Giulia Di Rocco

Giulia Di Rocco
Ricercatore / FACOLTA’ DI BIOSCIENZE E BIOTECNOLOGIE
/ Dipartimento di Chimica
+390592055045

Orari di ricevimento: giovedì 14-16
Ufficio 1° piano Stanza 123

research interests
Improve the knowledge and the usage of the “Genome browsers” which are the primary tools for the visualization of raw genomic sequence data and annotations. In cytochromes c, the heme group is covalently linked to the sulfhydryl groups of a CxxCH signature motif via two -thioether bonds. A search of this motif in the genome of the cold-adapted bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125, and the mesophilic bacterium Shewanella baltica OS155 resulted in the identification of several single- and multi-heme NEW c-type cytochromes.
The interest in discovering new heme proteins is also related to the fact that this species, subjected to orientation-specific chemisorption onto an electrode surface, could serve as a component of bioelectrocatalytic interfaces in third-generation biosensors. Indeed, the heme group, once properly engineered, could recognize, bind and oxidize/reduce a variety of chemicals of environmental and clinical interest.
The cloning, production, and purification of the recombinant new metallo-proteins is mainly performed together with an accurate spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization. The mostly used techniques are: direct electrochemistry at solid electrodes, spectroscopy UV-visible, MCD, 1H NMR and kinetic enzymatic.
Courses
Bioanalitica e biosensori-CLS in Biotecnology
Laboratorio di processi chimici bioassistiti- CLT in Biotecnology
EDucation
September 2008: Assistant professor at facoltà di Bioscienze e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia-Italy.
January 2005:PhD in Chemistry with the thesis in: "Characterization of the redox and proton-mediated chemistry of engineered electron transfer proteins". Tutor: prof. Marco Sola, Chemistry department, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia-Italy.
Sept-Dec 2003:Visiting student in the laboratoryof Prof. Gerard W.Canters and Prof. Erik Vijgenboom, Leiden University-Netherlands.
1999-2001: Researcher at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa-Portugal in the laboratory of Prof. Isabel Moura.
1998-1999:Chemistin a private laboratory, Istituto di Ricerche Agrindustria, Modena-Italy.
July1998: Degree in Chemistrywith a thesis in:”Equilibri conformazionali e proprieta’ redox dei citocromi c mitocondriali da pianta” Tutor: Prof. Marco Sola, Universita’ degli Studi di Modena-Italy Vote: 110/110.
1992: High school degree at Liceo S. Carlo, Modena-Italy.
Grant awarded
March1999-Agoust1999 | Universidade Nova de Lisboa-Portugal
BIC fellowship: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Tutor: Prof. Isabel Moura, Universidade Nova de Lisboa-Portugal). No title.
January2001-December2001|Universidade Nova de Lisboa-Portugal
Research fellowship: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Tutor Prof. Isabel Moura, Universidade Nova de Lisboa-Portugal) Programma PRAXIS XXI.Titolo: ”Cloning, overexpression and characterization of two novel metalloproteins from a sulfate reducer bacterium.”
January2002-October2003|Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Assegno di Ricerca: Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Tutor Prof Marco Sola, Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy). Title: “Parametri termodinamici del processo redox e di transizioni conformazionali in metalloproteine di trasporto elettronico ricombinanti”.
February2004-November2005|Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Borsa di Studio per la ricerca scientifica avanzata: Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Tutor Prof. Marco Sola, Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy). Titolo: “Caratterizzazione di metalloproteine di trasporto elettronico ricombinanti”.
Novembre2005-Agosto2008|Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Contratto di collaborazione coordinata e continuativa: Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (TutorProf. Marco Sola)title: “Ingegnerizzazione di proteine di trasporto elettronico e la modulazione dell’attività”.
Contratto di collaborazione coordinata e continuativa: Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (tutor Prof. Marco Sola) Title: “Produzione e caratterizzazione di metalloproteine ricombinanti”.
Contratto di collaborazione coordinata e continuativa: Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Tutor Prof. Marco Sola) Title: “Produzione di citocromi C ricombinanti mutati per studi di relazioni-struttura-funzione-proprietà”.
COuRSes attended
8-17 Settembre, 2001:EU Practical Training Course, “Chemistry of metals in biological systems”, organized by Mercure Relais andUniversité Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgique
