Constitutive psgl-1 correlates with cd30 and tcr pathways and represents a potential target for immunotherapy in anaplastic large t-cell lymphoma
Simple Summary P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), coded by the SELPLG gene, is the major ligand of selectins and plays a pivotal role in tethering, rolling and extravasation of immune cells. PSGL-1 involvement in core molecular programs, such as SYK, PLCγ2, PI3Kγ or MAPK pathways, suggests additional functions beyond the modulation of cell trafficking. Recently, several studies identified a novel mechanism responsible for PSGL-1-mediated immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment and proved a novel concept of PSGL-1 as a critical checkpoint molecule for tumor immunotherapy. The immunotherapeutic approach has gained an ever-growing interest in the treatment of several hematolog…
Functional Interaction between ISWI and Covalent Modifiers of Chromatin
An RNA Memory Mechanism to Inherit Epigenetic Marks
RNA memory
In the last decade non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as cellular key regulators. The attention of the scientific community has focused on ncRNAs with repressive features on eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. Many experimental evidences suggest that ncRNAs could also positively regulate transcription. The RNA-Memory Model (Arancio W. Rejuvenation Res. 2010 Apr-Jun;13(2-3):365-72.) gives possible explanations to several biological phenomena via trans-acting ncRNAs (memRNAs) able to orchestrate chromatin remodelling and in turn enhance transcription. memRNAs assert their functions especially during the post-mitotic chromatin remodelling. memRNAs can mark the genes transcribed in the mo…
CeRNA and interactome bioinformatic analyses on human telomerase
We present a classic interactome bioinformatic analysis and a study on competing endogenous (ce) RNAs for hTERT. The hTERT gene codes for the catalytic subunit and limiting component of the human telomerase complex. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is essential for the integrity of telomeres. Telomere dysfunctions have been widely reported to be involved in aging, cancer, and cellular senescence. The hTERT gene network has been analyzed using the BioGRID interaction database (http://thebiogrid.org/) and related analysis tools such as Osprey (http://biodata.mshri.on.ca/osprey/servlet/Index) and GeneMANIA (http://genemania.org/). The network of interaction of hTERT transcripts h…
A Drosophila model to study the human multysistemic disease Williams Beuren sindrome
CeRNA bioinformatic analysis on human telomerase
Messenger RNA (mRNA) translation efficiency is regulated by microRNAs. Each microRNA is able to regulate the translation of multiple mRNAs and each mRNA is regulated by multiple microRNAs. Thus, cellular mRNAs pool competed for microRNAs pool and viceversa. The regulatory network between mRNAs and microRNAs can be studied in the perspective of Competing Endogenous RNAs or ceRNAs. Here it is presented a bioinformatic study on ceRNAs for human telomerase (hTERT). Several genes potentially involved in the regulatory network of hTERT have been harvested by this study. hTERT is essential for the telomeres integrity. Telomere dysfunctions have been widely reported to be involved in Ageing, Cancer…
Real-time detection of BRAF V600E mutation from archival hairy cell leukemia FFPE tissue by nanopore sequencing
The MinION is a miniaturized high-throughput next generation sequencing platform of novel conception. The use of nucleic acids derived from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples is highly desirable, but their adoption for molecular assays is hurdled by the high degree of fragmentation and by the chemical-induced mutations stemming from the fixation protocols. In order to investigate the suitability of MinION sequencing on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, the presence and frequency of BRAF c.1799T > A mutation was investigated in two archival tissue specimens of Hairy cell leukemia and Hairy cell leukemia Variant. Despite the poor quality of the starting DNA, BRAF mutation was su…
A bioinformatics analysis of Lamin-A regulatory network: a perspective on epigenetic involvement in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare human genetic disease that leads to premature aging. HGPS is caused by mutation in the Lamin-A (LMNA) gene that leads, in affected young individuals, to the accumulation of the progerin protein, usually present only in aging differentiated cells. Bioinformatics analyses of the network of interactions of the LMNA gene and transcripts are presented. The LMNA gene network has been analyzed using the BioGRID database (http://thebiogrid.org/) and related analysis tools such as Osprey (http://biodata.mshri.on.ca/osprey/servlet/Index) and GeneMANIA ( http://genemania.org/). The network of interaction of LMNA transcripts has been further analyze…
Ruolo del rimodellatore della cromatina ATP-dipendente ISWI nel controllo del ciclo cellulare e del differenziamento. ISBN 978-1-4457-9586-7
A Dominant Modifiers Screen for Suppressors of ISWI Function
Identification of Novel Wsf1 Mutations in a Sicilian Child with Wolfram Syndrome
