CURRICULUM VITAE
Simona Polo

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Date of birth: 01/28/1968
Nationality: Italian
Marital Status: Married, 2 children

CURRENT POSITIONS
2011 - Senior Group Leader, IFOM, The FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
2019 - Associate Professor, Dipartimento di Oncologia ed Emato-Oncologia (DIPO), University of Milan, Italy

EDUCATION and PREVIOUS POSITIONS
2005 - 2011 Tenure track Group Leader, IFOM, Milan, Italy
2006 - 2019 Researcher, Dipartimento di Oncologia ed Emato-Oncologia (DIPO), University of Milan, Italy
2002 - 2005 Staff scientist, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy
1999 - 2002 Postdoctoral Fellow, IEO, Milan, Italy
1996 - 1999 Postdoctoral Fellow, Dibit San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
1995 - 1996 Postdoctoral Fellow, LePetit Research center, Gerenzano, Italy
1991 - 1995 Post-graduate School in Genetics. University of Milan, Italy
1987 - 1991 M.Sc. in Biology. University of Milan, Italy

CAREER BREAKS
02/2011-07/2011 Maternity leave (Davide)
05/2009-10/2009 Maternity leave (Matteo)

FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
2018 Gold Medal (Ambrogino) for special contribution to the city of Milan
2016 EMBO member
2013 member of the AcademiaNet, portal for excellent female researchers
2009 EMBO Young Investigator Award
1995 LePetit Funds Research Award
1992 Award for Best Graduate Thesis in Genetics (AGI)

SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
Since 2002, I have trained: 14 PhD students (2 currently in progress) 13 Postdocs (4 currently in progress) and 15 Master Students

INTRAMURAL TEACHING ACTIVITIES
2021 - University of Milan, Degree Biomedical Omics. Experimental Design course. 16 hours/year.
2020 - University of Milan, Degree Dietistic. Pathology course. 40 hours/year.
2005- University of Milan, SEMM, PhD program. Fundamental Principles of Molecular Oncology and Biochemistry courses. 4 hours/year.

EXTRAMURAL TEACHING ACTIVITIES
2020 Graduate course ‘Introductory Course in Molecular Biomedicine’, Dept. Life Sciences, University of Trieste. 2019 Graduate course ‘Post translational modifications in cell signaling, development and disease’. University of Milan. 2014 Workshop for young scientists ‘Current topics of the Ubiquitin Biology’ Kyoto, Japan. 2012 Graduate course ‘Endocytosis’ Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 2012 Graduate course ‘Membrane traffic in development and disease’. University Medical Centre Utrecht. 2010 Graduate course ‘Regulation of intracellular protein and lipid traffic’ Universite’ de Lausanne, Lausanne, Swizerland. 2007 Graduate course ‘The ubiquitin-proteasome system in health and disease’ Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

COMMISSIONS OF TRUST
Editor EMBO Reports (2022). Management Committee member of the CA20113 ProteoCure (2021-2025) and of the COST Action BM1307, PROTEOSTASIS (2013-2020). Member of the SAC Advisory Committee Word Wide Cancer Research, former AICR (2013-2019). Panel member Advanced Grant ERC (2014).

INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
2017 - Chair of the Investments committee of IFOM
2017- Coordinator of the Molecular Oncology PhD program (SEMM)
2005 - Member of the Educational Committee Main duty: plan, organize and implement the PhD programs of the SEMM.
2018-2020 Member of the Departmental Council of DIPO
2011-2015 Member of the Scientific and Technical committee Main duty: providing advice and recommendations to the scientific directors of IFOM and IEO for the common facilities

INVITED SPEAKER
Invited speakers > 50 international meetings on ubiquitin and signalling, including:
KEYSTONE symposia (2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2018),
FASEB meetings (2006, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2020,2022),
CSHL meetings (2005, 2011, 2013, 2020),
EMBO meetings (2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022),
FEBS meetings (2006, 2012, 2016, 2017).
Banbury meeting (CSHL, Signaling Through Ubiquitin 14-17 Nov, 2010)
Exciting Biologies series (Plasticity in Biology’, La Jolla, 11-13 Oct 2015).

