Gabriella Sole
Ricercatore ( Researcher)
Area of interest:
I am manly interested in statistical genetic analyses of quantitative traits related to immune system.
I also perform statistical analysis in order to assess the influence of age, sex and other environmental variables on immune response.
Most significant publications:
2017
Iuculano, Ambra; Stagnati, Valentina; Serrenti, Marianna; Peddes, Cristina; Monni, Giovanni; Sole, Gabriella; Cucca, Francesco
Crown-rump length: are they different or similar after homologous vs heterologous oocyte/embryo donation? Journal Article
In: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2017, ISSN: 1097-6868.
@article{iuculano_crown-rump_2017,
title = {Crown-rump length: are they different or similar after homologous vs heterologous oocyte/embryo donation?},
author = {Ambra Iuculano and Valentina Stagnati and Marianna Serrenti and Cristina Peddes and Giovanni Monni and Gabriella Sole and Francesco Cucca},
doi = {10.1016/j.ajog.2017.05.031},
issn = {1097-6868},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-05-01},
journal = {American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Steri, Maristella; Orrù, Valeria; Idda, Laura M; Pitzalis, Maristella; Pala, Mauro; Zara, Ilenia; Sidore, Carlo; Faà, Valeria; Floris, Matteo; Deiana, Manila; Asunis, Isadora; Porcu, Eleonora; Mulas, Antonella; Piras, Maria G; Lobina, Monia; Lai, Sandra; Marongiu, Mara; Serra, Valentina; Marongiu, Michele; Sole, Gabriella; Busonero, Fabio; Maschio, Andrea; Cusano, Roberto; Cuccuru, Gianmauro; Deidda, Francesca; Poddie, Fausto; Farina, Gabriele; Dei, Mariano; Virdis, Francesca; Olla, Stefania; Satta, Maria A; Pani, Mario; Delitala, Alessandro; Cocco, Eleonora; Frau, Jessica; Coghe, Giancarlo; Lorefice, Lorena; Fenu, Giuseppe; Ferrigno, Paola; Ban, Maria; Barizzone, Nadia; Leone, Maurizio; Guerini, Franca R; Piga, Matteo; Firinu, Davide; Kockum, Ingrid; Bomfim, Izaura Lima; Olsson, Tomas; Alfredsson, Lars; Suarez, Ana; Carreira, Patricia E; Castillo-Palma, Maria J; Marcus, Joseph H; Congia, Mauro; Angius, Andrea; Melis, Maurizio; Gonzalez, Antonio; Riquelme, Marta E Alarcón; da Silva, Berta M; Marchini, Maurizio; Danieli, Maria G; Giacco, Stefano Del; Mathieu, Alessandro; Pani, Antonello; Montgomery, Stephen B; Rosati, Giulio; Hillert, Jan; Sawcer, Stephen; D'Alfonso, Sandra; Todd, John A; Novembre, John; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Whalen, Michael B; Marrosu, Maria G; Meloni, Alessandra; Sanna, Serena; Gorospe, Myriam; Schlessinger, David; Fiorillo, Edoardo; Zoledziewska, Magdalena; Cucca, Francesco
Overexpression of the Cytokine BAFF and Autoimmunity Risk Journal Article
In: The New England Journal of Medicine, 376 (17), pp. 1615–1626, 2017, ISSN: 1533-4406, (See Editorials, Korn T, Oukka M. A BAFFling Association between Malaria Resistance and the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis. N Engl J Med. 2017 Apr 27;376(17):1680-1681. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe1700720.; Stohl W., Systemic lupus erythematosus: BAFF emerges from the genetic shadows. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2017 Jun 15. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2017.99; Comabella M. Neuroimmunology: B cells and variant BAFF in autoimmune disease. Nat Rev Neurol. 2017 Jun 16. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.87.).