Wolfram Syndrome (WS) is a rare hereditary disease with autosomal recessive inheritance with incomplete penetrance. It is characterized by diabetes mellitus associated with progressive optic atrophy. The diagnosis is essentially clinical and mutation analysis is used to confirm the diagnosis. In the present study we describe the clinical and molecular features of a diabetic child carrying two novel WFS1 mutations. The Sicilian proband and his non-affected family were studied. Ophthalmologic examination included: visual acuity determination and funduscopy, optical coherent tomography, retinal fluorangiography, perimetry and electroretinogram. Molecular methods: automatic sequencing of PCR am…
Progeria: Model Organisms
A bioinformatic analysis of Lamin-A regulatory network: a perspective on epigenetic involvement in Huychinson-Gilford progeria syndrome
A multivariate statistical test for differential expression analysis
AbstractStatistical tests of differential expression usually suffer from two problems. Firstly, their statistical power is often limited when applied to small and skewed data sets. Secondly, gene expression data are usually discretized by applying arbitrary criteria to limit the number of false positives. In this work, a new statistical test obtained from a convolution of multivariate hypergeometric distributions, the Hy-test, is proposed to address these issues. Hy-test has been carried out on transcriptomic data from breast and kidney cancer tissues, and it has been compared with other differential expression analysis methods. Hy-test allows implicit discretization of the expression profi…
Targeted next generation sequencing of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma reveals mutations in JAK/STAT signalling pathway genes, TP53 and DNMT3A
White alleles Suppress Position Effect Variegation
BIOINFORMATICS CERNA ANALYSIS FOR THE STUDY OF STEM FACTOR SOX2 IN ANAPLASTIC THYROID CANCER.
Cancer stem cells (CSC) are believed to play a central role in oncogenesis, but until today their isolation and characterization is still particularly complex. Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) presents several characteristics suggestive of a tumour highly enriched in CSC (high mitotic rate, poor prognosis, high aggressiveness, resistance to treatments, etc). For these reasons ATC represents a good candidate to study CSCs. SOX2 is a key stem transcriptional factor, usually only transiently expressed, that plays a fundamental role in stem cell identity. SOX2 proved to be constitutively expressed in SW1736 cell line, a well established and recognized ATC cell line. The bioinformatics ceRNA anal…
Assessment and characterization of the bacterial community structure in advanced activated sludge systems
Abstract The present study is aimed to assess and characterize the structure of bacterial community in advanced activated sludge systems. In particular, activated sludge samples were collected from an Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge – Membrane Bioreactor pilot plant under a University of Cape Town configuration with in-series anaerobic (Noair)/anoxic (Anox)/aerobic (Oxy) reactors – and further analyzed. The achieved results – based on Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of 16S rDNA amplicons – revealed that the bacterial biofilm (bf) communities on plastic carriers of Oxy and Anox reactors had a greater diversity compared to suspended (sp) bacterial flocs of Oxy, Anox and Noair. Indeed,…
Functional Interaction between the Nucleosome Remodeling Factor ISWI and the Hsrω non-coding RNA
A ceRNA analysis on LMNA gene focusing on the Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome
Background: Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome is a rare dominant human disease of genetic origin. The average life expectancy is about 20 years, patients’ life quality is still very poor and no efficient therapy has yet been developed. It is caused by mutation of the LMNA gene, which results in accumulation in the nuclear membrane of a particular splicing form of Lamin-A called progerin. The mechanism by which progerin perturbs cellular homeostasis and leads to the symptoms is still under debate. Micro-RNAs are able to negatively regulate transcription by coupling with the 3’ UnTranslated Region of messenger RNAs. Several Micro-RNAs recognize the same 3’ UnTranslated Region and each Micr…
Multiple Pluripotent Stem Cell Markers in Human Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer: The Putative Upstream Role of SOX2
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare and aggressive endocrine tumor with highly undifferentiated morphology. It has been suggested that cancer stem cells (CSCs) might play a central role in ATC. The objectives of this study were (i) to characterize CSCs from ex vivo ATC specimens by investigating the expression of several pluripotent stem cell markers, and (ii) to evaluate in vitro drug resistance modifications after specific CSC transcription factor switch-off.In ex vivo experiments, eight formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded ATC specimens were analyzed by reverse-transcription and real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. In in vitro experiments using ATC SW1736 cells, the…
RNA memory model: a RNA-mediated transcriptional activation mechanism involved in cell identity.
