0000000000627071
AUTHOR
F Caradonna
Flora e fauna antartica di interesse biotecnologico: esperienze e future prospettive in Italia ed Argentina
L’Antartide è un ambiente in cui sono presenti contemporaneamente estreme condizioni di temperatura, luce, umidità e vento. La biosfera locale presenta una notevole biodiversità ed una serie di fenomeni unici usati come soluzioni per poter vivere a queste condizioni. La componente più rappresentata è quella microbica e batterica in particolare; sono stati infatti recentemente descritti, da gruppi di ricerca dell’Università di Messina in collaborazione con l’Università di Palermo, batteri in grado di produrre delle molecole antibiotico-simili con spiccate proprietà batteriostatiche nei confronti di ceppi opportunisti particolarmente temibili in caso di infezioni in soggetti affetti da Fibros…
Modifica superficiale di film di poli(etilene-co-acido acrilico) con nanoparticelle di silice attivata
Long-term exposure to submicromolar arsenite induces bypass of the spindle assembly checkpoint in mammalian cells
Mitosis is regulated by checkpoints that delay mitotic progression when chromosome segregation errors occur. Inaccuracy in checkpoint processes can lead to chromosome instability both in number and structure (CIN). Arsenic is reported to induce CIN by perturbing mitotic spindles and checkpoints, however, its carcinogenic mechanisms are poorly understood. We previously studied the long-term progression of chromosomal instability in V79 cells treated acutely with arsenite (10 M, 24 hr) followed by growth in arsenic-free medium for 120 cell generations, and found time-dependent increase of aneuploid cells. Here, we treated V79-derived G12 cells with sub-lethal doses (0.1-1.0 µM) of arsenite f…
Studio sull'induzione di danno al DNA, micronuclei ed alterazioni del ciclo cellulare da condensato di sigaretta
Numerosi studi confermano l’associazione tra fumo di sigaretta e insorgenza di patologie-polmonari, cardiovascolari e tumori. Il fumo, infatti, contiene diversi composti mutageni c cancerogeni. Premesso che non esiste una sigaretta sicura, è comunque possibile attuare strategie per caratterizzare e ridurre il rischio. In questo studio, abbiamo utilizzato test in vitro per investigare i possibili meccanismi d’azione del condensato di sigaretta (CSC), ovvero la frazione particolata del fumo, assorbita nei polmoni del fumatore e successivamente metabolizzata. Analisi precedenti avevano dimostrato che il CSC, dopo 24h di trattamento induce decremento della vitalità delle cellule Swiss3T3 (IC50 …
Value of polymorphisms and DNA methylation for the expression of CYP2E1 enzyme: implications in pharmacogenomics
Different individuals possess slightly different genetic information and show genetically-determined differences in several enzyme activities due to genetic variability. Following an integrated approach, we studied the polymorphisms and DNA methylation of the 5′ flanking region of the metabolizing enzyme CYP2E1 in correlation to its expression in both tumor and non-neoplastic liver cell lines, since to date little is known about the influence of these (epi)genetic elements in basal conditions and under induction by the specific inductor and a demethylating agent. In treated cells, reduced DNA methylation, assessed both at genomic and gene level, was not consistently associated with the incr…
Can Early Life Exposure to Permethrin lead to intergenerational effects?
Pesticides are largely used in agriculture against pests and consequently are present in fruits and vegetables. The wide presence of pesticide residues in breast milk underline the risk for the population, focalizing the long-term consequence of early life pyrethroid exposure. The significant presence of pyrethroid metabolites in the urine of population over the world confirms that their presence in food is a global problem. It has been demonstrated that there is a correlation between the environmental exposure to pesticides and the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Neonatal exposure to Permethrin (PERM), a member of the family of synthetic pyrethroids, can induce neurodegeneration…
Persistent dysregulation of DNA methylation in cells with arsenic-induced genomic instability
The mechanisms by which arsenic-induced genomic instability is initiated and maintained are poorly understood. In previous studies long-term progression of chromosomal instability was typified by increasing aneuploidy in Chinese hamster V79 and human keratinocyte cells treated with arsenite for a 24 hr exposure period followed by growth in arsenic-free medium for 40-120 cell generations. In the current study the role of progressive DNA methylation changes was evaluated in long-term cell cultures after brief arsenite treatments as above. We have found altered genomic methylation patterns in cells that were briefly exposed to arsenic with evidence for widespread dysregulation of CpG methylati…