0000000000737396
AUTHOR
Francesca Damiani
L’analisi dei microsatelliti nel condensato aereo polmonare di pazienti con patologie tumorali polmonari come nuova metodologia per la diagnosi precoce.
Analisi proteomica del polline di Parietaria judaica
Indagini ultrastrutturali sugli effetti di un organometallo dello stagno [tributyltin (IV) chloride] sul processo di neurulazione delle Ascidie.
Un’attenzione particolare è stata rivolta, negli anni più recenti, allo studio degli effetti di un organo metallo contenente stagno, il TBT (IV) chloride, sugli stadi iniziali dello sviluppo embrionale di animali marini. Gli effetti di questo potente inquinante sullo sviluppo e sulla sopravvivenza degli embrioni sono stati proposti come parametri utili per il controllo e il monitoraggio delle acque. Nel presente lavoro sono riportati gli effetti tossici del TBT (IV) chloride sulla neurulazione sull’ascidia Ciona intestinalis, stadio molto importante durante il quale avviene la determinazione del sistema nervoso e la formazione del tubo neurale. L’esposizione degli embrioni allo stadio di ne…
Characterization of mitotic and meiotic, chromosomes of the vermetid gastropodDendropoma (Novastoa) Petraeum(Monterosato, 1884) (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda)
Abstract The vermetid gastropod Dendropoma (Novastoa) petraeum from the Northwestern coast of Sicily was investigated karyologically. The count of spermatocyte bivalents at diakinesis gave the haploid number of this species as n=17. The count of mitotic chromosomes in males, females and early developing embryos gave the diploid number as 2n=34. Irrespective of sex, the karyotype of D. petraeum consists of 17 homomorphic chromosome pairs, of which 8 are metacentric, 4 subtelocentric and 5 acrocentric. This species is characterized by the presence of two chromosomes per cell involved in nucleolus organization (NOR) and by a low amount of constitutive heterochromatin.
Tributyltin chloride-induced effects on protein tyrosine phosphorylation and on extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorilation in Ascidian Phallusia mammilata
Ascidians represent an intriguing candidate experimental system for studying the effects of environmental stress. We studied TBT effects and probable related pathways were investigated on ascidian embryos by using Western immunoblotting. Among the various signal transduction pathways involved in response to environmental stress, both tyrosine kinase signalling and MAPKs have been played a significant role. To better understand molecular mechanisms after exposure to TBT we studied the two signal transduction pathways above mentioned. Attempting to unravel the molecular effects of TBT-induced on ascidians embryogenesis, TBT treatments carried out in Phallusia mammillata embryos at gastrula st…
TRIBUTYLTIN-INDUCED EFFECTS ON MAPK SIGNALING IN ASCIDIAN EMBRYOS
Among the class of organotin compounds, the most well known is tributyltin (TBT). Organotin have many applications, which include use in PVC, as catalyst in chemical reactions, agricultural pesticides and antifungal treatments for textile polymers. In particular TBT is used in marine antifoulant paints to prevent the growth of organisms such as barnacles on the hull of ships. Extensive use in antifouling paints led to the widespread distribution of TBT and its breakdown products in the global marine, sediment and biota. High levels of TBT in the waters were found to have impaired reproduction, by inhibiting embryogenesis and larval development in a variety of marine organisms. Symptoms of t…
COMPARATIVE ULTRASTRUCTURAL INVESTIGATION ON THE ADHESIVE PAPILLAE OF THE SWIMMING LARVAE OF THREE ASCIDIAE SPECIES
Ascidian swimming larvae bear three peculiar organs of ectodermic origin, named “palps” or adhesive papillae, located in the anterior region of cephalenteron. Term “adhesive” is correlated to one of the function of these structure based on secretion of an adhesive substance which enables swimming larvae to adhere to a substratum. Recently a sensory function has also been described in some Phlebobranchia papillae with a simple morpho-functional organization. There are few ultrastructural investigations in literature, sometimes disputed, able to make clear papillae cells functions. To clarify this problem, a comparative investigation has been carried out, just in this work, about ultrastructu…
Comparative study of T84 and T84SF human colon carcinoma cells: in vitro and in vivo ultrastructural and functional characterization of cell culture and metastasis.
Role of S128R polymorphism of E-selectin in colon metastasis formation.
The extravasation of cancer cells is a key step of the metastatic cascade. Polymorphisms in genes encoding adhesion molecules can facilitate metastasis by increasing the strength of interaction between tumor and endothelial cells as well as impacting other properties of cancer cells. We investigated the Ser128Arg (a561c at the nucleotide level) polymorphism in the E-selectin gene in patients with metastatic colon cancer and its functional significance. Genotyping for a561c polymorphism was performed on 172 cancer patients and on an age-matched control population. The colon cancer group was divided into groups with (M+) and without observable metastasis (M−). For in vitro functional assays, …
Characterization of a subpopulation of T84 human colon cancer cells, after selection on activated endothelial cells.
Comparative study of T84 and T84SF human colon carcinoma cells: in vitro and in vivo ultrastructural and functional characterization of cell culture and metastasis
To better understand the relationship between tumor heterogeneity, differentiation, and metastasis, suitable experimental models permitting in vitro and in vivo studies are necessary. A new variant cell line (T84SF) exhibiting an altered phenotype was recently selected from a colon cancer cell line (T84) by repetitive plating on TNF-alpha treated human endothelial cells and subsequent selection for adherent cells. The matched pair of cell lines provides a useful system to investigate the extravasation step of the metastatic cascade. Since analysis of morphological differences can be instructive to the understanding of metastatic potential of tumor cells, we compared the ultrastructural and …