Nicola Franchi

Senior Post-doc, PhD

Ascidian Biology Lab

Dipartimento di Biologia - Università di Padova

Nicola Franchi is PhD at the Dipartimento di Biologia of the University of Padova since 2011, when he achieved this qualification with the dissertation “Identification and characterization of metallothionein genes and other detoxifying proteins in ascidians”.

He previously got a MSc degree in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Padova in July 2005 with full marks cum laude with a thesis entitled “A soluble rhamnose-binding lectin in the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri: molecular and biochemical characterisation and phylogenetic comparison”.

After a short experience (2006) in a private laboratory of environmental analysis (Centro analisi chimiche srl, Rubano, Padova) where he carried out chemical and microbiological analyses, he got a fellowship (2007) at the laboratory of ascidian biology of the Dipartimento di Biologia of the University of Padova.

He was awarded the “SIICS Prize” during the 11th National Meeting Italian of the Association of Developmental and Comparative Immunobiology (Modena, 2009, 24-26 February) and the “UZI Prize” for his scientific production on biodiversity and evolution during the 71th National Congress of the Italian Zoological Union (Palermo, 2010).

Now, he is working with molecular and biochemical analysis on proteins involved in stress reactions and immune responses of tunicates - e.g. Botryllus and Ciona - to various bacteria and heavy metals. In particular, the research activity is carrying out into the detection of molecules involved in the complement activation pathway as well as complement receptors and regulators in tunicates and echinoderms.

Histological analyses and haemocyte cultures are used for the identification of the tissues responsible of the transcription and transduction of these molecules. Techniques cover biochemistry, molecular biology, cytochemistry and light microscopy.

Publications

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Papers

2005    

    1) Ballarin L., Menin A., Franchi N., Bertoloni G., Cima F., 2005. Morula cells and non-self recognition in the         compound ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Invert. Surv. J., 2: 1-5.

2008

    2) Gasparini F., Franchi N., Spolaore B,. Ballarin L. (2008). Novel rhamnose-binding lectins from the colonial         ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Dev. Comp. Immunol., 32: 1177-1191.

2011

   3) Franchi N., Schiavon F., Carletto M., Gasparini F., Bertoloni G., Tosatto S., Ballarin L., 2011. Immune roles     of a rhamnose-binding lectin in the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Immunobiology, 216: 725-736.

    4) Franchi N., Boldrin F., Ballarin L., Piccinni E., 2011. CiMT-1, an unusual chordate metallothionein gene in         Ciona intestinalis genome: structure and expression studies. J Exp Zool A (Ecol. Genet. Physiol.), 315: 90-            100.

2012

    5) Franchi N., Ferro D., Ballarin L., Santovito G., 2012. Transcription of genes involved in glutathione                     biosynthesis in the solitary tunicate Ciona intestinalis exposed to metals. Aquat. Toxicol., 114-115: 14-22.

2013

    6) Franchi N., Schiavon F., Betti M., Canesi L., Ballarin L., 2013. Insight on signal transduction pathways             involved in phagocytosis in the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. J. Invertebr. Pathol., 112: 260-266.

    7) Franchi N., Ballarin L., 2013. Influence of cadmium on the morphology and functionality of haemocytes in t       the compound ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 158C: 29-35.

    8) Ferro D., Franchi N., Ballarin L., Cammarata M., Mangano V., Rigers B., Parrinello N., Santovito G., 2013.  

    Characterization and metal-induced gene transcription of two new copper zinc superoxide dismutases in the   

    solitary ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Aquat. Toxicol., 140-141: 369-379.

2014

    9) Matozzo V., Franchi N., Ballarin L., 2014. In vitro effects of the nonsteroidal anti-1 inflammatory drug,

    ibuprofen, on the immune parameters of the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Toxicol. In vitro, 28: 778-783.

  10) Franchi N., Piccinni E., Ferro D., Basso G., Spolaore B., Santovito G., Ballarin L., 2014. Characterization

    and transcription studies of a phytochelatin synthase gene from the solitary tunicate Ciona intestinalis exposed

    to cadmium. Aquat. Toxicol., 152: 4756.