24-28 Giugno, 2002: Scuola Nazionale di Chimica Bioinorganica per dottorandi, San Miniato, Italy
6-7 May, 2008: Corso teorico pratico di Risonanza Magnetica Nucleare, CIGS Modena, Italy
Pubblications
  1. Monari S., Battistuzzi G., Borsari M., Di Rocco G., Martini L., Ranieri A., Sola M.
    “Heterogeneous Electron Transfer of a Two-Centered Heme Protein: Redox andElectrocatalytic Properties of Surface-Immobilized Cytochrome c4” J. Phys. Chem. B (2009), Oct 15;113(41):13645-53.
  2. Castellini E., Ranieri A., Simari D.A., Di Rocco G.
    ”Thermodynamic Aspects of the Adsorption of Cytochrome c and its Mutants on Kaolinite”. Languimir(2009) 25(12), 6849–6855
  3. Monari S., Ranieri A., Di Rocco G., van der Zwan G., Peressini S., Tavagnacco C., Millo D., Borsari M.
    ”Redox thermodynamics of cytochromes c subjected to urea induced unfolding”J Appl ElectrochemDOI 10.1007/s10800-009-9804-7.
  4. Di Rocco G., Battistuzzi G., Borsari M., De Rienzo F., Ranieri A., Tutino M.L., Sola M.,
    ”Cloning, expression and physicochemical characterization of a di-heme cytochrome c4 from the psychrophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC 125”.J Biol Inorg Chem (2008) 13:789–799.
  5. Gavel OY, Bursakov SA, Di Rocco G, Trincao J., Pickering I.J., Graham N.G., Calvete J.J., Shnyrov V.L., Borndino .D., Pereira AS, Lampreia J, Tavares P, Moura JJ, Moura I
    ”A new type of metal-binding site in cobalt- and zinc-containing adenylate kinases isolated from sulfate-reducers Desulfovibrio gigas and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774”, Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 102 (2008) 1380–1395.
  6. Battistuzzi G., Borsari M., De Rienzo F., Di Rocco G., Ranieri A., and Marco Sola,
    ”Free Energy of Transition for the Individual Alkaline Conformers of Yeast Iso-1-cytochrome c”.
    Biochemistry (2007), 46, 1694-1702
  7. Battistuzzi G., Borsari M., Bortolotti C.A., Di Rocco G., Ranieri A.,and Sola M.,
    "Effect of mutational (Lys to Ala) surface charge changes on the redox properties of electrode-immobilized cytochrome c”
    J. Phys. Chem. B(2007), 111, 10281-10287.
  8. Battistuzzi G, Bellei M, Dennison C, Di Rocco G, Sato K, Sola M, Yanagisawa S.
    ”Thermodynamics of the alkaline transition in phytocyanins.”J Biol Inorg Chem. (2007) Jun 15; 12:895–900
  9. Battistuzzi G, Borsari M, De Rienzo F, Di Rocco G, Ranieri A, Sola M.
    ”Free energy of transition for the individual alkaline conformers of yeast iso-1-cytochrome c”
    Biochemistry. (2007) Feb 13;46 (6):1694-702.
  10. J.A.R. Worrall, M.C. Machczynski, B.J. F. Keijser,G. Di Rocco, S. Ceola, M. Ubbink, E. Vijgenboom, and G. W. Canters
    “Spectroscopic Characterization of a High-Potential Lipo-Cupredoxin Found in Streptomyces coelicolor”
    J Am Chem Soc.(JACS) (2006) Nov 15;128 (45):14579-89
  11. Battistuzzi G, Bellei M, Borsari M, Di Rocco G, Ranieri A, Sola M
    “Axial ligation and polypeptide matrix effects on the reduction potential of heme proteins probed on their cyanide adducts"J Biol Inorg Chem. (2005) Aug 26;1-9
  12. Battistuzzi G, Borsari M, Canters GW, di Rocco G, de Waal E, Arendsen Y, Leonardi A, Ranieri A, Sola M.
    “Ligand loop effects on the free energy change of redox and pH-dependent equilibria in cupredoxins probed on amicyanin variants”.Biochemistry (2005) Jul 26;44(29):9944 – 9949
  13. Battistuzzi G, Borsari M, Di Rocco G, Leonardi A, Ranieri A, Sola M.
    “Electrostatic effects on the thermodynamics of protonation of reduced plastocyanin”.Chembiochem (2005) Apr;6(4):692-8.
  14. Bartalesi, I. Bertini, G. Di Rocco, A. Ranieri, A. Rosato, P.R. Vasos, and M. Vanarotti
    “Protein stability and mutations in the axial methionine loop of a minimal cytochrome c”.
    J Biol Inorg Chem. (JBIC) (2004) Jul; 9(5):600-8.
  15. Bursakov SA, Gavel OY, Di Rocco G, Lampreia J, Calvete J, Pereira AS, Moura JJ, Moura I.
    “Antagonists Mo and Cu in a heterometallic cluster present on a novel protein (orange protein) isolated from Desulfovibrio gigas”.J Inorg Biochem. (2004) May; 98 (5):833-40.
  16. G. Battistuzzi, M. Bellei, C. A. Bortolotti, G. Di Rocco, A. Leonardi and M. Sola
    “Characterization of the Solution Reactivity of a Basic Heme Peroxidase from Cucumis sativus”.
    Arch Biochem Biophys. (2004) Mar 15;423(2):317-31.
  17. G. Battistuzzi, M. Borsari, G. Di Rocco, A. Ranieri and M. Sola
    “Enthalpy/entropy compensation phenomena in the reduction thermodynamics of electron transport matalloproteins.”
    J. Biol. Inorg. Chem (JBIC) (2004) Jan 9 (1): 23-6.
  18. G. Battistuzzi, G. Di Rocco, A. Leonardi, and M. Sola
    “1H NMR of Native and Azide-Inhibited Laccase from Rhus vernicifera.” J. Inorg. Biochem. (2003) Sep 1;96(4):503-6.

Page 1