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Valerio Orlando

Professor, Bioscience

Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division

valerio.orlando@kaust.edu.sa
KAUST Environmental Epigenetics Program


Affiliations

Education Profile

  • Postdoctoral fellow, Zentrum fuer Molekulare Biologie (ZMBH) University of Heidelberg, Germany,1997
  • Ph.D. University "La Sapienza", Rome Italy, 1989

Research Interests

​The epigenome constitutes the chromosomal molecular interface that allows the genome to interact with the environment. The epigenome enables cells to learn, remember and maintain their functional states throughout life and enable organisms to integrate environmental signals. Prof. Orlando's lab is interested in investigating the chromatin mediated fundamental mechanisms that control cell identity and plasticity. These include signaling to chromatin regulation and nuclear organization by Polycomb proteins, the role of ncRNA-protein interactions in transcriptional regulation, Epigenomics and how this relates for development, transdifferentiation and adaptation (e.g. Metabolism), in particular in stress conditions. Furthermore, as part of the mechanistic plastic properties of the genome in response to developmental and environmental cues, Prof. Orlando's lab also investigates the epigenetic regulation of the expression and dynamics of transposable elements and their role in cell differentiation and epigenomic biodiversity.

Selected Publications

  • Bodega B, Marasca F, Ranzani V, Cherubini A, Della Valle F, Neguembor MV, Wassef M, Zippo A Lanzuolo C, Pagani M, Orlando V. A cytosolic Ezh1 isoform modulates a PRC2---Ezh1 epigenetic adaptive response in postmitotic cells. Nature Struct Mol Biol. 2017 May;24(5):444

  • Li M, Borrelli E, Magistretti PJ, Izpisua Belmonte JC, Sassone---Corsi P, Orlando V. Gathering by the Red Sea highlights links between environment and epigenetics. Nature Struct Mol Biol. 2017 Jun 6;24(6):491-493

  • Marasca F, Bodega B, Orlando V. (2018). How Polycomb mediated cell memory deals with a changing environment. Bioessays Apr;40(4):e170013

  • Dyar KA, et al Eckel-Mahan K, Sassone-Corsi P. Atlas of Circadian Metabolism Reveals System-wide Coordination and Communication between Clocks. Cell. 2018 Sep 6;174(6):1571- 1585

  • Peng Liu, Muhammad Shuaib, Huoming Zhang, Seba S. Nadeef, Valerio Orlando. (2019) Ubiquitin ligases HUWE1 and NEDD4 cooperatively control signal dependent PRC2-Ezh1a/b mediated adaptive stress response pathway in skeletal muscle cells. Epigenetics and Chromatin. Dec 19;12(1):78.

  • Della Valle F, Thimma M, Caiazzo M, Pulcrano, Celii,M, Adroub S, Liu P, Lobato G, Broccoli V, Orlando V. (2020). Transdifferentiation of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts into Dopaminergic Neurons reactivates LINE-1 repetitive elements. Stem Cell Reports Jan 14;14(1):60- 74

  • Bonetti A, et al, Gimenez J, et al…Orlando V* and Carninci P*, 2020 (RADICL-seq identifies general and cell type–specific principles of genome-wide RNA-chromatin interactions. Nature Communications Feb 24;11(1):1018 (* Co- corresponding authors)

  • Mangiavacchi A, Liu P, Della Valle F and Orlando V. (2021) New insights on the functional role of retrotranspososns dynamics in mammalian somatic cells. Cell Mol Life Sci. 78(13):5245-5256.

  • El Said N, Della Valle F et al and Orlando V*(2021) Malat-1- PRC2-EZH1 interaction supports the oxidative stress dependent H3K27me3 remodeling in skeletal myotube. Cell Death and Disease 16;12(10):850.

  • Fallatah B, Shuaib M, Adroub S, Paytuv-Gallart A, Della Valle F, Nadeef S, Lanzuolo C, Orlando V. (2021). Ago1 controls myogenic differentiation by regulating eRNA mediated CBP guided epigenome reprogramming. Cell Reports 30;37(9):11006

  • Della Valle F. Reddy P…..Izpisua-Belmonte JC and Orlando V. (2022). L1-RNA is causative of heterochromatin erosion and target for amelioration of senescent phenotypes in progeroid syndromes. Science Translational Medicine doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abl6057.

