Viruses and Cancer

Susanna Chiocca
Unit Director
[email protected] | |
Telephone | 0257489835 |
Location | Building 13 Floor 2nd Via Adamello 16, Milano |
The overall focus of my research lab is to determine the mechanisms by which oncogenic viruses and other tumor microenvironmental stresses contribute to neoplasia by post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins. In particular, we have been studying (i) the virus-/stress-induced SUMOylation and phosphorylation of Histone Deacetylases to show how these modifications change the neoplastic program, primarily through altering the cancer epigenome; (ii) how oncoviral proteins regulate cellular post-translational modification pathways and provide new critical signals in viral-induced carcinogenesis.
As a model system, we have been studying head and neck cancers, since these tumors are both Human Papilloma Virus positive and negative. Within this context, we are currently understanding how inhibitors of cellular enzymes crucial for chromatin modification, such as Histone Deacetylases, exert anti-tumorigenesis activity, also by triggering epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
Most recently, we have developed a keen interest in biological as well as clinical sex/gender differences in head and neck cancers.
Most Relevant Publications
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Tagliabue M, Mena M, Maffini F, Gheit T, Quirós Blasco B, Holzinger D, Tous S, Scelsi D, Riva D, Grosso E, Chu F, Lucas E, Ridder R, Rrehm S, Bogers JP, Lepanto D, Lloveras Rubio B, Vijay Kumar R, Gangane N, Clavero O, Pawlita M, Anantharaman D, Radhakrishna Pillai M, Brennan P, Sankaranarayanan R, Arbyn M, Lombardi F, Taberna M, Gandini S, Chiesa F, Ansarin M, Alemany L, Tommasino M, Chiocca S, The Hpv-Ahead Study Group
Role of Human Papillomavirus Infection in Head and Neck Cancer in Italy: The HPV-AHEAD Study.
Cancers (Basel), 2020
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Citro S, Bellini A, Miccolo C, Ghiani L, Carey TE, Chiocca S
Synergistic antitumour activity of HDAC inhibitor SAHA and EGFR inhibitor gefitinib in head and neck cancer: a key role for ΔNp63α.
Br J Cancer, 2019
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Mattoscio D, Casadio C, Miccolo C, Maffini F, Raimondi A, Tacchetti C, Gheit T, Tagliabue M, Galimberti VE, De Lorenzi F, Pawlita M, Chiesa F, Ansarin M, Tommasino M, Chiocca S
Autophagy regulates UBC9 levels during viral-mediated tumorigenesis.
Plos Pathog, 2017
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Citro S, Miccolo C, Meloni L, Chiocca S
PI3K/mTOR mediate mitogen-dependent HDAC1 phosphorylation in breast cancer: a novel regulation of estrogen receptor expression.
J Mol Cell Biol, 2015