@article{steri_overexpression_2017,
title = {Overexpression of the Cytokine BAFF and Autoimmunity Risk},
author = {Maristella Steri and Valeria Orrù and Laura M Idda and Maristella Pitzalis and Mauro Pala and Ilenia Zara and Carlo Sidore and Valeria Faà and Matteo Floris and Manila Deiana and Isadora Asunis and Eleonora Porcu and Antonella Mulas and Maria G Piras and Monia Lobina and Sandra Lai and Mara Marongiu and Valentina Serra and Michele Marongiu and Gabriella Sole and Fabio Busonero and Andrea Maschio and Roberto Cusano and Gianmauro Cuccuru and Francesca Deidda and Fausto Poddie and Gabriele Farina and Mariano Dei and Francesca Virdis and Stefania Olla and Maria A Satta and Mario Pani and Alessandro Delitala and Eleonora Cocco and Jessica Frau and Giancarlo Coghe and Lorena Lorefice and Giuseppe Fenu and Paola Ferrigno and Maria Ban and Nadia Barizzone and Maurizio Leone and Franca R Guerini and Matteo Piga and Davide Firinu and Ingrid Kockum and Izaura {Lima Bomfim} and Tomas Olsson and Lars Alfredsson and Ana Suarez and Patricia E Carreira and Maria J Castillo-Palma and Joseph H Marcus and Mauro Congia and Andrea Angius and Maurizio Melis and Antonio Gonzalez and Marta E {Alarc{ó}n Riquelme} and Berta M da Silva and Maurizio Marchini and Maria G Danieli and Stefano {Del Giacco} and Alessandro Mathieu and Antonello Pani and Stephen B Montgomery and Giulio Rosati and Jan Hillert and Stephen Sawcer and Sandra D'Alfonso and John A Todd and John Novembre and Gon{ç}alo R Abecasis and Michael B Whalen and Maria G Marrosu and Alessandra Meloni and Serena Sanna and Myriam Gorospe and David Schlessinger and Edoardo Fiorillo and Magdalena Zoledziewska and Francesco Cucca},
doi = {10.1056/NEJMoa1610528},
issn = {1533-4406},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
journal = {The New England Journal of Medicine},
volume = {376},
number = {17},
pages = {1615--1626},
abstract = {BACKGROUND: Genomewide association studies of autoimmune diseases have mapped hundreds of susceptibility regions in the genome. However, only for a few association signals has the causal gene been identified, and for even fewer have the causal variant and underlying mechanism been defined. Coincident associations of DNA variants affecting both the risk of autoimmune disease and quantitative immune variables provide an informative route to explore disease mechanisms and drug-targetable pathways.
METHODS: Using case-control samples from Sardinia, Italy, we performed a genomewide association study in multiple sclerosis followed by TNFSF13B locus-specific association testing in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Extensive phenotyping of quantitative immune variables, sequence-based fine mapping, cross-population and cross-phenotype analyses, and gene-expression studies were used to identify the causal variant and elucidate its mechanism of action. Signatures of positive selection were also investigated.
RESULTS: A variant in TNFSF13B, encoding the cytokine and drug target B-cell activating factor (BAFF), was associated with multiple sclerosis as well as SLE. The disease-risk allele was also associated with up-regulated humoral immunity through increased levels of soluble BAFF, B lymphocytes, and immunoglobulins. The causal variant was identified: an insertion-deletion variant, GCTGT→A (in which A is the risk allele), yielded a shorter transcript that escaped microRNA inhibition and increased production of soluble BAFF, which in turn up-regulated humoral immunity. Population genetic signatures indicated that this autoimmunity variant has been evolutionarily advantageous, most likely by augmenting resistance to malaria.
CONCLUSIONS: A TNFSF13B variant was associated with multiple sclerosis and SLE, and its effects were clarified at the population, cellular, and molecular levels. (Funded by the Italian Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis and others.).},
note = {See Editorials, Korn T, Oukka M. A BAFFling Association between Malaria Resistance and the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis. N Engl J Med. 2017 Apr 27;376(17):1680-1681. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe1700720.; Stohl W., Systemic lupus erythematosus: BAFF emerges from the genetic shadows. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2017 Jun 15. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2017.99; Comabella M. Neuroimmunology: B cells and variant BAFF in autoimmune disease. Nat Rev Neurol. 2017 Jun 16. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.87.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
METHODS: Using case-control samples from Sardinia, Italy, we performed a genomewide association study in multiple sclerosis followed by TNFSF13B locus-specific association testing in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Extensive phenotyping of quantitative immune variables, sequence-based fine mapping, cross-population and cross-phenotype analyses, and gene-expression studies were used to identify the causal variant and elucidate its mechanism of action. Signatures of positive selection were also investigated.
