Sicily Marine Centre is an interdepartmental centre that deals with marine biology and ecology, through multidisciplinary studies and favoring an integrated approach.

The interdepartmental Sicily Marine Centre aims to study marine biological and ecological aspects by multidisciplinary and ecosystemic approach. The research activity is employed in three location: Messina, Milazzo e Palermo.

The main research topics are focused on:
• Study on biology and ecology of fish species, with particular focus on deep environments (meso- and batipelagic species), aimed to sustainable management of fisheries source according to an ecosistemic approach.
• Study on biodiversity conservation focusing on the design of spatial protection measures, on the ecological and socio-economic effects of protection and on governance models.
• Study on effects of global change the impact of marine litter on habitat and species.
• Application and implementation of biotechnology with particular regard to extreme environments and habitats of naturalistic interest.

Seats Director Teresa Romeo This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +39 081 5833 748

Sicily Marine Centre is organized in 3 functional areas: - Biology, Ecology and Management of Fisheries resources - Microbial Ecology and Marine Biotechnology - Biodiversity and Fisheries

Personnel

Director

Teresa Romeo

Administration

Francesca De Domenico

Senior Researcher

Antonio Di Franco
Sylvaine Giakoumi
Paolo Sordino

Maria Cristina Mangano

Researcher

Pietro Battaglia
Carlo Cattano
Pierpaolo Consoli
Manfredi Di Lorenzo
Giacomo Milisenda
Carmen Rizzo
Mauro Sinopoli

Adriana Alagna
Manuel Berlino
Cristina Pedà
Davide Spatafora
Laura Tamburello

First Technologist

Claudio Berti

Technologist

Giorgio Aglieri

Thalassia Giaccone

Technician

Arcadi Erika
Costantino Antonino
Franzitta Giulio
Malara Danilo (in aspettativa)

Vincenzo Manfrè
Marilena Sanfilippo
Arturo Zenone (in aspettativa)

Research Fellowship

Rosario Calogero
Katie Hogg
Francesco Longo

Claudia Bommarito
Blondine Agus
Andrea Bellodi
Luca Pagano
Valeria Palummo
Stefania Russo
Maria Vigo Fernandez

Scholarship

Davide Ciraolo
Ludovica De Vincenzis
Andrea Li Vorsi
Claudia Mininni
Enrica Terranova

PhD student

Giuseppe Cangemi
Chiara Gambardella

Emanuele Asciutto
Francesco Fabiano

Vittoria Dias
Eleonora Tinto
Livia Benedini

Amodio P & Fiorito G (2022) A preliminary attempt to investigate mirror self-recognition in Octopus vulgaris. Frontiers in Physiology 13: 951808. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.951808

Milito A, Cocurullo M, Columbro A, Nonnis S, Tedeschi G, Castellano I, Arnone MI, & Palumbo A (2022) Ovothiol ensures the correct developmental programme of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus embryo. Open Biology 12(1):210262. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.210262

Murano C, Vaccari L, Casotti R, Corsi I, & Palumbo A (2022) Occurrence of microfibres in wild specimens of adult sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) from a coastal area of the central Mediterranean Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin 176:113448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113448

Paganos P, Voronov D, Musser JM, Arendt D, & Arnone MI (2021) Single-cell RNA sequencing of the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus larva reveals the blueprint of major cell types and nervous system of a non-chordate deuterostome. eLife 10:e70416. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.70416

The Genova Marine Center is a territorial office of the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (National Institute of Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology) established in October 2021 and dedicated to: i) the study of marine biodiversity; ii) the assessment of the effects of anthropogenic impacts and climate change at sea; iii) the identification of solutions for the conservation of marine species and ecosystems from the perspective of sustainable development (from an environmental, historical-cultural and socio-economic point of view).

Mission

Our mission consists of three main axes:
1) to investigate biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the marine environment, integrating coastal and offshore systems, as well as pelagic and benthic components;
2) to analyze and evaluate the socio-ecological effects of multiple human impacts (both direct, such as fishing or pollution, and indirect, caused for example by climate change, such as temperature rise, acidification and spread of alien species) on marine organisms, populations, communities, habitats and ecosystems, including the consequences on ecosystem services;
3) to identify solutions for a more sustainable management of marine resources (e.g., in relation to small scale fishing and the consumption of seafood) and a more effective conservation of marine biodiversity (e.g., through networks of Marine Protected Areas), evaluating the effects at the bio-ecological and socio-economic levels.
The purpose of the GMC is, therefore, to carry out research, training-education and institutional support activities in the field of marine biology, ecology and conservation from a sustainable development perspective, according to the guidelines established by the decision-making bodies of the SZN.
The office has managerial autonomy in the forms and within the limits provided for by the Regulations of the SZN.

