Daniela Murtas

Department of Biomedical Sciences

Telephone: +39 070675 4061 office – 4006 lab

E-mail: murtas@unica.it

Personal webpage: here

Main areas of expertise: anatomy, stem cell/cancer stem cell biology, histopathology, cancer biology, oncology

♦ Main research topics:

microRNA expression pattern in human normal and tumoral neural stem cells
stem cells resident in normal skin and conjunctival tissues and related premalignant and malignant lesions (melanocytic nevi, conjunctival nevi, melanoma)
molecular mechanisms and interactions regulating tumorigenesis and cancer progression (melanoma, breast cancer)
prognostic markers in tumor progression
tumor microenvironment and angiogenesis

Within these main lines of research, specific projects performed or currently conducted are:

microRNAs regulating the expression of genes involved in neural cells differentiation
identification of microRNAs governing oncogenic and tumor suppressor genes expression in neural cancer stem cells as novel therapeutic strategies
tyrosinase and nestin expression pattern in melanocytic and conjunctival lesions as a model for melanocyte differentiation and nevogenesis/melanoma pathogenesis
role of CAFs (cancer associated fibroblasts) and CAMs (cancer associated macrophages) from the tumor microenvironment in the progression of melanoma and breast cancer
evaluation of the tumor immune microenvironment of melanoma
role of molecules involved in EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) in the progression of melanoma and breast cancer
investigation into the origin of metaplastic ossification in the osteo-nevus of Nanta
molecular factors involved in angiogenesis in melanoma, breast cancer and pterygium
evaluation of the prognostic significance of molecular biomarkers involved in apoptosis/cell cycle control/oxidative stress/EMT (Notch1, N-cadherin, NF-kB p65, 8-OHdG, nestin, survivin, p16, p53) in melanoma and breast cancer patients

Laboratory/research techniques: immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, immunocytochemistry, cell culture

Key publications:

DIANA A., GAIDO G., MAXIA C., MURTAS D.
MicroRNAs at the crossroad of the dichotomic pathway cell death vs. stemness in neural somatic and cancer stem cells: implications and therapeutic strategies
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, MDPI, Basel, Switzerland, 2020 Dec; 21(24), 9630.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21249630. PMID: 33348804
DIANA A., GAIDO G., MURTAS D.
MicroRNA signature in human normal and tumoral neural stem cells
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, MDPI, Basel, Switzerland, 2019 Aug; 20(17): 4123.
doi: 10.3390/ijms20174123. PMID: 31450858
MURTAS D., PILLONI L., DIANA A., CASULA L., TOMEI S., PIRAS F., FERRELI C., MAXIA C., PERRA M.T.
Tyrosinase and nestin immunohistochemical expression in melanocytic nevi as a histopathologic pattern to trace melanocyte differentiation and nevogenesis
Histochemistry and Cell Biology, Springer, Heidelberg, Germany, 2019 Feb; 151(2): 175-185.
doi: 10.1007/s00418-018-1730-5. Epub 2018 Sep 19. PMID: 30232588
MURTAS D., RONGIOLETTI F., FERRELI C., ATZORI L., PILLONI L.
Ossification into the osteo-nevus of Nanta: an interpretative insight
International Journal of Dermatology, Wiley, Medford, MA, USA, 2019 Jan; 58(1):e10-e12.
doi: 10.1111/ijd.14280. Epub 2018 Oct 29. PMID: 30374960
MURTAS D., MAXIA C., DIANA A., PILLONI L., CORDA C., MINERBA L., TOMEI S., PIRAS F., FERRELI C., PERRA M.T.
Role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition involved molecules in the progression of cutaneous melanoma
Histochemistry and Cell Biology, Springer, Heidelberg, Germany, 2017 Dec; 148(6): 639-649. doi:10.1007/s00418-017-1606-0. Epub 2017 Aug 21. PMID: 28828681
MURTAS D., PIRAS F., MINERBA L., MAXIA C., FERRELI C., DEMURTAS P., LAI S., MURA E., CORRIAS M., SIRIGU P., PERRA M.T.
Activated Notch1 expression is associated with angiogenesis in cutaneous melanoma
Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Springer, Heidelberg, Germany, 2015 Aug; 15(3): 351-360. doi: 10.1007/s10238-014-0300-y. Epub 2014 Jul 18. PMID: 25034654
MURTAS D., MARIC D., DE GIORGI V., REINBOTH J., WORSCHECH A., FETSCH P., FILIE A., ASCIERTO M.L., BEDOGNETTI D., LIU Q., UCCELLINI L., CHOUCHANE L., WANG E., MARINCOLA F.M., TOMEI S.
IRF-1 responsiveness to IFN-γ predicts different cancer immune phenotypes
British Journal of Cancer, Nature Publishing Group, London, UK, 2013 Jul;109(1): 76-82.
doi: 10.1038/bjc.2013.335. Epub 2013 Jun 27. PMID: 23807161
MURTAS D., PIRAS F., MINERBA L., UGALDE J., PIGA M., MAXIA C., PERRA M.T., SIRIGU P.
Nuclear Factor-kB expression is predictive of overall survival in patients with cutaneous melanoma
Oncology Letters, Spandidos Publications Ltd., Athens, Greece, 2010 Jul-Aug; 1(4): 633-639. doi:10.3892/ol_00000112. PMID: 22966356
MURTAS D., PIRAS F., MINERBA L., UGALDE J., FLORIS C., MAXIA C., DEMURTAS P., PERRA M.T., SIRIGU P.
Nuclear 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine as survival biomarker in patients with cutaneous melanoma
Oncology Reports, Spandidos Publications Ltd., Athens, Greece, 2010 Feb; 23(2): 329-335. doi:10.3892/or_00000640. PMID: 20043092
PIRAS F., COLOMBARI R., MINERBA L., MURTAS D., FLORIS C., MAXIA C., CORBU A., PERRA M.T., SIRIGU P.
The predictive value of CD8, CD4, CD68, and Human Leukocyte Antigen-D-Related cells in the prognosis of cutaneous malignant melanoma with vertical growth phase
Cancer, John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2005 Sep 15; 104(6): 1246-1254.
doi: 10.1002/cncr.21283. PMID: 16078259