Position-effect variegation (PEV) was discovered in Drosophila melanogaster in 1930 in a study of X-ray-induced chromosomal rearrangements. If a rearrangement places euchromatic genes adjacent to a region of centromeric heterochromatin, it gives a variegated phenotype that results from the random inactivation of genes by heterochromatin spreading from the breakpoint. After the establishment, the inactivation is henceforth clonally inherited. The vast majority of these modifiers were originally isolated in Drosophila as dominant mutations that suppressed or enhanced the variegation caused by a variegating white allele called white-mottled 4 (wm4). A large number of modifier genes alter PEV p…
ANTITUMOR EFFECTS OF SULPHORAPHANE ON THYROID CARCINOMA CELL LINES
Thyroid cancer is the most frequent endocrine malignancy with a global increasing incidence. Many evidences show that sulphoraphane (SF), a natural isothiocyante found in cruciferous vegetables has a wide range of chemopreventive as well as apoptosis inducing properties. The ability of SF in inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest is associated with the regulation of many proteins including Bcl-2 family proteins, caspases, p21, and cyclin dependent kinases. In the present work, we investigated in vitro the activity of SF in three human thyroid cancer cell lines. For this purpose we studied SW1736 (ATC), BC-PAP (PTC) and TT (MTC) cell line by MTT assay, after addition of SF ranging from 0 t…
Reactivation of aerobic granular sludge for the treatment of industrial shipboard slop wastewater: Effects of long-term storage on granules structure, biofilm activity and microbial community
Abstract This work reports on reactivation of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) for the treatment of industrial recalcitrant wastewater (slop wastewater) characterized by high salinity and hydrocarbons. AGS were reactivated in two reactors, R1 and R2, to treat industrial slop wastewater after a long-term storage for 12-months at 4 °C. In R1, salt-adapted mature aerobic granules were previously subjected to a step-wise increase of hydrocarbons, whereas in R2 aerobic granules were previously cultivated in presence of salinity and hydrocarbons. After a short-term reactivation period, the slop dosage caused a simultaneous decrease of granules dimensions and proteins/polysaccharides (PN/PS) ratio do…
Hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha expression is increased in infected positive HPV16 DNA oral squamous cell carcinoma and positively associated with HPV16 E7 oncoprotein.
Abstract Background There is increasing evidence for the role of High Risk (HR) Human PapillomaVirus (HPV) in the pathogenesis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). The E6 and E7 oncogenes from HR HPVs are responsible for the deregulation of p53 and pRB proteins involved in cell cycle and apoptotic pathways. In cell lines experiments, the HPV E7 protein seems to be able to enhance Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) activity, normally involved in the response to hypoxia and able to enhance angiogenesis. Results We studied tumor specimens from 62 OSCC; a higher prevalence of tumors in TNM stage II and also in pT2 class between OSCC infected positive HPV16 DNA than non-infected ones w…
Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma: A ceRNA Analysis Pointed to a Crosstalk between SOX2, TP53, and microRNA Biogenesis.
