The Marine Biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea in a Changing Climate: The Impact of Biological Invasions

The Mediterranean Sea, one of the most complex marine ecosystems, is inhabited by a rich and diverse biota which is disproportionate to its dimensions. It is currently affected by different pressures, mainly driven by human activities such as climate change and bioinvasions. This Sea, also due to its geographic position (wedged between the temperate climate of central Europe and the arid climate of northern Africa), seems to be one of the regions most susceptible to global climate change. The increased rates of introduction and spread of marine alien species may represent a supplementary stress factor to Mediterranean marine native biota already challenged by climatic abnormalities. The Suez Canal is considered to be the main vector of introduction of non‐indigenous marine species into the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the dramatically accelerating rate of such introductions and due to the sheer magnitude of shipping traffic, the Mediterranean Sea may be considered as a true hotspot of marine bioinvasions. The complexity of interactions between native and invasive species and the associated resulting impacts make environmental management of such an issue particularly difficult. A collaboration between researchers, resource management agencies and policy makers is called for to bolster the effectiveness of invasive species management procedures

Citizens and scientists work together to monitor marine alien macrophytes

The introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) is an ongoing phenomenon which has been pointed out as a major threat to biodiversity at different levels. NIS may in time become invasive (Invasive Alien Species “IAS”) and may cause biodiversity loss and ecosystem service changes. The Mediterranean Sea is an important hotspot for marine NIS (ca. 1,000 such species recorded to date. To reduce the risk of future IAS introduction and to better understand their invasive potential and spread dynamics, monitoring and surveillance plans are required. The creation of permanent alarm systems and public awareness campaigns are crucial for reducing the risk of IAS introduction. Since intensive monitoring programs could be very expensive, citizen science, involving citizens (e.g. tourists, fishermen, divers) in the collection of data, could be a useful tool for providing data on IAS, that would otherwise be impossible to collect because of limitations on time and resources. Citizen science is having an increasing success worldwide. Citizen science projects has rapidly and enormously increased in recent years, also thanks to the wide availability of mobile technologies and internet access that enable an easy and cheap way to communicate, share and interchange data. The value of citizen science has been widely recognized. Of course, in order to be used for scientific purposes and management decisions, the collected data need appropriate quality assurance measures such as validation and verification by taxonomic experts. We report on the experience of two citizen science projects: the Project “Caulerpa cylindracea – Egadi Islands” and the Project “Invasive Algae”, included within the “Seawatchers” platform

A first snapshot of sandy-beach amphipod (Crustacea) assemblage in a Marine Protected Area, Favignana Island (central Mediterranean Sea)

The aim of this study is to compile a preliminary first check-list of Amphipoda species from beaches of Favignana Island (Sicily, Italy), and contribute to the knowledge relating to the distribution of this taxon in the Mediterranean Sea. Five amphipod species, belonging to two families (Talitridae and Hyalidae), have been collect in the island. The supralittoral assemblage appears to contain three main biogeographical categories: Atlanto-Mediterranean species, Mediterranean endemic species and cosmopolitan species

To be or not to be a germ cell: The extragonadal germ cell tumor paradigm

In the human embryo, the genetic program that orchestrates germ cell specification in-volves the activation of epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms that make the germline a unique cell population continuously poised between germness and pluripotency. Germ cell tumors, neo-plasias originating from fetal or neonatal germ cells, maintain such dichotomy and can adopt either pluripotent features (embryonal carcinomas) or germness features (seminomas) with a wide range of phenotypes in between these histotypes. Here, we review the basic concepts of cell specification, migration and gonadal colonization of human primordial germ cells (hPGCs) highlighting the analogies of transcriptional/epigenetic programs between these two cell types

Pro-inflammatory genetic markers of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic, progressive, multifactorial disease mostly affecting large and medium-sized elastic and muscular arteries. It has formerly been considered a bland lipid storage disease. Currently, multiple independent pathways of evidence suggest this pathological condition is a peculiar form of inflammation, triggered by cholesterol-rich lipoproteins and influenced both by environmental and genetic factors. The Human Genome Project opened up the opportunity to dissect complex human traits and to understand basic pathways of multifactorial diseases such as AS. Population-based association studies have emerged as powerful tools for examining genes with a role in common multifactorial diseases that have a strong environmental component. These association studies often estimate the risk of developing a certain disease in carriers and non-carriers of a particular genetic polymorphism. Dissecting out the influence of pro-inflammatory genes within the complex pathophysiology of AS and its complications will help to provide a more complete risk assessment and complement known classical cardiovascular risk factors. The detection of a risk profile will potentially allow both the early identification of individuals susceptible to disease and the possible discovery of potential targets for drug or lifestyle modification; i.e. it will open the door to personalized medicine

Association between the MHC class I gene HFE polymorphisms and longevity: a study in Sicilian population

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Pathological implications of Th1/Th2 cytokine genetic variants in Beh\ue7et's disease: Data from a pilot study in a Sicilian population

Cytokines act as pleiotropic polypeptides able to regulate inflammatory/immune responses and to provide important signals in physiological and pathological processes. Several cytokines (Th1, Th2, and Th17) seem to be involved in the pathophysiology of Beh\ue7et's disease, a chronic immune-mediated disease characterized by oral and genital lesions and ocular inflammation. Its individual susceptibility seems to be modulated by genetic variants in genes codifying these cytokines. Th1 and Th17 seem to be involved in the disease's active phases, and Th2 seems to affect the development or severity of the disease; however, contrasting data are reported. In this study, some genetic variants of the Th1/Th2 cytokine genes were investigated in Sicilian patients and age- and gender-matched controls. Three very significant associations with Beh\ue7et's disease were detected, and combined genotypes associated with increased disease risk were identified. Results obtained point to the key role of Th1/Th2 cytokine genetic variants in disease susceptibility

micrornas in autoimmune rheumatic diseases

The etiology of autoimmune diseases remains largely unknown. In recent years, besides genetic factors, several studies proposed that the epigenome may hold the key to a better understanding of autoimmunity initiation and perpetuation. More specifically epigenetic regulatory mechanisms comprise DNA methylation, a variety of histone modifications, and microRNA (miRNA) activity, all of which act upon gene and protein expression levels. In particular it is well known that epigenetic mechanisms are important for controlling the pattern of gene expression during development, the cell cycle, and the response to biological or environmental changes. In the present review a description of the most frequent epigenetic deregulations, in particular the role of miRNA, in rheumatic autoimmune disorders will be analyzed