Technician
Research Infrastructures for marine biological resources Department
Molecular Sequencing & Analysis Center
Tel. +39 081 5833269
Fax: +39 081 7641355
e-mail monia.russo(at)szn.it
Skype: moniateresarusso
Research interests
As a prominent component of marine phytoplankton, diatoms add significantly to its primary production. They give rise to large blooms in response to favourable environmental conditions, and play a crucial role in global biogeochemical cycles by exporting carbon from the atmosphere into the deep ocean. Their abundance in the oceans illustrates their ecological success, related to their ability to dynamically acclimate to highly variable environmental conditions and to their impressive metabolic plasticity.
My research aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which diatom regulate their growth by integrating environmental and endogenous signals. My objective is to identify functional metabolic traits related to their ecological success by using functional genomics, transcriptomics, genetic engineering and genome editing approaches. Moreover, I am interested in expanding the molecular toolbox available for established molecular model organisms (Phaeodactylum) to then transfer newly developed tools to ecologically relevant diatoms (such as Pseudo-nitzschia, Chaetoceros, Thalassiosira). This procedure enables the exploration of ecological aspects through functional analyses (i.e., how diatoms control cell growth or redox homeostasis in highly variable environmental conditions) as well as the exploitation of the enormous potential of diatoms for biotechnological applications (i.e., achieving an increase in biomass and bioactive molecules production), advancing the field of synthetic biology of microalgae.
Selected Publications
1. Russo, M.T., Vitale, L., Entrambasaguas, L., Anestis, K., Fattorini, N., Romano, F., Minucci, C., De Luca, P., Biffali, E., Vyverman, W., Sanges, R., Montresor, M., Ferrante, M.I. (2018). MRP3 is a sex determining gene in the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata. Nature Communications 9:5050; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07496-0. WOS:000451433800020
2. Russo, M.T., Aiese Cigliano, R., Sanseverino, W., Ferrante, M.I. (2018). Assessment of genomic changes in a CRISPR/Cas9 Phaeodactylum tricornutum mutant through whole genome resequencing. PeerJ 6:e5507; DOI 10.7717/peerj.5507 WOS:000447208100001 Co-corresponding authorship.
3. Kroth, P.G., Bones, A.M., Daboussi, F., Ferrante, M.I., Jaubert, M., Kolot, M., Nymark, M., Río Bártulos, C., Ritter, A., Russo, M.T., Serif, M., Winge, P., Falciatore, A. (2018). Genome editing in diatoms: achievements and goals. Plant cell reports 37: 1401–1408. WOS:000445435800005.
4. Basu, S., Patil, S., Mapleson, D., Russo, M.T., Vitale, L., Fevola, C., Maumus, F., Casotti, R., Mock, T., Caccamo, M., Montresor, M., Sanges, R., Ferrante, M.I. (2017). Finding a partner in the ocean: molecular and evolutionary bases of the response to sexual cues in a planktonic diatom. New Phytologist 215: 140–156. WOS:000402413100015.
5. Russo, M.T., Annunziata, R., Sanges, R., Ferrante, M.I., Falciatore, A. (2015). The upstream regulatory sequence of the light harvesting complex Lhcf2 gene of the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum enhances transcription in an orientation- and distance-independent fashion. Marine Genomics 24: 69–79. WOS:000367774900009 Co-corresponding authorship.
6. Sabatino, V., Russo, M.T., Patil, S., d’Ippolito, G., Fontana, A. and Ferrante, M.I. (2015). Establishment of genetic transformation in the sexually reproducing diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata and Pseudo-nitzschia arenysensis and inheritance of the transgene. Marine Biotechnology 17(4):452-462. WOS:000357122000008.
7. Russo, M.T., Racioppi, C., Zanetti, L., Ristoratore, F. (2014). Expression of a single prominin homolog in the embryo of the model chordate Ciona intestinalis. Gene Expr Patterns 15(1):38-45. WOS:000338610900005.
8. Antonini, D., Russo, M.T., De Rosa, L., Gorrese, M., Del Vecchio, L., and Missero, C. (2010). Transcriptional repression of miR-34 family contributes to p63-mediated cell cycle progression in epidermal cells. J. Invest. Dermatol. 130(5):1249-57. WOS:000276972300010.
9. De Rosa, L., Antonini, D., Ferone, G., Russo, M.T., Yu, P. B., Han, R. and Missero, C. (2009). p63 suppresses non-epidermal gene expression by direct regulation of BMP/Smad signaling. J Biol Chem. 284 30574-82. WOS:000271090000060.
10. Sordino, P., Andreakis, N., Brown, E. R., Leccia, N. I., Squarzoni, P., Tarallo R., Alfano, C., Caputi, L., D'Ambrosio, P., Daniele, P., D'Aniello, E., D'Aniello, S., Maiella, S., Miraglia, V., Russo, M.T., Sorrenti, G., Branno, M., Cariello, L., Cirino, P., Locascio, A., Spagnuolo, A., Zanetti, L. and Ristoratore, F. (2008). Natural Variation of Model Mutant Phenotypes in Ciona intestinalis. PLoS ONE 3(6): e2344. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002344. WOS:000262614300037.
11. Alfano, C., Russo, M. T., Spagnuolo, A. (2007). Developmental expression and transcriptional regulation of Ci-Pans, a novel neural marker gene of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Gene 406 36-41. WOS:000252500500006. Co-first authorship.
12. D’Aniello, S., D’Aniello, E., Locascio, A., Memoli, A., Corrado, M., Russo, M.T., Aniello, F., Fucci, L., Brown, E. R. and Branno, M. (2006). The ascidian homologue of the vertebrate homeobox gene Rx is essential for ocellus development and function. Differentiation 74 222-34. WOS:000237811900003.
13. Russo, M. T., Donizetti, A., Locascio, A., D’Aniello, S., Amoroso, A., Aniello, F., Fucci, L., Branno, M. (2004). Regulatory Elements Controlling Ci-msxb Tissue Specific Expression during Ciona intestinalis embryonic development. Dev Biol 267 517-18. WOS:000220351400018.
14. Aniello, F., Villano, G., Corrado, M., Locascio, A., Russo, M. T., D’Aniello, S., Fucci, L., Branno, M. (2003). Structural organization of the sea urchin DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase gene and characterization of five alternative spliced transcripts. Gene 302 1-9. WOS:000180682700001.
