Dr Nicoleta Moisoi

Dr Nicoleta Moisoi is a committed scientist with more than 10 years research experience in leading UK and European research institutes, working on signalling mechanisms implicated in neurodegeneration, and genetic and pharmacologic disease intervention.

She took her PhD in Biophysics at the University of Bucharest, Romania. She went on to undertake post-doctoral research at NIMR-MRC, London, UK and the MRC Toxicology Unit, Leicester, UK and University of Leicester, Leicester, UK. She joined De Montfort University, Leicester School of Pharmacy in 2016. Honours and awards throughout her career include Junior Associate of ICTP (Italy), Royal Society/NATO Fellowship (UK).

Her studies address mitochondrial homeostasis and its implication in aging and parkinsonism, and signaling mechanisms involved in cell death/cell survival. Her recent work has focused on mitochondria quality control signalling, identification and validation of novel druggable pathways in Parkinson’s disease.

LIPHSCI, Pharmacology

Selected publications:

* shared corresponding author;

1. 1.               M Temelie, R Talpur, M Dominguez-Prieto, A Dantas Silva, C Cenusa, L Craciun, D I Savu*, N. MOISOI* ‘The integrated stress response and mitochondrial dysfunction modulate genotoxic stress signalling’ International Journal of Molecular Signalling 2023, 24(6):5891. doi: 10.3390/ijms24065891
2. 2.               B Ebanks, G Katyal, C Papetti, M Lucassen, A Dowle, N. MOISOI, L Chakrabarti ‘Mitochondrial haemoglobin is upregulated with hypoxia and has a conserved interaction with ATP synthase and inhibitory factor 1’ Cells  2023, 16;12(6):912. doi: 10.3390/cells12060912.
3. 3.               D. Savu, N. MOISOI ‘Mitochondria -nucleus communication in neurodegenerative disease: Who talks first, who talks louder’ BBA Bioenergetics 2022, 1863(7)148588; doi: 10106/j.bbabio.2022.148588.
4. 4.               B Ebanks, TL Ingram, Katyal G, A Bowman, N. MOISOI, L Charabarti ‘Exercising D. melanogaster modulates the mitochondrial proteome and physiology. Effect on lifespan depends upon age and sex.’ Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21): 11606, doi: 10.3390/ijms222111606
5. 5.               B Ebanks, TL Ingram, G Katyal, JR Ingram, N. MOISOI, L Chakrabarti 'The dysregulated Pink1^- Drosophila mitochondrial proteome is partially corrected with exercise' 2021, Aging (Albany NY) 2021, 13:14709; doi: 10.18632/aging.203128.
6. 6.               N. Krako Jakovlievic, B Ebanks, L. Chakrabarty, I. Markovic, N. MOISOI ‘Mitochondrial homeostasis in Cellular models of Parkinson's Disease’ Bioenerg Commun 2021.2. doi:10.26124/bec:2021-0002.
7. 7.         M Temelie, D Savu*, N. MOISOI* ‘Intracellular and Intercellular signaling mechanisms following DNA damage are modulated by PINK1’ Oxid Med Cell Longev 2018:1391387
8. 8.               M. Temelie, D. Stroe, I.Petcu, C. Mustaciosu, N. MOISOI*, D. Savu*, ‘Bystander effects and compartmental stress response to X-ray irradiation in L929 cells. Radiat Environ Biophysics 2016:55 371-379
9. 9.               D. Savu*, I. Petcu, C. Mustaciosu, M. Temelie, N. MOISOI*, ‘Compartmental stress responses correlate with cell survival in bystander effects induced by the DNA damage agent, bleomycin’ Mutation Research (2015) 771: 13-20
10. 10.            N. MOISOI*, V. Fedele, J. Edwards, L.M. Martins* ‘Pink1 loss of function enhances neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease triggered by mitochondrial stress.’ – (* shared corresponding author) Neuropharmacology (2014) 77:350-7
11. 11.            A.Jovicic, R. Roshan, N. MOISOI, S. Pradervand, R. Moser, B. Pillai, and R. Luthi-Carter "Comprehensive expression analyses of neural cell type-specific miRNAs identify new determinants of the specification and maintenance of neuronal phenotypes" J. Neuroscience (2013) 33: 5127-37
12. 12.            I. de Castro, A. Costa, D. Lam, R. Tufi, V. Fedele, N. MOISOI, D. Dinsdale, E. Deas, S. Loh, L.M. Martins ‘Genetic analysis of mitochondrial protein misfolding in Drosophila Melanogaster’ Cell Death and Differentiation.(2012) Feb3. Doi: 10.1038/cdd.2012.5
13. 13.            E. Gerhardt, S. Greber, E.M. Szego, N. MOISOI, L.M. Martins, T.F. Outeiro, P. Kermer ‘Idebenone and resveratrol extend lifespan and improve motor function of HtrA2 ko mouse’ PLoS One. (2011); 6(12):e28855
14. 14.            N. MOISOI, K. Klupsch, V. Fedele , P. East, S. Sharma, A. Renton, H. Plun-Favreau, R. E. Edwards, P. Teismann, M. degli Esposti, A. D. Morisson, N. W. Wood, J. Downward, L.M. Martins ‘Mitochondrial dysfunction triggered by loss of HtrA2 results in the activation of a brain specific transcriptional stress response’. Cell Death and Differentiation (2009)16:449-64
15. 15.            D. Lam, D. Dickens, E. Reid, S. Loh, N. MOISOI, L.M. Martins ‘MAP4K3 modulates cell death via the post-transcriptional regulation of BH3-only proteins’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2009) 106: 11978-83
16. 16.            L. S. Tain, R. B Chowdhry, H. Plun-Favreau, N. MOISOI, L. M. Martins, J. Downward, A. J. Whithworth, N. Tapon ‘Drosophila HtrA2 is dispensable for apoptosis but acts downstream of PINK1 independently of Parkin’ Cell Death and Differentiation (2009) 16:1118-25
17. 17.            H. Plun-Favreau, K. Klupsch, N. MOISOI, S. Gandhi, S. Kajaer., D. Frith, K. Harvey, E. Deas, R.J. Harvey, N. McDonald, N.W. Wood, L.M. Martins, J. Downward ‘The mitochondrial protease HtrA2 is regulated by Parkinson’s disease associated kinase PINK1. Nature Cell Biology (2007) 11: 1243-52
18. 18.            L.M. Martins, A. Morrison, K. Klupsch, V. Fedele, N. MOISOI, P. Teismann, A. Abuin, E. Grau, M. Geppert, L.P. Livi, C.L. Creasy, A. Martin, I. Hargreaves, S.J. Heales, H. Okada, S. Bradner, J.B. Schulz, T. Mak, J. Downward, ‘Neuroprotective role of the reaper related serine protease HtrA2/Omi revealed by targeted deletion in mice. Molecular Cellular Biology. (2004) 22: 9848—62
19. 19.            N. MOISOI, M. Erent, S. Whyte, S. Martin, P. M. Bayley ‘Calmodulin containing substructures of the centrosomal matrix released by microtubule perturbation’, Journal of Cell Science (2002) 115: 2367-79

