Profile

Marilena Vita DI Natale graduated with honours in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Palermo in 2013 and obtained her PhD in Earth and Marine Sciences in 2022. Since 2014, he has been collaborating with the CNR at which he has gained expertise in the field of biology and molecular ecology applied to several ecologically and commercially important fish species. His research activities are mainly focused on understanding the effects that environmental changes and traditional and emerging contaminants may induce on marine ecosystems and biodiversity in general. In recent years, he has devoted particular attention to describing the molecular response mechanisms caused by the exposure of aquatic organisms to microplastics subjected to different weathering processes (ageing, biofouling, etc.) and to understanding the factors that would potentially influence their role as contaminant carriers for organisms, in order to clarify the potential ecological impacts associated with the increased levels of microplastics observed in the Mediterranean Sea.

During her career, she has been involved in research activities related to the extraction and analysis of biofilms associated with microplastics through metagenomic and taxonomic characterisation at the EPAQUATIC laboratory of the “Institute of Life and Earth Sciences School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt Unversity, Edinburgh, UK EH14 4AS”. She is very involved in third mission activities for which she delivers lectures, seminars, workshops and meetings with students of all levels. She is a lecturer in Natural Science Didactics in the Primary Education degree course at LUMSA University.

Publications

Main Publications:

Di Natale, M., Catarino, A.I., Summers, S., Boyle, D., Torri, M., Nicosia, A., Musco, M., Masullo, T., Russo, S., Bennici, C.D., Mazzola, A., Cuttitta, A., Henry, T.B., 2023. Influence of microplastic-associated biofilms on the bioavailability of a mixture of cadmium and benzo[a]pyrene by the analysis of biomarker gene expression in larval zebrafish. Ecological Indicators, Special Issue “Microplastic Polluttion”. Accepted, ready for publication.

Torri M, Russo S, Falcini F, De Luca B, Colella S, Volpe G, Corrado R, Placenti F, Giaramita L, Musco M, Masullo T, Bennici C, Di Natale MV, Patti B, Lacorata G, Arculeo M and Cuttitta A, 2023. Coupling Lagrangian simulation models and remote sensing to explore the environmental effect on larval growth rate: The Mediterranean case study of round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) early life stages. Front. Mar. Sci. 9:1065514. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.1065514  

Di Natale, M.; Catarino, A.I.; Summers, S.; Boyle, D.; Torri, M.; Nicosia, A.; Musco, M.; Masullo, T.; Russo, S.; Bennici, C.D.; Mazzola, A.; Cuttitta, A.; Henry, T.B., (2023): Bioavailability of cadmium and benzo(a)pyrene mixture in zebrafish larvae exposed to microplastic-associated biofilms. Marine Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.14284/594

Di Natale, M.V., Carroccio, S.C., Dattilo, S.,  Nicosia, A., Torri, M., Bennici, C., Musco, M., Masullo, T., Russo, S., Mazzola, A., Cuttitta, A., 2022. Polymer aging affects the bioavailability of microplastics-associated contaminants in sea urchin embryos. Chemosphere, submitted on 14/06/22

Russo, S.; Torri, M.; Patti, B.; Musco, M.; Masullo, T.; Di Natale, M.V.; Sarà, G.; Cuttitta, A. (2022). Environmental Conditions along Tuna Larval Dispersion: Insights on the Spawning Habitat and Impact on Their Development Stages. Water, 14, 1568. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14101568

Cuttitta, A.; Patti, B.; Musco, M.; Masullo, T.; Placenti, F.; Quinci, E.M.; Falco, F.; Bennici, C.D.; Di Natale, M.; Pipitone, V.; Cammarata, M.; Maneiro, I.; Russo, S.; Torri, M. (2022). Inferring Population Structure from Early Life Stage: The Case of the European Anchovy in the Sicilian and Maltese Shelves. Water  14, 1427. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14091427

