Technologist
Marine Biotechnology Department

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
C.da Torre Spaccata
87071 Amendolara (Cs) - Italia

Tel. 0981-1896902
E-mail: lucia.barra(at)szn.it
Contatto Skype: lucia barra

Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests

My research activity is mainly focused on the phyco-remediation of waters and sediments of transitional and marine environments through use of microalgae, but I am also interested in the exploitation of microalgal biodiversity in the field of functional nutrition and to biorefinery and circular economy approaches for the use of microalgal species in the field of feeding and agro-food.
Microalgae can be considered suitable for metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) removals due to their ability to immobilize these contaminants on their cell wall by passive adsorption but also to their ability to actively internalize pollutants through different types of transporters, decontamination pathways and bioaccumulation in the cytosol or in specific organelles (chloroplasts, mitochondria and vacuoles).
The main objectives of my research are: the identification of algal strains suitable for the bioremediation of contaminated environments and the study of cell growth strategies to optimize the adsorption and / or compartmentalization of contaminants within cells thanks to the use of solid supports and matrices, including waste materials; the study of pathways involved in oxidative stress through transcriptomic analysis, expression profile of target genes and enzymatic activities; the exploration of the production of antioxidant molecules in response to oxidative stress in microalgae and the exploration of their potential use as bio-stimulants and fertilizers, together with the biopolymers functionalization with the spores of these microorganisms as a support to agricultural practices in the biocontrol of pathogens and weeds.

Selected Publications

Sardo A, Orefice I, Balzano S, Barra L, Romano G. (2021). Mini-Review:Potential of Diatom-Derived Silica for Biomedical Applications. Applied Sciences. 11:4533-4537

Barra L, Termolino P, Aiese-Cigliano R, Cremona G, Paparo R, Lanzillo C, Consiglio MF, Conicella C. (2021). Meiocyte isolation by INTACT and meiotic transcriptome analysis in Arabidopsis Frontiers in plant science. 12: 244-254.

McCoy GR, Raine R, Medlin L, Chen J, Kooistra WHCF, Barra L, Ruggiero MV, Graneli E, Hagström JA, Salomon PS, Reguera B, Fernandes Rodriguez F, Escalera E, Edvardsen B, Dittami SM, Eikrem W, Lewis J, Berzano M, Elliott CT, Campbell K, Pazos Y.(2013). Field testing for toxic algae with a microarray: initial results from the MIDTAL project 14th International Conference on Harmful Algae. Pg. 188-190.

McNamee SE, Medlin LK, Kegel J, McCoy GR, Raine R, Barra L, Ruggiero MV, Kooistra WHCF, Montresor M, Hagstrom J, Perez Blanco E, Graneli E, Rodrıguez F, Escalera L, Reguera B, Dittami S, Edvardsen B, Taylor J, Lewis JM, Pazos Y, Elliott CT, Campbell K. (2016). Distribution, occurrence and biotoxin composition of the main shellfish toxin producing microalgae within European waters: A comparison of methods of analysis. Harmful Algae, 55: 112-120

Ruggiero MV, Sarno D, Barra L, Kooistra WHCF, Montresor M, Zingone A. (2015). Diversity and temporal pattern of Pseudo-nitzschia species (Bacillariophyceae) through the molecular lens. Harmful Algae, 42: 15–24
Chandrasekaran R, Barra L, Carillo S, Caruso T, Corsaro MM, Dal Piaz F, Graziani G, Corato F, Pepe D, Manfredonia A, Orefice I, Ruban AV, Brunet C. (2014). Light modulation of biomass and macromolecular composition of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi. Journal of Biotechnology, 192: 114–122

Barra L, Chandrasekaran R, Corato F, Brunet C. (2014). The challenge of ecophysiological biodiversity for biotechnological applications of microalgae. Marine Drugs, doi:10.3390/md120x000x

Brunet C, Chandrasekaran R, Barra L, Giovagnetti V, Corato F, Ruban AV. (2014) Spectral radiation dependent photoprotective mechanism in diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata. PloSone, 9: e87015

Barra L, Ruggiero MV, Chen J, Kooistra WHCF. (2013). Specificity of LSU rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes for Pseudo-nitzschia species tested through dot-blot-hybridization. Environ Sci Pollut Res, doi 10.1007/s11356-013-1953-x

Barra L, Ruggiero MV, Sarno D, Montresor M, Kooistra WHCF. (2012). Strengths and weaknesses of microarray approaches to detect Pseudo-nitzschia species in the field. Environ Sci Pollut Res, doi 10.1007/s11356-012-1330-1.

Barra L, Aiese-Cigliano R, Cremona G, De Luca P, Zoppoli P, Consiglio MF, Conicella C. (2012). Transcription profiling of laser microdissected microsporocytes in Arabidopsis mutant (Atmcc1) with enhanced histone acetylation. J. Plant Biol., 55: 281-289

Zapata M, Rodrıguez F, Fraga S, Barra L, Ruggiero MV. (2011). Chlorophyll c pigment patterns in 18 species (51 strains) of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia (bacillariophyceae). J. Phycol. 47, 1274–1280

Perrella G, Consiglio MF, Aiese-Cigliano R, Cremona G, Sanchez-Moran E, Barra L, Errico A, Bressan RA, Franklin FCH, Conicella C. (2010). Histone hyperacetylation affects meiotic recombination and chromosome segregation in Arabidopsis. Plant J., 62: 796-806