Scientific interests

The current research staff carries out multidisciplinary research, from basic biology and ecology to applied socio-ecology (which integrates humans into the systems investigated), dealing with organisms, species, populations, communities, habitats and socio-ecosystems, especially in the Mediterranean Sea.
The main focus is 'conservation', a term that combines the protection of marine biodiversity with the human well-being, from a sustainable development perspective, also in support of institutional policies at both local-national (municipalities, regions, ministries) and EU-global levels (DG ENV and MARE; UNEP; etc.), in accordance with the main strategies such as the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the cornerstone of the EU Green Deal.
A distinctive feature of the scientific team is that research activities are carried out at sea using multiple methods: i) scientific underwater diving; ii) using research or fishing vessels; iii) by means of remote systems (including ROVs, video cameras, satellite marking, hydrophones); iv) experimentation in laboratory and in controlled environments; v) interviews and questionnaires addressed to stakeholders (fishers, tourists, divers, consumers, etc.), citizens and the general public.
Together with the research activity, the team is strongly involved in training, dissemination, communication, public engagement and education activities, in order to improve the level of knowledge and increase the environmental awareness of both institutions and citizens.
The logistics of the GMC territorial office is under the supervision, within the limits set by the Regulations of the SZN, of the coordinator: Dr. Paolo Guidetti

Staff

Paolo Guidetti, Research Director and Coordinator
Francesca Rossi, Senior Researcher
Roberto Arrigoni, Researcher
Massimiliano Bottaro, Researcher
Ulisse Cardini, Researcher
Simone Farina, Researcher
Federica Ragazzola, Senior Researcher
Bava Simone, Technologist
Blanckaert Alice, Research Fellowship
Elena Desiderà, Research Fellowship
Davide Di Blasi, Research Fellowship
Federica Poli, Research Fellowship
Ilaria Di Lauro, Scholarship
Martina Arpaia, PhD Student
Berlinghof Johanna, PhD Student
Lorenzo Minoia, PhD Student
Carlo Nike Bianchi, Associate
Ivan Consalvo, Associate
Angelo R. Mojetta, Associate
Carla Morri, Associate

Albarano l, Serafini S, Toscanesi M, Trifuoggi M, Zupo V, Costantini M, Vignati  DAL, Guida M, Libralato G (2022) Genotoxicity set up in Artemia franciscana nauplii and adults exposed to phenanthrene, naphthalene, fluoranthene, and benzo(k)fluoranthene. Water 2022;14: 1594

Ausuri J, Dell’Anno F, Vitale GA, Palma Esposito F, Funari V, Franci G, et al. (2022) Bioremediation of Multiple Heavy Metals Mediated by Antarctic Marine Isolated Dietzia psychralcaliphila JI1D. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering [Internet]. 10(11).

Balzano S., Sardo A. (2022) Bioinformatic prediction of putative metallothioneins and phytochelatins in non-ciliate protists. Biology Letters. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0039

Barra L, Sardo A, Moros Caballero M, Smerilli A, Chiaiese P, Percopo I, Cavalletti E, Castro-Hinojosa C, Balzano S. (2022). Identification of a Green Algal Strain Collected from the Sarno River Mouth (Gulf of Naples, Italy) and Its Exploitation for Heavy Metal Remediation. Microorganisms 10, 2445. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122445

Bertolino M, Costa G, Ruocco N, Esposito R, De Matteo S, Zagami G, & Costantini M (2022) First certain record of Demospongiae class (Porifera) alien species from the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Genomics 63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margen.2022.100951

Brillante S†, Galasso C†, Lauritano C†, Carrella S (2022) From the Sea for the Sight: Marine Derived Products for Human Vision. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 468. †First author shared.

Capalbo A., Lauritano C. § (2022) Multiple Myeloma: Possible Cure from the Sea. Cancers. 14: 2965. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14122965. § Corresponding author

Caruso F, Tedesco P, Della Sala G, Palma Esposito F, Signore M, Canese S, et al. (2022) Science and Dissemination for the UN Ocean Decade Outcomes: Current Trends and Future Perspectives. 9. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.863647.

Cavalletti E, Sirico D, Miccio L, Bianco V, Memmolo P, Sardo A, Balzano S, Ferraro P (2022). A study on motility of the green microalgae Tetraselmis tracked by digital holography. IEEE 10.1109/MetroSea55331.2022.9950916.