It has been suggested that cancer stem cells (CSC) may play a central role in oncogenesis, especially in undifferentiated tumours. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) has characteristics suggestive of a tumour enriched in CSC. Previous studies suggested that the stem cell factorSOX2has a preeminent hierarchical role in determining the characteristics of stem cells in SW1736 ATC cell line. In detail, silencing SOX2 in SW1736 is able to suppress the expression of the stem markers analysed, strongly sensitizing the line to treatment with chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, in order to further investigate the role of SOX2 in ATC, a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) analysis was conducted in order…
Un Modello in Drosophila per Studiare la Sindrome di Williams-Beuren
A genetic screen to identify ISWI antagonists in Drosophila melanogaster
Targeted sequencing of BRAF by MinION in archival Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded specimens allows to discriminate between Hairy Cell Leukemia and Hair Cell Leukemia Variant
Targeted sequencing of BRAF by MinION in archival Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded specimens allows to discriminate between Hairy Cell Leukemia and Hair Cell Leukemia Variant
Hutchinson Gilford Progeria Syndrome: A Therapeutic Approach via Adenoviral Delivery of CRISPR/cas Genome Editing System
Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a rare human genetic disease caused by mutations in the LMNA gene. LMNA codes for structural components of the nuclear lamina. Alterations of nuclear lamina lead to a very variable class of diseases known as laminopathies. In detail, HGPS manifests a severe premature ageing phenotype due to the accumulation of a dominant negative form of lamin-A called progerin. With current treatments, the life expectancy of HGPS patients does not exceed their second decade. Death is usually due to cardiovascular complications. Recently, a new technology for mammals in vivo gene editing has been developed: the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic …
An extended catalogue of ncRNAs in Streptomyces coelicolor reporting abundant tmRNA, RNase-P RNA and RNA fragments derived from pre-ribosomal RNA leader sequences
Streptomyces coelicolor is a model organism for studying streptomycetes. This genus possesses relevant medical and economical roles, because it produces many biologically active metabolites of pharmaceutical interest, including the majority of commercialized antibiotics. In this bioinformatic study, the transcriptome of S. coelicolor has been analyzed to identify novel RNA species and quantify the expression of both annotated and novel transcripts in solid and liquid growth medium cultures at different times. The major characteristics disclosed in this study are: (i) the diffuse antisense transcription; (ii) the great abundance of transfer-messenger RNAs (tmRNA); (iii) the abundance of rnpB…
Progerin expression induces a significant downregulation of transcription from human repetitive sequences in iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons.
Repetitive DNA sequences represent about half of the human genome. They have a central role in human biology, especially neurobiology, but are notoriously difficult to study. The purpose of this study was to quantify the transcription from repetitive sequences in a progerin-expressing cellular model of neuronal aging. Progerin is a nuclear protein causative of the Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome that is also incrementally expressed during the normal aging process. A dedicated pipeline of analysis allowed to quantify transcripts containing repetitive sequences from RNAseq datasets oblivious of their genomic localization, tolerating a sufficient degree of mutational noise, all with low c…
A Drosophila Model to Study the Human Multisystemic Disease Williams-Beuren Syndrome
Espressione dei fattori di trascrizione di staminalità in cellule stromali (HASC) ottenute da tessuto adiposo viscerale e sottocutaneo
Erratum to: Donor age and long-term culture do not negatively influence the stem potential of limbal fibroblast-like stem cells
In regenerative medicine the maintenance of stem cell properties is of crucial importance. Ageing is considered a cause of reduced stemness capability. The limbus is a stem niche of easy access and harbors two stem cell populations: epithelial stem cells and fibroblast-like stem cells. Our aim was to investigate whether donor age and/or long-term culture have any influence on stem cell marker expression and the profiles in the fibroblast-like stem cell population.Fibroblast-like stem cells were isolated and digested from 25 limbus samples of normal human corneo-scleral rings and long-term cultures were obtained. SSEA4 expression and sphere-forming capability were evaluated; cytofluorimetric…
ISWI genetically interacts with the hsr-omega ncRNA
Soppressione della Variegazione per Effetto di Posizione da parte di Alleli white
The nucleosome remodeling factor ISWI functionally interacts with an evolutionarily conserved network of cellular factors
Abstract ISWI is an evolutionarily conserved ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling factor playing central roles in DNA replication, RNA transcription, and chromosome organization. The variety of biological functions dependent on ISWI suggests that its activity could be highly regulated. Our group has previously isolated and characterized new cellular activities that positively regulate ISWI in Drosophila melanogaster. To identify factors that antagonize ISWI activity we developed a novel in vivo eye-based assay to screen for genetic suppressors of ISWI. Our screen revealed that ISWI interacts with an evolutionarily conserved network of cellular and nuclear factors that escaped previous genetic…
Loss of ISWI in Drosophila immaginal discs causes cell cycle defects
A novel antiviral approach.
