Rosa Passantino

Research staff

1984 - Degree in Biological Science, 110/110 cum laude, University of study of Palermo, Italy 1989 - PhD in Cellular Biology - Cellular Biology and development, University of study of Palermo, Italy. 2001-2013 - Researcher, Istituto di Biomedicina e Immunologia Molecolare – CNR, Palermo, Italy. 2013-present - Researcher, Istituto di Biofisica – CNR, Palermo, Italy

orcid://0000-0001-6598-2664, ncbi://56567737

Contact:

- Email rosa.passantino@ibf.cnr.it
- Phone +39-091-6809540
- Location Palermo

Research interests:

- Development of bio-adhesives for wet environments from marine mussels (Principal investigator)
- Laboratory of protein engineering for production of recombinant proteins. (Principal investigator)
- Extraction, identification and characterization of naturally occurring compounds and study of their biological activity on cell lines.
- Study of natural and chemically modified natural polymers for biotechnological applications
- Biomolecular Aggregation Processes
- Protein aggregation and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases
- Structure and Functionality of Molecular chaperones

Further collaborations:

- Annalisa Pastore (Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare, Università di Pavia)
- Caterina Alfano (Fondazione Ri.MED, Palermo)
- Clelia Dispenza (Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università di Palermo)

Key publications:

Ditta, L.A., Rao, E., Provenzano, F., Sánchez, J.L., Santonocito, R., Passantino, R., Costa, M.A., Sabatino, M.A., Dispenza, C., Giacomazza, D., San Biagio, P.L., Lapasin, R.Agarose/?-carrageenan-based hydrogel film enriched with natural plant extracts for the treatment of cutaneous wounds. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 164 (2020) 2818–2830

Santonocito R, Venturella F, Dal Piaz F, Morando MA, Provenzano A, Rao E, Costa MA, Bulone D, San Biagio PL, Giacomazza D, Sicorello A, Alfano C, Passantino R, Pastore A. Recombinant mussel protein Pvfp-5?: A potential tissue bioadhesive. Volume 294, Issue 34, J Biol Chem. 2019 Aug 23;294(34):12826-12835. doi: 10.1074/jbc.RA119.009531.

Lefsih K, Giacomazza D, Passantino R, Costa MA, Bulone D, Mangione MR, Guarrasi V, Mingoia F, San Biagio PL, Madani K (2018). Biochemical and biophysical characterization of water-soluble pectin from Opuntia ficus indica and its potential cytotoxic activity. Phytochemistry, 154: 47-55.

Mangione MR, Vilasi S, Marino C, Librizzi F, Canale C, Spigolon D, Bucchieri F, Fucarino A, Passantino R, Cappello F, Bulone D and San Biagio PL (2016). Hsp60, amateur chaperone in amyloid-beta fibrillogenesis. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1860, 2474-83.

Passantino R, Cascio C, Deidda I, Galizzi G, Russo D, Spedale G, Guarneri P (2013). Identifying protein partners of CLN8, an ER-resident protein involved in neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Biochim Biophys Acta. Mar;1833(3):529-40.

Publications (17):

Moringa oleifera Extracts as Strategic Phyto‐Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease
Carrotta, Rita; Vilasi, Silvia; Costa, Maria Assunta; Librizzi, Fabio; Martorana, Vincenzo; Passantino, Rosa; Buzzanca, Carla; di Stefano, Vita; Ortore, Maria Grazia; Piccirillo, Silvia; Preziuso, Alessandra; Magi, Simona; Mangione, Maria Rosalia
FOOD SCIENCE & NUTRITION, 13, 2025
DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.70007

Studying an orphan disease by a biophysical approach: The case of cblC
Vilasi, S.; Longo, L.; Randazzo, L.; Bollati, M.; Carrotta, R.; Costa, M. A.; De Rosa, M.; Mangione, M. R.; Martorana, V.; Milani, M.; Ortore, M. G.; Tutone, M.; Passantino, R.
IL NUOVO CIMENTO C, 47, 2024
DOI: 10.1393/ncc/i2024-24318-2

Oligomeric State and Holding Activity of Hsp60
Caruso Bavisotto, C; Provenzano, A; Passantino, R; Marino Gammazza, A; Cappello, F; SAN BIAGIO, PIER LUIGI; Bulone, D
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, 24, 2023
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24097847

miR-126-3p and miR-21-5p as Hallmarks of Bio-Positive Ageing; Correlation Analysis and Machine Learning Prediction in Young to Ultra-Centenarian Sicilian Population
Accardi G.; Bono F.; Cammarata G.; Aiello A.; Herrero M.T.; Alessandro R.; Augello G.; Carru C.; Colomba P.; Costa M.A.; De Vivo I.; Ligotti M.E.; Curto A.L.; Passantino R.; Taverna S.; Zizzo C.; Duro G.; Caruso C.; Candore G.
cells, 11, 2022
DOI: 10.3390/cells11091505

