Overview
The focus of the Laboratory is on neurodegenerative diseases with a particular interest on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Kennedy’s disease.
We investigate the molecular mechanisms that lead to neuronal damage and death. One important aspect of our research is related to the intercellular (mis)communication between neurons and their supporting cells. We investigate the biology of extracellular vesicles and use them as promising means for disease diagnosis and prognosis.
Research projects
We are developing two major projects:
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Deciphering the role of extracellular vesicles in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
On one side we are interested in exploring the mechanisms by which glia-derived extracellular vesicles favor neuronal toxicity, on the other side, we are exploring the use of extracellular vesicles as biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis. -
Androgen Receptor in Kennedy’s disease
We are collaborating on a project focused on the transcriptional activity of Androgen Receptor in Kennedy’s disease with the aim to defining a possible new therapy for the clinics.
Group members
- Manuela Basso, PI
- Alice Migazzi, postdoc (Caritro fellowship)
- Paolo Fioretti, PhD student
- Luisa Donini, predoc fellow
- Margherita Marazzini, predoc fellow
- Silvia Del Longo, MSc student
Collaborations
- Valentina Bonetto, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche ‘Mario Negri’
- Andrea Calvo, Università di Torino
- Raffaella Tanel, Ospedale Santa Chiara e Centro NeMO, Trento
- Francesco Rinaldi, Università di Padova
- Vito D’Agostino, Università di Trento
- Maria Pennuto, Università di Padova
Selected publications
Pasetto L, Callegaro S, Corbelli A, Fiordaliso F, Ferrara D, Brunelli L, Sestito G, Pastorelli R, Bianchi E, Cretich M, Chiari M, Potrich C, Moglia C, Corbo M, Sorarù G, Lunetta C, Calvo A, Chiò A, Mora G, Pennuto M, Quattrone A, Rinaldi F, D’Agostino VG, Basso M#, Bonetto V#. Decoding distinctive features of plasma extracellular vesicles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. # Co-last and co-corresponding author. Molecular Neurodegeneration. 16, 52 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-021-00470-3.
Migazzi A, Scaramuzzino C, Andreson N, Tripathy D, Hernandez I, Grant, Roccuzzo M, Tosatto L, Virlogeux A, Zuccato C, Caricasole A, Ratovitski T, Ross C, Pandey U, Saudou F, Pennuto M, Basso M. Huntingtin-Mediated axonal transport requires arginine methylation by PRMT6. Cell Reports, Volume 35, Issue 2, 108980, 2021.
Tripathy D, Migazzi A, Costa F, Roncador A, Gatto P, Fusco F, Boeri L, Albani D, Juárez-Hernández JL, Musio C, Colombo L, Salmona M, Wilhelmus MMM, Drukarch B, Pennuto M, Basso M. Increased Transcription of Transglutaminase 1 Mediates Neuronal Death in in Vitro Models of Neuronal Stress and Aβ1-42-mediated Toxicity. Neurobiol Dis. 2020 Jul;140:104849. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104849. Epub 2020 Mar 25.
Basso M, Chen HH, Tripathy D, Conte M, Apperley KYP, De Simone A, Keillor JW, Ratan R, Nebbioso A, Sarno F, Altucci L, Milelli A. Designing Dual Transglutaminase 2/Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Effective at Halting Neuronal Death. ChemMedChem. Feb 6;13(3):227-230, 2018. doi: 10.1002/cmdc.201700601.
Tripathy D; Vignoli B; Ramesh N; Polanco MJ; Coutelier M; Stephen CD; Canossa M; Monin ML; Aeschlimann P; Turberville S; Aeschlimann D; Schmahmann JD; Hadjivassiliou M; Durr A; Pandey UB; Pennuto M; Basso M. Mutations in TGM6 induce the unfolded protein response in SCA35. Human Molecular Genetics;26(19):3749-3762, 2017. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddx259.
Basso M*, Pozzi S*, Tortarolo M, Fiordaliso F, Bisighini C, Pasetto L, Spaltro G, Lidonnici D, Gensano F, Battaglia E, Bendotti C, Bonetto V. Mutant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) induces protein secretion pathway alterations and exosome release in astrocytes: implications for disease spreading and motor neuron pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The Journal of biological chemistry 288(22): 15699-15711, 2013. (*first-name coauthorship).
Basso M#, Berlin J, Xia L, Sleiman SF, Ko B, Haskew-Layton R, Kim E, Antonyak MA, Cerione RA, Iismaa SE, Willis D, Cho S, Ratan RR#. Transglutaminase inhibition protects against oxidative stress-induced neuronal death downstream of pathological ERK activation. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 32:6561-6569, 2012. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3353-11.2012 (# corresponding authorship).
McConoughey SJ*, Basso M*#, Niatsetskaya ZV, Sleiman SF, Smirnova NA, Langley BC, Mahishi L, Cooper AJ, Antonyak MA, Cerione RA, Li B, Starkov A, Chaturvedi RK, Beal MF, Coppola G, Geschwind DH, Ryu H, Xia L, Iismaa SE, Pallos J, Pasternack R, Hils M, Fan J, Raymond LA, Marsh JL, Thompson LM, Ratan RR. Inhibition of transglutaminase 2 mitigates transcriptional dysregulation in models of Huntington disease. EMBO molecular medicine 2:349-370, 2010. doi: 10.1002/emmm.201000084. (*first-name coauthorship; # corresponding authorship).
A complete list of publications can be found at: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9278-8960