  11) Franchi N., Ballarin L., 2014. Preliminary characterization of complement in a colonial tunicate: C3, Bf and

    inhibition of C3 opsonic activity by compstatin. Dev. Comp. Immunol., 46: 430-438.

  12) Franchi N., Hirose E., Ballarin L., 2014. Cellular aspects of allorecognition in the compound ascidian

    Botrylloides simodensis. Invertebr. Surv. J., 11: 219-223.

2015

    13) Franchi N., Ballarin L., Cima F., 2015. Insights on cytotoxic cells of the colonial ascidian Botryllus

     schlosseri. Invertebr.Surv. J., 12: 109-117.

    14) Gasparini F., Manni L., Cima F., Zaniolo G., Burighel P., Caicci F., Franchi N., Schiavon F., Rigon F.,

     Campagna D., Ballarin L., 2015. Sexual and asexual reproduction in the colonial ascidian Botryllus                         schlosseri. Genesis, 53: 105-120.

    15) Cima F., Ballarin L., Caicci F., Franchi N., Gasparini F., Rigon F., Schiavon F., Manni L., 2015. Life history         and ecological genetics of the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Zool. Anz., 257: 54-70.

    16) Ballarin L., Franchi N., Gasparini F., Caicci F., Miyauchi A., Hirose E., 2015. Suppression of cell-spreading         and phagocytic activity on nano-pillared surface: in vitro experiment using hemocytes of the colonial ascidian             Botryllus schlosseri. ISJ-Invert.Survival J., 12: 82-88.

    17) Campagna D., Gasparini F., Franchi N., Manni L., Telatin A., Vitulo N., Ballarin L., Valle G., 2015. 

          SATRAP: SOLiD Assembler TRAnslation Program. PLoS ONE, 10(9): e0137436.

2016

    18) Campagna D., Gasparini F., Franchi N., Vitulo N., Ballin F., Manni L., Valle G., Ballarin L., 2016.                     Transcriptome dynamics in the asexual cycle of the basal chordate Botryllus schlosseri. BMC Genomics, 17:         275.

    19) Franchi N., Ballin F., Manni L., Schiavon F., Basso G., Ballarin L., 2016 Recurrent phagocytosis-induced             apoptosis in the cyclical generation change of the compound ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Dev. Comp.         Immunol., 62: 8-16.

    20) Franchi N., Ballin F., Manni L., Schiavon F., Ballarin L., 2016. Data on four apoptosis-related genes in the         colonial tunicate Botryllus schlosseri. Data Brief, 8: 142-152.

2017

    21) Tasselli S., Ballin, F., Franchi N., Fabbri E., Ballarin L., 2017. Expression of genes involved in oxidative

       stress response in colonies of the ascidian Botryllus schlosseri exposed to various environmental conditions.

       Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 187: 22-27.

    22) Franchi N., Ballin, F., Ballarin L., 2017. Protection from oxidative stress in immunocytes of the colonial

       ascidian Botryllus schlosseri: transcript characterization and expression studies. Biol. Bull., 232: 4557.

    23) Franchi N., Ballarin L., 2017. Morula cells as key hemocytes of the lectin pathway of complement activation

       in the colonial tunicate Botryllus schlosseri. Fish Shellfish Immunol., 63: 157-164.

    24) Franchi N., Ballarin L., 2017. Immunity in Protochordates: the Tunicate perspective. Front. Immunol., 8:

       674.

Books

• 1. Ballarin L., Cammarata M., Franchi N., Parrinello N., 2013. Routes in innate immunity evolution: galectins and rhamnose-binding lectins in ascidians. In: Marine proteins and peptides. Biological activities and applications, Ch. 9, S.-K. Kim Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, pp. 185-206.

1. Franchi N., Ballarin L., 2016. Cytotoxic cells of compound ascidians. In: Lessons in immunity: from single-cell organisms to mammals, Ch. 14, L. Ballarin & M. Cammarata Eds, Elsevier, London, pp. 193-203.

   1. Cima F., Franchi N., Ballarin L., 2016. Origin and function of tunicate hemocytes. In: The evolution of the immune system, Ch. 2, D. Malagoli Ed., Elsevier, London, pp. 29-49.