Michele De Bortoli
Michele De Bortoli
e-mail:
affiliation: Università di Torino
research area(s): Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology
Course: Complex Systems for Life Sciences
University/Istitution: Università di Torino
Michele De Bortoli is currently Full Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of the Centre for Molecular Systems Biology of the University of Turin, Italy.


1978 “Laurea” in Biological Sciences, University of Turin

1979-83 Post-doctoral Fellow, RBM Institute for Biomedical Research, Ivrea (Italy).
Development and Quality Control of breast tumor tissue prognostic markers.

1983-86 Visiting Associate, Lab. of Pathophysiology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda (US).
Role of RAS and MYC proto-oncogenes in experimental and human mammary tumors.

1986-90 Assistant Professor in Biochemistry, Dept. of Animal Biology, University of Turin.
Group leader; role of proto-oncogenes in mammary development and cancer.

1991 Visiting Scientist, Friedrich Miescher Institut, Basel (Switzerland).
Cross-talk between estrogen and growth factor receptors in breast cancer cells.

1992-98 Assistant Professor in Biochemisty, Dept. of Animal & Human Biology, University of Turin.
Group leader; transcriptional control by estrogen and growth factors in breast cancer cells.

1999 Visiting Scientist, Rosenfeld Lab, HHMI, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla (US).
Set-up of the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay to identifying in vivo binding of transcription factors to chromatin.

1999-2007 Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, Dept. of Oncological Sciences, Lab. of Gynecological Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research & Treatment, Candiolo (Italy).
Scientific supervisor;
- genomic regulation by estrogen in breast cancer cells;
- role of AP-2 transcription factors in neoplastic growth control;
- gene expression profiling in breast tumors for prognosis and prediction of response to endocrine therapy.

Present Full Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Center "Molecular Systems Biology", University of Turin.
( www.msb.unito.it ).
Chief of the Molecular Systems Biology Lab, hosted at the Bioindustry Park “Silvano Fumero” (Colleretto Giacosa, Italy)
( www.bioindustrypark.it ).

Current Research:

i) role of unliganded ERα and regulatory corepressors in the epigenetic control of epithelial gene expression.
ii) transcriptional / post-transcriptional gene networks;
iii) micro-RNA in breast cancer and interaction with the estrogen-controlled pathways;
iv) regulation of short and long noncoding RNA transcription by estrogen and related pathways in breast cancer cells;
v) epigenetic modifications as markers for detection of response to endocrine therapy in breast cancer;
vi) R&D activity on the developments of pharmacological targets to revert endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer;

1: Ferraro L, Ravo M, Nassa G, Tarallo R, De Filippo MR, Giurato G, Cirillo F,
Stellato C, Silvestro S, Cantarella C, Rizzo F, Cimino D, Friard O, Biglia N, De
Bortoli M, Cicatiello L, Nola E, Weisz A. Effects of Oestrogen on MicroRNA
Expression in Hormone-Responsive Breast Cancer Cells. Horm Cancer. 2012 Jan 25.
[Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 22274890.


2: Cutrupi S, Reineri S, Panetto A, Grosso E, Caizzi L, Ricci L, Friard O, Agati
S, Scatolini M, Chiorino G, Lykkesfeldt AE, De Bortoli M. Targeting of the
adaptor protein Tab2 as a novel approach to revert tamoxifen resistance in breast
cancer cells. Oncogene. 2012 Jan 16. doi: 10.1038/onc.2011.627. [Epub ahead of
print] PubMed PMID: 22249258.


3: Courtin A, Communal L, Vilasco M, Cimino D, Mourra N, de Bortoli M, Taverna D,
Faussat AM, Chaouat M, Forgez P, Gompel A. Glucocorticoid receptor activity
discriminates between progesterone and medroxyprogesterone acetate effects in
breast cells. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2012 Jan;131(1):49-63. Epub 2011 Feb 19.
PubMed PMID: 21336598.


4: Friard O, Re A, Taverna D, De Bortoli M, Corá D. CircuitsDB: a database of
mixed microRNA/transcription factor feed-forward regulatory circuits in human and
mouse. BMC Bioinformatics. 2010 Aug 23;11:435. PubMed PMID: 20731828; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC2936401.


