0000000000084379

AUTHOR

Ignazio Sammarco

Genetic database development for the characterisation of Sicilian sheep population

The most representative sheep in Sicily are Belicina, Comisana, Pinzirita, Barbarescaand the crossbred derived sheep from all this species. In this study, the allelic frequencies of the Sicilian sheep population were investigated. It currently represents the best way to determine the genetic identity and/or family even with limited amounts of sample or when the DNA is degraded. The aim of the study was to provide a reference data bank and to evaluate a microsatellite panel for pedigree analysis as suggested by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG). There are various studies on European sheep, but few datasets were developed on the population of Sicilian sheep. The reference d…

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Taxidermal Preparations of an Extinct Sicilian Wolf Population (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758): Biological Studies and Restoration

In last decades, biotechnologies have enabled a deep development of knowledge in all fields of life sciences, allowing the collection of a wide range of data. Furthermore, the relationship between scientific investigations and conservation actions of cultural heritage is increasingly consolidated and now it is one of the peculiar points both for sustainable restoration and use of the cultural asset, also evaluating the cultural assets as source of biological information. In this study, Sicilian wolf (Canis lupus) specimens conserved in Sicilian Natural Museums, become a source of biological information on Sicilian biodiversity, establishing specific conservative protocol developed cooperati…

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Genetic tools discriminate strains of Leishmania infantum isolated from  humans and dogs in Sicily, Italy

Background Leishmaniasis is one of the most important vector-borne diseases and it represents a serious world health problem affecting millions of people. High levels of Leishmania infections, affecting both humans and animals, are recognized among Italian regions. Among these, Sicily has one of the highest prevalence of Leishmania infection. Methodology/Principal Findings Seventy-eight Leishmania strains isolated from human and animal samples across Sicily, were analyzed for the polymorphic k26-gene and genotypes were assigned according to the size of the PCR products. A multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) approach based on the analysis of 11 independent loci was used to investigate po…

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Additional file 2: of Two novel amino acid substitutions in highly conserved regions of prion protein (PrP) and a high frequency of a scrapie protective variant in native Ethiopian goats

Table of the genotypes combinations of Prion protein gene in native Ethiopian goats.. (PDF 423 kb)

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Two novel amino acid substitutions in highly conserved regions of prion protein (PrP) and a high frequency of a scrapie protective variant in native Ethiopian goats

Background Polymorphisms of the prion protein gene may influence scrapie susceptibility in small ruminants through modified protein conformation. At least 47 amino acid substitutions and 19 silent polymorphisms have been described in goat PRNP reported from several countries. The objective of this study was to investigate PRNP polymorphisms of native Ethiopian goat breeds and compare the results with other goat breeds. Results The analysis of the prion protein gene PRNP in 229 goats belonging to three of the main Ethiopian native goat breeds showed a remarkably high frequency (> 34.6%) of p.(Asn146Ser) in these breeds, a variant involved in scrapie resistance in Cyprus. In addition, two nov…

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Additional file 1: of Two novel amino acid substitutions in highly conserved regions of prion protein (PrP) and a high frequency of a scrapie protective variant in native Ethiopian goats

Prion protein gene polymorphism in native Ethiopian goats. Excel file that include all information related to each single goat in the three Ethiopian regions. For each goat, information regarding sex, age in months and the related prion polymorphisms are reported. (XLS 60 kb)

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