Anna Silvia Pistocchi

Assistant Professor

biography

During my 10 years of scientific career I have been successfully involved in studies on different systems and organs using zebrafish as a tool to mimic human diseases. My main research interests have been the generation of zebrafish models to understand the functional role of genes mainly involved in nervous system and muscle development but I wasinvolved in several collaborative projects with senior such as Prof. Cossu, Prof Messina, Prof.Cattaneo University of Milan, Prof. Duga Humanitas University in Milan, Prof. Allende University of Chile, , Prof. Giordano Temple University, Philadelphia, USA, Prof. Bassi,Politecnico of Milan. I am leading, as Principal Investigator, a research group focusing on understanding the role of cohesins members that, when contitutively mutated, originate the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, a genetic disease with main involvement of the developing central nervous system. Recent findings connect somatic mutations in cohesinsand leukemia insurgence. Therefore I also investigate the role of cohesins in myeloid neoplasms generating zebrafish models with deregulation of cohesin members such as nipblb, smc1a and hdac8. I have authored 20 peer-reviewed published papers; with 11 publications among them with my participation as first, last or co-corresponding author. My H-Index is 9 and the total sum of times cited is 283. In the past three years I was Assistant Professor type A in Applied BiologyDept. of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine and now I have won the concur for Associate Professor type B in Applied Biology, Dept. of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine.

 

Area of Interest

Applied biology with the use of the zebrafish model to study human diseases.
Nervous System Development: Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms leading to the proper differentiation of the vertebrate CNS system using zebrafish as a model and links with human pathologies.
Muscle Development : Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms leading to the proper differentiation of the vertebrate muscle system using zebrafish as a model and links with human pathologies.


