During my career, I have worked on research programmes focused on transcriptional regulation, oncogene expression, signal transduction and gene expression, in both physiological and pathological processes, such as spermatogenesis and Coffin-Lowry syndrome. Since 2004, I am responsible, within the Stem Cell Fat (SCF) Lab research activity, for the generation of GFP-engineered stem cell lines that we have utilized: a) in high throughput screening technologies for the finding of molecules able to modulate ES cell proliferation and differentiation.  In order to monitor both cardiac and neural differentiation, we have chosen: a) the MLC-2v promoter, a DNA regulatory region upstream of the gene encoding the Myosin Light Chain conferring heart specific expression; b) the neuro-specific enhancer element of the nestin gene and the promoter region of the gene encoding the Tα1-Tubulin product, to monitor neural differentiation; c) the β-actin promoter to monitor cell proliferation.

Gastruloid Development Competence Discriminates Different States of Pluripotency. Cermola F, D'Aniello C, Tatè R, De Cesare D, Martinez-Arias A, Minchiotti G, Patriarca EJ. Stem Cell Reports. 2021 Feb 9;16(2):354-369.

The Multifaceted Roles of Proline in Cell Behavior. Patriarca EJ, Cermola F, D'Aniello C, Fico A, Guardiola O, De Cesare D, Minchiotti G. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Aug 12;9:728576.

Collagen Prolyl Hydroxylation-Dependent Metabolic Perturbation Governs Epigenetic Remodeling and Mesenchymal Transition in Pluripotent and Cancer Cells. D'Aniello C, Cermola F, Palamidessi A, Wanderlingh LG, Gagliardi M, Migliaccio A, Varrone F, Casalino L, Matarazzo MR, De Cesare D, Scita G, Patriarca EJ, Minchiotti G. Cancer Res. 2019 Jul 1;79(13):3235-3250. 

Vitamin C and l-Proline Antagonistic Effects Capture Alternative States in the Pluripotency Continuum. D'Aniello C, Habibi E, Cermola F, Paris D, Russo F, Fiorenzano A, Di Napoli G, Melck DJ, Cobellis G, Angelini C, Fico A, Blelloch R, Motta A, Stunnenberg HG, De Cesare D, Patriarca EJ, Minchiotti G. Stem Cell Reports. 2017 Jan 10;8(1):1-10.

A novel autoregulatory loop between the Gcn2-Atf4 pathway and (L)-Proline [corrected] metabolism controls stem cell identity. D'Aniello C, Fico A, Casalino L, Guardiola O, Di Napoli G, Cermola F, De Cesare D, Tatè R, Cobellis G, Patriarca EJ, Minchiotti G. Cell Death Differ. 2015 Jul;22(7):1094-105.

L-Proline induces a mesenchymal-like invasive program in embryonic stem cells by remodeling H3K9 and H3K36 methylation. Comes S, Gagliardi M, Laprano N, Fico A, Cimmino A, Palamidessi A, De Cesare D, De Falco S, Angelini C, Scita G, Patriarca EJ, Matarazzo MR, Minchiotti G. Stem Cell Reports. 2013 Oct 10;1(4):307-21. 

An automated high throughput screening-compatible assay to identify regulators of stem cell neural differentiation. Casalino L, Magnani D, De Falco S, Filosa S, Minchiotti G, Patriarca EJ, De Cesare D. Mol Biotechnol. 2012 Mar;50(3):171-80.

Control of embryonic stem cell metastability by L-proline catabolism. Casalino L, Comes S, Lambazzi G, De Stefano B, Filosa S, De Falco S, De Cesare D, Minchiotti G, Patriarca EJ. J Mol Cell Biol. 2011 Apr;3(2):108-22. 

Abnormal sperm in mice with targeted deletion of the act (activator of cAMP-responsive element modulator in testis) gene. Kotaja N, De Cesare D, Macho B, Monaco L, Brancorsini S, Goossens E, Tournaye H, Gansmuller A, Sassone-Corsi P.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Jul 20;101(29):10620-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0401947101. Epub 2004 Jul 9.

Transcriptional control in male germ cells: general factor TFIIA participates in CREM-dependent gene activation. De Cesare D, Fimia GM, Brancorsini S, Parvinen M, Sassone-Corsi P.Mol Endocrinol. 2003 Dec;17(12):2554-65.

Signaling routes to CREM and CREB: plasticity in transcriptional activation. De Cesare D, Fimia GM, Sassone-Corsi P.Trends Biochem Sci. 1999 Jul;24(7):281-5.

CBP-independent activation of CREM and CREB by the LIM-only protein ACT. Fimia GM, De Cesare D, Sassone-Corsi P. Nature. 1999 Mar 11;398(6723):165-9.

Rsk-2 activity is necessary for epidermal growth factor-induced phosphorylation of CREB protein and transcription of c-fos gene. De Cesare D, Jacquot S, Hanauer A, Sassone-Corsi P. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Oct 13;95(21):12202-7.

Mutations in the kinase Rsk-2 associated with Coffin-Lowry syndrome. Trivier E, De Cesare D, Jacquot S, Pannetier S, Zackai E, Young I, Mandel JL, Sassone-Corsi P, Hanauer A.Nature. 1996 Dec 12;384(6609):567-70.

Functional characterization of COM, a DNA region required for cooperation between AP-1 sites in urokinase gene transcription. De Cesare D, Palazzolo M, Blasi F.Oncogene. 1996 Dec 19;13(12):2551-62.

Education:
1990: Degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Naples (Italy), summa cum laude.
1996: Ph.D. in Genetic Sciences at the University of Milan (Italy).

Research appointments:
2008 – present: coordinator of IGB Informatics Core, responsible of IGB website.
2004-present: Co-founder of the Stem Cell Fate Laboratory at the IGB-ABT, CNR.
2003: Short term EMBO fellowship to work as a visiting scientist in the laboratory directed by Paolo Sassone-Corsi at IGBMC, Strasbourg (France).
2001- present: Research Scientist at IGB-ABT, CNR, Naples, Italy.
2000: winner of a Career Project position from Telethon italian foundation as Assistant Telethon Scientist.
2001-1996: post-doctoral stage in the group headed by Dr. Paolo Sassone-Corsi at the IGBMC (Institut de Génétique et Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire; Strasbourg-France).
1999: recipient of a fellowship from a french foundation for medical research (Fondation pour la Recherche Medicale).
1998: recipient of a fellowship from a french foundation for cancer research (Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer).
1998-1996: TMR (Training and Mobility of Researchers) EU fellow at IGBMC.
1996-1993: Ph.D. training programme in Genetic Sciences at the University of Milan (Italy). Supervisor: Prof. Francesco Blasi. Thesis title: "Characterization of a novel regulatory element in the enhancer of the human urokinase gene".

Courses co-organizer:

• 2006    Stem Cell Differentiation Training Course, 1st edition, IGB, Naples, Italy
• 2007    Stem Cell Differentiation Training Course, 2nd edition, IGB, Naples, Italy
• 2008    Stem Cell Differentiation Training Course, 3rd edition, IGB, Naples, Italy
• 2009    Stem Cell Differentiation Training Course, 4th edition, IGB, Naples, Italy
• 2010    Stem Cell Differentiation Training Course, 5th Edition, IGB, Naples, Italy
• 2011    Stem Cell Differentiation Training Course, 6th Edition, IGB, Naples, Italy

Ad hoc reviewer:
J. of Andrology, Molecular Biothecnology, Cell Death and Disease