Address book
Contacts
MARA DOIMO
Position
Ricercatrice a tempo det. art. 24 c.3 lett. A L. 240/2010
Address
CORSO STATI UNITI, 4 - PADOVA
Telephone
0498215445
EDUCATION
2012.03.29: Ph.D. in Medical Development with the mention of Doctor Europaeus. Curriculum: Ematooncology, immunology and genetic. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Italy.
2008.10.22: Master degree in Medical Biotechnology. Faculty of Medicine. University of Padova, Italy.
2006.07.13: Bachelor degree in Sanitary Biotechnology. Faculty of Medicine. University of Padova, Italy.
CURRENT POSITIONS
12/2022-present: Assistant Professor (RTDA) at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of Padova, Italy.
08/2023-present: Young PI at the Pediatric Research Institute “Cittá della Speranza”, Padova, Italy.
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
09/2022-12/2022: Senior Research Engineer at CBCS-Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden, Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Sweden.
01/2020-08/2022: Senior Post-doctoral fellow at Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Sweden.
03/2016-01/2019: Post-doctoral fellow at Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Sweden. Granted by Wenner-Gren foundation for 2017 and Horizon 2020-Marie Curie Actions- Individual Fellowship for 2018-2019.
01/2012-11/2015: Post-doctoral fellow at the Clinical Genetics Units, Dept. of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of Padova, Italy.
FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
2022: PNRR-YOUNG RESEARCHER MSCA granted for 3 years by Italian Ministry of Universities and Research. Duration: December 2022-December 2025 (36 months- Total funding: 300.000€).
2017: Post-doctoral fellowship granted for 2 years by HORIZON-2020-Marie Sklowdoska Curie Action-Individual Fellowship 2016-Project ID 751474.
2017: Post-doctoral fellowship granted for 1 year by Wenner Gren Foundation (Postdoktorstipendier för utbildning i Sverige).
2009: Ph.D. student fellowship granted for 3 years by Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research.
2009: Boursiste d’excellence, granted for 6 months by University of Geneva, Switzerland.
INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
12/2022-present: Faculty member, University of Padova, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health.
Notices
Publications
Most recent publications:
1. Carvalho G, Nguyen TVH, Repolês B, Forslund JME, Wijethunga WMRR, Ranjbarian F, Mendes IC, Gorospe CM, Chaudhari N, Falabella M, Doimo M, Wanrooij S, Pitceathly RDS, Hofer A, Wanrooij PH. Activating AMPK improves pathological phenotypes due to mtDNA depletion. FEBS J. 2025 May;292(9):2359-2380.
2. Berner A, Das RN, Bhuma N, Golebiewska J, Abrahamsson A, Andréasson M, Chaudhari N, Doimo M, Bose PP, Chand K, Strömberg R, Wanrooij S, Chorell E. G4-Ligand-Conjugated Oligonucleotides Mediate Selective Binding and Stabilization of Individual G4 DNA Structures. J Am Chem Soc. 2024 Mar 13;146(10):6926-6935.
3. Andreasson M, Donzel M, Abrahamsson A, Berner A, Doimo M, Quiroga A, Eriksson A, Chao YK, Overman J, Pemberton N, Wanrooij S, Chorell E. Exploring the Dispersion and Electrostatic Components in Arene-Arene Interactions between Ligands and G4 DNA to Develop G4-Ligands. J Med Chem. 2024 Feb 8;67(3):2202-2219.
4. Doimo M*, Abrahamsson S, L’Hôte V, Ndi M, Das RN, Aasumets K, Berner A, Goffart S, Pohjoismäki JLO, Dávila López M, Chorell E, Wanrooij S*. Enhanced mitochondrial G-quadruplex formation impedes replication fork progression leading to mtDNA loss in human cells. NAR. June 2023. *Co-corresponding authors.
5. Prasad B#, Doimo M#, Andréasson M, L'Hôte V, Chorell E, Wanrooij S. A complementary chemical probe approach towards customized studies of G-quadruplex DNA structures in live cells. Chem Sci. 2022 Feb 1;13(8):2347-2354. #equal contribution.
6. Kasho K, Stojkovic G, Velázquez-Ruiz C, Martínez-Jiménez M, Doimo M, Laurent T, Berner A, Pérez-Rivera A, Jenninger L, Blanco L, Wanrooij S. A unique arginine cluster in PolDIP2 enhances nucleotide binding and DNA synthesis by PrimPol. NAR. Jan 2021. Feb 26;49(4):2179-2191.
7. Jamroskovic J#, Doimo M#, Chand K#, Obi I, Kumar R, Brännström K, Hedenström M, Das RN, Akhunzianov A, Deiana M, Kasho K, Sulis Sato S, Pourbozorgi PL, Mason JE, Medini P, Öhlund D, Wanrooij S, Chorell E, Sabouri N. Quinazoline Ligands Induce Cancer Cell Death Through Selective STAT3 Inhibition and G-Quadruplex Stabilization. J Am Chem Soc,142 (6), 2876-2888 2020 Feb. #equal contribution.
Book chapters
1. Doimo M, Pfeiffer A, Wanrooij PH, Wanrooij S. Chapter 1 - mtDNA replication, maintenance, and nucleoid organization. In: The Human Mitochondrial Genome. Editor(s): Giuseppe Gasparre, Anna Maria Porcelli. Academic Press. 2020. Pages 3-33.
Research Area
Mitochondria are key organelles as they are responsible for supplying the proper form of energy necessary to the cell to exert all its functions. Unlike other cellular organelles, mitochondria possess their own DNA (mtDNA). In humans, the mitochondrial genome is comprised of several copies of a 16 kilobases (kb), double strand DNA (dsDNA) circular molecule. The genes encoded by this small genome are essential for the biosynthesis of the mitochondrial respiratory chain.
The maintenance of mtDNA requires a set of nuclear genes involved in mtDNA replication, in controlling the mitochondrial nucleotide pools, and in mediating mitochondrial fusion and fission. Mutations in these genes are associated with several pathological conditions, hereby referred to as mtDNA maintenance defects (MDMD). Patients with MDMD presents with different phenotypic manifestations, including neuropathy, myopathy, hepatopathy and encephalopathy. The most severe conditions, characterized by depletion of mtDNA (i.e. the reduction of mtDNA copy number in cells), manifest during the neonatal period or early infancy. Although in the majority of the cases the genetic cause triggering the disease is known, the mechanistic process linking the genetic defect to the loss of mtDNA integrity is still poorly understood. Nonetheless, we recently showed that specific DNA secondary structures, called G-quadruplexes (G4s), can form at the mtDNA and interfere with the process of replication leading to mtDNA instability (Doimo et al, 2023).
Our recently established group aims at elucidating the molecular mechanisms regulating the maintenance of the mitochondrial genome and particularly how DNA secondary structures and epigenetic modifications impact these processes.
We are developing novel genomic, proteomic and single molecules methodologies and apply them in cell models and patient’s derived tissues. In addition, we are establishing in vivo models of disease that will allow us to explore therapies that can counteract the mtDNA genomic instability and block the progression of the disease.