5: Cicatiello L, Mutarelli M, Grober OM, Paris O, Ferraro L, Ravo M, Tarallo R,
Luo S, Schroth GP, Seifert M, Zinser C, Chiusano ML, Traini A, De Bortoli M,
Weisz A. Estrogen receptor alpha controls a gene network in luminal-like breast
cancer cells comprising multiple transcription factors and microRNAs. Am J
Pathol. 2010 May;176(5):2113-30. Epub 2010 Mar 26. PubMed PMID: 20348243; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC2861078.


6: Fortunati N, Bertino S, Costantino L, De Bortoli M, Compagnone A, Bandino A,
Catalano MG, Boccuzzi G. Valproic acid restores ER alpha and antiestrogen
sensitivity to ER alpha-negative breast cancer cells. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2010
Jan 15;314(1):17-22. Epub 2009 Sep 20. PubMed PMID: 19772891.


7: Orso F, Jäger R, Calogero RA, Schorle H, Sismondi P, De Bortoli M, Taverna D.
AP-2alpha regulates migration of GN-11 neurons via a specific genetic programme
involving the Axl receptor tyrosine kinase. BMC Biol. 2009 May 22;7:25. PubMed
PMID: 19463168; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2700071.


8: Cardamone MD, Bardella C, Gutierrez A, Di Croce L, Rosenfeld MG, Di Renzo MF,
De Bortoli M. ERalpha as ligand-independent activator of CDH-1 regulates
determination and maintenance of epithelial morphology in breast cancer cells.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 May 5;106(18):7420-5. Epub 2009 Apr 21. PubMed
PMID: 19383788; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2671327.


9: Cimino D, Fuso L, Sfiligoi C, Biglia N, Ponzone R, Maggiorotto F, Russo G,
Cicatiello L, Weisz A, Taverna D, Sismondi P, De Bortoli M. Identification of new
genes associated with breast cancer progression by gene expression analysis of
predefined sets of neoplastic tissues. Int J Cancer. 2008 Sep 15;123(6):1327-38.
PubMed PMID: 18561318.


10: Orso F, Penna E, Cimino D, Astanina E, Maione F, Valdembri D, Giraudo E,
Serini G, Sismondi P, De Bortoli M, Taverna D. AP-2alpha and AP-2gamma regulate
tumor progression via specific genetic programs. FASEB J. 2008 Aug;22(8):2702-14.
Epub 2008 Apr 28. PubMed PMID: 18443366.


11: Ravo M, Mutarelli M, Ferraro L, Grober OM, Paris O, Tarallo R, Vigilante A,
Cimino D, De Bortoli M, Nola E, Cicatiello L, Weisz A. Quantitative expression
profiling of highly degraded RNA from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded breast
tumor biopsies by oligonucleotide microarrays. Lab Invest. 2008 Apr;88(4):430-40.
Epub 2008 Feb 25. PubMed PMID: 18305565.


12: Orso F, Fassetta M, Penna E, Solero A, De Filippo K, Sismondi P, De Bortoli
M, Taverna D. The AP-2alpha transcription factor regulates tumor cell migration
and apoptosis. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;604:87-95. PubMed PMID: 17695722.


13: Filigheddu N, Cutrupi S, Porporato PE, Riboni F, Baldanzi G, Chianale F,
Fortina E, Piantanida P, De Bortoli M, Vacca G, Graziani A, Surico N.
Diacylglycerol kinase is required for HGF-induced invasiveness and
anchorage-independent growth of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Anticancer Res.
2007 May-Jun;27(3B):1489-92. PubMed PMID: 17595766.


14: Sismondi P, Biglia N, Ponzone R, Fuso L, Scafoglio C, Cicatiello L, Ravo M,
Weisz A, Cimino D, Altobelli G, Friard O, De Bortoli M. Influence of estrogens
and antiestrogens on the expression of selected hormone-responsive genes.
Maturitas. 2007 May 20;57(1):50-5. Epub 2007 Mar 28. PubMed PMID: 17395409.
No projects are available to students for the current accademic year.