Bio
Andrea Contestabile graduated in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology at the University of Bologna in 1996, studying the expression of N-type voltage-gated calcium channels in the differentiation process of a neuroblastoma cell line. In 1997 he underwent is post-degree training at the Biotechnology Department of the Alfa-Wasserman laboratory. In 1998 he moved, with a EU Leonardo project fellowship, to the Glaxo-Wellcome research center in Stevenage (UK) to study gene expression profiles during Rheumatoid Arthritis disease progression by microarray screening. In 1999 he obtained a fellowship from the San Raffaele Research Institute (DIBIT, Milan, Italy) to study neuritis extension dynamics and synaptic vesicles proteins interaction in vivo by FRET. From 2003 to 2007 he accomplished his PhD studies in Neurophysiology at the Human Physiology Department, University of Bologna, to study the role of transcription factors and signaling molecules in the regulation of neuronal precursors proliferation. During the same period he also started a research project to studying the altered neurodevelopmental process and neurodegenerative phenotype found in Down syndrome (DS).
Currently, he has a senior post-doc position at Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). The general focus of is research is the understanding of the molecular determinants regulating adult neurogenesis, from proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells to circuit integration of adult-generated neurons and their involvement in memory functions. To this aim, he adopts a combination of in vitro and in vivo aproaches based on molecular, neuroanatomical, electrophysiological tecniques and behavioral tests.
Andrea Contestabile has a strong scientific background in different field of cellular and molecular neurobiology: neural stem cells, neuronal differentiation, brain development, gene expression, trascriptional regulation, intracellular pathways signaling, cell cycle dynamics, cell death and neurodegeneration. He is a skilled researcher with a wide technical experience in molecular biology, cell based assays, fluorescent proteins technologies, live cell imaging, confocal microscopy, microarrays, real-time qPCR, reporter gene assays, immunohistochemistry, histology, biochemistry and cell cultures.
Other Publications
Guiggiani A., Torre B., Contestabile A., Benfenati F., Basso M., Vassalli M., Difato F. Long-range and long-term interferometric tracking by static and dynamic force-clamp optical tweezers. Optic Express. 2011; 19, 22364-76.
Frega M., Pasquale V., Tedesco M., Marcoli M., Contestabile A., Nanni M., Bonzano L., Maura G., Chiappalone M. Cortical cultures coupled to Micro-Electrode Arrays: A novel approach to perform in vitro excitotoxicity testing. Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 2011; 34, 116-27.
Giacomini C., La Padula V., Schenone A., Leandri M., Contestabile A., Moruzzo D., Goutebroze L., Consalez G.G., Benfenati F., Corradi A.Both Schwann cell and axonal defects cause motor peripheral neuropathy in Ebf2-/- mice. Neurobiol Dis. 2010; 42, 73-84
Contestabile A*., Benfenati F., Gasparini L. Communication breaks-Down: from neurodevelopmental defects to cognitive disabilities in Down syndrome. Progress in Neurobiology 2010; 91:1-22.
Bianchi P., Ciani E., Contestabile A., Guidi S., Bartesaghi R. Lithium restores neurogenesis in the subventricular zone of the Ts65Dn mouse, a model for Down syndrome. Brain Pathol. 2009; 20:106-18.
Contestabile A., Fila T., Cappellini A., Bartesaghi A., Ciani E. Widespread impairment of cell proliferation in the neonate Ts65Dn mouse, a model for Down syndrome. Cell Prolif. 2009; 42: 171-181.
Contestabile A., Fila T., Bartesaghi R., Ciani E. Cell cycle elongation impairs proliferation of cerebellar granule cell precursors in the Ts65Dn mouse, an animal model for Down syndrome. Brain Pathol. 2009; 19: 224-237.
Contestabile A., Ciani E., Contestabile A.The place of choline acetyltransferase activity measurement in the "cholinergic hypothesis" of neurodegenerative diseases. Neurochem. Res. 2008; 33:318-27.
Contestabile A., Fila T., Ceccarelli C., Bonasoni P., Bonapace L., Santini D., Bartesaghi R., Ciani E. Cell cycle alteration and decreased cell proliferation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and in theneocortical germinal matrix of fetuses with Down syndrome and in Ts65Dn mice. Hippocampus. 2007;17:665-78.
Contestabile A., Fila T., Bartesaghi R., Contestabile A., Ciani E.Choline acetyltransferase activity at different ages in brain of Ts65Dn mice, an animal model for Down's syndrome and related neurodegenerative diseases. J. Neurochem. 2006;97:515-26.
Contestabile A., Fila T., Bartesaghi R., Ciani E. Cyclic AMP-mediated upregulation of transcription factor Lot1 expression in cerebellar granule cells. J. Biol. Chem. 2005;280:33541-51.
Ciani E., Severi S., Contestabile A., Bartesaghi R., Contestabile A. Nitric oxide negatively regulates proliferation and promotes neuronal differentiation through N-Myc downregulation. J. Cell Sci. 2004;117:4727-37.
Sha N., Vannucci M., Tadesse M.G., Brown P.J., DragoniI I., Davies N., Roberts T.C., Contestabile A., Salmon M., Buckley C., FalcianiI F. Bayesian variable selection in multinomial probit models to identify molecular signatures of disease stage. Biometrics. 2004;60:812-9.
Davies N.J., Tadesse M.G., Vannucci M., Kichuki H., Trevino V., Sarti D., Dragoni I., Contestabile A., Zanders E., FalcianiI F. Making sense of molecular signatures in the immune system. Comb. Chem. High Throughput Screen. 2004;7:231-8.
Contestabile A., Ciani E., Contetsabile A. Dietary restriction differentially protects from neurodegeneration in animal models of excitotoxicity. Brain Res. 2004;1002:162-6.
Contestabile A., Monti B., Contestabile A., Ciani E.
Brain nitric oxide and its dual role in neurodegeneration/neuroprotection: understanding molecular mechanisms to devise drug approaches. Curr. Med. Chem. 2003;10:2147-74.
Contestabile A., Bonanomi D., Burgaya F., Girault J.A., Valtorta F.
Localization of focal adhesion kinase isoforms in cells of the central nervous system. Int. J. Dev. Neurosci. 2003;21:83-93.
Pennuto M., Dunlap D., Contestabile A. ,Benfenati F., Valtorta F.
Fluorescence resonance energy transfer detection of synaptophysin I and vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 interactions during exocytosis from single live synapses. Mol. Biol. Cell. 2002;13:2706-17.
