Maria Rosaria Coscia
39-081-6132556 (office)

+39-081-6132629 (lab)
mariarosaria.coscia@.cnr.it

Institute
Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Via Pietro Castellino 111 , 80131 Napoli
Tel. 0816132273
http://www.ibbc.cnr.it
URL (group home page) : http://www.ibbc.cnr.it/researchers/maria-rosaria-coscia/

Alessia Ametrano (postdoctoral researcher)
Antonella Pezone (Master thesis student)

Dr Coscia’s main research line focuses in the field of comparative immunology, with particular attention to the humoral immune response of fish living in the Antarctic marine ecosystem. She has investigated immunoglobulins and the genes encoding them, disclosing several peculiarities that are unique to Antarctic fish. Her group was also actively involved in studying other molecules of immunological interest in teleosts such as polymeric Ig receptor, Toll-like receptors and the complement factor C3. Studies on immunoglobulins from cold adapted fish inspired an activity focused on the design and production of engineered high performance monoclonal antibodies as innovative diagnostic/therapeutic tools, using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology. More recently, Dr Coscia started a new line of research focused on the effects of Antarctic environmental stressors on human health by analyzing the relationship between altered stress reactivity and immune functions of volunteers in the long-term stay in Antarctica. Main Expertise in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Comparative Immunology and Evolution.

• Ametrano A et al. A structural peculiarity of Antarctic fish IgM drives the generation of an engineered mAb by CRISPR/Cas9. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2024 Jul 25;12:1315633. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1315633. PMID: 39119272; PMCID: PMC11306039.
• Ametrano A et al. Comparative Analysis of the pIgR Gene from the Antarctic Teleost Trematomus bernacchii Reveals Distinctive Features of Cold-Adapted Notothenioidei. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jul 14;23(14):7783. doi: 10.3390/ijms23147783. PMID: 35887127; PMCID: PMC9321927.
• D’Apice L et al. An Ig Transmembrane Domain Motif Improves the Function of TCRs Transduced in Human T Cells: Implications for Immunotherapy. J Immunother. 2019 May;42(4):97-109. doi: 10.1097/CJI.0000000000000259. PMID: 30865026.
• Coscia MR et al. Evolution of the Antarctic teleost immunoglobulin heavy chain gene. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2010 Apr;55(1):226-233. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.09.033. Epub 2009 Oct 2. PMID: 19800977.
• Coscia MR et al. Analysis of a cDNA sequence encoding the immunoglobulin heavy chain of the Antarctic teleost Trematomus bernacchii. Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2000 May;10(4):343-57. doi: 10.1006/fsim.1999.0244. PMID: 10938744

FACS facility, Mouse clinic-EMMA facility, CRISPR/Cas9