Catalogo dei Corsi di studio

Current position Senior researcher, Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, Italian National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy

Previous Scientific Positions
2013: visiting investigator, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Oporto University.
2002: Visiting investigator, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
2001-2006: Teaching position for the course Cytogenetics at Roma Tre University
2001- : Senior researcher, IBPM, CNR
1985: Visiting investigator, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York N.Y
1984-2001: Research scientist, Centre for Evolutionary Genetics, CNR
1981-82: Post-doc, Dept of Radiation Genetics and Chemical Mutagenesis, Leiden University (NL)

Education
1979: MSc Degree in Biology, Sapienza University, Rome (Italy),

Memberships and other notable achievements
2018: qualified as full professor in Genetics and Cell Biology to the Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale (ASN)
2014-present: member of the panel of scientific experts for the Ministry of Economic Development (MISE)
2013: chair in the evaluation panel of Research Projects for the Science and Technology Foundation of Portugal (FTC)
2009: Member of the scientific committee, 39th International Conference on Environmental Mutagens
2005: co-organizer of the AGI/SIMA workshop Cancer as a disease of genome instability
1990- present: Member of the Italian Genetics Association (AGI), and the Italian (SIMA) and European (EEMS) Mutagen Societies
Member of the editorial board of the journal: Anticancer agents in Medicinal Chemistry, Cells
Research Interests:
The research goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating chromosome segregation at mitosis and their role in cancer, with specific emphasis on the formation and correction of abnormal kinetochore-microtubule interactions in normal and cancer cells. Ongoing research projects aim to identify the cancer-promoting activity of the deregulated expression of a component of the Hec1/Ndc80 multi-protein kinetochore complex. Special efforts are devoted to identifying genetic strategies to modulate Hec1 function in tumour cells and develop chemical inhibitors of the Hec1/Ndc80 complex activity.
Publications
Total number of peer reviewed publications: 78; H-index: 29(Scopus).

10 selected publications:
1.Traversi G, Staid DS, Fiore M, Percario Z, Trisciuoglio D, Antonioletti R, Morea V, Degrassi F*, Cozzi R. A novel resveratrol derivative induces mitotic arrest, centrosome fragmentation and cancer cell death by inhibiting -tubulin. Cell Div. 2019 14:3. co-corresponding
2.Ferrara M, Sessa G, Fiore M, Bernard F, Asteriti I. A, Cundari E, Colotti G, Ferla S, Desideri M, Buglioni S, Trisciuoglio D, Del Bufalo D, Brancale A, Degrassi F. (2018) Small molecules targeted to the microtubule-Hec1 interaction inhibit cancer cell growth through microtubule stabilization Oncogene 37:231-240.
3.De Santis Puzzonia M, Gonzalez L, Ascenzi S, Cundari E, Degrassi F. (2016) Tetraploid cells produced by absence of substrate adhesion during cytokinesis are limited in their proliferation and enter senescence after DNA replication. Cell Cycle.;15: 274-282
4.Orticello M, Fiore M, Totta P, Desideri M, Barisic M, Passeri D, Lenzi J, Rosa A, Orlandi A, Maiato H, Del Bufalo D, Degrassi F (2015). N-Terminus modified Hec1 suppresses tumor growth by interfering with kinetochore-microtubule dynamics. Oncogene, 34: 3325-3335
5.Mattiuzzo M., Vargiu G., Totta P., Fiore M., Ciferri C., Musacchio A. and Degrassi F. Abnormal Kinetochore-Generated Pulling Forces from Expressing a N-Terminally Modified Hec1 (2011) PlosOne 6: e16307.
6.Ferretti C, Totta P, Fiore M, Mattiuzzo M, Schillaci T, Ricordy R, Di Leonardo A, Degrassi F. (2010) Expression of the kinetochore protein Hec1 during the cell cycle in normal and cancer cells and its regulation by the pRb pathway. Cell Cycle. 9: 4174 - 4182 IF:5.00
7.Torosantucci L, de Santis Puzzonia M, Cenciarelli C, Rens W, Degrassi F. (2009) Aneuploidy in mitosis of PtK1 cells is generated by random loss and nondisjunction of individual chromosomes. J Cell Science 122:3455-3461.
8.Cimini D and Degrassi F (2005) Aneuploidy: a matter of bad connection. Trends in Cell Biology 15:442-51
9.Torosantucci L, De Luca M, Guarguaglini G, Lavia P, Degrassi F. (2008) Localized RanGTP accumulation promotes microtubule nucleation at kinetochores in somatic mammalian cells. Mol Biol Cell. 19:1873-1882.
10.Cimini D, Howell B, Maddox P, Khodjakov A, Degrassi F, Salmon ED (2001) Merotelic kinetochore orientation is a major mechanism of aneuploidy in mitotic mammalian tissue cells. J. Cell Biology 153:517-527.