23 research outputs found
Ancient pigs reveal a near-complete genomic turnover following their introduction to Europe
Archaeological evidence indicates that pig domestication had begun by ∼10,500 y before the present (BP) in the Near East, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) suggests that pigs arrived in Europe alongside farmers ∼8,500 y BP. A few thousand years after the introduction of Near Eastern pigs into Europe, however, their characteristic mtDNA signature disappeared and was replaced by haplotypes associated with European wild boars. This turnover could be accounted for by substantial gene flow from local European wild boars, although it is also possible that European wild boars were domesticated independently without any genetic contribution from the Near East. To test these hypotheses, we obtained mtDNA sequences from 2,099 modern and ancient pig samples and 63 nuclear ancient genomes from Near Eastern and European pigs. Our analyses revealed that European domestic pigs dating from 7,100 to 6,000 y BP possessed both Near Eastern and European nuclear ancestry, while later pigs possessed no more than 4% Near Eastern ancestry, indicating that gene flow from European wild boars resulted in a near-complete disappearance of Near East ancestry. In addition, we demonstrate that a variant at a locus encoding black coat color likely originated in the Near East and persisted in European pigs. Altogether, our results indicate that while pigs were not independently domesticated in Europe, the vast majority of human-mediated selection over the past 5,000 y focused on the genomic fraction derived from the European wild boars, and not on the fraction that was selected by early Neolithic farmers over the first 2,500 y of the domestication process
Structural and spectroscopic characterization of anorthite synthesized from secondary raw materials
5noreservedRecycling of secondary raw materials is a priority of waste handling in the countries of the
European community. A virtual secondary raw material of great importance is the product of
the thermal transformation of cement – asbestos. This work illustrates the study of calcination
products obtained starting from the product of the thermal transformation of cement-asbestos
at 1200 °C, added to primary raw materials (kaolin, aluminum hydroxide) and boric acid as
mineralizing agent. The calcination has been conducted at 1200 °C for 1 hour. The
crystallization kinetics has been monitored using in situ high temperature X-ray powder
diffraction. The microscopic characterization of the final product of calcination has been
conducted with SEM and TEM imaging supported by X-ray microanalysis. The structure
refinement was conducted on the powder sample using the Rietveld method. The results are
compared with the spectroscopic characterization including Mössbauer and UV-Vis
spectroscopies. The final product of the calcination is essentially anorthite (about 89 wt%)
with minor spinel (11 wt%). All experimental data converge to support the hypothesis that
the anorthite is stoichiometric, and the small amounts of iron detected (1.32 wt%) is Fe3+
hosted in the structure of spinel.mixedGUALTIERI A.F; ANDREOZZI G.B; GIACOBBE C; LUSVARDI C; C. VITIGUALTIERI A., F; ANDREOZZI G., B; Giacobbe, C; Lusvardi, C; Viti, Cecili
Overexpression of the HMGA2 gene in transgenic mice leads to the onset of pituitary adenomas.
Overexpression of the HMGA2 gene is a common feature of neoplastic cells both in experimental and human models. Intragenic and extragenic HMGA2 rearrangements responsible for HMGA2 gene overexpression have been frequently detected in human benign tumours of mesenchymal origin. To better understand the role of HMGA2 overexpression in human tumorigenesis, we have generated transgenic mice carrying the HMGA2 gene under the transcriptional control of the cytomegalovirus promoter. High expression of the transgene was demonstrated in all the mouse tissues analysed, whereas no expression of the endogenous HMGA2 gene was detected in the same tissues from wild-type mice. In this study, two independent lines of transgenic mice have been generated. By 6 months of age, 85% of female animals of both transgenic lines developed pituitary adenomas secreting prolactin and growth hormone. The transgenic males developed the same phenotype with a lower penetrance (40%) and a longer latency period (about 18 months). Therefore, these data demonstrate that the overexpression of HMGA2 leads to the onset of mixed growth hormone/prolactin cell pituitary adenomas. These transgenic mice may represent an important tool for the study of this kind of neoplasia
Lesions of the nigro-striatal dopamine pathway: Effects on the storage and metabolism of striatal dopamine
Ancient pigs reveal a near-complete genomic turnover following their introduction to Europe
Archaeological evidence indicates that pig domestication had begun by ∼10,500 y before the present (BP) in the Near East, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) suggests that pigs arrived in Europe alongside farmers ∼8,500 y BP. A few thousand years after the introduction of Near Eastern pigs into Europe, however, their characteristic mtDNA signature disappeared and was replaced by haplotypes associated with European wild boars. This turnover could be accounted for by substantial gene flow from local European wild boars, although it is also possible that European wild boars were domesticated independently without any genetic contribution from the Near East. To test these hypotheses, we obtained mtDNA sequences from 2,099 modern and ancient pig samples and 63 nuclear ancient genomes from Near Eastern and European pigs. Our analyses revealed that European domestic pigs dating from 7,100 to 6,000 y BP possessed both Near Eastern and European nuclear ancestry, while later pigs possessed no more than 4% Near Eastern ancestry, indicating that gene flow from European wild boars resulted in a near-complete disappearance of Near East ancestry. In addition, we demonstrate that a variant at a locus encoding black coat color likely originated in the Near East and persisted in European pigs. Altogether, our results indicate that while pigs were not independently domesticated in Europe, the vast majority of human-mediated selection over the past 5,000 y focused on the genomic fraction derived from the European wild boars, and not on the fraction that was selected by early Neolithic farmers over the first 2,500 y of the domestication process.ISSN:0027-8424ISSN:1091-649