PERSONAL INFORMATIONS

RESEARCH INTEREST

Since the beginning of my studies at the University of Milano, I was always fascinated with cellular biology: the traffic, the cytoskeletal network, the membrane systems, the communication ways within the cell and from the cell to its environment.

The early years of research were devoted to studies of protein processing and transport through the Endopalsmic Reticulum and Golgi apparatus to the Plasma membrane.

For some time, from 1992 until few years ago, I dedicated my research to gene therapy.
Initially I studied and developed vectors for gene therapy: a way to change the nature of viruses and use them to carry useful genetic information to cells. ADuring this time, I also studied another way to bring molecules into cells, by means of the transmembrane transportation path, mediated by HIV-1 Tat and other cell permeating peptides.

This was a return to the early times of transport and cellular traffic, which finally prompted a radical switch from experimental practice at the bench to the present project: representation of biological processes in 3D animation, using instruments from the movie industry and information from scientific literature and databses.

EDUCATION AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

2001 to date Inst. of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa
1999-2001 Gene therapy approaches for FIV treatment, as model for HIV; molecular biology of Tat protein of HIV 1.
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. Trieste, Laboratory of Gene and Molecular Therapy,
1996-1998 Immunological implication of adenoviral vectors.
Ist. Tecnologie Biomediche Avanzate, CNR of Italy. Milano,
1992-1996 Gene therapy of Hemophilia B; Factor IX knock out mouse; Retro- and adeno-viral vectors.
The Salk Institute. Molecular Biology and Virology lab, now Laboratory of Genetics. La Jolla, CA, USA
1991-1992 Cytoskeletal proteins.
Ist. Tecnologie Biomediche Avanzate, CNR of Italy, Milano
1989-1990 Vescicular transport of proteins in the Xenopus oocyte system.
Dept. of Biochemistry, Univ. of Birmingham, UK.
1981-1987 Università Statale di Milano, Facoltà di Scienze,
Dipartimento di Biologia Via Celoria 23, 20131 Milano, Italy.
Experimental Laurea thesis: Post-translational modifications and transport of bean storage proteins.
1975-1980 Liceo Classico Statale “G. Berchet”
Topics of study: Italian, Greek, Latin, History, Philosophy, Arts, Mathematics, Phisics, Geography, Foreign language English etc.

PUBLICATIONS

Zoppè, M (2017). For a perceptive understanding of size in cellular biology. Nat Meth 14(7): 662-665

Zoppè, M. (2015). La sindrome dell’impostore: Non sono davvero brava come sembra. In: Scienza, genere e società. Prospettive di genere in una società che si evolve. S. Avveduto, M. L. Paciello, T. Arrigoni, C. Mangia, L. Martinelli (eds.). Roma: CNR-IRPPS e-Publishing.
Zoppè, M. (2015). Cinema nella cellula: visualizzazione 3D in biologia. In: C. Bodei and M.M. Massai eds. Pianeta Galileo 2013, Regione Toscana, Consiglio regionale, pp 165-170
Caudai, C., Salerno, E., Zoppè, M. and Tonazzini, A. (2015). Inferring 3D chromatin structure using a multiscale approach based on quaternions. BMC Bioinformatics, 16:234.
Caudai, C., Salerno, E., Zoppè, M. and Tonazzini, A. (2015). A Statistical Approach to infer 3D Chromatin Structure. In: V. Zazzu et al. (eds.), Mathematical Models in Biology, Springer International Publishing, Switzerland. 161-171
Zoppè, M. and Loni, T. (2015). The Representation of Electrostatics for Biological Molecules. In: W. Rocchia and M. Spagnuolo (eds.), Computational Electrostatics for Biological Applications, Springer International, Switzerland. 215-225.
Zoppè, M. (2014). Comunicare l’invisibile. La rappresentazione visiva di concetti biofisici / Communicating the Invisible. The Visual Representation of Biophysical Concepts. In: Scrittura e immagini nel dominio della scienza / Text and Image in the scientific realm. A cura di/Edited by : R. Falcinelli, A. Filippini, G. Liberti, L. Perondi e L. Romei. Progetto Grafico, 25:50
Bombardini, T., Zoppè, M., Ciampi, Q., Cortigiani, L., Agricola, E., Salvadori, S., Loni, T., Pratali, L. and Picano, E. (2013). Myocardial contractility in the stress echo lab: from pathophysiological toy to clinical tool. Cardiovascular Ultrasound, 11:41
Andrei R.M. et al. (2012) Intuitive representation of surface properties of biomolecules using BioBlender. BMC Bioinformatics 2012, 13(Suppl 4):S16
Zoppè M. et al. (2011) Vedere l’invisibile. Published in “Le Scienze“, the Italian edition of the world scientific magazine “Scientific American“, N.515, in July 2011
Zini M.F. et al. (2010) BioBlender: Fast and Efficient All Atom Morphing of Proteins Using Blender Game Engine.

