Sciandra Francesca

Sciandra Francesca Country: Italy
E-mail: francesca.sciandra@icrm.cnr.it

Participation in Working Groups

  • WG4 - Mechanobiological principles of rare and common diseases

Research Interests

My my main research activity is focused on the biochemical characterization of dystroglycan, a ubiquitously expressed cell adhesion complex that connects the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton. During the last years, a growing number of evidences indicate that mutations in dystroglycan gene are linked to muscular dystrophy and central and peripheral nervous system defects. Interestingly, dystroglycan has been also detected in the nuclear membrane but its exact role as well as its possible involvement in muscular dystrophy have not been elucidated yet.

I am currently enlarging my interests in skeletal muscle aging and inflammation, with particular attention to autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways.

Technologies offered to other EuroCellNet participants

_ Expression and FPLC-purification of recombinant proteins for functional and crystallographic experiments;

_ Culture of skeletal muscle cells;

_Confocal microscopy for colocalization experiments;

Technologies sought from other EuroCellNet participants

_Prymary cells culture and 3D cell culture systems;

_Experties in skeletal muscle inflammation and autophagy;

_Advanced microscopy techniques;

_RNA interference;

Publications

Palmieri V, Bozzi M, Signorino G, Papi M, De Spirito M, Brancaccio A, Maulucci G, Sciandra F a-Dystroglycan hypoglycosylation affects cell migration by influencing b-dystroglycan membrane clustering and filopodia length: a multiscale confocal microscopy analysis . Submitted 2016

Sbardella D, Tundo GR, Sciandra F, Bozzi M, Gioia M, Ciaccio C, Tarantino U, Brancaccio A, Coletta M, Marini S. Proteasome Activity Is Affected by Fluctuations in Insulin-Degrading Enzyme Distribution. PLoS One. 2015. e0132455

Bozzi M, Cassetta A, Covaceuszach S, Bigotti MG, Bannister S, Hübner W, Sciandra F, Lamba D, Brancaccio A. The Structure of the T190M Mutant of Murine α-Dystroglycan at High Resolution: Insight into the Molecular Basis of a Primary Dystroglycanopathy. Plos One 2015. e0124277

Sciandra F., Bozzi M., Morlacchi S., Galtieri A., Giardina B., Brancaccio A. Mutagenesis at the alpha-beta interface impairs the cleavage of the dystroglycan precursor. FEBS J. 2009; 276: 4933-4945

Sciandra F., Morlacchi S., Allamand V., De Benedetti G., Macchia G., Petrucci T., Bozzi M., Brancaccio A. First molecular characterization and immunolocalization of keratoepithelin in adult human skeletal muscle. Matrix Biol. 2008; 27:360-370

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