Browsing by Author "Carpentieri, Giovanna"

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    Aberrant Function of the C-Terminal Tail of HIST1H1E Accelerates Cellular Senescence and Causes Premature Aging
    (Cell Press, 2019-09-05) Flex, Elisabetta; Martinelli, Simone; Van Dijck, Anke; Ciolfi, Andrea; Cecchetti, Serena; Coluzzi, Elisa; Pannone, Luca; Andreoli, Cristina; Radio, Francesca Clementina; Pizzi, Simone; Carpentieri, Giovanna; Bruselles, Alessandro; Catanzaro, Giuseppina; Pedace, Lucia; Miele, Evelina; Carcarino, Elena; Ge, Xiaoyan; Chijiwa, Chieko; Lewis, M.E. Suzanne; Meuwissen, Marije; Kenis, Sandra; Van der Aa, Nathalie; Larson, Austin; Brown, Kathleen; Wasserstein, Melissa P.; Skotko, Brian G.; Begtrup, Amber; Person, Richard; Karayiorgou, Maria; Roos, J. Louw; Van Gassen, Koen L.; Koopmans, Marije; Bijlsma, Emilia K.; Santen, Gijs W.E.; Barge-Schaapveld, Daniela Q.C.M.; Ruivenkamp, Claudia A.L.; Hoffer, Mariette J.V.; Lalani, Seema R.; Streff, Haley; Craigen, William J.; Graham, Brett H.; van den Elzen, Annette P.M.; Kamphuis, Daan J.; Ounap, Katrin; Reinson, Karit; Pajusalu, Sander; Wojcik, Monica H.; Viberti, Clara; Di Gaetano, Cornelia; Bertini, Enrico; Petrucci, Simona; De Luca, Alessandro; Rota, Rossella; Ferretti, Elisabetta; Matullo, Giuseppe; Dallapiccola, Bruno; Sgura, Antonella; Walkiewicz, Magdalena; Kooy, R. Frank; Tartaglia, Marco; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
    Histones mediate dynamic packaging of nuclear DNA in chromatin, a process that is precisely controlled to guarantee efficient compaction of the genome and proper chromosomal segregation during cell division and to accomplish DNA replication, transcription, and repair. Due to the important structural and regulatory roles played by histones, it is not surprising that histone functional dysregulation or aberrant levels of histones can have severe consequences for multiple cellular processes and ultimately might affect development or contribute to cell transformation. Recently, germline frameshift mutations involving the C-terminal tail of HIST1H1E, which is a widely expressed member of the linker histone family and facilitates higher-order chromatin folding, have been causally linked to an as-yet poorly defined syndrome that includes intellectual disability. We report that these mutations result in stable proteins that reside in the nucleus, bind to chromatin, disrupt proper compaction of DNA, and are associated with a specific methylation pattern. Cells expressing these mutant proteins have a dramatically reduced proliferation rate and competence, hardly enter into the S phase, and undergo accelerated senescence. Remarkably, clinical assessment of a relatively large cohort of subjects sharing these mutations revealed a premature aging phenotype as a previously unrecognized feature of the disorder. Our findings identify a direct link between aberrant chromatin remodeling, cellular senescence, and accelerated aging.
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    Enhanced MAPK1 Function Causes a Neurodevelopmental Disorder within the RASopathy Clinical Spectrum
    (Elsevier, 2020-09-03) Motta, Marialetizia; Pannone, Luca; Pantaleoni, Francesca; Bocchinfuso, Gianfranco; Radio, Francesca Clementina; Cecchetti, Serena; Ciolfi, Andrea; Di Rocco, Martina; Elting, Mariet W.; Brilstra, Eva H.; Boni, Stefania; Mazzanti, Laura; Tamburrino, Federica; Walsh, Larry; Payne, Katelyn; Fernández-Jaén, Alberto; Ganapathi, Mythily; Chung, Wendy K.; Grange, Dorothy K.; Dave-Wala, Ashita; Reshmi, Shalini C.; Bartholomew, Dennis W.; Mouhlas, Danielle; Carpentieri, Giovanna; Bruselles, Alessandro; Pizzi, Simone; Bellacchio, Emanuele; Piceci-Sparascio, Francesca; Lißewski, Christina; Brinkmann, Julia; Waclaw, Ronald R.; Waisfisz, Quinten; van Gassen, Koen; Wentzensen, Ingrid M.; Morrow, Michelle M.; Álvarez, Sara; Martínez-García, Mónica; De Luca, Alessandro; Memo, Luigi; Zampino, Giuseppe; Rossi, Cesare; Seri, Marco; Gelb, Bruce D.; Zenker, Martin; Dallapiccola, Bruno; Stella, Lorenzo; Prada, Carlos E.; Martinelli, Simone; Flex, Elisabetta; Tartaglia, Marco; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
    Signal transduction through the RAF-MEK-ERK pathway, the first described mitogen-associated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, mediates multiple cellular processes and participates in early and late developmental programs. Aberrant signaling through this cascade contributes to oncogenesis and underlies the RASopathies, a family of cancer-prone disorders. Here, we report that de novo missense variants in MAPK1, encoding the mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (i.e., extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 2, ERK2), cause a neurodevelopmental disease within the RASopathy phenotypic spectrum, reminiscent of Noonan syndrome in some subjects. Pathogenic variants promote increased phosphorylation of the kinase, which enhances translocation to the nucleus and boosts MAPK signaling in vitro and in vivo. Two variant classes are identified, one of which directly disrupts binding to MKP3, a dual-specificity protein phosphatase negatively regulating ERK function. Importantly, signal dysregulation driven by pathogenic MAPK1 variants is stimulus reliant and retains dependence on MEK activity. Our data support a model in which the identified pathogenic variants operate with counteracting effects on MAPK1 function by differentially impacting the ability of the kinase to interact with regulators and substrates, which likely explains the minor role of these variants as driver events contributing to oncogenesis. After nearly 20 years from the discovery of the first gene implicated in Noonan syndrome, PTPN11, the last tier of the MAPK cascade joins the group of genes mutated in RASopathies.