Research Groups

Molecular Virology

Group Leader

Research Interests and Description
Group Members

Alessandro Marcello

International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Padriciano 99
34012 Trieste, Italy

E-mail: marcello@icgeb.org
Office tel: +39-040-3757384
Lab tel: +39-040-3757385
Office fax: +39-040-226555

Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory (BL3)
Fluorenscence Microscopy (FMCF)

Education

Faculty of Sciences, University of Padova, Italy, MSc, 1990
Admitted to the College of Biologists of Italy, 1993
University of Kent at Canterbury, UK, PhD Biochemistry, 1994

Career History

Since January 2005, Group Leader of the Molecular Virology Laboratory of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy.
2001-2004, Staff Scientist, ICGEB, Trieste, Italy.
1998-2001, Postdoc, ICGEB, Trieste, Italy.
1996 Visiting research fellow at the University of Kent at Canterbury (UK), (European Vaccine against AIDS Program).
1994-1998, Post-doctoral fellow, Institute of Microbiology, University of Padova, Italy (AIDS project, Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità).
1991-1994, PhD student in Biochemistry at the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK, (European Community Training and Mobility of Researchers Programme).
1990 Visiting student at the Department of Genetics of the University of Leicester, UK.
1988-1991, Student and fellow at the Institute of Microbiology of the University of Padova, Italy.

Teaching Activity

Teaching and tutoring activity at the Faculty of Biological Sciences and the Medical School of the University of Padova and University of Trieste, in the Class of Sciences of the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy and at the School of Biosciences of the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.

Scientific Activity

A long-standing interest in host-virus interactions has driven A. Marcello's research, starting from early work on herpesviruses. Current research in the lab aims at identifying the key cellular and viral factors that control infection of viruses such as the retrovirus human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the flavivirus tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). HIV can persist for years, integrated in the genome of resting T cells, escaping both the host immune response and antiviral therapy. Long-term persistence eventually relapses systemic infection leading to AIDS. TBEV is a positive strand RNA virus that may cause lethal encephalitis. In order to approach these topics a wide array of molecular biology techniques are being implemented in the laboratory, including a proteomic approach to identify cellular factors that associate with viral proteins involved in the replication of the virus. In addition, highly innovative fluorescent optical tools are being developed to visualize intra-cellular processes that control the virus life cycle.
He strongly believes that the molecular dissection of virus-host interactions is not only relevant to the understanding of viral pathogenesis, but it is also extremely useful for the characterization of fundamental cellular processes that are exploited by the virus.

Selected publications

Dieudonné, M., Maiuri, P., Biancotto, C., Knezevich, A., Kula, A., Lusic, M., Marcello, A. 2009. Transcriptional competence of the integrated HIV-1 provirus at the nuclear periphery. EMBO J. 28, 2231-2243

Boireau, S., Maiuri, P., Basyuk, E., de la Mata, M., Knezevich, A., Pradet-Balade, B., Bäcker, V., Kornblihtt, A., Marcello, A., Bertrand, E. 2007. The transcriptional cycle of HIV-1 in real-time and live cells. J. Cell. Biol., 179, 291-304

du Chene, I., Basyuk, E., Lin, Y.L., Triboulet, R., Knezevich, A., Chable-Bessia, C., Mettling, C., Baillat, V., Reynes, J., Corbeau, P., Bertrand, E., Marcello, A., Emiliani, S., Kiernan, R., Benkirane, M. 2007. Suv39H1 and HP1gamma are responsible for chromatin-mediated HIV-1 transcriptional silencing and post-integration latency. EMBO J. 26, 424-435

Eichert, D., Gregoratti, L., Kaulich, B., Marcello, A., Melpignano, P., Quaroni, L., Kiskinova, M. 2007. Imaging with spectroscopic micro-analysis using synchrotron radiation. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 389, 1121-1132

Molle, D., Maiuri, P., Boireau, S., Bertrand, E., Knezevich, A., Marcello, A., Basyuk, E. 2007. A real-time view of the TAR:Tat:P-TEFb complex at HIV-1 transcription sites. Retrovirology 4, 36