Cavalletti E, Romano G, Palma Esposito F, Barra L, Chiaiese P, Balzano S, Sardo A (2022). Eukaryotic diversity within a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant and its impact on fouling. Toxics https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10090527

Cavalletti E, Romano G, Palma Esposito F, Barra L, Chiaiese P, Balzano S, et al. (2022) Copper Effect on Microalgae: Toxicity and Bioremediation Strategies. Toxics. 10(9). Epub 2022/09/23. doi: 10.3390/toxics10090527. PubMed PMID: 36136491; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC9504759.

Ciarcia, R.; Longobardi, C.; Ferrara, G.; Montagnaro, S.; Andretta, E.; Pagnini, F.; Florio, S.; Maruccio, L.; Lauritano‡, C.; Damiano‡, S. (2022) The Microalga Skeletonema marinoi Induces Apoptosis and DNA Damage in K562 Cell Line by Modulating NADPH Oxidase. Molecules 27, 8270. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27238270. ‡ co-last author

Cutignano, A.; Conte, M.; Tirino, V.; Del Vecchio, V.; De Angelis, R.; Nebbioso, A.; Altucci, L.; Romano, G. Cytotoxic Potential of the Marine Diatom Thalassiosira Rotula: Insights into Bioactivity of 24-Methylene Cholesterol. Marine Drugs 2022, 20, 595, doi:10.3390/md20100595.

Della Sala G, Coppola D, Virgili R, Vitale GA, Tanduo V, Teta R, et al. (2022) Untargeted Metabolomics Yields Insights Into the Lipidome of Botrylloides niger Herdman, 1886, An Ascidian Invading the Mediterranean Sea. 9. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.865751.

Dell’Anno F, Joaquim van Zyl L, Trindade M, Buschi E, Cannavacciuolo A, Pepi M, et al. (2022) Microbiome enrichment from contaminated marine sediments unveils novel bacterial strains for petroleum hydrocarbon and heavy metal bioremediation. Environmental Pollution. 317: 120772. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120772.

Dell’Anno F, Vitale GA, Buonocore C, Vitale L, Palma Esposito F, Coppola D, et al. (2022) Novel Insights on Pyoverdine: From Biosynthesis to Biotechnological Application. International Journal of Molecular Sciences [Internet]. 23(19).

Di Meo F,  Esposito R,  Favale G, Arenga M, Ruocco N, Filosa S, Nuzzo G, Fontana A, Crispi S, Costantini M.  (2022) Organic extracts of the sponge Geodia cydonium determine cell cycle arrest blocking proliferation in human mesothelioma cell lines. Oncol Lett. 2022;24: 286

Esposito R, Federico S, Glaviano F, Somma E, Zupo V, Costantini M. (2022) Bioactive compounds from marine sponges and algae: effects on cancer cell metabolome and chemical structures. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23: 10680

Esposito R, Federico S, Bertolino M, Zupo V, & Costantini M (2022) Marine Demospongiae: A Challenging Treasure of Bioactive Compounds. Marine Drugs 20(4):244. https://doi.org/10.3390/md20040244

Federico S, Glaviano F, Esposito R, Pinto B, Gharbi M, Di Cosmo A, Costantini M, & Zupo V (2022) Gene Expression Detects the Factors Influencing the Reproductive Success and the Survival Rates of Paracentrotus lividus Offspring. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23(21):12790. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232112790

Glaviano F, Esposito R, Cosmo AD, Esposito F, Gerevini L, Ria A, Molinara M, Bruschi P, Costantini M, & Zupo V (2022) Management and Sustainable Exploitation of Marine Environments through Smart Monitoring and Automation. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 10(2):297. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10020297

Martínez KA, Saide A, Crespo G, Martín JM, Romano G, Reyes F, Lauritano C§, Ianora A (2022) "Promising antiproliferative compound from the green microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta against human cancer cells", Front. Mar. Sci. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.778108. § Corresponding author.

Montuori E., Capalbo A., Lauritano C. § (2022) Marine Compounds for Melanoma Treatment and Prevention. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 10284. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231810284. § Corresponding author

Montuori E., de Pascale D, Lauritano C. § (2022) Recent Discoveries on Marine Organism Immunomodulatory Activities. Mar. Drugs 20, 422. https://doi.org/10.3390/md20070422. § Corresponding author

Orefice I.†, Di Dato V.†, Sardo A.†, Lauritano C.†,*, Romano G.*. (2022) Lipid Mediators in Marine Diatoms. Aquatic Ecology. †First author shared. *Corresponding author shared. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-021-09932-8

Palma Esposito F, Vecchiato V, Buonocore C, Tedesco P, Noble B, Basnett P, et al. (2022) Enhanced production of biobased, biodegradable, Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) using an unexplored marine bacterium Pseudohalocynthiibacter aestuariivivens, isolated from highly polluted coastal environment. Bioresource Technology. 368:128287. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128287.

