Group Leader: Germana Falcone
Topics : Muscle Biology and Pathology
Keywords: muscle biopathology, nocoding RNAs, gene therapy

Our research group has a wide long-standing experience in molecular and cellular biology of muscle cells, intracellular cell signaling in oncogenic transformation and differentiation, and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, particularly microRNA analysis and studies on microRNA-target interaction.

In past years our research has focused on the role of noncoding RNAs in normal muscle differentiation and in disease. Thanks to the development of a method to select and identify the functionally active microRNAs and their target mRNAs, we have identified some crucial microRNAs involved in normal muscle differentiation and in muscular dystrophies, particularly in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1). In addition to microRNAs, we have also identified circular RNAs specifically upregulated in DM1. Both classes of noncoding RNAs are most likely involved in DM1 pathogenetic mechanisms and can be used as disease biomarkers. Functional characterization of DM1-related microRNAs and circular RNAs is a topic of ongoing research in our group.

DM1 is a dominantly inherited multisystemic disorder and the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults. Especially in the most severe forms, life expectancy and quality in DM1 affected individuals are seriously compromised. The disease is caused by expanded CTG repeats in the 3’ untranslated region (3’UTR) of the DMPK gene. No effective therapy is yet available for DM1. Very recently, we have developed a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing approach for permanent deletion of pathogenetic repeats, using cell models ad hoc generated from DM1 patients’ biopsies. By using this strategy, we obtained a time-controlled and target-specific gene editing, and succeeded in reversing the pathologic phenotype of DM1 cells. We are now applying this gene editing approach to a mouse model of DM1 with the ultimate goal to obtain the reversal of the diseased phenotype, opening the way for future gene therapy application in humans.

 External Collaborators:

  • Fabio Martelli, Molecular Cardiology Laboratory, IRCCS-Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Milano
  • Geneviève Gourdon, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, UMR 974, INSTITUT de MYOLOGIE, G.H. Pitié-Salpétrière, Paris, France

Key Pubblications

  1. Guglielmi L, Nardella M, Musa C, Cifola I, Porru M, Cardinali B, Iannetti I, Di Pietro C, Bolasco G, Palmieri V, Vilardo L, Panini N, Bonaventura F, Papi M, Scavizzi F, Raspa M, Leonetti C, Falcone G, Felsani A, D’Agnano I. (2020) Circulating miRNAs in Small Extracellular Vesicles Secreted by a Human Melanoma Xenograft in Mouse Brains. Cancers (Basel) Jun 19;12(6):1635. doi: 10.3390/cancers12061635.
  1. Voellenkle C, Perfetti A, Carrara M, Fuschi P, Renna LV, Longo M, Sain SB, Cardani R, Valaperta R, Silvestri G, Legnini I, Bozzoni I, Furling D, Gaetano C, FalconeG, Meola G, Martelli F (2019) Dysregulation of Circular RNAs in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Apr 19;20(8). pii: E1938. doi: 10.3390/ijms 20081938.
  1. Greco S, Cardinali B, Falcone G, Martelli F (2018) Circular RNAs in muscle function and disease. Int J Mol Sci. 19(11). pii: E3454. doi: 10.3390/ijms19113454. Review.
  1. Cappella M, Perfetti A, Cardinali B, Garcia-Manteiga JM, Carrara M, Provenzano C, Fuschi P, Cardani R, Renna LV, Meola G, Falcone G, Martelli F (2018) High-throughput analysis of the RNA-Induced Silencing Complex in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 patients identifies the dysregulation of miR-29c and its target ASB2. Cell Death Dis Jun 28;9(7):729. doi: 10.1038/s41419-018-0769-5.
  1. Provenzano C, Cappella M, Valaperta R, Cardani R, Meola G, Martelli F, Cardinali B, Falcone G. (2017) CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of CTG expansions recovers normal phenotype in myogenic cells derived from myotonic dystrophy 1 patients. Molecular Therapy-Nucleic Acids, 9: 337-348. doi: 1016/j.omtn.2017.10.006
  1. Cardinali B, Cappella M, Provenzano C, Garcia-Manteiga JM, Lazarevic D, Cittaro D, Martelli F, Falcone G (2016) MicroRNA-222 regulates muscle alternative splicing through Rbm24 during differentiation of skeletal muscle cells. Cell Death Dis, 7: e2086. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2016.10.

Research Group

 

Researchers

Beatrice Cardinali (researcher)
+39 90091322  

Claudia Provenzano (researcher)
+39 90091474

Collaborators
Silvia Mandillo(researcher)
Elisabetta Golini (researcher)
Georgios Strimpakos (researcher)

Post-doctoral fellow:

Mariapaola Izzo    
mariapaola.izzo@ibbc.cnr.it
+39 06 90091369

CNR Fellow

Jonathan Isacco Battistini
jonathan.battistini@ibbc.cnr.it
+39 06 90091323

Programs & resourcers

2019 – 2022           
Coordinator, TELETHON Italy Grant GGP19035: Gene editing in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1: assessment of efficiency, safety and therapeutic effect of CTG-repeat deletion in a mouse model of disease (https://www.telethon.it/en/what-we-do/research/)

2017 – 2018
Partner, CNR Flagship Project InterOmics: Integration of exosome miRNome/proteome Signature for identification of specific Glioblastoma biomarkers (https://www.cnr.it/it/news/7390/2th-call-for-proposals-bando-progetto-bandiera-interomics-2017)

2015 – 2018
Partner, AFM Grant 18477: MicroRNA function and use as biomarkers in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (http://www.afm-telethon.com/research.html)

2015 – 2016
Partner, CNR Flagship Project InterOmics: miRNome analysis and functional studies of cancer cell-released exosomes in experimental models of Glioblastoma (https://www.cnr.it/it/news/5952/call-for-proposals-progetto-bandiera-interomics)

2014 – 2018
Partner, TELETHON Italy Grant GGP14092: Skeletal muscle and circulating microRNAs in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 ((https://www.telethon.it/en/what-we-do/research/)