FIAMMETTA VERNI'

Corso di GENETICA canale I 

Le lezioni inizieranno lunedì 3 marzo  2025 e proseguiranno col seguente orario:

Lunedì ore 13-15 in aula Montalenti

Mercoledi ore 11-13 in aula Montalenti

Giovedì ore 14-16 in aula Montalenti

per iscrizione a classroom la psw è:  lvjl3oo

Corso di CITOGENETICA E MUTAGENESI (Scienze biologiche 3 anno)

Le lezioni inizieranno giovedì 27 Febbraio 2025 e proseguiranno col seguente orario:

Martedì ore 11-13 aula Serra I (istituto genetica)

Giovedì ore 11-13 aula Serra I (Istituto genetica) 

per iscrizione a classroom la psw è: d276rwe

Name: Fiammetta VERNI'
Date and place of birth:10th April 1965 in Rome, Italy
Citizenship: Italian
Present address: Sapienza University of Rome
Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin”
Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5 - 00185 Rome – Italy
e-mail fiammetta.verni@uniroma1.it

Academic Training and Work Positions
1988 Laurea cum laude in Biological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome
1989 Research Fellowship at Cornell University (Ithaca N.Y.)
1994 Ph.D. in Evolutionary biology "Sapienza" University of Rome
1994 Annual research fellowship of Istituto Pasteur Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti Sapienza University of Rome,
1995 Annual research fellowship of Telethon, Sapienza,
1997 Assistant Professor of Genetics, Sapienza University of Rome.
2020 Associate Professor qualification
2022 Associate professor

Research experience: My research activity in the past has mainly concerned the characterization of genes that control different aspects of cell cycle. More recently, I focused my attention on genes which play a role in chromosome integrity maintenance. During these studies, I found that two essential genes involved in vitamin B6 metabolism play a role in maintaining genome integrity and glucose homeostasis. So, I am currently exploring the relationship between vitamin B6, diabetes, DNA damage and cancer -by exploiting Drosophila models for both diseases- with the aim of revealing the mechanisms behind this relationship.

Teaching assignments
2001-2002 Course of Principles and Methods of Formal Genetic Analysis
Applied Genetics Specialization School, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
2001-2006 Course of Genetics, degree in Biotechnology Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
2004-2006 Course of Methods and Systems in Genetics, master degree in Genetics and Molecular Biology Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
2006-to date Course of Genetics (9CFU), Biological Sciences degree Sapienza University of Rome
2016 to date Board member of Science Journalism Master (SGP) Sapienza University of Rome
2017 to date Board member of on Stem cells and genome editing Master Sapienza University of Rome
2015 to date Teaching board member, PhD School in Genetics and Molecular Biology. Sapienza University of Rome
2020 abilitazione professore associato
2022 professore associato

Additional information

Editor Board member of Scientific Reports
Guest Editor of Frontiers in Genetics
Review Editor for Frontiers in Genetics and for Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (Epigenomics and Epigenetics section)
Reviewer for the following international journals: Scientific Reports, Mutation Research, International Journal of molecular Science, Cell stress, Journal of cellular physiology, Journal of Pediatric Genetics,Tissue and cell, Nutrients
Member of Italian Society of Genetics (AGI)
Member of Genetics Society of America (GSA)
Spoken languages: Italian, native language; English

