Acronimo: PSYCHROnucleation

Sandra Pucciarelli, PhD
Address: School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, University of
Camerino, Via Gentile III da Varano, Camerino, MC, Italy.
Present position: Assistant professor
Area of research: Ecology
Birth date: 23/10/1969
Languages: Italian (mother tongue); English (fluent); French (fluent).
EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCES
Master Degree in Biology: 110/110 cum laude. Tutor: Prof. C. Miceli, University
22-07-1993
of Camerino, Italy.
Doctorate Degree in "Biology". Tutor: Prof. C. Miceli, University of Camerino.
1993/1997
Visiting Research Assistant. Tutor: Prof H.W. Detrich III, Department of Biology,
01-07/15-12
Northeastern University, Boston-MA, USA.
1995
PhD award. University of Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy.
08-08-1998
11-1998/062000
2000/2003
Post-doctoral course. Tutor: Dr. R.Melki. Laboratoire d'Enzymologie et Biochimie
Structurales. CNRS, Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
Researcher/Fellowship. Member of the Prof. C. Miceli’s group. University of
Camerino.
COURSES, STAGES; CAMPAIGNS.
ERASMUS intensive program: "Blaise Pascal" University, Clermont
13-03/03-04-1994
Ferrand. France.
"EMBO practical course on Cytoskeleton Dynamics" Institute of
9/19-09-1996
Molecular Biology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Salzburg, Austria..
Antarctic field campaign at Palmer Station, Antarctica.
28-03/10-05-1997
Stage in Dr. R.Melki’s group, Laboratoire d'Enzymologie et Biochimie
17/25-03-2006 and
Structurales, CNRS, Gif-Sur-Yvette, France.
25-04/1-05-2007
Projects (last 4 years):
1-COST Action BM1102 (2011-2015): Ciliates as model systems to study genome evolution,
mechanisms of non-Mendelian inheritance, and their roles in environmental adaptation.
2-PNRA of the Italian Ministry of University and Research “Genome scanning and
characterization of novel antifreeze proteins for industrial application” (2013-2016)
3-Principal Investigator of the MSCA-RISE MeTABLE “Advanced bioinformatics for genome
and metagenome analyses and discovery of novel biocatalysts from extremophiles: implications
for improving industrial bioprocesses” (2014-2018)
CO-ORGANIZER OF THE TRAINING-SCHOOL/WORKSHOP: "Bioinformatics approaches to adaptations,
genome evolution and biological associations", Computer Laboratory, University of
Cambridge, 23th-27th March 2015. METABLE/COST ACTION BM1102
PUBLICATIONS
1) Pucciarelli S, RR Devaraj, A. Mancini, M. Castelli, P Ballarini, M Schrallhammer, G.
Petroni, C Miceli (2015). Microbial consortium associated with the Antarctic marine ciliate
Euplotes focardii: an investigation from genomic sequences. Microbial Ecology, Feb 14.
2) M Taffi, N Paoletti, P Lio, S Pucciarelli, M Marini (2015) Bioaccumulation modelling and
sensitività analysis for discovering key players in contaminated food webs: The case study
of PCBs in the Adriatic Sea. Ecological Modelling. Jen 14.
3) Ferro D, Bakiu R, De Pittà C, Boldrin F, Cattalini F, Pucciarelli S, Miceli C, Santovito G.
Cu,Zn Superoxide Dismutases from Tetrahymena thermophila: Molecular Evolution and
Gene Expression of the First Line of Antioxidant Defenses. Protist. 2015 Feb;166(1):13145. doi: 10.1016/j.protis.2014.12.003. Epub 2014 Dec 16.
4) Taffi M, Paoletti N, Angione C, Pucciarelli S, Marini M, Lio P. (2014) Bioremediation in
marine ecosystems: a computational study combining ecological modeling and flux balance
analysis. Front Genet. 5:319.
5) Gentekaki E, Kolisko M, Boscaro V, Bright KJ, Dini F, Di Giuseppe G, Gong Y, Miceli C,
Modeo L, Molestina RE, Petroni G, Pucciarelli S, Roger AJ, Strom SL, Lynn DH. Largescale phylogenomic analysis reveals the phylogenetic position of the problematic taxon
Protocruzia and unravels the deep phylogenetic affinities of the ciliate lineages. Mol
Phylogenet Evol. 2014 Sep;78:36-42.
