EVALUATION OF STABILITY AND ENZYMATIC ACTIVITIES OF PROTEOLYTIC ENZYMES USED IN PANCREATIC ISLET TRANSPLANTATION

In pancreatic islets purification, for cell therapy applications, the major enzymes used are obtained from Clostridium hystoliticum; class I and class II collagenases (Coll-G and Coll-H). In a well defined composition Coll-G/Coll-H together enzymes working on hydrophobic amminoacid, the neutral protease (Dispase) or the thermolysin (Thermostable Neutral Protease), are used in Langerhans islets purification. By electrophoresis and gelatin zymography approaches, in combination to densitometry quantitative valuation we have compared in composition, stability and autodigestion processes C. hystoliticum collagenases, Neutral protease and Thermolysin from two different producers, Roche and Serva.…

Molecular and physiological characterization of in vivo Sulfamethoxazole response in Procambarus clarkii

A new method to valued efficiency of enzyme blend for pancreas tissue digestion.

One of the best successful example of cell therapy is represented by islet transplantation since the '90. However islet isolation methods are not completely standardized yet. More than half of isolation procedures failed to isolate adequate islets for transplantation, due to variable pancreas condition, and to unpredictable enzymatic blend efficiency. Enzymes used for pancreas digestion are purified from Clostridium histolyticum; these enzymes has a broad substrate specificity and potent collagenolytic activity compared to vertebrate collagenases. However, a major obstacle in human islet isolation successful is due to the variability in composition and concentration of the collagenases used…

Fluttuazioni interannuali nell’abbondanza degli stadi larvali di Engraulis encrasicolus e di Sardinella aurita in relazione al riscaldamento delle acque superficiali nello Stretto di Sicilia.

First data on hydrobiological characterization of western Libyan sea area (August 2006)

GENE STRUCTURE, DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE METALLOTHIONEIN GENE FAMILY OF THE SEA URCHIN PARACENTROTUS LIVIDUS

Metallothioneins (MT) are small and cysteine-rich proteins that bind metal ions such as zinc, copper, cadmium, and nickel1. Several functions were proposed for these peptides, ranging from toxic metal protection to physiological metal homeostasis, free radical scavenging, oxidative stress protection, antiapoptotic defense, control of the redox status of the cell and also roles during development. Previously, we reported the identification of five different MT homologues (PlMT4-8) from the Mediterranean sea urchin species P. lividus2. In order to shed some light on MT gene structure and evolution, we cloned seven P. lividus MT genes, comparing them to Echinodermata and Chordata genes3. Moreo…

Comparative study on enzymatic activity and molecules stability of some commercial proteolytic enzymes used in pancreatic islet isolation.

In pancreatic islets purification, for cell therapy applications, the major enzymes used are obtained from Clostridium hystoliticum; class I and class II collagenases (COLL G and COLL H). They are used in a defined tissue dissociation enzyme (TDE) mixtures together neutral protease (Dispase) or thermolysin (Thermostable Neutral Protease). The TDE mixtures were in part responsible for the success of the Edmonton protocol; however, just to now, people working in islets purification found discrepancy in an application to another one. This variability in application see in the enzymatic blend composition the higher accused, such as the contamination from endotoxines due to extractive production…

Linking ecological and physical features in the Strait of Sicily preliminary results of air - sea interaction.

Distribution of Lanthanides in Mediterranean Coastal waters

Distribution and behaviour of the whole lanthanide series and yttrium in both seawater column and suspended particulate matter were investigated in coastal water located in the Central Mediterranean Sea. An area characterized by high anthropic pressure, atmospheric fallout and river input due to drainage of little local watersheds was selected. Water masses were discriminated with respect to both surrounding and depth and in relation to the processes occurring at the solid-liquid interface. We found that yttrium and Rare Earth Elements in the labile fraction of the suspended particulates result from the mixing between lithogenic material from the Sicilian basin and detrital material of Saha…

Stima dei flussi di calore latente e sensibile in differenti aree del Mediterraneo Centrale, attraverso strumentazione acustica e tradizionale.

The nucleic acid binding protein PcCNBP is transcriptionally regulated during the immune response in red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii

Cellular nucleic acid binding proteins (CNBPs) represent a highly conserved protein family among vertebrates; they harbour seven tandem zinc finger repeats CCHC type and have been described as transcriptional and translational regulators. To date, there is little characterization of CNBP in invertebrates since its structure and function have been analysed solely in Drosophila melanogaster. However, no CNBP has been investigated in other arthropod systems. In an effort to isolate immune-related genes in Procambarus clarkii, a partial mRNA coding a zinc finger containing protein was found to be up-regulated during the response to white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection. The red swamp crayf…

Stima dei flussi energetici all’interfaccia aria-mare con l’impiego di SST da Satellite e dati rilevati in situ.

La conoscenza dei flussi energetici scambiati fra oceano e bassa atmosfera è un requisito utile per modellare e comprendere il sistema climatico e la dinamica degli oceani. L’elevata difficoltà di effettuare misure in situ ed in continuo in ambiente marino induce spesso all’utilizzo ausiliario di strumentazione satellitare. Nel presente lavoro è stato effettuato un confronto tra la stima dei flussi energetici superficiali valutati con dati provenienti da satellite e quelli ottenuti da misure in situ. In particolare, per il confronto, sono stati utilizzati i dati SST acquisiti dal satellite NOAA e i dati raccolti in situ dai sensori istallati a bordo della Nave Oceanografica Urania nel corso…

Molecular and physiological characterization of in vivo Sulfamethoxazole response in Procambarus clark