Aggiornamenti e novità sulla distribuzione del genere Gagea (Liliaceae) in Toscana

Viene confermata la presenza di Gagea bohemica (zauschn.) Scuhlt. & Schult. f. nell’unica località nota per la Toscana (isola d’Elba) e di G. granatellii (Parl.) Parl. all’isola del Giglio, dove da oltre 100 anni la specie non era stata più osservata. Vengono anche segnalate nuove località di G. granatellii nella porzione centrale e orientale dell’isola d’Elba, nonché di G. lutea (L.) Ker-Gawl. e di G. pratensis (Pers.) Dumort. nella Toscana settentrionale (Pracchie di Pontito e Monte Morello, rispettivamente)

Distribution of the genus Sternbergia Waldst. & Kit. (Amaryllidaceae) in Tuscany (central Italy)

The authors report an updated distribution of the genus Sternbergia Waldst. & Kit. (Amaryllidaceae) in Tuscany by the analysis of herbarium specimens, bibliographic references and records in the field. S. colchiciflora occurs in six localities, four in southern Tuscany and two in northern Tuscany. One out of them, the first in Firenze province, is here recorded. On the contrary, S. lutea is widespread in the region, but the distinction between natural populations and those escaped from cultivation is not always certain. Habitat suitability model at regional level for S. colchiciflora is also reported

La flora vascolare di Monte Le Coste e Poggio alle Croci (Prato, Toscana)

An updated list of the vascular flora occurring in Mount Le Coste and Poggio alle Croci, included within the ANPIL «Monteferrato», is presented. The list is based on bibliographic analysis and field studies effected in the years 2009-2013. 827 specific and infraspecific taxa are reported (758 native). They belong to 414 genera and 88 families. Most represented families are Asteraceae (111 taxa), Fabaceae (88), Poaceae (80), Orchidaceae (38), while the most represented genera are Trifolium (20 taxa), Vicia (15), Lathyrus (11), Allium and Carex (10). 42 units are naturalized exotic species (about 5.6% of the flora). Crepis vesicaria subsp. taraxacifolia is a new record for Tuscany.The relevance of this area in terms of biodiversity conservation is discussed

Neuropilin-1 Controls Endothelial Homeostasis by Regulating Mitochondrial Function and Iron-Dependent Oxidative Stress.

The transmembrane protein neuropilin-1 (NRP1) promotes vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and extracellular matrix signaling in endothelial cells (ECs). Although it is established that NRP1 is essential for angiogenesis, little is known about its role in EC homeostasis. Here, we report that NRP1 promotes mitochondrial function in ECs by preventing iron accumulation and iron-induced oxidative stress through a VEGF-independent mechanism in non-angiogenic ECs. Furthermore, NRP1-deficient ECs have reduced growth and show the hallmarks of cellular senescence. We show that a subcellular pool of NRP1 localizes in mitochondria and interacts with the mitochondrial transporter ATP-binding cassette B8 (ABCB8). NRP1 loss reduces ABCB8 levels, resulting in iron accumulation, iron-induced mitochondrial superoxide production, and iron-dependent EC senescence. Treatment of NRP1-deficient ECs with the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant compound mitoTEMPO or with the iron chelator deferoxamine restores mitochondrial activity, inhibits superoxide production, and protects from cellular senescence. This finding identifies an unexpected role of NRP1 in EC homeostasis

La flora vascolare del Monte Pelato (Colline Livornesi, Toscana)

An updated list of the vascular flora occurring in Mount Pelato is presented. The list is based on bibliographic analysis and field studies effected in the years 2010-2011. 432 specific and infraspecific taxa are reported (423 native). They belong to 260 genera and 68 families. 218 taxa are new for the area, of which 21 are new for the Leghorn province, 10 are confirmed and 3 are a second record at provincial level, 37 represent the first record for the continental portion of the province. Most represented families are Asteraceae (61 taxa), Fabaceae (59), Poaceae (52), Rosaceae (21), while the most represented genera are Trifolium (16 taxa), Vicia (8), Carex (7 taxa), Lathyrus and Medicago (6 taxa). 7 units are naturalized exotic species (about 1.6% of the flora), while casual exotic taxa are only 2. The relevance of this biotope in terms of biodiversity conservation, given the high number of phytogeographically interesting taxa (endemics, relics) and the low number of alien species is discussed, also in relation with its ophiolitic substrate

Wikiplantbase #Toscana, breaking the dormancy of floristic data

The online platform "Wikiplantbase #Toscana" provides a framework where the full set of georeferenced floristic records of Tuscany (central Italy) can be entered, stored, updated and freely accessed through the Internet. As of 5 January 2015, the database stores 67,360 floristic records, referable to 3578 accepted specific and subspecific taxa. Most records are based on published data (80.6% of the total), then by published herbarium specimens (15.1%) and on unpublished field data (3.8%); unpublished herbarium records account only for 0.5% of the stored data. At present, the most represented species is the fern Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn subsp. aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae) with 234 records for 219 localities, but 625 species are still represented only by one record for a single locality. Data acquisition is far from complete, but in slightly more than one year a massive amount of data was accumulated, and can be maintained up-to-date with relatively little effort. This could power several researches such as, for example, (1) taxonomic researches especially on species and genera in Tuscany and Italy; (2) studies on the distribution of diversity across administrative or ecological boundaries; (3) evaluation of conservation status of endangered taxa; and (4) static and dynamic range modelling and evolution niche studies

A versatile, automated and high-throughput drug screening platform for zebrafish embryos

Zebrafish provide a unique opportunity for drug screening in living animals, with the fast developing, transparent embryos allowing for relatively high-throughput, microscopy-based screens. However, the limited availability of rapid, flexible imaging and analysis platforms has limited the use of zebrafish in drug screens. We have developed an easy-to-use, customisable automated screening procedure suitable for high-throughput phenotype-based screens of live zebrafish. We utilised the WiScan® Hermes High Content Imaging System to rapidly acquire brightfield and fluorescent images of embryos, and the WiSoft® Athena Zebrafish Application for analysis, which harnesses an Artificial Intelligence-driven algorithm to automatically detect fish in brightfield images, identify anatomical structures, partition the animal into regions, and exclusively select the desired side-oriented fish. Our initial validation combined structural analysis with fluorescence images to enumerate GFP-tagged haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in the tails of embryos, which correlated with manual counts. We further validated this system to assess the effects of genetic mutations and x-ray irradiation in high content using a wide range of assays. Further, we performed simultaneous analysis of multiple cell types using dual fluorophores in high throughput. In summary, we demonstrate a broadly applicable and rapidly customisable platform for high-content screening in zebrafish

Watching eyes take shape

Vertebrate eye formation is a multistep process requiring coordinated inductive interactions between neural and non-neural ectoderm and underlying mesendoderm. The induction and shaping of the eyes involves an elaborate cellular choreography characterized by precise changes in cell shape coupled with complex cellular and epithelial movements. Consequently, the forming eye is an excellent model to study the cellular mechanisms underlying complex tissue morphogenesis. Using examples largely drawn from recent studies of optic vesicle formation in zebrafish and in cultured embryonic stem cells, in this short review, we highlight some recent advances in our understanding of the events that shape the vertebrate eye