RESULTS: A variant in TNFSF13B, encoding the cytokine and drug target B-cell activating factor (BAFF), was associated with multiple sclerosis as well as SLE. The disease-risk allele was also associated with up-regulated humoral immunity through increased levels of soluble BAFF, B lymphocytes, and immunoglobulins. The causal variant was identified: an insertion-deletion variant, GCTGT→A (in which A is the risk allele), yielded a shorter transcript that escaped microRNA inhibition and increased production of soluble BAFF, which in turn up-regulated humoral immunity. Population genetic signatures indicated that this autoimmunity variant has been evolutionarily advantageous, most likely by augmenting resistance to malaria.
CONCLUSIONS: A TNFSF13B variant was associated with multiple sclerosis and SLE, and its effects were clarified at the population, cellular, and molecular levels. (Funded by the Italian Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis and others.).
2013
Orrù, Valeria; Steri, Maristella; Sole, Gabriella; Sidore, Carlo; Virdis, Francesca; Dei, Mariano; Lai, Sandra; Zoledziewska, Magdalena; Busonero, Fabio; Mulas, Antonella; Floris, Matteo; Mentzen, Wieslawa I; Urru, Silvana A M; Olla, Stefania; Marongiu, Michele; Piras, Maria G; Lobina, Monia; Maschio, Andrea; Pitzalis, Maristella; Urru, Maria F; Marcelli, Marco; Cusano, Roberto; Deidda, Francesca; Serra, Valentina; Oppo, Manuela; Pilu, Rosella; Reinier, Frederic; Berutti, Riccardo; Pireddu, Luca; Zara, Ilenia; Porcu, Eleonora; Kwong, Alan; Brennan, Christine; Tarrier, Brendan; Lyons, Robert; Kang, Hyun M; Uzzau, Sergio; Atzeni, Rossano; Valentini, Maria; Firinu, Davide; Leoni, Lidia; Rotta, Gianluca; Naitza, Silvia; Angius, Andrea; Congia, Mauro; Whalen, Michael B; Jones, Chris M; Schlessinger, David; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Fiorillo, Edoardo; Sanna, Serena; Cucca, Francesco
Genetic variants regulating immune cell levels in health and disease. Journal Article
In: Cell, 155 (1), pp. 242–56, 2013, ISSN: 1097-4172.
@article{orru_genetic_2013,
title = {Genetic variants regulating immune cell levels in health and disease.},
author = {Valeria Orrù and Maristella Steri and Gabriella Sole and Carlo Sidore and Francesca Virdis and Mariano Dei and Sandra Lai and Magdalena Zoledziewska and Fabio Busonero and Antonella Mulas and Matteo Floris and Wieslawa I Mentzen and Silvana A M Urru and Stefania Olla and Michele Marongiu and Maria G Piras and Monia Lobina and Andrea Maschio and Maristella Pitzalis and Maria F Urru and Marco Marcelli and Roberto Cusano and Francesca Deidda and Valentina Serra and Manuela Oppo and Rosella Pilu and Frederic Reinier and Riccardo Berutti and Luca Pireddu and Ilenia Zara and Eleonora Porcu and Alan Kwong and Christine Brennan and Brendan Tarrier and Robert Lyons and Hyun M Kang and Sergio Uzzau and Rossano Atzeni and Maria Valentini and Davide Firinu and Lidia Leoni and Gianluca Rotta and Silvia Naitza and Andrea Angius and Mauro Congia and Michael B Whalen and Chris M Jones and David Schlessinger and Gon{ç}alo R Abecasis and Edoardo Fiorillo and Serena Sanna and Francesco Cucca},
doi = {10.1016/j.cell.2013.08.041},
issn = {1097-4172},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-09-01},
journal = {Cell},
volume = {155},
number = {1},
pages = {242--56},
abstract = {The complex network of specialized cells and molecules in the immune system has evolved to defend against pathogens, but inadvertent immune system attacks on "self" result in autoimmune disease. Both genetic regulation of immune cell levels and their relationships with autoimmunity are largely undetermined. Here, we report genetic contributions to quantitative levels of 95 cell types encompassing 272 immune traits, in a cohort of 1,629 individuals from four clustered Sardinian villages. We first estimated trait heritability, showing that it can be substantial, accounting for up to 87% of the variance (mean 41%). Next, by assessing ∼8.2 million variants that we identified and confirmed in an extended set of 2,870 individuals, 23 independent variants at 13 loci associated with at least one trait. Notably, variants at three loci (HLA, IL2RA, and SH2B3/ATXN2) overlap with known autoimmune disease associations. These results connect specific cellular phenotypes to specific genetic variants, helping to explicate their involvement in disease.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2011
Dottorini, Tania; Sole, Gabriella; Nunziangeli, Luisa; Baldracchini, Francesca; Senin, Nicola; Mazzoleni, Giorgio; Proietti, Carla; Balaci, Lenuta; Crisanti, Andrea
Serum IgE reactivity profiling in an asthma affected cohort Journal Article
In: PloS One, 6 (8), pp. e22319, 2011, ISSN: 1932-6203.