Viral infections are often the etiological agents of severe acute and chronic human diseases. Their peculiar biology usually leads to the need of design specific therapies for each virus, and the eradication of the viruses and the healing of the patients very often are not reached also after decades of theoretical and applied researches. HIV is a classical example of how the efforts of the researchers may be disappointed in eradicating a virus infection in an infected patient. Here I present a hypothesis for a new antiviral approach that may be suitable for the treatment of HIV infected patients. The same approach, with opportune modifications, may be also applied as healing strategy for a …
Donor age and long-term culture do not negatively influence the stem potential of limbal fibroblast-like stem cells
AbstractBackgroundIn regenerative medicine the maintenance of stem cell properties is of crucial importance. Ageing is considered a cause of reduced stemness capability. The limbus is a stem niche of easy access and harbors two stem cell populations: epithelial stem cells and fibroblast-like stem cells. Our aim was to investigate whether donor age and/or long-term culture have any influence on stem cell marker expression and the profiles in the fibroblast-like stem cell population.MethodsFibroblast-like stem cells were isolated and digested from 25 limbus samples of normal human corneo-scleral rings and long-term cultures were obtained. SSEA4 expression and sphere-forming capability were ev…
Genetic identification of a network of factors that functionally interact with the nucleosome remodeling ATPase ISWI.
Nucleosome remodeling and covalent modifications of histones play fundamental roles in chromatin structure and function. However, much remains to be learned about how the action of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling factors and histone-modifying enzymes is coordinated to modulate chromatin organization and transcription. The evolutionarily conserved ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling factor ISWI plays essential roles in chromosome organization, DNA replication, and transcription regulation. To gain insight into regulation and mechanism of action of ISWI, we conducted an unbiased genetic screen to identify factors with which it interacts in vivo. We found that ISWI interacts with a network o…
SIN3A genetically and physically interacts with ISWI
Epigenetic involvement in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome: a mini-review.
