PhD Student
Integrative Marine Ecology Department
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Villa Comunale
80121 Napoli - Italia
Tel.: +39 081 5833211
Fax: +39 081 7641355
E-mail: andrea.broccoli(at)szn.it
Contatto Skype: broccolidrew
Director of Studies: Dr. Maria Immacolata Ferrante
Internal Supervisor: Dr. Diana Sarno
External Supervisor: Professor Peter von Dassow
Advisor: Dr. Marina Montresor
Program: Open University, XXIV cycle
Research Interests
Diatoms are the main and most studied class of phytoplankton. One of the most diverse and widespread marine genera is Pseudo-nitzschia, which also includes species able to produce domoic acid (DA), a toxin that is dangerous to marine animals and also to humans. Their growth and survival are determined by both asexual and sexual reproduction. The genus has heterothallic sexual reproduction, whereby male (+) and female (-) gametes are produced by different strains.
Recently, thanks to studies on the species P. multistrata, it was discovered that sex in this diatom is determined by the activation of a single gene, MRP3 (Russo et al., 2018), which is expressed only in the mating type (+); furthermore, by studying different biogeographical populations, conservation of the coding region of the MRP3 gene and variability (polymorphism) in its promoter region were found (Russo et al., 2021). Other genes, called Mating Type Related Genes (MR) also seem to be involved in the mechanism of sexual reproduction, but their function is still unknown.
The project aims to study the genetic controls and the molecular mechanisms involved in sex regulation in different species belonging to the genus Pseudo-nitzschia, by studying the genome and transcriptome of strains with different MT, also using genetic transformation, protein analysis and epigenetic analysis tools. In addition, the data generated in this project will contribute to the understanding of evolutionary patterns and adaptation of Pseudo-nitzschia species to the environment.
Selected Publications
Pastorino*, P., Broccoli*, A., Anselmi, S., Bagolin, E., Prearo, M., Barceló, D., & Renzi, M. (2022). The microalgae Chaetoceros tenuissimus exposed to contaminants of emerging concern: A potential alternative to standardized species for marine quality assessment. Ecological Indicators, 141, 109075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109075 * These authors contributed equally
Pastorino*, P., Broccoli*, A., Bagolin, E., Anselmi, S., Cavallo, A., Prearo, M., & Renzi, M. (2021). A Multidisciplinary Approach to Evaluate the Effects of Contaminants of Emerging Concern on Natural Freshwater and Brackish Water Phytoplankton Communities. Biology, 10(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/biology10101039 * These authors contributed equally
Broccoli, A., Morroni, L., Valentini, A., Vitiello, V., Renzi, M., Nuccio, C., & Pellegrini, D. (2021). Comparison of different ecotoxicological batteries with WOE approach for the environmental quality evaluation of harbour sediments. Aquatic Toxicology, 237, 105905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2021.105905
Broccoli, A., Anselmi, S., Cavallo, A., Ferrari, V., Prevedelli, D., Pastorino, P., & Renzi, M. (2021). Ecotoxicological effects of new generation pollutants (nanoparticles, amoxicillin and white musk) on freshwater and marine phytoplankton species. Chemosphere, 279, 130623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130623