PUBLICATIONS:
1.Liguori F, Mascolo E, Vernì F. The genetics of diabetes: what we can learn from Drosophila. int j mol sci 2021, vol. 22, ISSN: 1661-6596, doi: 10.3390/ijms222011295
2.Merigliano C, et al , AKTIP interacts with ESCRT I and is needed for the recruitment of ESCRT III subunits to the midbody. PLOS GENETICS (2021)., vol. 17, ISSN: 1553-7404, doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009757
3. Mascolo E, Liguori F, Stufera Mecarelli L, Amoroso N, Merigliano C, Amadio S, Volonté C,
Contestabile R, Tramonti A, Vernì F. Functional Inactivation of Drosophila GCK Orthologs
Causes Genomic Instability and Oxidative Stress in a Fly Model of MODY-2. Int J Mol Sci.
2021;22. doi:10.3390/ijms22020918
4. Burla R, La Torre M, Maccaroni K, Verni F, Giunta S, Saggio I. Interplay of the nuclear
envelope with chromatin in physiology and pathology. Nucleus. 2020;11: 205–218.
doi:10.1080/19491034.2020.1806661
5. Mascolo E, Vernì F. Vitamin B6 and Diabetes: Relationship and Molecular Mechanisms. Int J
Mol Sci. 2020;21. doi:10.3390/ijms21103669
6. Licursi V, Anzellotti S, Favaro J, Sineri S, Carucci N, Cundari E, Fiore M, Guarguaglini G,
Pippa S, Nisi P S, Vernì F, Biagioni S, Cacci E, Amendola R, Lupo G, Negri R. X-ray irradiated
cultures of mouse cortical neural stem/progenitor cells recover cell viability and proliferation with
dose-dependent kinetics. Sci Rep. 2020;10: 6562. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-63348-2
7. Contestabile R, di Salvo ML, Bunik V, Tramonti A, Vernì F. The multifaceted role of vitamin
B(6) in cancer: Drosophila as a model system to investigate DNA damage. Open Biol. 2020;10:
200034. doi:10.1098/rsob.200034
8. Raimondo D, Remoli C, Astrologo L, Burla R, La Torre M, Vernì F, Tagliafico E, Corsi A, Del
Giudice S, Persichetti A, Giannicola G, Robey PG, Riminucci M, Saggio. Changes in gene
expression in human skeletal stem cells transduced with constitutively active Gsα correlates with
hallmark histopathological changes seen in fibrous dysplastic bone. PLoS One. 2020;15:
e0227279. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0227279
9. Mascolo E, Amoroso N, Saggio I, Merigliano C, Vernì F. Pyridoxine/pyridoxamine 5’-
phosphate oxidase (Sgll/PNPO) is important for DNA integrity and glucose homeostasis
maintenance in Drosophila. J Cell Physiol. 2020;235: 504–512. doi:10.1002/jcp.28990
10. Mascolo E, Barile A, Mecarelli LS, Amoroso N, Merigliano C, Massimi A, Saggio I, Hansen
T, Tramonti A, Di Salvo M., Barbetti F, Contestabile R, Vernì F. The expression of four pyridoxal
kinase (PDXK) human variants in Drosophila impacts on genome integrity. Sci Rep. 2019;9:
14188. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-50673-4
11. Merigliano C, Mascolo E, Cesta A, Saggio I, Vernì F. A new role for Drosophila Aurora-A in
maintaining chromosome integrity. Chromosoma. 2019;128: 41–52. doi:10.1007/s00412-018-
00687-0
12. Burla R, La Torre M, Zanetti G, Bastianelli A, Merigliano C, Del Giudice S, Vercelli A, Di
Cunto F, Boldo M, Vernì F, Saggio I. p53-Sensitive Epileptic Behavior and Inflammation in Ft1
Hypomorphic Mice. Front Genet. 2018;9: 581. doi:10.3389/fgene.2018.00581
13. Merigliano C, Mascolo E, Burla R, Saggio I, Vernì F. The Relationship Between Vitamin B6,
Diabetes and Cancer. Front Genet. 2018;9: 388. doi:10.3389/fgene.2018.00388