top publication

1.Avagliano L., Doi P., Tosi D., Gualtieri A., Gaston-Massuet C., Pistocchi A., Gallina A., Marconi A.M., Bulfamante G., Massa V. “Cell Death and Cell Proliferation in human spina bifida”. Birth DefectsResearch Part-A 2016 2016 Feb; 106: 104-13. (IF 5 years 2,725; IF 2014 2,089)
2. Fazio G., Gaston-Massuet C., Bettini L.R., Graziola F., Scagliotti V., Cereda A., Ferrari L., Mazzola M., Cazzaniga G., Giordano A., Cotelli F., Bellipanni G., Biondi A., Selicorni A., Pistocchi A. (co-last and co-correspondingauthor), Massa V. (2016).“CyclinD1 Down Regulation and Increased Apoptosis Are Common Features of Cohesinopathies.”. Journal of Cellular Physiology, 231:613-22. doi: 10.1002/jcp.25106.Epub 2015.(IF 5 years 3,751; IF 2014 3,839)
3. Della Noce I., Carra S., Brusegan C., Critelli R., Frassine A., De Lorenzo C., Giordano A., Bellipanni G., Villa E., Cotelli F., Pistocchi A. (co-last and co-correspondingauthor), Schepis F. (2015). “The Coiled-Coil Domain Containing 80 (ccdc80) gene regulates gadd45β2 expression in the developing somites of zebrafish as a new player of the hedgehog pathway”. Journal of Cellular Physiology, 230:821-30, ISSN: 1097-4652, doi: 10.1002/jcp.24810. Epub 2014.(IF 5 years 3,751; IF 2014 3,839)
4. Ferrari L, Pistocchi A. (co-first author), Libera L., Boari N., Mortini P., Bellipanni G., Giordano A., Cotelli F., Riva P. (2014). “FAS/FASL are dysregulated in chordoma and their loss-of-function impairs zebrafish notochord formation”. Oncotarget, 5:5712-24, ISSN: 1949-2553. (IF 5 years 6,368; IF 2014 6,359)
5.Pistocchi A. (co-corresponding author), Fazio G., Cereda A., Ferrari L., Bettini L.R., Messina G., Cotelli F., Biondi A., Selicorni A., Massa V. (2013b). “Cornelia de Lange Syndrome: NIPBLHaploinsufficiency Downregulates Canonical Wnt Pathway in Zebrafish Embryos and Patients Fibroblasts”. Cell death and disease,4:e866, , ISSN: 2041-4889, doi: 10.1038/cddis.2013.371(IF 5 years 5,360; IF 2014 5,014)
6. Pistocchi A., Gaudenzi G., Foglia E., Monteverde S., Moreno Fortuny A., Pianca A., Cossu G., Cotelli F., Messina G. (2013a) “Conserved and divergent functions of Nfix in skeletal muscle development during vertebrate evolution”. Development, 140:2443, ISSN: 0950-1991, doi: 10.1242/dev.076315. (IF 5 years 6,671; IF 2014 6,462)
7.Fieramonti L., Bassi A., Foglia E.A., Pistocchi A., D'Andrea C., Valentini G., Cubeddu R., De Silvestri S., Cerullo G., Cotelli F. (2012). “Time-gated optical projection tomography allows visualization of adult zebrafish internal structures”. Plos One, 7:e50744, ISSN: 1932-6203, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050744. (IF 5 years 4,244; IF 2014 3,234)
8. Lo Sardo V., Zuccato C., Gaudenzi G., Vitali B., Ramos C., Tartari M., Myre M.A., Walker J.A., Pistocchi A., Conti L., Valenza M., Drung B., Schmidt B., Gusella J., Zeitlin S., Cotelli F., Cattaneo E. (2012). “An evolutionary recent neuroepithelial cell adhesion function of huntingtin implicates ADAM10-Ncadherin”. Nat. Neurosci. 15:713-21, ISSN: 1097-6256, doi: 10.1038/nn.30. (IF 5 years 16,412; IF 2014 16,095)
9.Brusegan C., Pistocchi A. (co-corresponding author), Frassine A., Della Noce I., Schepis F., Cotelli F. (2012). “s-ccdc80 Is Involved in Axon Pathfinding of Zebrafish Motoneurons”. Plos One, 7:e31851, ISSN: 1932-6203, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031851. (IF 5 years 4,244; IF 2014 3,234)
10.Ugarte G., Cappellari O., Perani L., Pistocchi A., Cossu G. (2012). “Noggin recruits mesoderm progenitors from the dorsal aorta to a skeletal myogenic fate”. Dev. Biol. 365:91-100, ISSN: 0012-1606, doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2012.02.015.(IF 5 years 4,049; IF 2014 3,547)
11. Del Giacco L., Pistocchi A., Ghilardi A. (2010). “prox1b activity is essential in zebrafish lymphangiogenesis”. Plos One, 5:e13170. (IF 5 years 4,244; IF 2014 3,234)
12.Geudens I., Herpers R., Hermans K., Segura I., Ruiz de Almodovar C., Bussmann J., De Smet F., Vandevelde W., Hogan B.M., Siekmann A., Claes F., Moore J.C., Pistocchi A., Loges S., Mazzone M., Mariggi G., Bruyère F., Cotelli F., Kerjaschki D., Noel A., Foidart J.M., Gerhardt H., Ny A., Langenberg T., Lawson N.D., Duckers H.J., Schulte-Merker S., Carmeliet P., Dewerchin M.F. (2010). “Role of delta-like-4/Notch in the formation and wiring of the lymphatic network in zebrafish”. ArteriosclerThrombVasc Biol. 30:1695-702, ISSN: 1079-5642, doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.110.203034. (IF 5 years 7,544; IF 2014 6,008)
13.Guella I., Pistocchi A. (co-first author), Asselta R., Rimoldi V., Ghilardi A., Sironi F., Trotta L., Primignani P., Zini M., Zecchinelli A., Coviello D., Pezzoli G., Duga S., Del Giacco L., Goldwurm S. (2011). “Mutational screening and functional analyses in the zebrafish model of GIGYF2 as a candidate gene for Parkinson disease”. Neurobiology of Aging, 32:1994-2005,ISSN: 0197-4580, doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2009.12.016 Epub 2010. (IF 5 years 6,438; IF 2014 5,013)
14.Pistocchi A., Feijoo C.G., Cabrera P., Villablanca E.J., Allende M.L., Cotelli F. (2009). “The zebrafish prospero homolog prox1 is required for mechanosensory hair cell differentiation and functionality in the lateral line”. BMC Dev Biol, 9:58, ISSN: 1471-213X, doi: 10.1186/1471-213X-9-58. (IF 20142,667)
15.Pistocchi A., Feijoo C.G., Cabrera P., Villablanca E.J., Allende M.L., Cotelli F. (2009). “The zebrafish prospero homolog prox1 is required for mechanosensory hair cell differentiation and functionality in the lateral line”. BMC DevBiol, 9:58, ISSN: 1471-213X, doi: 10.1186/1471-213X-9-58. (IF 2014 2,667)
16.Pistocchi A., Bartesaghi S., Cotelli F., Del Giacco L. (2008b). “Identification and expression pattern of prox2 gene during zebrafish development”. DevDyn, 3916-20, ISSN: 1058-8388, doi: 10.1002/dvdy.21798. (IF 5 years 3,156; IF 2014 2,376)
17. Del Giacco L., Pistocchi A., Cotelli F., Fortunato A.E., Sordino P. (2008). “A peek inside the neurosecretory brain through Orthopedia lenses”. Dev Dyn, 2295-303, ISSN: 1058-8388, doi: 10.1002/dvdy.21668. Review. (IF 5 years 3,156; IF 2014 2,376)
18. Pistocchi A., Gaudenzi G., Carra S., Bresciani E., Del Giacco L., Cotelli F. (2008a).“Crucial role of zebrafish prox1 in hypothalamic catecholaminergic neurons development”. BMC DevBiol., 8:27, ISSN: 1471-213X, doi: 10.1186/1471-213X-8-27.(IF 2014 2,667)
19.Villablanca E.J., Pistocchi A., Court F.A., Cotelli F., Bordignon C., Allende M.L., Traversari C., Russo V. (2007). “Abrogation of prostaglandin E2/EP4 signaling impairs the development of rag1+ lymphoid precursors in the thymus of zebrafish embryos”. J Immunol., 357-64, ISSN: 0022-1767, doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.179.1.357. (IF 5 years 6,277; IF 2014 4,922)
20. Del Giacco L., Sordino P., Pistocchi A., Andreakis N., Tarallo R., Di Benedetto B., Cotelli F. (2006). “Differential regulation of the zebrafish orthopedia1 gene during fate determination of diencephalic neurons” BMC Dev Biol., 6:50, ISSN: 1471-213X, doi: 10.1186/1471-213X-6-50.(IF 20142,667)