Marcello, A. 2006. Latency: the hidden HIV-1 challenge. Retrovirology 3, 7

Pantano, S., Marcello, A., Ferrari, A., Gaudiosi, D., Sabò, A., Pellegrini, V., Beltram, F., Giacca, M., Carloni, P. 2006. Insights on HIV-1 Tat:P/CAF bromodomain molecular recognition from in vivo experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. Proteins 62, 1062-1073

Pegoraro, G., Marcello, A., Myers, MP., Giacca, M. 2006. Regulation of adeno-associated virus DNA replication by the cellular TAF-I/set complex. J. Virol. 80: 6855-6684

Cereseto, A., Manganaro, L., Gutierrez, M.I., Terreni, M., Fittipaldi, A., Lusic, M., Marcello, A., Giacca, M. 2005. Acetylation of HIV-1 integrase by p300 regulates viral integration. EMBO J. 24, 3070-3081

Lusic, M., Marcello, A., Cereseto, A., Giacca, M. 2003. Regulation of HIV-1 gene expression by histone acetylation and factor recruitment at the LTR promoter. EMBO J. 22, 6550-6561

Marcello, A., Ferrari, A., Pellegrini, V., Pegoraro, G., Lusic, M., Beltram, F., Giacca, M. 2003. Recruitment of human cyclin T1 to nuclear bodies through direct interaction with the PML protein. EMBO J. 22, 2156-2166.

Marcello A, Cinelli RA, Ferrari A, Signorelli A, Tyagi M, Pellegrini V, Beltram F, Giacca M. 2001. Visualization of in vivo direct interaction between HIV-1 TAT and human cyclin T1 in specific subcellular compartments by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 39220-39225

Zentilin L, Marcello A, Giacca M. 2001. Involvement of cellular double-stranded DNA break binding proteins in processing of the recombinant adeno-associated virus genome. J. Virol. 75, 12279-12287

Marcello A, Massimi P, Banks L, Giacca M. 2000. Adeno-associated virus type 2 rep protein inhibits human papillomavirus type 16 E2 recruitment of the transcriptional coactivator p300. J. Virol. 74, 9090-9098

Ricci S, Medaglini D, Rush CM, Marcello A, Peppoloni S, Manganelli R, Palu G, Pozzi G. 2000. Immunogenicity of the B monomer of Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin expressed on the surface of Streptococcus gordoni. Infect Immun. 68, 760-766

Marcello A, Giaretta I. 1998. Inducible expression of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase from a bicistronic HIV1 vector. Res. Virol. 149, 419-431

Marcello A, Loregian A, De Filippis V, Fontana A, Hirst TR, Palu G. 1996. Identification and characterization of an extracellular protease activity produced by the marine Vibrio sp. 60. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 136, 39-44

Marcello A, Pisoni G, Pizzighella S, Palu G. 1996. Measurement of human cytomegalovirus-associated DNA polymerase activity in patient urine as a potential diagnostic tool. Intervirology 39, 280-284

Marcello A, Loregian A, Cross A, Marsden H, Hirst TR, Palu G. 1994. Specific inhibition of herpes virus replication by receptor-mediated entry of an antiviral peptide linked to Escherichia coli enterotoxin B subunit. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 91, 8994-8998

Marcello A, Loregian A, Palu G, Hirst TR. 1994. Efficient extracellular production of hybrid E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunits in a marine Vibrio. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 117, 47-51

Palu G, Gerna G, Bevilacqua F, Marcello A. 1992. A point mutation in the thymidine kinase gene is responsible for acyclovir-resistance in herpes simplex virus type 2 sequential isolates. Virus Res. 25, 133-144

Bevilacqua F, Marcello A, Toni M, Zavattoni M, Cusini M, Zerboni R, Gerna G, Palu G. 1991. Acyclovir resistance/susceptibility in herpes simplex virus type 2 sequential isolates from an AIDS patient. J. Acquir. Immune Defic. Syndr. 4, 967-969