14.Merigliano C, Mascolo E, La Torre M, Saggio I, Vernì F. Protective role of vitamin B6 (PLP)
against DNA damage in Drosophila models of type 2 diabetes. Sci Rep. 2018;8: 11432.
doi:10.1038/s41598-018-29801-z
15. Burla R, La Torre M, Merigliano C, Vernì F, Saggio I. Genomic instability and DNA
replication defects in progeroid syndromes. Nucleus. 2018;9: 368–379.
doi:10.1080/19491034.2018.1476793
16. La Torre M, Merigliano C, Burla R, Mottini C, Zanetti G, Del Giudice S, Carcuro M, Virdia
I, Bucciarelli E, Manni I, Rampioni Vinciguerra G, Piaggio G, Riminucci M, Cumano A,
Bartolazzi A, Vernì F, Soddu S, Gatti M, Saggio I. Mice with reduced expression of the telomereassociated
protein Ft1 develop p53-sensitive progeroid traits. Aging Cell. 2018;17: e12730.
doi:10.1111/acel.12730
17. Di Giorgio ML, Esposito A, Maccallini P, Micheli E, Bavasso F, Gallotta I, Vernì F, Feiguin
F, Cacchione S, McCabe BD, Di Schiavi E, Raffa GD. WDR79/TCAB1 plays a conserved role in
the control of locomotion and ameliorates phenotypic defects in SMA models. Neurobiol Dis.
2017;105: 42–50. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2017.05.005
18. Bianchi FT, Tocco C, Pallavicini G, Liu Y, Vernì F, Merigliano C, Bonaccorsi S, El-Assawy
N, Priano L, Gai M, Berto GE, Chiotto AA, Sgrò F, Caramello A, Tasca L, Ala U, Neri F, Oliviero
S, Mauro A, Geley S, Gatti M, Di Cunto F. Citron Kinase Deficiency Leads to Chromosomal
Instability and TP53-Sensitive Microcephaly. Cell Rep. 2017;18: 1674–1686.
doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2017.01.054
19. Merigliano C, Marzio A, Renda F, Somma MP, Gatti M, Vernì F. A Role for the Twins Protein
Phosphatase (PP2A-B55) in the Maintenance of Drosophila Genome Integrity. Genetics.
2017;205: 1151–1167. doi:10.1534/genetics.116.192781
20. Cicconi A, Micheli E, Vernì F, Jackson A, Gradilla AC, Cipressa F, Raimondo D, Bosso G,
Wakefield JG, Ciapponi L, Cenci G, Gatti M, Cacchione S, Raffa GD. The Drosophila telomerecapping
protein Verrocchio binds single-stranded DNA and protects telomeres from DNA damage
response. Nucleic Acids Res. 2017;45: 3068–3085. doi:10.1093/nar/gkw1244
21. Gai M, Bianchi FT, Vagnoni C, Vernì F, Bonaccorsi S, Pasquero S, Berto GE, Sgrò F, Chiotto
AA, Annaratone L, Sapino A, Bergo A, Landsberger N, Jacqueline Bond J, Huttner WB, Di Cunto
F. ASPM and CITK regulate spindle orientation by affecting the dynamics of astral microtubules.
EMBO Rep. 2017;18: 1870. doi:10.15252/embr.201745023
22. Vernì F, Cenci G. The Drosophila histone variant H2A.V works in concert with HP1 to
promote kinetochore-driven microtubule formation. Cell Cycle. 2015;14: 577–588.
doi:10.4161/15384101.2014.991176
23. Messina G, Damia E, Fanti L, Atterrato MT, Celauro E, Mariotti FR, Accardo MC, Walther
M, Vernì F, Picchioni D, Moschetti M, Caizzi R, Piacentini L, Cenci G, Giordano E, Dimitri P.
Yeti, an essential Drosophila melanogaster gene, encodes a protein required for chromatin
organization. J Cell Sci. 2014;127: 2577–2588. doi:10.1242/jcs.150243
24. Marzio A, Merigliano C, Gatti M, Vernì F. Sugar and chromosome stability: clastogenic effects
of sugars in vitamin B6-deficient cells. PLoS Genet. 2014;10: e1004199.
doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1004199
25. Cipressa F, Romano S, Centonze S, zur Lage PI, Vernì F, Dimitri P, Gatti M, Cenci G. Effete,
a Drosophila chromatin-associated ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme that affects telomeric and
