Centro Interdipartimentale di Biotecnologie Molecolari "Guido Tarone"
Valentina Proserpio - PI
Research Activity
Since my Doctorate fellowship at the University of Milan, my focus has revolved around investigating molecular changes that can transform one cell type into another. Specifically, I have been fascinated by the transcriptional regulation of gene expression by transcription factors, which play a crucial role in controlling cell differentiation and plasticity in both health and disease. In 2022, after becoming a researcher, I made the decision to apply my knowledge in the biomolecular field to study neglected diseases that affect women. Thus, I embarked on a project aimed at unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying vulvodynia. Now, you might be wondering, what on earth is vulvodynia? Well, according to recent definition, vulvodynia refers to vulvar pain without an identifiable origin that persists for more than 3 months. Despite affecting 1 out of 7 women, as revealed by recent studies, vulvodynia remains largely unknown to the general public. Vulvodynia can significantly impair a woman’s sexual life and, depending on its severity, it can also impact everyday activities such as urination, sitting, wearing tight clothing, engaging in sports, and sometimes even walking. The diagnosis of vulvodynia is considered a “diagnosis of exclusion,” meaning it is made when all other possible diseases have been ruled out. Despite being poorly acknowledged, vulvodynia is a frequently occurring women’s health condition that is often overlooked and challenging to diagnose due to the lack of specific markers. To address this gap, we are conducting transcriptomic analyses on both patients and healthy controls in order to identify biomarkers specific to vulvodynia. The findings of our project will not only assist clinicians in making accurate diagnoses, but also have the potential to guide therapy direction, helping to prevent the progression and chronicity of the disease. In 2022, in order to secure funding for this research project, we collaborated with the “Comitato Vulvodinia e Neuropatia del Pudendo,” of which I am a member, to organize a crowdfunding campaign called “doppiaVproject.” This campaign successfully raised over 20,000 euros. Furthermore, we have recently received funding from the Ministry of Research (MUR) to further pursue our objectives.
In addition to our ongoing research, we are leveraging our extensive network of collaborators to initiate a project focusing on Extramammary Paget Disease in women. This particular form of epithelial cancer primarily affects the vulvar region and its surrounding areas, and its characterizationn women is relatively limited. Unfortunately, it is frequently misdiagnosed, leading to surgical interventions that can be extensive and mutilating. Our objective is to support clinicians in stratifying patients, enabling the implementation of personalized therapeutic strategies and minimizing the need for surgical interventions as a last resort.
- PRIN2022 - Project code: 2022CLTAYH
- Project title: Vestibulodynia at high resolution: omics approach to improve diagnosis
- Raccolta fondi Ideaginger - Studiamo insieme la Vulvodinia
- Bando Ricerca Finalizzata 2019 - Targeting alternative splicing neo-junctions as a novel source of neo-antigens in pediatric and adult tumors
- EASI-genomics, Third Call for Proposals for Transnational Access Projects at EASI-Genomics
Lauria, Andrea, et al. “DNMT3B Supports Meso-Endoderm Differentiation from Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.” Nature Communications, vol. 14, no. 1, Jan. 2023, p. 367, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023- 35938-x.
Levra Levron, Chiara, et al. “Tissue Memory Relies on Stem Cell Priming in Distal Undamaged Areas.” Nature Cell Biology, vol. 25, no. 5, May 2023, pp. 740–53, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-023-01120-0.
Mahata, Bidesh, et al. “Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals T Helper Cells Synthesizing Steroids de Novo to Contribute to Immune Homeostasis.” Cell Reports, vol. 7, no. 4, May 2014, pp. 1130–42, https://doi. org/10.1016/j.celrep.2014.04.011.
Mirzadeh Azad, Fatemeh, et al. “Long Noncoding RNAs in Human Stemness and Diferentiation.” Trends in Cell Biology, vol. 31, no. 7, July 2021, pp. 542–55, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2021.02.002.
Proserpio, Valentina, Andrea Piccolo, et al. “Sin - gle-Cell Analysis of CD4+ T-Cell Diferentiation Reveals Three Major Cell States and Progressive Acceleration of Proliferation.” Genome Biology, vol. 17, May 2016, p. 103, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-016-0957-5.
Proserpio, Valentina. Single Cell Methods: Sequencing and Proteomics. 2019, https://books.google.com/ books/about/Single_Cell_Methods.html?hl=&id=V - jMkzAEACAAJ.
Proserpio, Valentina, Carlotta Duval, et al. “Single-Cell Sequencing for Everybody.” Methods in Molecular Biology , vol. 2421, 2022, pp. 217–29, https://doi. org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1944-5_15.
Proserpio, Valentina, Rafaella Fittipaldi, et al. “The Methyltransferase SMYD3 Mediates the Recruitment of Transcriptional Cofactors at the Myostatin and c-Met Genes and Regulates Skeletal Muscle Atrophy.” Genes & Development, vol. 27, no. 11, June 2013, pp. 1299–312, https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.217240.113.
Proserpio, Valentina, and Tapio Lönnberg. “Single-Cell Technologies Are Revolutionizing the Approach to Rare Cells.” Immunology and Cell Biolo - gy, vol. 94, no. 3, Mar. 2016, pp. 225–29, https://doi. org/10.1038/icb.2015.106.
Proserpio, Valentina, and Bidesh Mahata. “Single-Cell Technologies to Study the Immune System.” Immunology, vol. 147, no. 2, Feb. 2016, pp. 133–40, https://doi.org/10.1111/imm.12553.
(Proserpio, Duval, et al.; Proserpio, Piccolo, et al.; Proserpio and Lönnberg; Proserpio; Levra Levron et al.; Lauria et al.; Mirzadeh Azad et al.; Proserpio, Fittipaldi, et al.; Proserpio and Mahata; Mahata et al.)
