The Catalan crisis is about politics, not constitutional law - and it requires a political solution

The Spanish government regards the planned Catalan independence referendum as being unconstitutional, but supporters of the referendum have argued that Catalonia should have a legal right to hold the vote. Domenico Giannino states that although both sides have made legal arguments, it is a situation that can only be solved by political negotiations. The crisis also demonstrates a wider process under which national authorities are increasingly finding their powers constrained by the actions of both supranational and subnational actors

Ricerche Infrastrutturali sui Plastidi delle Piante Parassite. I. Cuscuta

RIASSUNTOViene esaminata l'infrastruttura dei plastidi presenti nel tessuto corticale del fusto delle plantule di Cuscuta australis appena germinate (di colore giallastro) ed a circa sei giorni dalla germinazione (di colore verde-pallido).Nelle cellule delle plantule giovanissime, come pure in quelle delle plantule piu sviluppate, oltre al normale corredo di organuli citoplasmatici, e stata posta in rilievo la presenza di plastidi nel cui interno sono riconoscibili voluminosi granuli d'amido e che al microscopio ottico potrebbero sembrare amiloplasti. In realta essi possiedono sempre alcuni grani ben differenziati, anche se molto semplici, per cui ritengo piu opportuno considerarli come cloroplasti molto primitivi.Va notato che lo spessore dei grani prima citati resta costante (composto sempre da due soli dischi con la lamella centrale di spessore doppio rispetto a quello delle lamelle esterno) e che il maggiore inverdimento delle plantule al sesto giorno e accompagnato da un aumento del numero e soprattu..

Colombia’s ruling on legal protection for the Amazon continues Latin America’s struggle for the commons

The Supreme Court’s ruling in favour of 25 young plaintiffs seeking protection of their rights to life, health, food, and a healthy environment obliges the government to design an inter-generational pact to reduce deforestation and gas emissions. This highlights the connection between protection of the environment and intergenerational solidarity, as well as underlining personal and social responsibility for the impact of everyday behaviours on whole societies and on the environment

The Cell Cycle-regulated Protein Human GTSE-1 Controls DNA Damage-induced Apoptosis by Affecting p53 Function

GTSE-1 (G2 and S phase-expressed-1) protein is specifically expressed during S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. It is mainly localized to the microtubules and when overexpressed delays the G2 to M transition. Here we report that human GTSE-1 (hGTSE-1) protein can negatively regulate p53 transactivation function, protein levels, and p53-dependent apoptosis. We identified a physical interaction between the C-terminal regulatory domain of p53 and the C-terminal region of hGTSE-1 that is necessary and sufficient to down-regulate p53 activity. Furthermore, we provide evidence that hGTSE-1 is able to control p53 function in a cell cycle-dependent fashion. hGTSE-1 knock-down by small interfering RNA resulted in a S/G2-specific increase of p53 levels as well as cell sensitization to DNA damage-induced apoptosis during these phases of the cell cycle. Altogether, this work suggests a physiological role of hGTSE-1 in apoptosis control after DNA damage during S and G2 phases through regulation of p53 function

The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Italian Nature-Based Programs in the Educational, Therapeutic, Training and Leisure Areas

In these times of global crisis caused by Covid-19, there is an urgent need to address the topic of nature-based experiences in education: the pandemic has strongly highlighted both the interdependence between human beings and nature, and the need for mending the dichotomic vision that keeps them separate. Experiential education in natural contexts within an ecological framework might have a strategic role in this crucial period to develop anthropologic, civic, and dialogic conscience (Morin, 2001). Through this study, CEFEO Research Center had the objective of investigating the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 on Italian nature-based programs in the educational, therapeutic, training, and leisure areas. From 28 May to 19 June 2020, an online questionnaire was distributed with the purpose of understanding the socio-economic impact of the pandemic on nature-based programs during the lockdown period and during the period of first reopening, and the related needs and new opportunities for the future. The results highlight a paradox: the Covid-19 crisis has caused more problems for a sector which was already suffering from a lack of funding and of social and institutional acknowledgment. Many agencies working in the field lost months of income and numerous working days, and they are uncertain about the future: they are having difficulties surviving in a moment when we need them more

Targeting mutant p53 in cancer: a long road to precision therapy

The TP53 tumor suppressor is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancers. In recent years, a blooming of research efforts based on both cell lines and mouse models have highlighted how deeply mutant p53 proteins affect fundamental cellular pathways with cancer-promoting outcomes. Neomorphic mutant p53 activities spread over multiple levels, impinging on chromatin structure, transcriptional regulation and microRNA maturation, shaping the proteome and the cell's metabolic pathways, and also exerting cytoplasmic functions and displaying cell-extrinsic effects. These tumorigenic activities are inextricably linked with the blend of highly corrupted processes that characterize the tumor context. Recent studies indicate that successful strategies to extract core aspects of mutant p53 oncogenic potential and to identify unique tumor dependencies entail the superimposition of large-scale analyses performed in multiple experimental systems, together with a mindful use of animal models. This will hopefully soon lead to the long-awaited inclusion of mutant p53 as an actionable target of clinical antitumor therapies