Riccio G., Lauritano C. § (2022) Nutrient Starvation Exposure Induced the Down-Regulation of Stress Responsive Genes and Selected Bioactive Metabolic Pathways in Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Stresses 2022, 2, 308–321. https://doi.org/10.3390/stresses2030022. § Corresponding author

Riccio G, Martinez KA, Ianora A, Lauritano C (2022) De Novo Transcriptome of the Flagellate Isochrysis galbana Identifies Genes Involved in the Metabolism of Antiproliferative Metabolites. Biology 11(5):771; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11050771. § Corresponding author

Riccio, G.; Martinez, K.A.; Martín, J.; Reyes, F.; D’Ambra, I.; Lauritano, C. § (2022) Jellyfish as an Alternative Source of Bioactive Antiproliferative Compounds. Mar. Drugs 20, 350. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/md20060350. § Corresponding author

Romano, G.; Almeida, M.; Varela Coelho, A.; Cutignano, A.; Gonçalves, L.G.; Hansen, E.; Khnykin, D.; Mass, T.; Ramšak, A.; Rocha, M.S.; et al. Biomaterials and Bioactive Natural Products from Marine Invertebrates: From Basic Research to Innovative Applications. Marine Drugs 2022, 20, 219, doi:10.3390/md20040219.

Roncalli, V. §; Uttieri, M.; Capua, I.D.; Lauritano, C. §,†; Carotenuto, Y. † (2022) Chemosensory Related Genes in Marine Copepods. Mar. Drugs 20, 681. https://doi.org/10.3390/md20110681. † co-last author. § co-Corresponding author

Sanchez-Arcos C, Paris D, Mazzella V, Mutalipassi M, Costantini M, Buia MC, von Elert E, Cutignano A, Zupo V. (2022) Responses of the macroalga Ulva prolifera Müller to ocean acidification revealed by complementary NMR- and MS-Based omics approaches. Marine Drugs 2022,20: 743.

Santin A, Balzano S, Russo M, Palma Esposito F, Ferrante MI, Blasio M, Cavalletti E, Sardo A (2022). Microalgae-based PUFAs for food and feed: current applications, future possibilities, and constraints. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10070844

Vasarri M, Vitale GA, Varese GC, Barletta E, D’Auria MV, de Pascale D, et al. (2022) Dihydroauroglaucin Isolated from the Mediterranean Sponge Grantia compressa Endophyte Marine Fungus Eurotium chevalieri Inhibits Migration of Human Neuroblastoma Cells. Pharmaceutics [Internet]. 14(3).

Vingiani G, Leone S, De Luca D, Borra M, Dobson ADW, Ianora A, De Luca P, Lauritano C§ (2022) First identification and characterization of detoxifying plastic-degrading DBP hydrolases in the marine diatom Cylindrotheca closterium. Science of the Total Environment. 812, 152535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152535 § Corresponding author.

Villanova V, Galasso C, Vitale GA, Della Sala G, Engelbrektsson J, Strömberg N, et al. (2022) Mixotrophy in a Local Strain of Nannochloropsis granulata for Renewable High-Value Biomass Production on the West Coast of Sweden. Marine Drugs [Internet]. 20(7).

Book chapters

Costantini M, Esposito R, Ruocco N. Crustaceans as good marine model organisms to study stress responses by –omics approaches. In Zupo V., editor. Crustaceans. Endocrinology, Biology and Aquaculture; 2022. pp. 82-106.

Costantini M, Esposito R, Federico S, Zupo V. Advanced molecular biology techniques applied to crustacean aquaculture. In Zupo V., editor. Crustaceans. Endocrinology, Biology and Aquaculture; 2022. pp. 274-292.

Orefice, I.; Romano, G.; Di Dato, V. Chapter Ten - The Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Prostaglandins in Microalgae. In Advances in Botanical Research; Rébeillé, F., Maréchal, E., Eds.; Lipids in Plants and Algae: From Fundamental Science to Industrial Applications; Academic Press, 2022; Vol. 101, pp. 375–436.

Ruocco N, Esposito R, Zupo V, Costantini M. Metataxonomic analysis of bacterial diversity associated with marine organisms. In Marine Genomics Methods and Protocols, C. Verde and D. Giordano, editors; 2022. pp. 253-264