Dr. S. Fioriniello has experience in human genetic, epigenetic and epigenomic fields.

From 2014, he studied the molecular mechanisms altered in the Rett syndrome (RTT, OMIM 312750), employing genetic and epigenetic approaches taking advantage of both in vitro cellular systems and in vivo mouse models of the disease.

His current research interest is focused on the study of the mechanisms underlying neuronal deregulation of sphingolipid (SL) metabolism in RTT, and the identification of new therapeutic candidates capable to counteract SL metabolic imbalance and mitigate RTT symptoms, through the use of drug repurposing strategies.

Green forage impacts on the DNA methylation in the ruminal wall of Italian mediterranean dairy buffaloes Fioriniello S, Salzano A, Bifulco G, Aiese Cigliano R, Della Ragione F, Campanile G. Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 8;15(1):8074. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-91969-y.

Stroke Causes DNA Methylation at Ncx1 Heart Promoter in the Brain Via DNMT1/MeCP2/REST Epigenetic Complex.  Guida N, Serani A, Sanguigno L, Mascolo L, Cuomo O, Fioriniello S, Marano D, Ragione FD, Anzilotti S, Brancaccio P, Molinaro P, Pignataro G, Annunziato L, Formisano L. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Mar 19;13(6):e030460. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.123.030460. Epub 2024 Mar 8.

A novel iPSC-based model of ICF syndrome subtype 2 recapitulates the molecular phenotype of ZBTB24 deficiency. Lullo V, Cecere F, Batti S, Allegretti S, Morone B, Fioriniello S, Pisapia L, Genesio R, Della Ragione F, Giardino G, Pignata C, Riccio A, Matarazzo MR, Strazzullo M. Front Immunol. 2024 Jul 8;15:1419748. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1419748.

Transcriptomic profiles of the ruminal wall in Italian Mediterranean dairy buffaloes fed green forage. Salzano A, Fioriniello S, D’Onofrio N, Balestrieri ML, Aiese Cigliano R, Neglia G, Della Ragione F, Campanile G. BMC Genomics. 2023 Mar 20;24(1):133. doi: 10.1186/s12864-023-09215-6.

The Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase 1A Inhibitor Teglicar Shows Promising Antitumour Activity against Canine Mammary Cancer Cells by Inducing Apoptosis. Cacciola NA, Sepe F, Fioriniello S, Petillo O, Margarucci S, Scivicco M, Peluso G, Balestrieri A, Bifulco G, Restucci B, Severino L. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023 Jul 10;16(7):987. doi: 10.3390/ph16070987.

Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity Is Perturbed in a Mecp2-Null Mouse Model of Rett Syndrome.  Pepe G, Fioriniello S, Marracino F, Capocci L, Maglione V, D’Esposito M, Di Pardo A, Della Ragione F. Biomolecules. 2023 Mar 28;13(4):606. doi: 10.3390/biom13040606.

The aberrant epigenome of DNMT3B-mutated ICF1 patient iPSCs is amenable to correction, with the exception of a subset of regions with H3K4me3- and/or CTCF-based epigenetic memory.  Poondi Krishnan V, Morone B, Toubiana S, Krzak M, Fioriniello S, Della Ragione F, Strazzullo M, Angelini C, Selig S, Matarazzo MR. Genome Res. 2023 Feb;33(2):169-183. doi: 10.1101/gr.276986.122.

NPPA/atrial natriuretic peptide is an extracellular modulator of autophagy in the heart. Forte M, Marchitti S, Di Nonno F, Stanzione R, Schirone L, Cotugno M, Bianchi F, Schiavon S, Raffa S, Ranieri D, Fioriniello S, Della Ragione F, Torrisi MR, Carnevale R, Valenti V, Versaci F, Frati G, Vecchione C, Volpe M, Rubattu S, Sciarretta S. Autophagy. 2023 Apr;19(4):1087-1099. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2022.2115675. Epub 2022 Sep 6. 

Zfp57 inactivation illustrates the role of ICR methylation in imprinted gene expression during neural differentiation of mouse ESCs. Acurzio B, Verma A, Polito A, Giaccari C, Cecere F, Fioriniello S, Della Ragione F, Fico A, Cerrato F, Angelini C, Feil R, Riccio A. Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 5;11(1):13802. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-93297-3.

Transcriptomic and Epigenomic Landscape in Rett Syndrome. Marano D, Fioriniello S, D’Esposito M, Della Ragione F. Biomolecules. 2021 Jun 30;11(7):967. DOI: 10.3390/biom11070967. (Cover page).

MeCP2 and Major Satellite Forward RNA Cooperate for Pericentric Heterochromatin Organization. Fioriniello S, Csukonyi E, Marano D, Brancaccio A, Madonna M, Zarrillo C, Romano A, Marracino F, Matarazzo MR, D’Esposito M and Della Ragione F. Stem Cell Reports. 2020 Dec 8;15(6):1317-1332. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.11.006.

Epigenetic Factors That Control Pericentric Heterochromatin Organization in Mammals. Fioriniello S, Marano D, Fiorillo F, D’Esposito M, Della Ragione F. Genes. 2020 May 28;11(6):E595. DOI: 10.3390/genes11060595.

ATRX contributes to MeCP2-mediated pericentric heterochromatin organization during neural differentiation. Marano D, Fioriniello S, Fiorillo F, Gibbons R, D’Esposito M and Della Ragione F. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Oct 29;20(21). DOI: 10.3390/ijms20215371. (Cover page).

Glycosphingolipid metabolic reprogramming drives neural differentiation. Russo D, Della Ragione F, Rizzo R, Sugiyama E, Scalabrì F, Hori K, Capasso S, Sticco L, Fioriniello S, De Gregorio R, Granata I, Guarracino MR, Maglione V, Johannes L, Bellenchi GC, Hoshino M, Setou M, D’Esposito M, Luini A, D’Angelo G. EMBO J. 2017 Dec 27. ii: e97674. DOI: 10.15252/embj.201797674

Reduced brain UCP2 expression mediated by microRNA-503 contributes to increased stroke susceptibility in the high-salt fed stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat. Rubattu S, Stanzione R, Bianchi F, Cotugno M, Forte M, Della Ragione F, Fioriniello S, D’Esposito M, Marchitti S, Madonna M, Baima S, Morelli G, Sciarretta S, Sironi L, Gelosa P, Volpe M. Cell Death Dis. 2017 Jun 22;8(6):e2891. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2017.278. 

MECP2 a multi-talented modulator of chromatin architecture.Della Ragione, F., Vacca, M., Fioriniello, S., Pepe, G. and D’Esposito, M.Brief Funct Genomics. 2016 Nov;15(6):420-431. Epub 2016 Jun 12. DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elw023

Current Position

May 2025 – Technologist , IGB-ABT, CNR, Naples, Italy.

Education

December 2019 – Ph.D. in Molecular Life Science, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta (Italy).

March 2016 – MSc degree “summa cum laude” in Biological Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”.

Research Appointments

October 2023 – May 2025. Laboratory manager, Department of “Chimica e Biologia A. Zambelli”, University of Salerno (Italy).

November 2019 – October 2023. Post-doctoral fellow, IGB-ABT, CNR, Naples.

November 2016 – October 2019. PhD student, IGB-ABT, CNR, Naples.

March 2016 – October 2016. research fellow at IGB-ABT, Naples, Italy.

November 2014 – March 2016. Undergraduate student, IGB-ABT, CNR, Naples.