INVITED ORGANIZER
2022 Organizer EMBO workshop ‘Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-like proteins in health and disease’. Cavtat, Croatia.
2017 Organizer COST/IFOM Advanced lecture Course ‘Ubiquitin-assisted autophagy from mechanisms to pathology’. Milan, Italy.
2017 Organizer ZOMES IX ‘PCI Complexes and ubiquitin defining a hub for protein homeostasis’. Rome Italy.
2014 Organizer EMBO/CONICET Satellite Course ‘Ubiquitin & ubiquitin-like proteins: At the crossroads from chromatin to protein’. Argentina.
2012-14 Organizer EMBO Practical Course on Ubiquitin and Sumo. Alghero, Italy
2008-10 Organizer EMBO Practical Course on Ubiquitin and Sumo. Split, Croatia
2009 Organizer Keystone Symposium ‘The Many Faces of Ubiquitin’. Colorado

PATENTS
1. Hect E3 ligase NEDD4 inhibitors and uses thereof, International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2020/065372.
2. Rantes mutants and therapeutic applications thereof (Fondazione Centro San Raffaele del Monte Tabor). UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE GRANTED PATENT, August 2003

PUBLICATIONS
Research Unique identifier ORCID 0000-0001-5536-9399
Author of 81 peer reviewed ISI-indexed publications,
11 as first author and 31 as last/corresponding author.
Book Chapter: 7
Total Citations (Scopus): 6939
H-index (Scopus): 42

