Ricerc@Sapienza

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) protein controls both metabolism and virulence in response to iron availability. Differently from other bacteria, attempts to obtain fur deletion mutants of P. aeruginosa failed, leading to the assumption that Fur is an essential protein in this bacterium. By investigating a P. aeruginosa conditional fur mutant, we demonstrate that Fur is not essential for P. aeruginosa growth in liquid media, biofilm formation, and pathogenicity in an insect model of infection.

Studies investigating telomere length in association with cognitive decline, dementia, and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) have frequently found shorter telomeres to be associated with the development of AD and telomerase expression with pathological processes in AD. Human telomerase is constituted by two components: the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and the telomerase RNA component (TERC). Genetic variation at the two loci has been investigated in relation to telomere length, longevity, and common diseases of advanced age, but not in relation to AD.

Severe alpha?1?antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is most frequently associated with the alpha?1?antitrypsin (AAT) Z variant (E342K). ZZ homozygotes exhibit accumulation of AAT as polymers in the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes. This protein deposition can lead to liver disease, with the resulting low circulating levels of AAT predisposing to early?onset emphysema due to dysregulation of elastinolytic activity in the lungs. An increasing number of rare AAT alleles have been identified in patients with severe AATD, typically in combination with the Z allele.

Oligogalacturonides (OGs) are pectic fragments derived from the partial degradation of homogalacturonan in the plant cell wall and able to elicit plant defence responses. Recent methodological advances in the isolation of OGs from plant tissues and their characterization have confirmed their role as bona fide plant Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns. Here, we describe the methods for the isolation of OGs from Arabidopsis leaf tissues and for the characterization of OG structure and biological activity.

Endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction has been reported in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Thus, the availability of CF EC is
paramount to uncover mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction in CF. Using collagenase digestion, we isolated cells from
small fragments of pulmonary artery dissected from non-CF lobes or explanted CF lungs. These cells were a
heterogeneous mixture, containing variable percentages of EC. To obtain virtually pure pulmonary artery endothelial cells

Although cystic fibrosis (CF) patients exhibit signs of endothelial perturbation, the functions of the cystic fibrosis
conductance regulator (CFTR) in vascular endothelial cells (EC) are poorly defined. We sought to uncover
biological activities of endothelial CFTR, relevant for vascular homeostasis and inflammation. We examined cells
from human umbilical cords (HUVEC) and pulmonary artery isolated from non-cystic fibrosis (PAEC) and CF
human lungs (CF-PAEC), under static conditions or physiological shear. CFTR activity, clearly detected in

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal disease, determined by lack of dystrophin (Dp427), a muscular cytoskeletal protein also expressed by selected neuronal populations. Consequently, besides muscular wasting, both human patients and DMD animal models suffer several neural disorders. In previous studies on the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) of wild type and dystrophic mdx mice (Lombardi et al. 2008), we hypothesized that Dp427 could play some role in NGF-dependent axonal growth, both during development and adulthood.

Numerous studies have reported an association between shortened leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study we investigated the relationship between LTL and AD development, including in the analysis patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a clinical entity considered prodromal of AD. LTL (T/S ratio) was measured in patients with AD (n = 61) or aMCI (n = 46), and compared with LTL of age-matched controls (n = 56). Significant LTL differences were observed between controls, aMCI and AD patients (p

In Drosophila males, there is no synaptonemal complex and recombination does not occur. Thus, Drosophila male meiosis is a good model system for the analysis of achiasmate chromosome segregation. In addition, due to their large size, the meiotic spindles of Drosophila males are an excellent system for mutational dissection of the mechanisms of spindle assembly. Here, we describe the main techniques for visualization of live Drosophila testes and for preparation of fixed meiotic chromosomes and spindles.