A5073097760- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
- Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Marine and fisheries research
- Echinoderm biology and ecology
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Enzyme Production and Characterization
- Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis
- Trace Elements in Health
- Extracellular vesicles in disease
- Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry
- Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
- Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Knee injuries and reconstruction techniques
- Carbon and Quantum Dots Applications
- Sarcoma Diagnosis and Treatment
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- Osteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation
2019-2024
National Research Council
2015-2024
University of Palermo
2006-2024
Institute for Coastal Marine Environment
2013-2019
Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment
2018-2019
Institute of Biomedical Technologies
2016
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta
2016
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
2014-2015
Tecnologie Avanzate (Italy)
2005
Sapienza University of Rome
1989
Sea urchins are emblematic models in developmental biology and display several characteristics that set them apart from other deuterostomes. To uncover the genomic cues may underlie these specificities, we generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly for sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus an extensive gene expression epigenetic profiles of its embryonic development. We found that, unlike vertebrates, retained ancestral chromosomal linkages but underwent very fast intrachromosomal order mixing....
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed bio-nanoparticles secreted by cells and naturally evolved to transport various bioactive molecules between even organisms. These cellular objects considered one of the most promising bio-nanovehicles for delivery native exogenous molecular cargo. However, many challenges with state-of-the-art EV-based candidates as drug carriers still exist, including issues scalability, batch-to-batch reproducibility, cost-sustainability final therapeutic...
Cartilage is an avascular tissue with limited ability of self-repair. The use autologous chondrocyte transplants represent effective strategy for cell regeneration; however, preserving the differentiated state, which ensures to regenerate damaged cartilage, represents main challenge during in vitro culturing. For this purpose, we produced injectable marine collagen-based hydrogel, by mixing native collagen from jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo hydroxy-phenyl-propionic acid (HPA)-functionalized...
Background: Engineered luminescent carbon nanodots (CDs) are appealing nanomaterials for cancer image-guided photothermal therapy combining near infrared (NIR)–triggered hyperthermia, imaging, and drug delivery in a single platform efficient killing of cells. This approach would allow eliciting synergistic regulated cell death (RCD) routes such as necroptosis, targeting breast cells refractory to apoptosis, thus overcoming resistance. Methods: We report the preparation CDs bearing biotin...
Microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment undergo complex weathering factors that can affect their ability to interact with different coexisting environmental contaminants (termed here co-contaminants). In this study, influence of artificially aging using UV on sorption a mixture co-contaminants onto MPs was investigated order provide meaningful hypotheses individual and combined toxicities sea urchin embryos. A aged (PS particles PA microfibers) 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether...
Electrospun hybrid scaffolds composed of synthetic and natural polymers have gained increasing interest in tissue engineering applications over the last decade. In this work, polylactic acid electrospun fibers, either treated (P-PLA) or non-treated (PLA) with air-plasma, were coated high molecular weight chitosan to create a core-shell microfibrous structure. The effective thickness control layer was confirmed by gravimetric, spectroscopic (FTIR-ATR) morphological (SEM) investigations....
Food-grade production of recombinant proteins in Gram-positive bacteria, especially LAB (i.e., Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus), is great interest the areas enzyme production, industrial food fermentation, gene metabolic engineering, as well antigen delivery for oral vaccination. expression relies on hosts generally considered safe organisms clone selection not dependent antibiotic markers, which limit overall DNA manipulation workflow, it can be carried out only host E. coli....
Metallothioneins (MT) are small and cysteine-rich proteins that bind metal ions such as zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel. In order to shed some light on MT gene structure evolution, we cloned seven Paracentrotus lividus genes, comparing them Echinodermata Chordata genes. Moreover, performed a phylogenetic analysis of 32 MTs from different classes echinoderms 13 the most ancient chordates, highlighting relationships between them. Since have multiple roles in cells, RT-qPCR situ hybridization...
Adipose derived microvascular fragments (ad-MVFs) consist of effective vascularization units able to reassemble into efficient networks. Because their content in stem cells and related angiogenic activity, ad-MVFs represent an interesting tool for applications regenerative medicine. Here we show that gentle dissociation rat adipose tissue provides a mixture with length distribution ranging from 33–955 μm are maintain original morphology. The isolated resulted were activate transcriptional...
Due to anthropogenic activities the relative concentrations of cadmium and manganese have increased in marine environment. Cephalopods are able accumulate such metals and, as inhabitant coastal waters, Octopus vulgaris is continuously exposed activities. Since no study available on effects heavy at molecular level developing octopuses, herein we 1-day-old paralarvae for 24 h 10, 100, 1000 μ g/L CdCl 2 or MnCl . Cd exerted a concentration-dependent inhibition survival reduction growth rate...
Interventions to extend life span represent the new perspective in aging investigation. Healthy dietary habits are important modifiable factors that can favor a healthy phenotype. Many studies have demonstrated benefits for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus resulting from traditional Mediterranean foods. Opuntia Ficus Indica (OFI), widespread basin, belongs Cactaceae family. It is known its antioxidant anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, products containing extracts OFI...
Abstract In order to investigate the larval population structure, specimens of Engraulis encrasicolus larvae from five different locations in Strait Sicily were analyzed by means otolith readings, morphometric and genetic techniques. The distribution age day, identified readings associated with oceanographic parameters, was useful identify possible spawning areas transport dynamics. presence more than one area suggested possibility that two or sub‐populations may co‐exist study area....
Proteases play an important role in the field of tissue dissociation combined with regenerative medicine. During years new sources proteolytic enzymes have been studied including proteases from different marine organisms both eukaryotic and prokaryotic. Herein we purified a secreted component isolate Vibrio parahaemolyticus, electrophoretic mobilities corresponding to 36 kDa, belonging serine family. Sequencing N-terminus enabled silico identification whole primary structure consisting 345...
Anemonia viridis is a widespread and extensively studied Mediterranean species of sea anemone from which large number polypeptide toxins, such as blood depressing substances (BDS) peptides, have been isolated. The first members this class, BDS-1 BDS-2, are polypeptides belonging to the β-defensin fold family were initially described for their antihypertensive antiviral activities. BDS-2 43 amino acid peptides characterised by three disulfide bonds that act neurotoxins affecting Kv3.1, Kv3.2...
Gene family encoding small Heat-Shock Proteins (sHSPs containing α-crystallin domain) are found both in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms; however, there is limited knowledge of their evolution. In this study, two HSP genes termed AvHSP28.6 AvHSP27, organized one intron exons, were characterised the Mediterranean snakelocks anemone Anemonia viridis. The release genome sequence Hydra magnipapillata Nematostella vectensis enabled a comprehensive study molecular evolution gene among...
Proteolytic enzymes are of great interest for biotechnological purposes, and their large-scale production, as well the discovery strains producing new molecules, is a relevant issue. Collagenases employed biomedical pharmaceutical purposes. The high specificity collagenase-based preparations toward substrate strongly relies on enzyme purity. However, overall activity may depend cooperation with other proteases, presence which be essential enzymatic activity, but potentially harmful cells...