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare human genetic disease that leads to a severe premature ageing phenotype, caused by mutations in the <i>LMNA</i> gene. The <i>LMNA</i> gene codes for lamin-A and lamin-C proteins, which are structural components of the nuclear lamina. HGPS is usually caused by a de novo <i>C1824T</i> mutation that leads to the accumulation of a dominant negative form of lamin-A called progerin. Progerin also accumulates physiologically in normal ageing cells as a rare splicing form of lamin-A transcripts. From this perspective, HGPS cells seem to be good candidates for the study of the physiological mechanisms of ageing…
A Bioinformatics Analysis of Lamin A Regulatory Network: a Perspective on Epigenetic Involvement in Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare human genetic disease that leads to premature ageing and ageing-associated phenotype. HGPS is caused by mutation in the lamin A (LMNA) gene that leads, in affected young individuals, to the generation of progerin, a splicing mutant of lamin A. A bioinformatics analysis of the LMNA gene network of interactions is presented. Lamin A seems to be involved in epigenetic regulation of transcription, chromatin remodelling, DNA repair, with key roles in stemness regulation, normal ageing and telomere functions. The study suggests particular relevance of chromatin remodellers and histones covalent modifiers in the LMNA network. Specifically, HTAT…
Natriuretic peptide system expression in murine and human submandibular salivary glands: a study of the spatial localisation of ANB, BNP, CNP and their receptors
AbstractThe natriuretic peptide (NP) system comprises of three ligands, the Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP), Brain Natriuretic peptide (BNP) and C-type Natriuretic peptide (CNP), and three natriuretic peptide receptors, NPRA, NPRB and NPRC. Here we present a comprehensive study of the natriuretic peptide system in healthy murine and human submandibular salivary glands (SMGs). We show CNP is the dominant NP in mouse and human SMG and is expressed together with NP receptors in ducts, autonomic nerves and the microvasculature of the gland, suggesting CNP autocrine signalling may take place in some of these glandular structures. These data suggest the NP system may control salivary gland funct…
Functional Interaction between the Nucleosome Remodeling Factor ISWI and the Hsrω non-coding RNA
The endophytic microbiota of Citrus limon is transmitted from seed to shoot highlighting differences of bacterial and fungal community structures
AbstractCitrus limon (L.) Burm. F. is an important evergreen fruit crop whose rhizosphere and phyllosphere microbiota have been characterized, while seed microbiota is still unknown. Bacterial and fungal endophytes were isolated from C. limon surface-sterilized seeds. The isolated fungi—belonging to Aspergillus, Quambalaria and Bjerkandera genera—and bacteria—belonging to Staphylococcus genus—were characterized for indoleacetic acid production and phosphate solubilization. Next Generation Sequencing based approaches were then used to characterize the endophytic bacterial and fungal microbiota structures of surface-sterilized C. limon seeds and of shoots obtained under aseptic conditions fr…
Trans-Reactivation: A New Epigenetic Phenomenon Underlying Transcriptional Reactivation of Silenced Genes
In order to study the role played by cellular RNA pools produced by homologous genomic loci in defining the transcriptional state of a silenced gene, we tested the effect of non-functional alleles of the white gene in the presence of a functional copy of white, silenced by heterochromatin. We found that non-functional alleles of white, unable to produce a coding transcript, could reactivate in trans the expression of a wild type copy of the same gene silenced by heterochromatin. This new epigenetic phenomenon of transcriptional trans-reactivation is heritable, relies on the presence of homologous RNA’s and is affected by mutations in genes involved in post-transcriptional gene silencing. Ou…
Erratum: Donor age and long-term culture do not negatively influence the stem potential of limbal fibroblast-like stem cells (Stem Cell Research and Therapy (2016) 7 (8))
Following publication of the original article in Stem Cell Research and Therapy [1], it was brought to our attention that panel 5E in Fig. 5 is a duplicate of panel 5F. Please find below the figure with the correct panel E. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused.
Isolamento e Caratterizzazione Immunologica di un Allergene del Polline di Parietaria judaica
A ceRNA approach may unveil unexpected contributors to deletion syndromes, the model of 5q- syndrome.
In genomic deletions, gene haploinsufficiency might directly configure a specific disease phenotype. Nevertheless, in some cases no functional association can be identified between haploinsufficient genes and the deletion-associated phenotype. Transcripts can act as microRNA sponges. The reduction of transcripts from the hemizygous region may increase the availability of specific microRNAs, which in turn may exert in-trans regulation of target genes outside the deleted region, eventually contributing to the phenotype. Here we prospect a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) approach for the identification of candidate genes target of epigenetic regulation in deletion syndromes. As a model, we an…
Serum miRNAs in women affected by hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome: the potential role of miR-155 as a biomarker for monitoring the estroprogestinic treatment.