6) Ghazal, P., Corsi, M., Roth, A., Faggioni, F., Corti, C., Merlo Pick, E., Pucciarelli, S.,
Ciccocioppo, R., Ubaldi, M. Paradoxical response to the sedative effects of diazepam and
alcohol in C57BL/6J mice lacking the neuropeptide S receptor (2014) Peptides, 61, pp. 107113.
7) Pucciarelli, S., Chiappori, F., Devaraj, R.R., Yang, G., Yu, T., Ballarini, P., Miceli, C.
Identification and analysis of two sequences encoding ice-binding proteins obtained from a
putative bacterial symbiont of the psychrophilic Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii (2014)
Antarctic Science, 26 (5), pp. 491-501.
8) Chiellini C, Gori R, Tiezzi A, Brusetti L, Pucciarelli S, D'Amato E, Chiavola A, Sirini P,
Lubello C, Petroni G. Ozonation effects for excess sludge reduction on bacterial
communities composition in a full-scale activated sludge plant for domestic wastewater
treatment. Environ Technol. 2014 May-Jun;35(9-12):1462-9.
9) Pucciarelli, S., Chiappori, F., Sparvoli, D., Milanesi, L., Miceli, C., Melki, R. Tubulin
folding: The special case of a beta-tubulin isotype from the Antarctic psychrophilic ciliate
Euplotes focardii (2013) Polar Biology, 36 (12), pp. 1833-1838.
10) Yang G, Yang G, Aprile L, Turturo V, Pucciarelli S, Pucciarelli S, Miceli C. (2013)
Characterization and comparative analysis of psychrophilic and mesophilic alpha-amylases
from Euplotes species: a contribution to the understanding of enzyme thermal adaptation.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. Sep 6;438(4):715-20.
11) Yang G, De Santi C, de Pascale D, Pucciarelli S, Pucciarelli S, Miceli C. (2013)
Characterization of the first eukaryotic cold-adapted patatin-like phospholipase from the
psychrophilic Euplotes focardii: Identification of putative determinants of thermaladaptation by comparison with the homologous protein from the mesophilic Euplotes
crassus. Biochimie. Sep;95(9):1795-806.
12) Pucciarelli S, Ballarini P, Sparvoli D, Barchetta S, Yu T, Detrich HW 3rd, Miceli C.
Distinct functional roles of β-tubulin isotypes in microtubule arrays of Tetrahymena
thermophila, a model single-celled organism. PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e39694. doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0039694. Epub 2012 Jun 22. PubMed PMID: 22745812; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC3382179.
13) Chiappori F, Pucciarelli S, Merelli I, Ballarini P, Miceli C, Milanesi L.Structural thermal
adaptation of β-tubulins from the Antarctic psychrophilic protozoan Euplotes focardii.
Proteins. 2012 Apr;80(4):1154-66. doi: 10.1002/prot.24016. Epub 2012 Jan 24. PubMed
PMID: 22275059.
14) Yu T, Barchetta S, Pucciarelli S, La Terza A, Miceli C. A Novel RobustHeat-inducible
Promoter for Heterologous Gene Expression in Tetrahymena thermophila. Protist. 2011 Jul
29.
15) Pucciarelli S, La Terza A, Ballarini P, Barchetta S, Yu T., Marziale F, Passini V, Methé B,
Detrich HW III, Miceli C. (2009) Molecular cold-adaptation of protein function and gene
regulation: The case for comparative genomic analyses in marine ciliated protozoa. Marine
Genomics. 2(1), pp. 57-66
16) Marziale F., Pucciarelli S., Ballarini P., Melki R, Detrich H.W. and Miceli C.
“Characterization of gamma-tubulin isotypes from the Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii”.
FEBS J, 275: 5367-5382
17) Pucciarelli S., Buonanno F., Pellegrini G., Pozzi S., Miceli C. (2008) Biomonitoring of
Lake Garda: Identification of ciliate species and symbiotic algae responsible for the “blackspot” bloom during the summer of 2004. Environmental research. 107: 194-200.