Recombinant mussel protein Pvfp5? enhances cell adhesion of poly(vinyl alcohol)/k-carrageenan hydrogel scaffolds
Muscolino, Emanuela and Costa, Maria Assunta and Sabatino, Maria Antonietta and Alessi, Sabina and Bulone, Donatella and Biagio, Pier Luigi San and Passantino, Rosa and Giacomazza, Daniela and Dispenza, Clelia
international journal of biological macromolecules, 211, 2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.05.068

Can Be miR-126-3p a Biomarker of Premature Aging? An Ex Vivo and In Vitro Study in Fabry Disease
Lo Curto A; Taverna S; Costa MA; Passantino R; Augello G; Adamo G; Aiello A ; Colomba P; Zizzo C; Zora M; Accardi G; Candore G; Francofonte D; Di Chiara T; Alessandro R; Caruso C; Duro G; Cammarata G;
cells, 2021

Agarose/κ-carrageenan-based hydrogel film enriched with natural plant extracts for the treatment of cutaneous wounds
Ditta, L.A., Rao, E., Provenzano, F., Sánchez, J.L., Santonocito, R., Passantino, R., Costa, M.A., Sabatino, M.A., Dispenza, C., Giacomazza, D., San Biagio, P.L., Lapasin, R.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 164, 2020
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.08.170

Recombinant mussel protein Pvfp-5?: A potential tissue bioadhesive
Santonocito R1, Venturella F2,3, Dal Piaz F4, Morando MA3, Provenzano A, Rao E, Costa MA, Bulone D, San Biagio PL, Giacomazza D, Sicorello A, Alfano C, Passantino R, Pastore A
Journal of biological chemistry, 294, 2019
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.RA119.009531

Water Extract of Cryphaea heteromalla (Hedw.) D. Mohr Bryophyte as a Natural Powerful Source of Biologically Active Compounds
Provenzano F, Sánchez JL, Rao E, Santonocito R, Ditta LA, Borrás Linares I, Passantino R, Campisi P, Dia MG, Costa MA, Segura-Carretero A, San Biagio PL, Giacomazza D
International journal of molecular sciences, 20, 2019
DOI: 10.3390/ijms20225560

Biochemical and biophysical characterization of water-soluble pectin from Opuntia ficus-indica and its potential cytotoxic activity
Lefsih K, Giacomazza D, Passantino R, Costa MA, Bulone D, Mangione MR, Guarrasi V, Mingoia F, San Biagio PL, Madani K
Phytochemistry, 154, 2018
DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2018.06.015

Biophysical characterization of asolectin-squalene liposomes
Costa MA, Mangione MR, Santonocito R, Passantino R, Giacomazza D, Librizzi F, Moran O, Carrotta R
Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 170, 2018
DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.06.032

The precious content of the olive mill wastewater: The protective effects of the antioxidant fraction in cell cultures
Giacomazza D, D'Andrea D, Provenzano A, Picone P, Provenzano F, Guarrasi V, Raimondo M, San Biagio PL, Passantino R, Mangione MR, Di Carlo M, Costa MA
CyTA: journal of food, 16, 2018
DOI: 10.1080/19476337.2018.1458752

Bioactive compounds from extra virgin olive oils: Correlation between phenolic content and oxidative stress cell protection
Presti G, Guarrasi V, Gulotta E, Provenzano F, Provenzano A, Giuliano S, Monfreda M, Mangione MR, Passantino R, San Biagio PL, Costa MA, Giacomazza D
Biophysical chemistry , 230, 2017
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2017.09.002

Pectin from Opuntia ficus indica: Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction and preliminary characterization
Lefsih K, Giacomazza D, Dahmoune F, Mangione MR, Bulone D, San Biagio PL, Passantino R, Costa MA, Guarrasi V, Madani K
Food chemistry, 221, 2017
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.10.073

Hsp60, amateur chaperone in amyloid-beta fibrillogenesis
Mangione MR, Vilasi S, Marino C, Librizzi F, Canale C, Spigolon D, Bucchieri F, Fucarino A, Passantino R, Cappello F, Bulone D, San Biagio PL
Biochimica et biophysica acta. G, General subjects, 1860, 2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.07.019

Temperature-induced self-assembly of degalactosylated xyloglucan at low concentration
Todaro S.; Dispenza C.; Sabatino M.A.; Ortore M.G.; Passantino R.; San Biagio P.L.; Bulone D.
Journal of polymer science. Part B, Polymer physics, 53, 2015
DOI: 10.1002/polb.23895

Expression of vesicle-associated membrane-protein-associated protein B cleavage products in peripheral blood leukocytes and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Deidda, I.; Galizzi, G.; Passantino, R.; Cascio, C.; Russo, D.; Colletti, T.; La Bella, V.; Guarneri, P.
European journal of neurology, 21, 2014
DOI: 10.1111/ene.12334