Maristella Pitzalis

Researcher

Area of interest:

My research focuses on the genetic study of autoimmune common diseases in Sardinia and related biomedical quantitative traits. I am organizing the cases-controls collection, biobank and datasets management. I employ methods of molecular biology and I’m apply on statistical analysis of genetic data. Research has identified targets and molecular mechanisms key of susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.

Most significant publications:

2017

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.).

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

2015

Danjou, Fabrice; Zoledziewska, Magdalena; Sidore, Carlo; Steri, Maristella; Busonero, Fabio; Maschio, Andrea; Mulas, Antonella; Perseu, Lucia; Barella, Susanna; Porcu, Eleonora; Pistis, Giorgio; Pitzalis, Maristella; Pala, Mauro; Menzel, Stephan; Metrustry, Sarah; Spector, Timothy D; Leoni, Lidia; Angius, Andrea; Uda, Manuela; Moi, Paolo; Thein, Swee Lay; Galanello, Renzo; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Schlessinger, David; Sanna, Serena; Cucca, Francesco

Genome-wide association analyses based on whole-genome sequencing in Sardinia provide insights into regulation of hemoglobin levels Journal Article

In: Nature Genetics, 47 (11), pp. 1264–1271, 2015, ISSN: 1546-1718.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Sidore, Carlo; Busonero, Fabio; Maschio, Andrea; Porcu, Eleonora; Naitza, Silvia; Zoledziewska, Magdalena; Mulas, Antonella; Pistis, Giorgio; Steri, Maristella; Danjou, Fabrice; Kwong, Alan; Vecchyo, Vicente Diego Ortega Del; Chiang, Charleston W K; Bragg-Gresham, Jennifer; Pitzalis, Maristella; Nagaraja, Ramaiah; Tarrier, Brendan; Brennan, Christine; Uzzau, Sergio; Fuchsberger, Christian; Atzeni, Rossano; Reinier, Frederic; Berutti, Riccardo; Huang, Jie; Timpson, Nicholas J; Toniolo, Daniela; Gasparini, Paolo; Malerba, Giovanni; Dedoussis, George; Zeggini, Eleftheria; Soranzo, Nicole; Jones, Chris; Lyons, Robert; Angius, Andrea; Kang, Hyun M; Novembre, John; Sanna, Serena; Schlessinger, David; Cucca, Francesco; Abecasis, Gonçalo R

Genome sequencing elucidates Sardinian genetic architecture and augments association analyses for lipid and blood inflammatory markers Journal Article

In: Nature Genetics, 47 (11), pp. 1272–1281, 2015, ISSN: 1546-1718.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

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.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

Francalacci, Paolo; Morelli, Laura; Angius, Andrea; Berutti, Riccardo; Reinier, Frederic; Atzeni, Rossano; Pilu, Rosella; Busonero, Fabio; Maschio, Andrea; Zara, Ilenia; Sanna, Daria; Useli, Antonella; Urru, Maria Francesca; Marcelli, Marco; Cusano, Roberto; Oppo, Manuela; Zoledziewska, Magdalena; Pitzalis, Maristella; Deidda, Francesca; Porcu, Eleonora; Poddie, Fausto; Kang, Hyun Min; Lyons, Robert; Tarrier, Brendan; Gresham, Jennifer Bragg; Li, Bingshan; Tofanelli, Sergio; Alonso, Santos; Dei, Mariano; Lai, Sandra; Mulas, Antonella; Whalen, Michael B; Uzzau, Sergio; Jones, Chris; Schlessinger, David; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Sanna, Serena; Sidore, Carlo; Cucca, Francesco

Low-pass DNA sequencing of 1200 Sardinians reconstructs European Y-chromosome phylogeny Journal Article

In: Science (New York, N.Y.), 341 (6145), pp. 565–569, 2013, ISSN: 1095-9203.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX