Humus e vegetazione come indicatori della qualità dell’habitat nella Tenuta di Castelporziano.

in particolare l’indice R*N che rappresenta un aggregato di due indici: R = pH, N = nutrienti e che è descritto in letteratura come un indice di qualità e funzionalità dell’humus. Questo indice viene applicato per la prima volta a un set di dati relativo a un ambiente mediterraneo. La matrice di 178 specie x 65 rilievi è stata sottoposta ad analisi statistica multivariata tramite Cluster Analysis ed è stato quindi utilizzato il test di correlazione di Spearman per verificare le correlazioni tra indicatori e parametri dell’humus misurati (pH e contenuto di carbonio). Le forme di humus sono risultate correlate con l’indice di qualità R*N e sono state classificate in tre principali categorie: mull ad elevata funzionalià, esclusive dei boschi mesoigrofili della Tenuta, moder a funzionalità intermedia nei querceti decidui, amphi a bassa funzionalità nei boschi sclerofilli sempreverdi. Negli habitat più disturbati le forme di humus presentano una distribuzione a mosaico, in coincidenza con una bassa diversità della flora del sottobosco.; Nella presente ricerca è stato utilizzato un approccio integrato tra studio del suolo, dell’humus e della vegetazione per valutare la qualità degli habitat e per testare le relazioni tra forme di humus e vegetazione. Si tratta di un lavoro pionieristico, in quanto gli humus in ambiente mediterraneo sono poco conosciuti. Sono stati eseguiti 65 rilievi fitosociologici e altrettanti profili di humus negli stessi siti di saggio. Per l’analisi delle relazioni tra humus e vegetazione sono stati impiegati gli indicatori di EllenbergIn this study an innovative integrated approach based on soil/humus and vegetation was used in order to detect the habitats quality and to test the relationship between vegetation and humus forms. This type of relationship, in fact, has never been investigated in the mediterranean region of Italy. 65 phytosociological relevés and humus profiles were carried out in the same sampling sites. Ellenberg’s indicator values were used to test the relationships between vegetation and humus; in particular, the product R*N, corresponding to the aggregation of the two indicators R-pH and N-nutrients; this index, is considered linked to humus quality and functionality, was applied for the first time to a mediterranean data set. A matrix of 178 plant species x 65 relevés was subjected to statistical multivariate treatment by the procedure of Cluster Analysis; the Spearman’s rank correlation test was used to verify the correlations between indicators and measured humus/soil parameters (i.e. pH, c

Soil water content as a disriminant factor in forest vegetation: preliminary results on sub-coastal mixed oak woodlands in central-southern Latium (central Italy).

Water resources and Vegetation, Napoli

The Translational Machinery of Human CD4 T Cells Is Poised for Activation and Controls the Switch from Quiescence to Metabolic Remodeling.

Naive T cells respond to T cell receptor (TCR) activation by leaving quiescence, remodeling metabolism, initiating expansion, and differentiating toward effector T cells. The molecular mechanisms coordinating the naive to effector transition are central to the functioning of the immune system, but remain elusive. Here, we discover that T cells fulfill this transitional process through translational control. Naive cells accumulate untranslated mRNAs encoding for glycolysis and fatty acid synthesis factors and possess a translational machinery poised for immediate protein synthesis. Upon TCR engagement, activation of the translational machinery leads to synthesis of GLUT1 protein to drive glucose entry. Subsequently, translation of ACC1 mRNA completes metabolic reprogramming toward an effector phenotype. Notably, inhibition of the eIF4F complex abrogates lymphocyte metabolic activation and differentiation, suggesting ACC1 to be a key regulatory node. Thus, our results demonstrate that translation is a direct mediator of T cell metabolism and indicate translation factors as targets for novel immunotherapeutic approaches

FGF2 and EGF Are Required for Self-Renewal and Organoid Formation of Canine Normal and Tumor Breast Stem Cells

Recent studies suggest that human tumors are generated from cancer cells with stem cell (SC) properties. Spontaneously occurring cancers in dogs contain a diversity of cells that like for human tumors suggest that certain canine tumors are also generated from cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs, like normal SCs, have the capacity for self-renewal as mammospheres in suspension cultures. To understand how cells with SC properties contribute to canine mammary gland tumor development and progression, comparative analysis between normal SCs and CSCs, obtained from the same individual, is essential. We have utilized the property of sphere formation to develop culture conditions for propagating stem/progenitor cells from canine normal and tumor tissue. We show that cells from dissociated mammospheres retain sphere reformation capacity for several serial passages and have the capacity to generate organoid structures ex situ. Utilizing various culture conditions for passaging SCs and CSCs, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were found to positively or negatively regulate mammosphere regeneration, organoid formation, and multi-lineage differentiation potential. The response of FGF2 and EGF on SCs and CSCs was different, with increased FGF2 and EGF self-renewal promoted in SCs and repressed in CSCs. Our protocol for propagating SCs from normal and tumor canine breast tissue will provide new opportunities in comparative mammary gland stem cell analysis between species and anticancer treatment and therapies for dogs. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 570–584, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc