Curriculum: Biomedical

Supervisor: Enzo Tramontano

Co-Supervisor: Angela Corona

Curriculum Vitae

Marianna graduated with honours from the University of Cagliari gaining a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2019. She carried out her internship in the Molecular Virology Laboratory where she focused on viral enzymatic assays to test potential inhibitors. From this work she was able to defend the thesis entitled “HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase mutation K540A impact on the Ribonuclease H function by RC377 derivative”. She then decided to stay in the antiviral field enrolling at the master’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology of the University of Cagliari and continuing her internship in the same laboratory. During the two years of internship Marianna kept working on testing potential antivirals on Coronaviruses, especially SARS-CoV-2. She graduated with honours defending the thesis “Characterisation of MG-132 mechanism of action against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro”, which was part of a published paper.

In 2021 she was selected for the Max Planck Summer Internship Program to spend three months in the Structural Molecular Biology Department – Prof. Wolfgang Baumeister – at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich. Under the supervision of Doctor Luca Zinzula she worked on solving the structure of ribonucleoprotein complexes learning electron microscopy (EM) techniques.

After the graduation, in April 2022 Marianna won a six-months research fellowship “Evaluation of antiviral properties of natural extracts” at the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences.

In September 2022 she participated in the 6th IAAASS – Innovative Approaches for Identification of Antiviral Agents Summer School – (26th-30th September 2022) in Pula (Cagliari).

From November 2022 she is a PhD student in the Life, Environmental and Drug Sciences (biomedical curriculum) at the University of Cagliari under the supervision of Professor Enzo Tramontano with a project on the application of super-resolution techniques to investigate viral infection impact on cellular morphology.

She presented the work “Cryo-EM structure of Marburg virus single-layered nucleoprotein-RNA complex” as a poster at the 7th National Congress of the Italian Society for Virology (25th – 27th June 2023 in Brescia) and “Covid-19 genomic surveillance in Bangui (Central African Republic) reveals a landscape of circulating variant linked to validated antiviral targets of SARS-CoV-2 proteome” as a poster at the XXXIV SIMGBM Congress (21st – 24th September 2023 in Cagliari).

Research Topic

Molecular Characterization of Interactions Between Ebola Virus VP35 Protein and Innate Immune Response Using Super-Resolution Microscopy

Abstract

Marianna Camasta's research project aims to gain a deeper understanding of viral replication mechanisms and virus-host interactions within single cells. The primary focus is on negative-sense single-strand RNA (-ssRNA) viruses, particularly those from the Filoviridae familiy, especially Ebola virus.The objective is to investigate how these viruses interact with the cellular immune system resulting in highly pathogenic. The research seeks to dissect the interactions between viral and host proteins to identify the molecular mechanisms involved.

The methodology will utilize the latest and most advanced technologies, primarily super-resolution microscopy techniques like dSTORM (direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy), complemented by infections of susceptible mammalian cell lines. The project also anticipates using techniques such as Western-Blot and FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) for more in-depth characterization.

The expected outcomes aim to identify and describe the interactions between essential viral components and cellular factors, evaluating the potential to disrupt these interactions to validate new prospective drug targets. The project will thus contribute to the development of innovative therapeutic agents and a fundamental understanding of viral impact on cellular morphology.

Publications

IRIS: https://iris.unica.it/cris/rp/rp69053

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3516-9844

Conference Contributions

> L. Zinzula, F. Beck, M. Camasta, D. Morado, C. Liu, A. Bracher, J.M. Plitzko, W. Baumeister – Cryo-EM structure of Marburg virus single-layered nucleoprotein-RNA complex.

> M. Camasta, S. Scognamiglio, T. Schindler, M.R. Darnycka Belizaire, E. Lango-Yaya, G.W. Koyaweda, O. Senzongo, S. Pounguinza, K. J. Estimé Kandou, S. Nyetobouko, C. L. Bobossi Gadia, A.D. Feiguanazoui, A. Le Faou, M. Orsini, N. Grandi, C.F. Perno, L. Zinzula, C.D. Rafaï – Covid-19 genomic surveillance in Bangui (Central African Republic) reveals a landscape of circulating variant linked to validated antiviral targets of SARS-CoV-2 proteome.