Dr. Maria Rosaria Coscia has a long-standing experience in the field of Comparative Immunology. Her main scientific interest is in investigating the immune response of fish living in in the Antarctic marine ecosystem. To study the adaptation to low temperature, her model system is provided by fishes of the suborder Notothenioidei, the most abundant fish taxon found in the Antarctic Ocean. She has investigated the genes encoding immunoglobulins (Ig) and the polymeric Ig immunoglobulin receptor, which is responsible for the transport of Ig across epithelial barriers. She disclosed, for the first time in a cold adapted species, a peculiar gene locus architecture and signs of epigenetic regulation. Her group was also actively involved in defining the molecular structure of other molecules of immunological interest in teleosts, such as Toll-like receptors and the complement factor C3, by molecular dynamics simulations. Studies on cold adapted Igs inspired a new research line focused on the design and production of engineered high performance monoclonal antibodies, as innovative diagnostic/therapeutic tools, using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology. In recent years she started to investigate the effects of extreme environment on human immune response, by analyzing the relationship between altered stress reactivity and immune functions of volunteers in the long-term stay in Antarctica.
Main Expertise in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Comparative Immunology and Evolution.
Dr. Coscia has a strong collaboration with Dr Paola Italiani, Lab Innate Immunity, Inflammation and Nanosafety*
Education:
1988: Degree in Biological Sciences with honors, Department of Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, with a dissertation in Biochemistry: “Production of monoclonal antibodies specific from the allergen Po-15”.
1988-1989: Post lauream apprenticeship at the Institute of Protein Biochemistry (IBP), CNR, Naples (Italy)
1989-1991: CNR-MISM Research Fellow, laboratory of immunochemistry of allergens at IBP
Positions:
1998 to present: Researcher at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (formely Institute of Protein Biochemistry), CNR, Naples
1992-1998: Professional Research Assistant, Comparative Immunology laboratory at IBP, CNR
1991-1992: Guest Investigator, laboratory of Biochemistry at the Rockefeller University, NYC (USA)
2016 to present: Co-founder and coordinator of the CNR Immunology Network (CIN) http://www.immunologicnr.it
Ametrano A, Miranda B, Moretta R, Dardano P, De Stefano L, Oreste U, Coscia MR. A structural peculiarity of Antarctic fish IgM drives the generation of an engineered mAb by CRISPR/Cas9. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2024 Jul 25;12:1315633. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1315633. PMID: 39119272; PMCID: PMC11306039.
Ametrano A, Picchietti S, Guerra L, Giacomelli S, Oreste U, Coscia MR. Comparative Analysis of the pIgR Gene from the Antarctic Teleost Trematomus bernacchii Reveals Distinctive Features of Cold-Adapted Notothenioidei. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jul 14;23(14):7783. doi: 10.3390/ijms23147783. PMID: 35887127; PMCID: PMC9321927.
Ametrano A, Gerdol M, Vitale M, Greco S, Oreste U, Coscia MR. The evolutionary puzzle solution for the origins of the partial loss of the Cτ2 exon in notothenioid fishes. Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2021 Sep;116:124-139. doi: 10.1016/j.fsi.2021.05.015. Epub 2021 May 24. PMID: 34038801.
Coscia MR, Varriale S, De Santi C, Giacomelli S, Oreste U. Evolution of the Antarctic teleost immunoglobulin heavy chain gene. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2010 Apr;55(1):226-233. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.09.033. Epub 2009 Oct 2. PMID: 19800977.
Coscia MR, Morea V, Tramontano A, Oreste U. Analysis of a cDNA sequence encoding the immunoglobulin heavy chain of the Antarctic teleost Trematomus bernacchii. Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2000 May;10(4):343-57. doi: 10.1006/fsim.1999.0244. PMID: 10938744.
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Associates Researcher Emeritus: Post-doctoral fellow Graduate student:
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2025-2027: PNRA16_00047. “Effects of extreme environments on psychophysiology, energy metabolism and immunity: neuropsychological, immunohistochemical, proteomic and fMRI studies”
2023-2026: PRIN 2022 Project n° 2022E7FZEJ “The double face of hypoxia in health and disease” (JANUS)
2024-2026: PNRA0000059 “Deciphering self/nonself Immune recognition Mechanisms in ANTarctic marine organisms: clues for knowledge, biotechnology tools and environmental changes” (DIMANT)
2021-2025: Progetto di Ricerca @CNR “Tracking and Identification of asymptomatic Patients through engineered antibodies-bioconjugated plasmonics in a Pandemic Scenario – TIPPS”