Current research focus:

• Mitochondrial quality control, mitochondrial homeostasis and signaling in health and disease

• Identification of novel druggable pathways and therapeutic strategies in models of Parkinson’s disease

• Gene expression and signaling pathways in neurodegeneration and aging

• DNA damage response in aging and neurodegeneration

My research concentrates on identification of novel therapeutic strategies to treat neurodegenerative type disorders focusing on Parkinson’s Disease (PD). To address this subject I am using a range of multidisciplinary approaches: in silico (bioinformatics analysis of gene expression data and other large scale data-sets), in vitro (molecular and cellular neurobiology and cell culture models including primary human fibroblasts and stem cell derived neurons) and in vivo (Drosophila and transgenic mouse models).

Parkinson’s Disease has a complex etiology its highest risk factors being environmental influences, genetic susceptibility and aging. Two main biochemical pathways have been found to be involved in PD, namely mitochondrial dysfunction and protein aggregation. Mutations of genes implicated in these pathways (e.g. PINK1, PARKIN, SNCA - red writing) have been found in familial PD while other proteins with incompletely characterized functions are mutated in idiopathic PD (e.g. LRKK2, blue writing). DNA damage and endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling have also been linked with PD pathogenesis. My current research concentrates on the study of compartmental stress signaling (e.g unfolded protein response and oxidative stress initiated in mitochondria, cytoplasm, and endoplasmic reticulum) and interactions between these pathways in genetic and toxin based models of PD, to decipher mechanisms of neurodegeneration and identify novel PD therapeutic strategies.

Pharmacology

Neuroscience

Neurophamacology

PhD

MSc

Modules in Master of Pharmacy, Masters of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Science;

Module leader for Research Skills for Pharmacists - Projects

• 2020-2022 Honorary research affiliation with National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest, Romania had supported the host institution to be successful in large grant applications and delivery on high impact outputs.
• 2016 Mobility Award from Romanian Ministry for Research Development and Innovation for strengthening bilateral collaborations. (PN-III-P1-1.1-MCD-2016-0009)
• 2016-2020 Leader of Working Group 4 (Elected), COST15203 – MITOEAGLE Network, "Mitochondrial mapping: Evolution - Age - Gender - Lifestyle - Environment", Member of Management Committee
• 2015 Early Career Prize, Department of Neuroscience Psychology and Behaviour, Univ. of Leicester, UK
• 2014 Travel fellowship awarded by Parkinson’s UK
• 2001-2006 Junior Associate of International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy
• 2000-2001 Royal Society /NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship

Member of ARUK East Midlands steering group as DMU representative from 2019.

2015 Higher Education Academy Teaching Fellow

• 2022-2023 Principal Investigator (~75000 USD) Project 8p Foundation ‘Phenotyping mitochondria-nucleus communication in Chromosome 8p disorder’
• 2019–2021 Parkinson’s UK, Principal Investigator (~£50K) “How mitochondria stress signalling regulates inflammation processes in Parkinson’s neurodegeneration”
• 2019– 2022 Alzheimer’s Research UK, Principal Investigator (~£212K) “Validating activation of mitochondria quality control signalling as a neuroprotective strategy in neurodegenerative disease”
• 2019 Alzheimer's Society Summer Studentship – Principal Investigator - £2000
• 2015-2017 Michael J Fox Foundation, PI (£55K)- collaboration with University of Leicester

• 2023-2027 DMU-Fully funded PhD scholarship principal investigator with M Domiguez—Prieto, M. Grootveld and D. Elizondo on ‘Molecular adaptation of microglia immunometabolism and crosstalk between brain cells during neurodegeneration’
• 2020-2024 DMU-Fully funded PhD scholarship principal investigator with Laura Smith on the role of the microbiome in neurodegenerative disease.
• 2017 De Montfort University Research Investment Fund (£6.8K)
• 2016-De Montfort University Capital Fund Investment (£20K)
• VC2020 Start-up funding 2016 ‘Mitochondria quality control, Signalling pathways and Neurodegeneration’ Principal Investigator