Transcriptional mechanisms in development and tumor formation

Selected publications

• Fazioli, F, Resnati, M, Sidenius, N, Higashimoto, Y, Appella, E and Blasi, F.
  The urokinase-sensitive region of the urokinase receptor is responsible for its potent chemotactic activity.
  EMBO J., 16, 7279-7286. (1997)
• Berthelsen, J., Zappavigna, V., Mavilio, F. and Blasi, F.
  Prep1, a novel functional partner of Pbx proteins.
  EMBO J., 17, 1423-1433, (1998)
• Berthelsen, J., Zappavigna, V., Ferretti, E., Mavilio, F. and Blasi, F.
  Prep1, a novel partner of Pbx proteins, modifies Pbx-Hox protein cooperativity.
  EMBO J. , 17, 1434-1445 (1998)
• Berthelsen, J., Kilstrup-Nielsen, C., Blasi, F., Mavilio, F. and Zappavigna, V.
  The subcellular localization of PBX1 and EXD proteins depends on nuclear import and export signals and is modulated by association with PREP1 and HTH.
  Gen. Dev. , 13, 946-953 (1999)
• E. Ferretti, H. Marshall, H. Pöpperl, M. Maconochie, R. Krumlauf and F. Blasi.
  A complex site including both Pbx-Hox and Prep-Meis-responsive elements and binding a retinoic acid-inducible ternary Hoxb1-Pbx-Prep1 complex is required for HOXB2 rhombomere 4 expression.
  Development, 127, 155-166, (2000)
• Thorsteinsdottir, U., Kroon, E., Jerome,L., Blasi, F and Sauvageau, G.
  Defining role for Hox genes and their common collaboration with MEIS1 in the induction of AML.
  Mol. Cell Biol., 21, 224-234 (2001)
• Resnati, M. , Pallavicini, I. , Wang, J.M., Oppenheim, J., Serhan, C.N., Romano, M. e Blasi, F.
  The fibrinolytic receptor for urokinase activates the G protein-coupled chemotactic receptor FPRL1/LXA4R.
  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 1359-1364. (2002)
• Blasi, F. and Carmeliet, P.
  uPAR: a versatile signaling orchestrator.
  Nature Rev. Mol. Biol. 3, 932-943. (2002)
• Cunningham, O., Andolfo, AP, Santovito, AL, Iuzzolino, L., Blasi, F. and Sidenius, N.
  Differential lipid raft partitioning of the urokinase receptor regulates its biological functions and is controlled by receptor dimerization.
  EMBO J. 22, 5994-6003 (2003)
• Cinque, P., Nebuloni, M., Santovito, M., Price, R.W. , Gisslen, M., Hagberg,, L., Bestetti, A., Vago, G., Lazzarin, A., Blasi, F. and Sidenius, N.
  The urokinase receptor is overexpressed in AIDS dementia complex and other neurological manifestations.
  Ann. Of Neurol., 55, 687-694 (2004). IF: 7.717
• Furlan, F., Orlando, S.,, Laudanna, C., Resnati, M., Basso, V., Blasi, F. and Mondino, A.
  The soluble D2D3(88-274) fragment of the urokinase receptor inhibits monocyte chemotaxis and integrin-dependent cell adhesion.
  J. Cell Sci., 117, 2909-2916, (2004). IF: 7.250
• Mondino, A. and Blasi. F.
  UPA and uPAR in fibrinolysis, immunity and pathology.
  Trends in Immunology. 25, 450-455. IF: 18.153 (2004)
• Selleri, C., Montuori, N., Ricci, P., Visconte, V., Carriero, MV, Sidenius, N., Serio, B., Blasi, F., Rotoli, B., Rossi, G., Ragno, P.
  Involvement of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor in hematopoietic stem cell -2005.
  Blood. 2005 105:2198-2205. IF: 10.120
• Bernard Degryse, Massimo Resnati, Ralf-Peter Czekay, David J. Loskutoff, and Francesco Blasi.
