Ph.D. Program in Cellular, Molecular and Industrial Biology (Project
n. 1: Physiology and Cellular Biology)
Genetic analysis of solid tumors and cancer modeling in Drosophila.
1) Genetic analysis of brain tumours. The study of genomic
features in brain cancers should enable the discovery of characteristic
gene-expression patterns that can be associated with functionally important
states. Furthermore the understanding of the molecular abnormalities that
cause this tumour are crucial for developing new strategies and approaches
to treatment. The aim of our molecular studies on glioma is to capture a
genetic portrait of this malignancy, in order to find out markers of tumour
progression and of responsiveness/resistance to chemio- and radiotherapy.
2) Cancer modelling in Drosophila. Several aspects of human
carcinogenesis can be profitably investigated using Drosophila as an in
vivo model. Despite some obvious differences between flies and mammals,
thanks to the high degree of conservation of most signaling pathways, analyses
of the fly tumour suppressors have produced substantial contribution toward
understanding the basic cell biology of tumourigenesis, in particular links
between cell growth, cell proliferation and apoptosis. We induce genetic
modifications in Drosophila epithelia generating clones of cells in which
tumour suppressors and oncogenes are simultaneously mutated and investigate
the mechanisms underlying malignant progression toward invasion and metastasis.
Selected Publications
- Francesca Froldi, Marcello Ziosi, Giada Tomba, Federica Parisi, Flavio
Garoia, Annalisa Pession and Daniela Grifoni (2008). Drosophila Lethal Giant
Larvae Neoplastic Mutants as a Genetic Tool for Cancer Modeling. Curr. Genomics,
9: 147-154.
- Grifoni D, Garoia F, Bellosta P, Parisi F, De Biase D, Collina G, Strand
D, Cavicchi S, Pession A (2007). aPKC cortical loading is associated with
Lgl cytoplasmic release and tumor growth in Drosophila and human epithelia.
Oncogene, 26:5960-5965.
- Franceschi E, Cavallo G, Lonardi S, Magrini E, Tosoni A, Grosso D, Scopece
L, Blatt V, Urbini B, Pession A, Tallini G, Crino L, Brandes AA. Gefitinib
in patients with progressive high-grade gliomas: a multicentre phase II
study by Gruppo Italiano Cooperativo di Neuro-Oncologia (GICNO). Br J Cancer
2007; 96:1047-1051.
- Brandes AA, Tosoni A, Cavallo G, Reni M, Franceschi E, Bonaldi L, Bertorelle
R, Gardiman M, Ghimenton C, Iuzzolino P, Pession A, Blatt V, Ermani M (2006).
Correlations between O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase promoter methylation
status, 1p and 19q deletions, and response to temozolomide in anaplastic
and recurrent oligodendroglioma: a prospective GICNO study. J Clin Oncol.
24:4746-4753.
- Strocchi P, Smith MA, Perry G, Tamagno E, Danni O, Pession A, Gaiba A,
Dozza B (2006). Clusterin up-regulation following sub-lethal oxidative stress
and lipid peroxidation in human neuroblastoma cells. Neurobiol Aging 27:1588-1594.
- Garoia F, Grifoni D, Trotta V, Guerra D, Pezzoli MC, Cavicchi S (2005).
The tumor suppressor gene fat modulates the EGFR-mediated proliferation
control in the imaginal tissues of Drosophila melanogaster. Mech. Develop.
122: 175-187.
- Grifoni D, Garoia F, Schimanski CC, Schmitz G, Laurenti E, Galle PR, Pession
A, Cavicchi S and Strand D (2004). The human protein Hugl-1 substitutes
for Drosophila Lethal giant larvae tumour suppressor function in vivo. Oncogene
23:8688-8694.
- Franceschi E, Cavallo G, Scopece L, Paioli A, Pession A, Magrini E, Conforti
R, Palmerini E, Bartolini S, Rimondini S, Esposti RD, Crino L (2004). Phase
II trial of carboplatin and etoposide for patients with recurrent high-grade
glioma. Brit J Cancer 91:1038-1044.
Research Group
Annalisa Pession (Associate Professor)
Luca Morandi (Lab Technician)
Daniela Grifoni (Postdoc)
Marcello Ziosi (Postdoc)
Federica Parisi (Postdoc)
Francesca Froldi (PhD student)
Location
1) Genetic analysis of brain tumours Sezione di Anatomia,
Dipartimento di Oncologia, Ospedale Bellaria, Via Altura 3, 40139 Bologna.
Tel. +390516225754, Fax +390516225759;
2) Cancer modelling in Drosophila Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica
Sperimentale, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna. Tel. +390512094179 Fax
+390512094286.
