiozzi B, Filardi MR, Lotti LV, Di Renzo L, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Cancer Lett. Oct 1;366(2):191-7. 2015 (I.F. 5.992)
15) PKC theta and p38 MAPK activate the EBV lytic cycle through autophagy induction.
Gonnella R, Granato M, Farina A, Santarelli R, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Biochim Biophys Acta. Jul;1853(7):1586-95. 2015 (I.F. 5.083)
16) Epstein-barr virus blocks the autophagic flux and appropriates the autophagic machinery to enhance viral replication.
Granato M, Santarelli R, Farina A, Gonnella R, Lotti LV, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
J Virol. Nov;88(21):12715-26. 2014 (I.F. 4.439)
17) STAT3 activation by KSHV correlates with IL-10, IL-6 and IL-23 release and an autophagic block in dendritic cells.
Santarelli R, Gonnella R, Di Giovenale G, Cuomo L, Capobianchi A, Granato M, Gentile G, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Sci Rep. Feb 28;4:4241. 2014 (I.F. 5.078)
18) Hepatitis C virus present in the sera of infected patients interferes with the autophagic process of monocytes impairing their in-vitro differentiation into dendritic cells.
Granato M, Lacconi V, Peddis M, Di Renzo L, Valia S, Rivanera D, Antonelli G, Frati L, Faggioni A, Cirone M.
Biochim Biophys Acta. Jul;1843(7):1348-55. 2014 (I.F. 5.083)