@article{dottorini_serum_2011,
title = {Serum IgE reactivity profiling in an asthma affected cohort},
author = {Tania Dottorini and Gabriella Sole and Luisa Nunziangeli and Francesca Baldracchini and Nicola Senin and Giorgio Mazzoleni and Carla Proietti and Lenuta Balaci and Andrea Crisanti},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0022319},
issn = {1932-6203},
year = {2011},
date = {2011-01-01},
journal = {PloS One},
volume = {6},
number = {8},
pages = {e22319},
abstract = {BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence indicates that atopic asthma correlates with high serum IgE levels though the contribution of allergen specific IgE to the pathogenesis and the severity of the disease is still unclear.
METHODS: We developed a microarray immunoassay containing 103 allergens to study the IgE reactivity profiles of 485 asthmatic and 342 non-asthmatic individuals belonging to families whose members have a documented history of asthma and atopy. We employed k-means clustering, to investigate whether a particular IgE reactivity profile correlated with asthma and other atopic conditions such as rhinitis, conjunctivitis and eczema.
RESULTS: Both case-control and parent-to-siblings analyses demonstrated that while the presence of specific IgE against individual allergens correlated poorly with pathological conditions, particular reactivity profiles were significantly associated with asthma (p<10E-09). An artificial neural network (ANN)-based algorithm, calibrated with the profile reactivity data, correctly classified as asthmatic or non-asthmatic 78% of the individual examined. Multivariate statistical analysis demonstrated that the familiar relationships of the study population did not affect the observed correlations.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that asthma is a higher-order phenomenon related to patterns of IgE reactivity rather than to single antibody reactions. This notion sheds new light on the pathogenesis of the disease and can be readily employed to distinguish asthmatic and non-asthmatic individuals on the basis of their serum reactivity profile.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
METHODS: We developed a microarray immunoassay containing 103 allergens to study the IgE reactivity profiles of 485 asthmatic and 342 non-asthmatic individuals belonging to families whose members have a documented history of asthma and atopy. We employed k-means clustering, to investigate whether a particular IgE reactivity profile correlated with asthma and other atopic conditions such as rhinitis, conjunctivitis and eczema.
RESULTS: Both case-control and parent-to-siblings analyses demonstrated that while the presence of specific IgE against individual allergens correlated poorly with pathological conditions, particular reactivity profiles were significantly associated with asthma (p<10E-09). An artificial neural network (ANN)-based algorithm, calibrated with the profile reactivity data, correctly classified as asthmatic or non-asthmatic 78% of the individual examined. Multivariate statistical analysis demonstrated that the familiar relationships of the study population did not affect the observed correlations.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that asthma is a higher-order phenomenon related to patterns of IgE reactivity rather than to single antibody reactions. This notion sheds new light on the pathogenesis of the disease and can be readily employed to distinguish asthmatic and non-asthmatic individuals on the basis of their serum reactivity profile.
- Monserrato
- gabriella.sole@irgb.cnr.it
- 070 6754593