Giuditta Perozzi

Scientific program director 'Nutrients and functionality of the gastrointestinal system: transport, metabolism and toxicity', Inran

She graduated in Biological Sciences at the University of Rome "Sapienza" in 1978 and obtained her PhD in 1985 at the Dept. of Biology, University of Rochester, New York, USA. At INRAN since 1986, the scientific activity of her research group has focused on molecular nutrition, with projects aimed at studying genes differentially expressed in the absorptive intestinal epithelium, with metabolic functions of nutritional relevance, particularly in the transmembrane transport of essential micronutrients. In recent years, she has initiated nutrigenomic approaches to study the role of zinc in the insulin response to glucose and the association of predisposing gene variants towards type 2 diabetes.

Currently, he is coordinating a project funded by MiPAAF for the creation of a Nutrigenomics Research Center at INRAN. He has also started a food microbiology laboratory, engaged in the study of the genomes of lactic acid bacteria isolated from the microflora of fermented dairy products. He represents INRAN in the Nutrigenomics Organization (www.nugo.org), collaborating on the Micronutrient Genomics Project, within which he coordinates the international team on zinc genomics. Since 2006, he has been the Editor-in-chief of the international scientific journal "Genes & Nutrition" (Springer DE) aimed at publishing advances in knowledge on the relationships between genetics and nutrition for the improvement of human health.

Recent Publications

Barile S, Devirgiliis C and Perozzi G. (2012) Molecular characterization of a novel mosaic tet(S/M) gene encoding tetracycline resistance in foodborne strains of Streptococcus bovis. Microbiology, Jun 21 [Epub ahead of print]

Ranaldi G, Ferruzza S, Canali R, Leoni G, Zalewski PD, Sambuy Y, Perozzi G and Murgia C (2012) Intracellular zinc stores are required for intestinal cell survival signals triggered by the inflammatory cytokine TNFα. J Nutr Biochem, in press

Murgia C, Grosser D, Truong-Tran A, Roscioli E, Michalczyk A, Ackland L, Stoltenberg M, Danscher G, Lang C, Knight D, Perozzi G, Ruffin RE and Zalewski P (2011) Apical localization of zinc transporter ZnT4 in human airway epithelial cells and its loss in a murine model of allergic airway inflammation. Nutrients 3, 910-928

Devirgiliis C, Barile S and Perozzi G (2011) Antibiotic resistance in the interplay between food and gut microbiota. Genes Nutr 6, 275-284.

Kaput J, Evelo CT, Perozzi G, van Ommen B and Cotton R (2010) Connecting the Human Variome Project to nutrigenomics. Genes Nutr 5, 275-283.

Van Ommen B et al. (2010). The Micronutrient Genomics Project: a community-driven knowledge base for micronutrient research. Genes Nutr 5, 285-296.

Devirgiliis C, Barile S, Caravelli A, Coppola D and Perozzi G. (2010). Identification of tetracycline- and erythromycin-resistant Gram-positive cocci within the fermenting microflora of an Italian dairy food product. J Appl Microbiol 109, 313-23.

Comunian R, Daga E, Dupre I, Paba A, Devirgiliis C, Piccioni V, Perozzi G, Zonenschain D, Rebecchi A, Morelli L, De Lorentiis A, Giraffa G (2010) Susceptibility to tetracycline and erythromycin of Lactobacillus paracasei strains isolated from traditional Italian fermented foods. Int J Food Microbiol 138, 151-156.

Ranaldi G, Caprini V, Sambuy Y, Perozzi G and Murgia C. (2009) Intracellular zinc stores protect the intestinal epithelium from Ochratoxin A toxicity. Toxicol In Vitro 23,1516-21

Devirgiliis C, Coppola D, Barile S, Colonna B and Perozzi G (2009) Characterization of the Tn916 conjugative transposon in a foodborne strain of Lactobacillus paracasei. Appl Environ Microbiol 75: 3866-3871

Murgia C, Devirgiliis C, Mancini E, Donadel G, Zalewski P & Perozzi G (2009) Diabetes-linked zinc transporter ZnT8 is a homodimeric protein expressed by distinct rodent endocrine cell types in the pancreas and other glands. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 19, 431-439