  • Mangiavacchi A, Morelli G, Orlando V. (2023). Behind the scenes: How RNA orchestrates the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Front Cell Dev Biol. Jan 25;11:1123975

  • Transcriptomic and Network Analyses Reveal Immune Modulation by Endocannabinoids in Approach/Avoidance TraitsInt J Mol Sci. 2022 Feb 25;23(5):2538. doi: 10.3390/ijms23052538.

  • Ago1 controls myogenic differentiation by regulating eRNA-mediated CBP-guided epigenome reprogramming.Cell Rep . 2021 Nov 30;37(9):110066. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110066.

  • How Polycomb-Mediated Cell Memory Deals With a Changing Environment: Variations in PcG complexes and proteins assortment convey plasticity to epigenetic regulation as a response to environment.Bioessays . 2018 Apr;40(4):e1700137. doi: 10.1002/bies.201700137. Epub 2018 Mar 9.

  • FANTOM5 CAGE profiles of human and mouse samples.Sci Data . 2017 Aug 29;4:170112. doi: 10.1038/sdata.2017.112.

  • Gathering by the Red Sea highlights links between environment and epigenetics.Nat Struct Mol Biol .2017 Jun 6;24(6):491-493. doi: 10.1038/nsmb.3422.

  • A cytosolic Ezh1 isoform modulates a PRC2-Ezh1 epigenetic adaptive response in postmitotic cells.Nat Struct Mol Biol . 2017 May;24(5):444-452. doi: 10.1038/nsmb.3392. Epub 2017 Mar 27

  • Characterization of piRNAs across postnatal development in mouse brain.Sci Rep . 2016 Apr 26;6:25039. doi: 10.1038/srep25039.

  • The Constrained Maximal Expression Level Owing to Haploidy Shapes Gene Content on the Mammalian X Chromosome.PLoS Biol . 2015 Dec 18;13(12):e1002315. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002315. eCollection 2015 Dec.

  • Application of Gene Expression Trajectories Initiated from ErbB Receptor Activation Highlights the Dynamics of Divergent Promoter Usage.PLoS One . 2015 Dec 14;10(12):e0144176. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144176. eCollection 2015.

  • Discovery of molecular markers to discriminate corneal endothelial cells in the human body.PLoS One . 2015 Mar 25;10(3):e0117581. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117581. eCollection 2015.

  • Transcribed enhancers lead waves of coordinated transcription in transitioning mammalian cells.Science . 2015 Feb 27;347(6225):1010-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1259418. Epub 2015 Feb 12.

  • The statistical geometry of transcriptome divergence in cell-type evolution and cancer.Nat Commun . 2015 Jan 14;6:6066. doi: 10.1038/ncomms7066.

  • Repetitive elements dynamics in cell identity programming, maintenance and disease.Curr Opin Cell Biol . 2014 Dec;31:67-73. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2014.09.002.

  • CCL2 enhances pluripotency of human induced pluripotent stem cells by activating hypoxia related genes.Sci Rep . 2014 Jun 24;4:5228. doi: 10.1038/srep05228.

  • Differential roles of epigenetic changes and Foxp3 expression in regulatory T cell-specific transcriptional regulation.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 2014 Apr 8;111(14):5289-94. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1312717110. Epub 2014 Mar 27.

  • Ceruloplasmin is a novel adipokine which is overexpressed in adipose tissue of obese subjects and in obesity-associated cancer cells.PLoS One . 2014 Mar 27;9(3):e80274. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080274. eCollection 2014

  • A promoter-level mammalian expression atlas.Nature . 2014 Mar 27;507(7493):462-70. doi: 10.1038/nature13182.

  • RNA-interference components are dispensable for transcriptional silencing of the drosophila bithorax-complex.PLoS One . 2013 Jun 13;8(6):e65740. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065740. Print 2013.