Ricerc@Sapienza

The Luciferase Immuno Precipitation System (LIPS) enables the detection of specific serum antibodies by immunoprecipitation of recombinant antigens tagged with a luciferase reporter. Here we describe LIPS assays for the quantification of autoantibodies to the H+, K+-ATPase A (ATP4A) and B (ATP4B) subunits, two serological markers of autoimmune atrophic gastritis and pernicious anemia.

Knowledge of animals’ hormonal status is important for conservation studies in wild or semi-free-ranging conditions as well as for behavioural and clinical experiments conducted in laboratory research, mostly performed on rats and mice. Faecal sampling is a useful non-invasive method to obtain steroid hormone assessments. Nevertheless, in laboratory studies, unlike other contexts, faecal sampling is less utilised. One of the issues raised is the necessity to collect samples belonging to different animals, separately.

The level of glucocorticoids, especially if obtained from noninvasive sampling, can be used as an index of animal well-being, allowing evaluation of the animal's response to environmental modifications. Despite evidence that these hormones play a relevant role in energy metabolism regulation in perceived or real stress events, little is known regarding the factors that could modify the capability of animals to cope with relocation events.