  Domain 2 of the urokinase receptor contains an integrin-interacting epitope with intrinsic signaling activity: generation of a new integrin inhibitor.
  J. Biol. Chem., 280, 24792-24803 (2005).
• Ferretti, E., Cambronero, F., Tumpel, S., L. Weidemann, Blasi, F. and Krumlauf, R.
  The Hoxb1 enhancer and control of rhombomere 4 expression: Complex interplay between PREP1-PBX1-HOXB1 binding sites.
  Mol Cell Biol, 25, 8541-8552 (2005).
• Penkov, D, Di Rosa, P, Fernandez Diaz, L, Basso, V, Ferretti, E, Grassi, F, Mondino, A and Blasi, F.
  Involvement of Prep-1 in the abTCR T-lymphocytic potential of hematopoietic precursors.
  Mol Cell Biol, 25, 10768-10781 (2005).
• Mazzieri, R., D'Alessio, S., Kamgang-Kemhoe, R., Ossowski, L. and Blasi, F.
  An uncleavable uPAR mutant allows dissection of signaling pathways in uPA-dependent cell migration.
  Mol Biol Cell. 17, 367-78, (2006).
• Ferretti, E., J.Carlos Villaescusa, Patrizia Di Rosa, Luis C. Fernandez-Diaz, Elena Longobardi, Roberta Mazzieri, Annarita Miccio, Nicola Micali, Licia Selleri, Giuliana Ferrari and Francesco Blasi.
  Hypomorphic mutation of the TALE gene Prep1 (pKnox1) causes a major reduction of Pbx and Meis proteins and a pleiotropic embryonic phenotype.
  Mol. Cell. Biol. 26:5650-5662. (2006).
• Mazzieri, R, Furlan, F, D'Alessio, S. , Zonari, E., S, M, Talotta, F., Verde, P and Blasi, F.
  A direct link between expression of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), growth rate and oncogenic transformation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts.
  Oncogene, 26:725-32. (2007)
• Ferrai, C., Munari, D., Luraghi, P., Pecciarini,, L., Cangi,, M.G., Doglioni, C., Blasi, F. and Crippa, M.P.
  A transcription-dependent MNase-resistant fragment of the uPA promoter interacts with the enhancer.
  J. Biol. Chem. 282:12537-12546. (2007)
• Díaz, V. M., Bachi, A. and Blasi, F.
  Purification of the Prep1 interactome identifies novel pathways regulated by Prep1.
  Proteomics. 2007. 7:2617-2623. (2007)
• Federico Furlan, Clara Galbiati, Niklas R. Jorgensen, Jens-Erik B. Jensen, Emanuela Mrak, Alessandro Rubinacci, Francesco Talotta Pasquale Verde and Francesco Blasi.
  Role of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor in bone homeostasis.
  J. Bone Min. Res. 22: 1387-96. (2007)
• Di Rosa, P., Villaescusa, J.C., Longobardi, E., Iotti, G., Ferretti, E., Diaz, V.M., Miccio, A., Ferrari G. and Francesco Blasi.
  Homeodomain transcription factor Prep1 (pKnox1) is required for hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors activity.
  Devel. Biol. 311, 324-334. (2007)
• Diaz, VM Mori, S, Longobardi, E, Menendez, G., Ferrai, C. RA Keough, A Bachi and F Blasi.
  p160 myb-binding-protein interacts with Prep1 and inhibits its transcriptional activity.
  Mol. Cell Biol. 27, 7981-7990. (2007)
• Degryse, B., Fernandez-Recio, J. , Citro, V., Blasi, F., Cubellis M.V.
  In silico docking of urokinase plasminogen activator and integrins.
  BMC Bioinformatics. 2008 Mar 26;9 Suppl 2:S8.
