Stefano Stifani, PhD
Research in the laboratory of Stefano Stifani has the following main goals.
1) To understand the molecular mechanisms regulating neural stem/progenitor cell (NSPC) self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation in the developing and postnatal brain, with particular focus on the cerebral cortex.
2) To characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying the growth and propagation of the most malignant form of brain cancer, termed glioblastoma.
3) To elucidate the molecular events controlling the development and neural circuit integration of diverse subtypes of motor nerve cells (motor neurons), with particular interest in cells vulnerable to degeneration in motor neuron diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Murthy, M., Bocking, S., Verginelli, F., and听Stifani S. (2014) Transcription factor Runx1 inhibits proliferation and promotes developmental maturation in a selected population of inner olfactory nerve layer olfactory ensheathing cells.听Gene.听540(2):191-200. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2014.02.038. Epub 2014 Feb 26.
Ciarapica, R., Carcarino, E., Adesso, L., De Salvo, M., Bracaglia, G., Leoncini, P.P., Dall鈥橝gnese, A., Verginelli, F., Milano, G.M., Boldrini, R., Inserra, A.,听Stifani, S., Screpanti, I, Marquez, V.E., Valente, S., Mai, A., Puri, P.L., Locatelli, F., Palacios, D., Rota R. (2014) Pharmacological inhibition of EZH2 as a promising differentiation therapy in embryonal RMS.听BMC Cancer.听14(1):139. doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-14-139.
Verginelli, F., Perin, A., Dali, R., Fung, K.H., Lo, R., Longatti, P., Guiot, M.C., Del Maestro, R.F., Rossi. S., di Porzio, U., Stechishin, O., Weiss, S.,听Stifani, S.听(2013) Transcription factors FOXG1 and Groucho/TLE promote glioblastoma growth.听Nature Commun. Dec 20;4:2956. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3956.
Perez-Campo, F.M., Costa, G., Lie-a-Ling, M.,听Stifani, S., Kouskoff, V., and Lacaud, G. (2014) MOZ-mediated repression of p16INK4a is critical for the self-renewal of neural and 听听听听听听听听听听 hematopoietic stem cells.听Stem Cells32:1591-1601. doi: 10.1002/stem.1606. Epub 2013 Dec 4.
Ciarapica, R., Methot, L., Tang, Y., Lo, R., Dali, R., Buscarlet, M., Locatelli, F., Del Sal, G., Rota, R., and听Stifani, S.(2014) Prolyl isomerase Pin1 and protein kinase HIPK2 cooperate to promote cortical neurogenesis by suppressing Groucho/TLE:Hes1-mediated inhibition of neuronal differentiation.听Cell Death Differ.听21(2):321-32. doi: 10.1038/cdd.2013.160. Epub 2013 Nov 22.
Ciarapica R., Bracaglia G., De Salvo M., Carcarino, E., Adesso, L., Leoncini P., Dall'Agnese 听听听听听听 A., Walters, Z., Verginelli F., De Sio L., Boldrini R., Inserra A, Bisogno G., Rosolen A., Alaggio R., Ferrari A., Collini P., Locatelli M.,听Stifani S.,听Screpanti I., Rutella S., Yu, Q., Marquez V., Shipley, J., Valente, S., Mai, A., Miele L., Puri P.L., Locatelli F., Palacios D., and Rota, S. (2014) Polycomb group (PcG) protein EZH2 supports the survival of PAX3-FOXO1 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma by repressing听FBXO32听(Atrogin1/MAFbx).听Oncogene. 33(32):4173-84. doi: 10.1038/onc.2013.471. Epub 2013 Nov 11.
Methot, L., Hermann, R., Tang, Y., Lo, R., Al-Jehani, H., Jhas, S., Svoboda, D., Slack, R.S., Barker, P.A., and听Stifani, S. (2013) Functional Interaction and Antagonistic Roles of NF-kappaB and Hes6 in the Regulation of Cortical Neurogenesis.听Mol Cell Biol.听33:2797-2808. doi: 10.1128/MCB.01610-12. Epub 2013 May 20.
Zusso, M., Methot, L., Lo, R., Grenhalgh, A.D., David, S., and听Stifani, S. (2012) Regulation of postnatal forebrain amoeboid microglial cell proliferation and development by the transcription factor Runx1.听J Neurosci.听32(33), 11285-11298.
Dastidar, S.G., Narayanan, S.,听Stifani, S., and D鈥橫ello, S. (2012) TLE1 combines with FoxG1 to promote neuronal survival.听J Biol Chem.听287(18):14749-14759.听Epub 2012 Feb 21.
Todd, K.J., Lan-Chow-Wing, N., Salin-Cantegrel, A., Cotter, A., Zagami, C.J., Lo R., and听Stifani, S. (2012) Establishment of motor neuron-V3 interneuron progenitor domain boundary in the ventral spinal cord requires Groucho-mediated transcriptional corepression.听PLoS One听7(2) e31176.听Epub 2012 Feb 17.
