Costa Mario

Research scientist
Via Giuseppe Moruzzi, 1
56124 - Pisa
Tel 050-3153200
Fax 0503153220
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Chromatin remodelling and cell signalling in neurodevelopment disorder and brain tumor

Research summary

The main goal of the laboratory is to comprehend haw epigenetic and signalling pathways can impact in neurodevelopment disorders and cancer. To tackle these questions we use a combination of molecular , cellular and imaging techniques in vitro and in vivo. Recently, the range of topics and techniques has expanded to include studies on the role of mitochondria in the brain disorders.

Research’s Topics

Role of epigenetic mechanisms and chromatin remodelling in neurodevelopment syndromes (Rett syndrome MeCP2 and Foxg1) and epigenetic therapy.

Mitochondrial role in the neurodevelopment disorders

Glioblastoma and use of toxins as a antitumor   agents

Representative publications

Vannini E, Panighini A, Cerri C, Fabbri A, Lisi S, Pracucci E, Benedetto N, Vannozzi R, Fiorentini C, Caleo M, Costa M., The bacterial protein toxin, cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1) provides long-term survival in a murine glioma model. BMC Cancer. 2014 Jun 18;14:449. doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-14-449.

Panighini, A., Duranti, E., Santini, F., Maffei, M., Pizzorusso, T., Funel, N., Taddei, S., Bernardini, N., Ippolito, C., Virdis, A., Costa, M., Vascular dysfunction in a mouse model of rett syndrome and effects of curcumin treatment. PLoS One. 2013 May 21;8(5):e64863.

De Filippis R., Pancrazi L., Bjørgo K., Rosseto A., Kleefstra T., Grillo E., Panighini A., Cardarelli F., Meloni I., Ariani F., Mencarelli M., Hayek J., Renieri A., Costa M., Mari F., Expanding the phenotype associated with FOXG1 mutations and in vivo FoxG1 chromatin-binding dynamics. Clin Genet. 2012 Oct (4) 395-403

Cerri C, Fabbri A, Vannini E, Spolidoro M, Costa M, Maffei L, Fiorentini C, Caleo M., Activation of Rho GTPases triggers structural remodeling and functional plasticity in the adult rat visual cortex.  J Neurosci. 2011 Oct 19;31(42):15163-72

Bardi G., Vittorio O., Maffei M., Pizzorusso T., Costa M., Adipocytes differentiation in the presence of Pluronic F-127 coated carbon nanotubes. Nanomedicine 2009 5(4):378-381

Putignano E, Lonetti G, Cancedda L, Ratto G.M, Costa M, Maffei L, Pizzorusso T., Developmental downregulation of expirence−dependent histone phosphoacetylation and CRE−mediate gene expression in mouse visual cortex: an inibitory role in adult visual cortical plasticity. Neuron 2007 Mar 1;53(5):747-59.

Marchi M, Guarda A, Bergo A, Landsberger N, Kilstrup-Nielsen C, Ratto GM, Costa M, Spatio-Temporal Dynamics and Localization of MeCP2 and Pathological Mutants in Living Cells. Epigenetics July/August/September 2007 2:3, 187-197;