1. Sicari D et al. The NEDD4 ubiquitin E3 ligase: a snapshot view of its functional activity and regulation. Biochem Soc Trans. 2022. doi: 10.1042/BST20210731.
2. Magistrati E et al. Myosin VI regulates ciliogenesis by promoting the turnover of the centrosomal/satellite protein OFD1. EMBO Rep. 2022 doi:10.1525/embr.202154160.
3. Niño CA et al. Recurrent Spliceosome Mutations in Cancer: Mechanisms and Consequences of Aberrant Splice Site Selection. Cancers (Basel). 2022 doi: 10.3390/cancers14020281.
4. Fajner V et al. Hecw controls oogenesis and neuronal homeostasis by promoting the liquid state of ribonucleoprotein particles. Nat Commun. 2021. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-25809-8.
5. Napoletano F et al. The prolyl-isomerase PIN1 is essential for nuclear Lamin-B structure and function and protects heterochromatin under mechanical stress. Cell Rep. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109694.
6. Magistrati E et al. Myomics: myosin VI structural and functional plasticity. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2020.09.005.
7. Niño CA et al. USP25 Regulates EGFR Fate by Modulating EGF-Induced Ubiquitylation Dynamics. Biomolecules, 2020. 10(11).
8. Dhanda AS et al. Listeria monocytogenes Exploits Host Caveolin for Cell-to-Cell Spreading. mBio. 2020 doi: 10.1128/mBio.02857-19.
9. Biancospino M et al. Clathrin light chain A drives selective myosin VI recruitment to clathrin-coated pits under membrane tension. Nat Commun, 2019. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12855-6.
10. Weber J et al. HECT E3 Ligases: A Tale With Multiple Facets. Front Physiol, 2019. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00370.
11. Wagner W et al. Myosin VI Drives Clathrin-Mediated AMPA Receptor Endocytosis to Facilitate Cerebellar Long-Term Depression. Cell Rep, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.06.005.
12. Pascolutti R et al. Molecularly Distinct Clathrin-Coated Pits Differentially Impact EGFR Fate and Signaling. Cell Rep, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.05.017.
13. Nepravishta R et al. CoCUN, a Novel Ubiquitin Binding Domain Identified in N4BP1. Biomolecules, 2019. doi: 10.3390/biom9070284.
14. Maspero E et al. Detection of ubiquitinated targets in mammalian and Drosophila models. Methods Enzymol, 2019. doi: 10.1016/bs.mie.2018.12.030.
15. Colombo A et al. A Highly Luminescent Tetrahydrocurcumin Ir(III) Complex with Remarkable Photoactivated Anticancer Activity. Chemistry, 2019. doi: 10.1002/chem.201901527
16. Castagnoli L et al. Selectivity of the CUBAN domain in the recognition of ubiquitin and NEDD8. FEBS J, 2019. doi: 10.1111/febs.14752.
17. Niño CA et al. When ubiquitin meets E-cadherin: Plasticity of the epithelial cellular barrier. Semin Cell Dev Biol, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.12.005.
18. Kam CY et al. Desmoplakin maintains gap junctions by inhibiting Ras/MAPK and lysosomal degradation of connexin-43. J Cell Biol, 2018. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201710161.
19. Jackl M et al. beta-Sheet Augmentation Is a Conserved Mechanism of Priming HECT E3 Ligases for Ubiquitin Ligation. J Mol Biol, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.06.044.
20. Myant KB et al. HUWE1 is a critical colonic tumour suppressor gene that prevents MYC signalling, DNA damage accumulation and tumour initiation. EMBO Mol Med, 2017. doi: 10.15252/emmm.201606684.
21. Fajner V et al. Targeting HECT-type E3 ligases - insights from catalysis, regulation and inhibitors. FEBS Lett, 2017. doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.12775.
22. Caldieri G et al. Reticulon 3-dependent ER-PM contact sites control EGFR nonclathrin endocytosis. Science, 2017. doi: 10.1126/science.aah6152.
23. Wollscheid HP et al. Diverse functions of myosin VI elucidated by an isoform-specific alpha-helix domain. Nat Struct Mol Biol, 2016. doi: 10.1038/nsmb.3187.
24. Sigismund S and Polo S. Strategies to Detect Endogenous Ubiquitination of a Target Mammalian Protein. Methods Mol Biol, 2016. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3756-1_6.
25. Savio MG et al. USP9X Controls EGFR Fate by Deubiquitinating the Endocytic Adaptor Eps15. Curr Biol, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.050.
26. Maspero E. and Polo S. In Vitro Ubiquitination: Self-Ubiquitination, Chain Formation, and Substrate Ubiquitination Assays. Methods Mol Biol, 2016. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3756-1_7.
27. He F et al. Myosin VI Contains a Compact Structural Motif that Binds to Ubiquitin Chains. Cell Rep, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.01.079.
28. Capuani F et al. Quantitative analysis reveals how EGFR activation and downregulation are coupled in normal but not in cancer cells. Nat Commun, 2015. doi: 10.1038/ncomms8999.
29. Polo S et al. Keeping EGFR signaling in check: ubiquitin is the guardian. Cell Cycle, 2014. doi: 10.4161/cc.27855.
30. Persaud A et al. Tyrosine phosphorylation of NEDD4 activates its ubiquitin ligase activity. Sci Signal, 2014. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.2005290.
31. Mari S et al. Structural and functional framework for the autoinhibition of Nedd4-family ubiquitin ligases. Structure, 2014. doi: 10.1016/j.str.2014.09.006.
32. Boissan M et al. Membrane trafficking. Nucleoside diphosphate kinases fuel dynamin superfamily proteins with GTP for membrane remodeling. Science, 2014. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.2005290.
33. Sorrentino V et al. The LXR-IDOL axis defines a clathrin-, caveolae-, and dynamin-independent endocytic route for LDLR internalization and lysosomal degradation. J Lipid Res, 2013. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M037713.
34. Sigismund S et al. Threshold-controlled ubiquitination of the EGFR directs receptor fate. EMBO J, 2013. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2013.149.
35. Niño CA et al. Ubiquitination dynamics in the early-branching eukaryote Giardia intestinalis. Microbiologyopen, 2013. doi: 10.1002/mbo3.88.
36. Maspero E et al. Structure of a ubiquitin-loaded HECT ligase reveals the molecular basis for catalytic priming. Nat Struct Mol Biol, 2013. doi: 10.1038/nsmb.2566.
37. Sigismund S et al. Endocytosis and signaling: cell logistics shape the eukaryotic cell plan. Physiol Rev, 2012. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2013.149.
38. Polo S. Signaling-mediated control of ubiquitin ligases in endocytosis. BMC Biol, 2012. doi: 10.1186/1741-7007-10-25.
39. Gatti M et al. A novel ubiquitin mark at the N-terminal tail of histone H2As targeted by RNF168 ubiquitin ligase. Cell Cycle, 2012. doi: 10.4161/cc.20919.
40. Sigismund S et al. Endocytosis and signaling: cell logistics shape the eukaryotic cell plan. Physiol Rev. 2012 doi: 10.1152/physrev.00005.2011.