18) Barchetta S., La Terza A., Ballarini P., Pucciarelli S., Miceli. (2008) A combination of two
regulatory elements in the Tetrahymena thermophila HSP70-1 gene controls heat shock
activation. Eukaryotic cell. 7(2):379-86.
19) Joachimiak E., Pucciarelli S., Ballarini P., Kaczanowska J., Miceli (2007) C. Cell-cycle
dependent expression of γ-tubulin in the amicronuclear ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis.
Protist. 158(1):39-50
20) Pucciarelli S., Parker S., Detrich H.W. and Melki R. (2006) Cytoplasmic chaperonin
containing tcp-1 (CCT) from the Antarctic fish Notothenia coriiceps: functional and
structural properties. Extremophiles. 10(6):537-49
21) Pucciarelli S., Marziale F., Di Giuseppe G., Barchetta S., Miceli C. (2005) Ribosomal coldadaptation: characterization of the acidic ribosomal P0 and P2 proteins from the Antarctic
ciliate Euplotes focardii. Gene. 360: 103-11
22) Pucciarelli S., Marziale F., Ballarini P., Miceli C. (2005) Microtubule cold-stability in the
Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii. Polarnet Technical Report. Proceedings of the Fifth
PNRA Meeting on Antarctic Biology 29-30 April 2004, Messina, pp 34-38
23) Bedini R., Pucciarelli S., Gatta R., Nannelli A., Miceli C. (2004). HSP70 gene expression
in sipunculids: a new biomarker for monitoring marine deposits Chemistry and Ecology,
Vol. 20 (Supplement 1), pp. S345–S352.
24) Pucciarelli S., Miceli C., Melki R. (2002) Heterologous expression and folding analysis of
the Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii beta-tubulin. Eur J Biochem. 269(24):6271-7.
25) Pucciarelli S., Miceli C. (2002) Microtubule cold adaptation: characterization of alphatubulin from the Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii. Extremophiles. 6(5):385-9.
26) Miceli C., Pucciarelli S., Ballarini P., Luporini P. (2000) Cold-stable microtubules of the
Antarctic ciliate ciliate Euplotes focardii. In Antarctic Ecosystem. (eds Davison W.,
Howard-Williams C., Broady P.) Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. 154-7
27) Wirz A, Pucciarelli S, Miceli C, Tongiorgi P, Balsamo M. (1999). Novelty in phylogeny of
gastrotricha: evidence from 18S rRNA gene. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 13:314-8.
28) Wirz A., Fregni E., Pucciarelli S., Miceli C., Balsamo M. (1998) Pylum Gastrotricha: a new
phylogenetic perspective from molecular analysis. Atti 1° Colloquio Nazionale di
Sistematica Clastidistica, Verona, Vol. 1: 63-65
29) Pucciarelli S. (1998) Characterization of tubulins and microtubules from the Antarctic
ciliate Euplotes focardii. PhD thesis.
30) Pucciarelli S., Ballarini P., Miceli C. (1997) Cold-adapted microtubules: characterization of
tubulin posttranslational modifications in the Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii. Cell Motil.
Cytoskel. 38:329-40.
31) Miceli C., Pucciarelli S., Ballarini P., Valbonesi A., Luporini P. (1996) The beta-tubulin
gene family of the Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii: determination of the complete
sequence of beta-T1 gene. In Battaglia B. and Walton J. (eds) "Antarctic Communities".
London: Cambridge University Press, pp. 300-306.
32) Pucciarelli S., Ballarini P., Miceli C., Luporini P. (1996). Posttranslational tubulin
modifications of the Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii. Proceeding of the third meeting on
Antarctic Biology, Santa Margherita Ligure, pp 311-315.
33) Miceli C., Pucciarelli S., Di Giuseppe G. (1995) Characterization of the beta-tubulin gene
family in the Antarctic ciliate Euplotes focardii. Proceedings of the II European Congress of
Protistology and VIII European Conference on Ciliate Biology, Clermond-Ferrand, pp 7175.