• Caiolfa V, Zamai M, Malengo G, Andolfo A, Madsen CD, Sutin J, Digman M, Gratton E, Blasi F, Sidenius N.
  Monomer-dimer dynamics and distribution of GPI-anchored uPAR are determined by cell surface protein assemblies.
  J. Cell Biol., 179, 1067-1082. (2007)
• Penkov D, Palazzolo M, Mondino A, Blasi F.
  Cytosolic sequestration of Prep1 influences early stages of T cell development.
  PLoS ONE. 2008, Jun 18;3(6); e2424. NO IF
• Cortese K, Sahores M, Madsen CD, Tacchetti C, Blasi F.
  Clathrin and LRP-1-independent constitutive endocytosis and recycling of uPAR.
  PLoS ONE. 2008, 3(11); e3730. NO IF
• D’Alessio, S., Gerasi, L. and Blasi, F.
  The urokinase receptor (uPAR) Ko mice keratinocytes fail to produce EGF-receptor-dependent Laminin-5 affecting migration in vitro and in vivo.
  2008. J Cell Sci 121, 3922-3932.
• F. Oriente, L.C. Fernandez Diaz, C. Miele, S. Iovino, S. Mori, V. E. Diaz, G. Troncone, A. Cassese, P. Formisano, F. Blasi, F. Beguinot.
  Prep1 deficiency induces protection from diabetes and increased insulin sensitivity through a p160a-mediated mechanism.
  2008. Mol Cell Biol 28, 5634–5645.
• Matafora, V, D’Amato, A, Mori, S, Blasi, F & Bachi, A.
  Proteomic analysis of nucleolar SUMO-1 target proteins upon proteasome inhibition.
  In press, Mol.Cell. Proteomics (2009), 8.10, 2243-2255.
• Blasi, F, Sidenius, N.
  Efferocytosis: another function of uPAR.
  Blood. 14(4):752-7533 (2009)
• Ferrai, C., Naum-Ongania, G., Palazzolo, M., Longobardi, E., Disanza, A., Diaz, V.M., Crippa, M.P., Scita, G. and Blasi, F.
  Induction of HoxB transcription by retinoic acid requires actin polymerization.
  Mol Biol Cell, 20, 3525-3533m, 2009.
• Villaescusa, JC, Buratti, C, Penkov, D, Mathiasen, L, Planagumà, J, Ferretti, E and Blasi, F.
  Cytoplasmic Prep1 interacts with 4EHP inhibiting HoxB4 translation.
  PLOS One (2009). 4:e5213. Epub 2009 Apr 13
• Tjwa, M, Sidenius, N, Moura, R, Jansen, S, Theunissen, K, Moons, L, Andolfo, A, De Mol, M, Dewerchin, M, Blasi, F, Verfaillie, C & Carmeliet, P.
  Membrane-anchored uPAR regulates the proliferation, marrow pool size, engraftment and mobilization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells.
  J. Clin. Invest. 2009. 119, 1008-1018.
• Micali, N. Ferrai, C., Fernandez Diaz, L.C., Blasi, F and Crippa, M.P.
  Prep1 regulates the intrinsic apoptotic pathway by directly controlling Bcl-X_L expression.
  MCB. 29, 1143-1151. (2009)
• L. C. Fernandez-Diaz, A. Laurent, S. Girasoli, M. Turco, E. Longobardi, G. Iotti, N. A. Jenkins, M.T. Fiorenza, N. G. Copeland and F. Blasi.
  The absence of Prep1 causes p53-dependent apoptosis of pluripotent epiblast cells.
  Submitted.
• Longobardi, E., Iotti, G., Di Rosa, P., Meietta, S., Nuciforo, P., Ponzoni, M., Doglioni, C., Caniatti, P., Bianchi, F., Di Fiore, P.P. and Blasi, F.
  The homeodomain transcription factor Prep1 gene (pKnox1) is a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor in man and mice.
  Submitted.