Foto del docente

Mariangela Iannello

Research fellow

Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences

Curriculum vitae

1 Jul 2018–Present : Postdoctoral fellow

I am investigating the effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in
male and female gametes. Particularly I am interested in how gametes may preserve their mtDNA
from ROS damage in order to assure a proper transmission of mtDNA information across
generations. For this purpose, I am using as model species Ruditapes philippinarum, a species with
doubly uniparental inheritance of mitochondria (DUI), where both maternal and paternal mtDNA are
transmitted to the offsprint. I am analyzing genomic and transcriptomic data to detect genes involved
in ROS scavenging processes, the presence of antioxidant defense mechanisms, and mechanisms of
mtDNA protection and repair. These data will be comparared to species with a maternal inheritance of
mitochondria, such as Danio rerio and Drosophila melanogaster. Proteins involved in the abovementioned processes will be validated with immunohistochemistry protocols and visualized with
confocale microscope.

Oct 2018–Present: Teaching tutor in "Biology and cellular morfologic methodolgies

I am Teaching Assistant in the 'Biology and cellular morfologic methodolgies' for the Master's Degree
Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Bologna. I am teaching students the
immunohistochemistry protocols, particularly, how to collect samples (bivalve gonads), how to sex
them with an optical microscope, and all the steps of the immunohistochemistry protocol, such as
fixation, agar preparation, agar inclusion, vibratome sections, post-fixation, antigen retrieval,
permeabilization, blocking non-specific binding, primary antibody incubation, secondary antibody
incubation, nuclear staining and slide mounting. Finally, I also teach how to visualize slides with
confocale microscope.

May 2018 : Teaching tutor in "Developmental Biology"

Biodiversity and Evolution, University of Bologna. My assignment was to assist during the wet lab
activity on immunohistochemistry protocols and protein expression in animal tissues. More in detail, I
showed the students how to collect samples (bivalve gonads), how to sex them with an optical
microscope, and all the steps of the immunohistochemistry protocol, such as fixation, agar
preparation, agar inclusion, vibratome sections, post-fixation, antigen retrieval, permeabilization,
blocking non-specific binding, primary antibody incubation (VASA and alpha-tubulin), secondary
antibody incubation, nuclear staining (TO-PRO3) and slide mounting. I also teached students how to
visualize slides with confocale microscope following the incubation of tissues with VASA antibody and
alpha-tubulin antibody.

1 Nov 2014–7 May 2018 : PhD Student in Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences

My PhD project focused on the evolution of nuclear and mitochondrial genes in molluscs by using
different High Throughput Sequencing approaches, such as RNA-Seq and Whole Genome
Sequencing. My main interest was the evolution of sequence and transcription rate of genes.
I also investigated the evolution of the nuclear genome in response to the high variability of
mitochondrial DNA in bivalves. For this purpose, I analyzed transcription levels and rate of protein
evolution of genes involved in the Oxidative Phosphorylation pathway (OXPHOS) and other nuclear
genes involved in mitochondrial functions. I used as model organisms the bivalve molluscs Ruditapes
philippinarum
, a species with an unusual mechanism of mitochondrial inheritance (Doubly Uniparental
Inheritance, DUI) and Ruditapes decussatus, a species with Strictly Maternal Inheritance of
mitochondria (SMI). Furhtermore, I studied the co-evolution of mitochondrial and nuclear genes of the
Oxidative Phosphorylation pathway in 30 bivalve species, by using available RNA-Seq data.
During my PhD I also developed a transcriptome annotation pipeline for non-model organisms, which
integrates different tools and databases to infer remote homologies and obtain a good quality
annotation and orthology identification.
I had also the opportunity investigate the variability, in terms of SNPs and structural variations, of
mitochondrial DNA in somatic tissues and germ line of the DUI species R. philippinarum.
I was involved in different projects, particularly, I investigated the effects of chemical pollution on the bivalve R. philippinarum and their implications on mitochondrial functions, by analyzing data from denovo genome assembly and RNA-Seq in several tissues.
Finally, I am involved in a study on reproductive strategies in the arthropod Reticulitermes lucifugus.

10 Oct 2011–9 Jul 2013 : Master's Degree in Biodiversity and Evolution (110/110 cum laude)
Alma Mater Studiorum, Bologna (Italy)


1 Oct 2008–28 Oct 2011 : Bachelor's Degree in Natural Science (110/110 cum laude)
Università degli Studi di Messina, Messina (Italy)

 

 

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