Antonio Feliciello
Antonio Feliciello
e-mail:
affiliation: Università di Napoli Federico II
research area(s): Cancer Biology, Experimental Medicine
Course: Molecular Pathology and Pathophysiology
University/Istitution: Università di Napoli Federico II
Antonio Feliciello was born in Italy on 1965. He received the MD degree (1990), the PhD in Molecular Physiopathology (1996) and the Specialty in Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders (1999). Until october 2008, he served as Assistant Professor and since then as Associate Professor of Pathology at University of Naples. He was fellow of the Italian Association for Research on Cancer (AIRC, 1995-1996), International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, 1996-1997), and Italian Ministry of the Research and University (1998-2000). He was Research Associate Scholar at The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies of America (2005) NY and Young Investigator of the American Cancer Society (UICC/ACS, 2005-2006) Columbia University, NY. He has been awarded by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) Yamagiwa-Yoshida Memorial International Cancer Study Grant (2009) at Columbia University, NY.
The main interest of our research activities is the identification of molecular events underlying cell response to hormone stimulation, with special focus on cAMP signaling. Protein phosphorylation is an evolutionarily conserved postranslational mechanism that eukaryotic cells adopt to control complex biological acitivities, as growth, differentiation, apoptosis, ion chanel activity and synaptic transmission. In eukaryotes, most of the biological effects of the cAMP are mediated by protein kinase A (PKA). Binding of cAMP to the regulatory subunit (R) of PKA holoenzyme releases the catalytic subunit (PKAc) which phosphorylates a wide array of cellular substrates, controlling fundamental aspects of cell physiology. PKA is targeted to intracellular sites by interaction to A-Kinase Anchoring Proteins (AKAPs). AKAPs form a "transduceosome" that assembles components of the cAMP generating systems (receptors and adenylate cyclase), effectors (PKA and Epac) and attenuating enzymes, as cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) and phosphatases (PPs). Dynamic regulation between cAMP signal generation and effector enzymes provides a control mechanism that directs, integrates and locally attenuates the cAMP cascade. We have recently demonstrated that AKAPs and PKA can be regulated at post-translational mechanism by the Ubiquitin Proteasome System (UPS). Degradation of the AKAP-PKA module leads to profound changes in cell responsiveness to ligands that activate cAMP pathway and deeply impacts on fundamental aspects of cell physiology.
Perrino, C.*, Feliciello, A.*, Schiattarella GG, Esposito G, Guerriero R, Zaccaro L, Del Gatto A, Saviano M, Garbi C, Carangi R, Di Lorenzo E, Donato G, Indolfi C, Avvedimento VE, Chiariello M. (2010) AKAP121 downregulation impairs protective cAMP signals, promotes mitochondrial dysfunction, and increases oxidative stress. Cardiovasc. Res. Oct 1; 88(1):101-10.* corresponding authors

Carlucci, A., Porpora, M., Garbi, C., Galgani, M., Santoriello, M., Mascolo, M., di Lorenzo, D., Altieri, V., Quarto, M., Terracciano, L., Gottesman, M.E., Insabato, L., Feliciello, A. (2010) PTPD1 supports receptor stability and mitogenic signaling in bladder cancer cells. J. Biol. Chem. 285, 39260-39270.

Lignitto, L., Carlucci, A., Sepe, M., Stefan, E., Cuomo, O., Nisticò, R., Scorziello, A., Savoia, C., Garbi, C., Annunziato, L., and Feliciello, A. (2011) Control of PKA stability and signalling by RING ligase praja2. Nat. Cell Biol.

Lignitto, L., Sepe, M., Carlucci, A., and Feliciello, A. (2011) Intimate connection between ubiquitination and compartmentalised cAMP signaling. Cell Cycle 10, 2011 Jul 1;10(13). [Epub ahead of print].
Project Title:
Dynamic regulation between cAMP and the ubiquitin proteasome pathway.


Project Title:
Role of compartmentalized cAMP signaling in the control of oxidative metabolism.