heterochromatic position effect variegation. Genetics. 2013;195: 147–158.
doi:10.1534/genetics.113.153320
26. Mottier-Pavie V, Cenci G, Vernì F, Gatti M, Bonaccorsi S. Phenotypic analysis of misato
function reveals roles of noncentrosomal microtubules in Drosophila spindle formation. J Cell
Sci. 2011;124: 706–717. doi:10.1242/jcs.072348
27. Somma MP, Ceprani F, Bucciarelli E, Naim V, De Arcangelis V, Piergentili R, Palena A,
Ciapponi L, Giansanti MG, C Pellacani C, Petrucci R, Cenci G, Vernì F, Fasulo B, Goldberg ML,
Di Cunto F, Gatti M. Identification of Drosophila mitotic genes by combining co-expression
analysis and RNA interference. PLoS Genet. 2008;4: e1000126.
doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000126
28. Corradini N, Rossi F, Giordano E, Caizzi R, Verní F, Dimitri P. Drosophila melanogaster as a
model for studying protein-encoding genes that are resident in constitutive heterochromatin.
Heredity (Edinb). 2007;98: 3–12. doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800877
29. Dimitri P, Corradini N, Rossi F, Mei E, Zhimulev IF, Vernì F. Transposable elements as
artisans of the heterochromatic genome in Drosophila melanogaster. Cytogenet Genome Res.
2005;110: 165–172. doi:10.1159/000084949
30. Dimitri P, Corradini N, Rossi F, Vernì F. The paradox of functional heterochromatin.
Bioessays. 2005;27: 29–41. doi:10.1002/bies.20158
31. Vernì F, Somma MP, Gunsalus KC, Bonaccorsi S, Belloni G, Goldberg ML, Gatti M. Feo, the
Drosophila homolog of PRC1, is required for central-spindle formation and cytokinesis. Curr
Biol. 2004;14: 1569–1575. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2004.08.054
32. Corradini N, Rossi F, Vernì F, Dimitri P. FISH analysis of Drosophila melanogaster
heterochromatin using BACs and P elements. Chromosoma. 2003;112: 26–37.
doi:10.1007/s00412-003-0241-9
33. Dimitri P, Corradini N, Rossi F, Vernì F, Cenci G, Belloni G, Zhimulev IF, Koryakov DE.Vital
genes in the heterochromatin of chromosomes 2 and 3 of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetica.
2003;117: 209–215. doi:10.1023/a:1022996112742
34. Perotti ME, Cattaneo F, Pasini ME, Vernì F, Hackstein JH. Male sterile mutant casanova gives
clues to mechanisms of sperm-egg interactions in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Reprod Dev.
2001;60: 248–259. doi:10.1002/mrd.1085
35. Vernì F, Gandhi R, Goldberg ML, Gatti M. Genetic and molecular analysis of wings apart-like
(wapl), a gene controlling heterochromatin organization in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics.
2000;154: 1693–1710.
36.Verni’ F, Somma MP, Gandhi R, Goldberg ML, Gatti M. Genes controlling chromosome
structure in Drosophila melanogaster. in Chromosomes Today 1997;12:88-103 edited by N.
Henriques-Gil, J. S. Parker and M.J. Puertas. Chapman and Hall, London.
37. Gunsalus KC, Bonaccorsi S, Williams E, Verni F, Gatti M, Goldberg ML. Mutations in
twinstar, a Drosophila gene encoding a cofilin/ADF homologue, result in defects in centrosome
migration and cytokinesis. J Cell Biol. 1995;131: 1243–1259. doi:10.1083/jcb.131.5.1243
38. Cenci G, Bonaccorsi S, Pisano C, Verni F, Gatti M. Chromatin and microtubule organization
during premeiotic, meiotic and early postmeiotic stages of Drosophila melanogaster
spermatogenesis. J Cell Sci. 1994;107 ( Pt 12): 3521–3534.