Developed skills and lines of research

Giovanni Bertoni graduated in Biology from the University of Milan in 1989. In 1993, at the same university, he obtained a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Since 2010, he has been an associate professor in the Department of Biosciences at the University of Milan. His research has focused on the mechanisms of host adaptation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa; on new proteomic approaches to studying the cell membrane of P. aeruginosa; on regulatory systems based on sRNA; and on molecular genetics and proteomics related to P. aeruginosa. In the field of cystic fibrosis, he has investigated the possibility of alternative pathways for developing an anti-Pseudomonas vaccine. More recently, he has focused on designing antibiotics with a novel mechanism of action, based on the antivirulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa via sRNA.

Projects funded by FFC Ricerca as Principal Investigator or as Research Manager

FFC#5/2024
Targeting bacterial small RNA to develop non-traditional therapeutic options against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

FFC#14/2021
Targeting small RNA-mediated regulation of virulence and antibiotic resistance to develop non-traditional therapeutic options against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

FFC#10/2020
Targeting small RNA-mediated regulation of virulence and antibiotic resistance to develop non-traditional therapeutic options against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

FFC#14/2016
Role of small RNA-based regulatory systems in cystic fibrosis airways infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a new frontier in the identification of molecular targets for novel antibacterials

FFC#13/2015
Ruolo di sistemi regolati da piccoli RNA non codificanti nell’infezione di Pseudomonas aeruginosa delle vie aeree in malati di fibrosi cistica: una nuova frontiera nell’identificazione di bersagli molecolari per antibatterici innovativi

FFC#6/2008
Disegno di antibiotici non-convenzionali contro i patogeni correlati alla fibrosi cistica

FFC#6/2006
Identificazione genomica di target batterici per disegnare nuovi antibiotici contro i batteri patogeni correlati alla fibrosi cistica

FFC#10/2004
Identificazione su tutto il genoma di un target di geni per disegnare antibiotici non convenzionali contro i patogeni correlati alla fibrosi cistica

Projects funded by FFC Ricerca as Partner

FFC#10/2009
Validazione di nuovi candidati vaccini in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

FFC #6/2007
Caratterizzazione di un target di superficie in Pseudomonas aeruginosa per il disegno razionale di nuove molecole antibiotiche

FFC#8/2006
Analisi del genoma di Pseudomonas aeruginosa per l’identificazione di bersagli utili per lo sviluppo di una nuova terapia immunitaria

Publications from FFC Research projects

Bianconi I, Milani A, Cigana C et al., Positive signature-tagged mutagenesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: tracking patho-adaptive mutations promoting airways chronic infection., PLoS Pathogens, 2011, 7(2):e1001270

Alcalá-Franco B, Montanari S, Cigana C et al., Antibiotic pressure compensates the biological cost associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa hypermutable phenotypes in vitro and in a murine model of chronic airways infection., Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2012, 67(4):962-9

Vecchietti D, Di Silvestre D, Miriani M et al. Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cell envelope proteome by capture of surface-exposed proteins on activated magnetic nanoparticles PLoS ONE 2012, 7(11):e51062

Milani A, Vecchietti D, Rusmini R, Bertoni G, TgpA, a protein with a eukaryotic-like transglutaminase domain, plays a critical role in the viability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa., PLoS ONE, 2012, 7(11):e50323

Baldan R, Testa F, Lorè NI et al. Factors contributing to epidemic MRSA clones replacement in a hospital setting., PLoS ONE, 2012, 7(8):e43153

Rusmini R, Vecchietti D, Macchi R et al., Shotgun antisense approach to the identification of novel essential genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, BMC Microbiology, 2014, doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-14-24

Falcone M, Ferrara S, Rossi E, et al., The Small RNA ErsA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Contributes to Biofilm Development and Motility through Post-transcriptional Modulation of AmrZ. Front Microbiol. 2018 Feb 15;9:238. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00238. eCollection 2018.