Callieri, M., Andrei, R. M., Di Benedetto, M., Zoppè, M., Scopigno, R. (2010). Visualization Methods for Molecular Studies on the Web Platform. The Web3D 2010 Conference 15th International Conference on 3D Web Technology.
Di Primio, C., Galli, A.,Cervelli, T., Zoppè, M., Rainaldi, G. (2005). Potentiation of gene targeting in human cells by expression of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rad52. Nucl. Acid Res.33, p. 4639-48.
Spinazzola, F. Zoppè, M. (2005). Capitolo “Le nuove guerre: armi biologiche anche da noi?” nel volume Il Male Invisibile, Sempre più Visibile, a cura di M. Zucchetti. Odradek Edizioni, p.207-16.
Pennati M, Binda M, Colella G, Zoppè, M, Folini M, Vignati S, Valentini A, Citti L, De Cesare M, Pratesi G, Giacca M, Daidone MG, Zaffaroni N (2004). Ribozyme-mediated inhibition of survivin expression increases spontaneous and drug-induced apoptosis and decreases the tumorigenic potential of human prostate cancer cells. Oncogene 23, p. 386-94.
Fittipaldi, A., Ferrari, A., Zoppè, M., Arcangeli, C., Pellegrini, V., Beltram, F. and Giacca, M. (2003). Cell Membrane Lipid Rafts Mediate Caveolar Endocytosis of HIV-1 Tat Fusion Proteins. J. Biol. Chem; 278, p. 34141-49.
Patrone, M. Percivalle, E., Secchi, M., Fiorina, L., Pedrali-Noy, G., Zoppè, M., Baldanti, F., Hahn, G., Koszinowski, U., Milanesi, G., and Gallina, A. (2003) The human cytomegalovirus UL45 gene product is a late, virion-associated protein and influences virus growth at low multiplicities of infection. J. Gen. Virol. 84, p.3359-70.
Tasciotti, E, Zoppè, M. and Giacca, M. (2003) Transcellular trasfer of active HSV-1 thymidine kinase mediated by an 11 amino acid peptide from HIV-1 Tat. Cancer Gene Ther. 10, p. 64-74.
Marcello, A., Zoppè, M. and Giacca, M (2001). Multiple modes of transcriptional regulation by the HIV-1 Tat transactivator. IUBMB Life 51, p. 175-81.
Sacco, M. G., Barbieri, O., Piccini, D., Noviello, E., Zoppè, M., Zucchi, I., Frattini, A., Villa, A. and Vezzoni, P. (1998). In vitro and in vivo antisense-mediated growth inhibition of a mammary adenocarcinoma from MMTV-neu transgenic mice. Gene Ther. 5, p. 388-93.
Wang, L., Zoppè, M., Hackeng, T. M., Griffin, J. H., Lee, K. F. and Verma, I. M. (1997). A factor IX-deficient mouse model for hemophilia B gene therapy. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, p. 11563-6.
Zoppè, M., Frattini, A., Faranda, S. and Vezzoni, P. (1996). The complete sequence of the host cell factor 1 (HCFC1) gene and its promoter: a role for YY1 transcription factor in the regulation of its expression. Genomics 34, 85-91.
Somia, N. V., Zoppè, M. and Verma, I. M. (1995). Generation of targeted retroviral vectors by using single-chain variable fragment: an approach to in vivo gene delivery. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, p.7571-4.
Villa, A. Zucchi, I. Pilia, G. Strina, D. Susani, L. Morali, F. Patrosso, C. Frattini, A. Lucchini, F.,Repetto, M.. Zoppè, M. and Vezzoni, P. (1993).ZNF75: isolation of a cDNA clone of the KRAB zinc finger gene subfamily mapped in YACs 1 Mb telomeric of HPRT. Genomics 18, 223-9.
Maestrini, E., Patrosso, C., Mancini, M., Rivella, S., Rocchi, M., Repetto, E., Villa, A., Frattini, A., Zoppè, M. and Vezzoni, P. (1993). Mapping of two genes encoding isoforms of the actin binding protein ABP-280, a dystrophin-like protein, to Xq28 and to chromosome 7. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2, p. 761-6.
Ceriotti, A., Pedrazzini, E., Fabbrini, M.S., Zoppè, M., Bollini, R. and Vitale, A. (1991). Expression of the wild-type and mutated vacuolar storage protein phaseolin in Xenopus oocytes reveals relationship between assembly and intracellualr transport. Eur. J. Biochem. 202, p.959-68.
Vitale, A. Zoppè, M., Fabbrini, M.S., Genga, A.M., Rivas, L. and Bollini, R. (1989). Synthesis of Lectin-like Protein in developing Bean Cotyledons of normal and Phytohemagglutinin-deficient Phaseolus vulgaris. Plant Physiol. 90, p. 1015-21.
Fabbrini, M.S., Zoppè, M., Bollini, R. and Vitale, A. (1988). 1-Deoxymannojirimycin inhibits Golgi-mediated processing of glycoproteins in Xenopus oocytes. FEBS Letters 234, p.489-92.
Vitale, A., Zoppè, M. and Bollini, R. (1987). Identification of a Lectin-like Protein in the Endoplasmic Reticulum of Developing Bean Cotyledons. In: Plant Membranes: Structure, Function, Biogenesis. UCLA Symposium on Molecular and Cell Biology, New Series, vol. 3, Leaver and Sze eds., Alan R. Liss Inc., New York, NY, p. 359-68.