MicroRNAs can be used as very efficient circulating biomarkers. The role of microRNAs in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and the effects of antiandrogen therapy on microRNA expression is still not fully understood. A panel of serum microRNAs were retrotranscribed via looped reverse primer transcription specific for each miRNA and quantified via probe specific RT-PCR in 16 Caucasian hyperandrogenic PCOS women selected according to the Rotterdam criteria and in a subset of seven patients after four months of sequential reverse antiandrogenic therapy. All women recruited underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and a baseline total cholesterol, high density lipoproteins cholesterol, tr…
HSP90 in ageing progression and ageing related diseases
HSP90 activities decline during ageing. Noteworthy, HSP90 mediated retrotransposon silencing seems to have a key role in the maintenance of genome integrity. Furthermore, inhibition of HSP90 activities lead to cell senescence and apoptosis. Original bioinformatics analyses and literature data will be discussed in the light of the potential involvement of HSP90 in ageing progression and ageing related diseases.
Tissue Versus Liquid Biopsy: Opposite or Complementary?
The main pillar of cancer diagnosis has been classically represented by the cyto-/histopathological analysis of cells and tissues. The detection of morphological features of cellular atypia (e.g., altered nuclear/cytoplasmic area ratio; nuclear dysmorphism) and disarranged hierarchical architecture of the tissue (i.e., dysplasia) are funding elements in the diagnosis of malignancies, yet the pieces of information conveyed by these features are often insufficient for the precise identification of a specific cancer histotype, and sometimes they prove faulty [1–6].
RNA mediated trans-activation: its therapeutic potential in anaplastic thyroid cancer
RNA mediated trans-Activation is a proposed mechanism involved in the setting of the epigenetic state of chromatin. It has been studied first in Drosophila melanogaster where it seems that at least some transcribed loci are marked as transcriptionally active by their own transcripts. This effect acts in trans and in some cases could give rise to a transgenerational paramutational-like effect. This work studies RNA mediated trans-activation in the light of one of its possible applications, specifically its use as a therapeutic strategy for the incurable and highly aggressive ATC (anaplastic thyroid cancer). We explore the possibility to reactivate the Thyroid specific NIS (Natrium-Iodine sym…
Competing endogenous RNA and interactome bioinformatic analyses on human telomerase.
We present a classic interactome bioinformatic analysis and a study on competing endogenous (ce) RNAs for hTERT. The hTERT gene codes for the catalytic subunit and limiting component of the human telomerase complex. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is essential for the integrity of telomeres. Telomere dysfunctions have been widely reported to be involved in aging, cancer, and cellular senescence. The hTERT gene network has been analyzed using the BioGRID interaction database (http://thebiogrid.org/) and related analysis tools such as Osprey (http://biodata.mshri.on.ca/osprey/servlet/Index) and GeneMANIA (http://genemania.org/). The network of interaction of hTERT transcripts h…
Plastica in mare: biodiversità della plastisfera
La plastica costituisce la componente più abbondante dei rifiuti in ambiente marino. Le plastiche in mare sono colonizzate da biofilm microbici, denominati plastisfera, che possono comprendere patogeni, specie algali tossiche e invasive e, potenzialmente, organismi in grado di biodeteriorare e degradare le plastiche (Zettler et al. 2013). Lo scopo di questo lavoro è studiare e confrontare le comunità microbiche che colonizzano plastiche biodegradabili e non biodegradabili in ambiente marino. Un esperimento di esposizione di film plastici in ambiente marino portuale è stato allestito per studiare la diversità della plastisfera di alcune plastiche biodegradabili (Mater Bi e PLA-acido polilatt…
Ruolo del rimodellatore della cromatina ATP-dipendente ISWI nel controllo del ciclo cellulare e del differenziamento.
White alleles Suppress Position Effect Variegation
Anaplastic Large T Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) is characterized by high expression of P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1 (PSGL-1) that positively correlates with CD30 expression and TCR signaling pathway.
Anaplastic Large T Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) is characterized by high expression of P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1 (PSGL-1) that positively correlates with CD30 expression and TCR signaling pathway.