Giovanni Ligresti PhD
Associate Professor, Rheumatology
Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
72 East Concord Street | (617) 358-6786ligresti@bu.edu
Sections
Rheumatology
Centers
Arthritis & Autoimmune Diseases Research Center
Pulmonary Center
Biography
My laboratory focuses on lung repair and pulmonary fibrosis. We are currently investigating molecular mechanisms implicated in the differentiation of lung fibroblasts into myofibroblasts during lung fibrosis, with particular emphasis on transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms driving persistent fibrogenesis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We have recently discovered that in the lung, myofibroblast differentiation occurs through the engagement of chromatin modifier enzymes and epigenetic readers. We found that the histone methyltransferase G9a and the epigenetic reader CBX5 play a critical role in lung fibroblast activation, and that targeting these epigenetic modifiers enhanced mitochondrial function, blocked ECM protein secretion, and attenuated lung fibrogenesis.
In addition, my laboratory is interested in investigating the impact of aging on the development of pulmonary fibrosis. We have recently discovered that the endothelium of aged mouse lungs is dysfunctional and this abnormality leads to capillary loss and persistent lung fibrosis following injury. Using a multi-omics approach (RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and scRNA-seq) we have identified transcriptional programs in lung endothelial cells orchestrating lung vascular repair and whose abnormal activation with aging leads to persistent lung fibrosis.
Education
Biomedical Sciences, PhD, University of Trieste
MS, University of Trieste
Biology, BS, University of Trieste
Publications
Gilbert RM, Jones DL, Wellmerling J, Caporarello N, Meridew JA, Choi KM, Haak AJ, Link PA, Tan Q, Lee JH, Ordog T, Ligresti G, Tschumperlin DJ. RUNX1 is a mediator of fibrotic activation and epigenetic memory in lung fibroblasts. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2026 Jul 01; 74(7):911-923. PMID: 41738205.
Published on 5/28/2026Muscato G, Roos BB, Harris S, Cai XT, Civettini G, Sciacca E, Raslan A, Castaldi A, Elliot S, Glassberg MK, Vancheri C, Tschumperlin DJ, Ligresti G, Caporarello N. miR-205-5p promotes endothelial dysfunction and senescence in pulmonary fibrosis. JCI Insight. 2026 May 28. PMID: 42207587.
Published on 4/16/2026Antar SA, Mensah E, Dahlka J, Renton MC, Raslan AA, Aziz M, Halouani A, Imani S, Parashar A, Johnstone SR, Benezra R, Fraidenraich D, Ligresti G, Sassi Y. Simultaneous inhibition of ID1 and ID3 mitigates fibroblast activation via cell cycle and MEK/ERK pathways in pulmonary fibrosis. Theranostics. 2026; 16(11):6081-6098. PMID: 42094605.
Published on 10/14/2025Grifno GN, Kahvecioglu HA, LeBourdais R, Travnik V, Banerji R, Wangsrikhun W, Shi L, Bozal SB, Suh H, Raslan AA, Batgidis A, Kang B, Deng F, Dalton C, Tsao A, Castle L, Regan K, Kobayter A, Vannini M, Rashidian M, Hao L, Ligresti G, Mizgerd JP, Longest W, Hindle M, Saltzman WM, Butler JP, Suki B, Nia HT. Mosaic pattern: lung functional heterogeneity at the alveolus level. bioRxiv. 2025 Oct 14. PMID: 41279987.
Published on 7/26/2025Antar SA, Mensah E, Dahlka J, Aziz M, Halouani A, Imani S, Parashar A, Raslan AA, Benezra R, Fraidenraich D, Ligresti G, Sassi Y. A Simultaneous Inhibition of ID1 and ID3 Protects Against Pulmonary Fibrosis. bioRxiv. 2025 Jul 26. PMID: 40777426.
Published on 7/25/2025Dinc MT, El-Adili F, Lui JK, Kripesh S, York M, Trojanowski M, Ligresti G, Lafyatis R, Trojanowska M, Bujor AM. Transcriptomic profiling of scleroderma monocytes reveals links with cardiovascular complications, implicating Notch and interferon pathways. J Scleroderma Relat Disord. 2025 Jul 25; 10(3):23971983251356123. PMID: 40735732.
Published on 6/1/2025Hong J, Pham TX, Lee J, Raslan AA, Nicolas K, Sharov A, Meridew JA, Urrutia RA, Lomberk G, Huang SK, Ligresti G. Targeting the Epigenetic Regulator CBX5 Promotes Fibroblast Metabolic Reprogramming and Inhibits Lung Fibrosis. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2025 Jun; 72(6):627-642. PMID: 39642371.
Published on 5/24/2025Gianì F, Roos BB, Link PA, Somasundram B, Dresler SR, Sciacca E, Vancheri C, Javeed N, Ligresti G, Tschumperlin DJ, Caporarello N. Vascular protection by young circulating extracellular vesicles ameliorates aging-related pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2025 Jul 01; 329(1):C159-C169. PMID: 40411768.
Published on 1/1/2025Aplin AC, Ligresti G, Nicosia RF. Serum-Free Mouse Aortic Ring Assay of Angiogenesis. Methods Mol Biol. 2025; 2956:97-110. PMID: 40859078.
Published on 8/7/2024Yamashita T, Kaplan U, Chakraborty A, Marden G, Gritli S, Roh D, Bujor A, Trojanowski M, Ligresti G, Browning JL, Trojanowska M. ERG Regulates Lymphatic Vessel Specification Genes and Its Deficiency Impairs Wound Healing-Associated Lymphangiogenesis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024 Nov; 76(11):1645-1657. PMID: 38965683.
Media Mentions
Published on 7/25/2022
Researchers identify protein connected to aging and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
View full list of 1 media mentions.