Chapter of Book: Ambiente e Salute nei siti contaminati. Dalla ricerca scientifica alle decisioni. Edizioni ETS. A. Cuttitta, C.Bennici, G. Biondo, Marilena Di Natale, F. Gorini, E.Guzzolino, G. Marino, T. Masullo, M. Musco, A. Nicosia, C. Patti, L. Pitto, B. Sirchia, M. Torri, V. Ruvolo. Chapter 4: La risposta dell’ecosistema marino alla forzante antropica nelle aree a rischio ambientale: dall’ecosistema alla risposta cellulare

Torri, A. M. Pappalardo, V. Ferrito, S. Giannì, G. M. Armeri, C. Patti, F. Mangiaracina, G. Biondo, Marilena Di Natale, M. Musco, T. Masullo, C. Bennici, S. Russo, A. Nicosia, M. Tagliavia, A. Mazzola, B. Patti, A. Cuttitta. Signals from the deep-sea: Genetic structure, morphometric analysis, and ecological implications of Cyclothone braueri (Pisces, Gonostomatidae) early life stages in the Central Mediterranean Sea, Marine Environmental Research, Volume 169, 2021, 105379, ISSN 0141-1136, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105379.

Masullo, T.; Biondo, G.; Di Natale, M.; Tagliavia, M.; Bennici, C.D.; Musco, M.; Ragusa, M.A.; Costa, S.; Cuttitta, A.; Nicosia, A. Gene Expression Changes after Parental Exposure to Metals in the Sea Urchin Affect Timing of Genetic Programme of Embryo Development. Biology 2021, 10, 103. https://doi.org/10.3390/ biology10020103 (Author)

Marilena Di Natale, C. Bennici, G. Biondo, T. Masullo, C. Monastero, M. Tagliavia, M. Torri, S. Costa, M. A. Ragusa, A. Cuttitta, A. Nicosia (2019) Aberrant gene expression profiles in Mediterranean sea urchin reproductive tissues after metal exposures. Chemosphere 216 (2019) 48-58

Nicosia, C. Bennici, G. Biondo, S. Costa, Marilena Di Natale, T. Masullo, C. Monastero, M. A. Ragusa, M. Tagliavia, and A. Cuttitta (2018) Characterization of Translationally Controlled Tumour Protein from the Sea Anemone Anemonia viridis and Transcriptome Wide Identification of Cnidarian Homologues. Genes, 9, 30; doi:10.3390/genes9010030.

M.V. Di Natale, C. Bennici, G. Biondo, C. Monastero, T. Masullo, A. Nicosia, C. Patti, M. Tagliavia, A. Cuttitta. (2017) Procedures for high quality RNA extraction from Paracentrotus lividus (LAMARCK, 1816) embryos and gonadal tissue.

Biondo G., Armeri G.M., Bennici C. D., Nicosia A., Tagliavia M., Maneiro I., Torri M., Masullo T., Monastero L., Di Natale M.V., Mangiaracina F., Giaramita N., Maggio T., Lo Brutto S., ArculeoM., Mazzola S.C and Cuttitta A. – (2016) DNA Barcoding as a tool for Zoological Taxonomy: Identification of bonyfish in the Mediterranean Seawork in progress

Projects

FISR 2016-2019 – Centro Internazionale di Studi Avanzati su Ambiente, ecosistema e Salute umana CISAS – CUP: B62F15001070005

PON01_02309 (CUP Formazione B69G15004290007) “Formazione sui sistemi avanzati per il monitoraggio dell’ambiente urbano, extraurbano e marino – “MAGINOT”

PO FESR 2007/2013 – Sistema   di   comunicazione, informazione   e   diffusione   dell’Osservatorio della Biodiversità della Sicilia (C.U.P. B19G13000630006)

P.O. FESR Sicilia 2007/2013 “Nuove Rotte: Blu Economy” Piani di Sviluppo di Filiera sulle Linee di Intervento 5.1.1.1 e 5.1.1.2

Progetto “Bandiera” del PNRA 2012-2016 “La Ricerca ITaliana per il MARE” (“RITMARE”)PON Ricerca e Competitività 2007-2013 “PECTINE”, ovvero “Tecnologie e processi per il miglioramento della shelf-life dei prodotti del comparto agroalimentare attraverso l’uso di film edibili innovativi a base pectinica”.