42 research outputs found
Mitochondria Morphology and DNA Content upon Sublethal Exposure to Beta-Amyloid1–42 Peptide
Brains affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) show a large spectrum of mitochondrial alterations at both morphological
and genetic level. The causal link between amyloid beta peptides (Ab) and mitochondrial dysfunction has been established
in cellular models of AD using Ab concentrations capable of triggering massive neuronal death. However, mitochondrial
changes related to sublethal exposure to Ab are less known. Here we show that subtoxic, 1 mMAb1–42 exposure
does not change the mitochondrial shape of living cells, as visualized upon the uptake of the non-potentiometric fluorescent
probe Mitotracker Green and enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP)-tagged cytochrome c oxidase expression.
Immunolocalization of oxidative adducts 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine, 8-hydroxyguanine and 8-hydroxyguanosine demonstrates
that one-micromolar concentration of Ab1–42 is also not sufficient to elicit dramatic qualitative changes in the
RNA/DNA oxidative products. However, in comparison with controls, semi-quantitative analysis of the overall mitochondrial
mass by integrated fluorescence intensity reveals an ongoing down-regulation in mitochondrial biosynthesis or,
conversely, an enhanced autophagic demise of Ab treated cells. Furthermore, a significant increase of the full-length mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA) from Ab-treated versus control cells is found, as measured by long range polymerase chain
reaction (PCR). Such up-regulation is accompanied by extensive fragmentation of the unamplified mtDNA, probably due
to the detrimental effect of Ab. We interpret these results as a sequence of compensatory responses induced by mtDNA
damage, which are devoted to repression of oxidative burst. In conclusion, our findings suggest that early therapeutic interventions
aimed at prevention of mitochondrial oxidative damage may delay AD progression and help in treating AD
patients
Detection of bovine alpha-S1-casein in term and preterm human colostrum with proteomic techniques
Due to increased social awareness of allergens and population hyper-sensitization, the reported incidence of allergic reactions to food allergens has increased over the past two decades. Cow's milk proteins (CMPs) are among the most common food allergens. The aim of this study was to use proteomics techniques to investigate cow's milk allergens in both full-term human colostrum and in preterm newborns' mothers - where both groups showed no prior allergen detection – in order to understand whether cow's milk allergens could be a cause of sensitization established through lactation. The most relevant finding was the detection of the intact bovine alpha-S1-casein in both term and preterm colostrum. Using techniques detailed in this paper and which allowed for direct protein identification, β-lactoglobulin was not detected in any of the colostrum samples. According to our results, bovine alpha 1 casein is considered a major cow's milk allergen, is readily secreted in human milk, and so could be considered a possible cause of sensitization in exclusively breastfed infants
Digital Twin in Naval Environment
A naval vessel is usually engaged in demanding operations that take place in a multifaceted environment. This
requires a solid design of the ship as a platform and a prompt decision-making response. To support both the
design and operation phases, digital tools and techniques have been widely implemented, along with a
significant number of sensors and probes installed onboard. All of these features pave the way for the
development of a Digital Twin model, which will be beneficial for the naval sector. In this work, relevant
applications and a use case have been presented and discussed, with the goal of highlighting the added value
and critical issues in the perspective of gathering them in a Digital Twin environment. The steps required to
develop a shared reference digital architecture have been identified, as well as the gaps that need to be filled
Physical Mapping of Bread Wheat Chromosome 5A: An Integrated Approach
The huge size, redundancy, and highly repetitive nature of the bread wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.)] genome, makes it among the most difficult species to be sequenced. To overcome these limitations, a strategy based on the separation of individual chromosomes or chromosome arms and the subsequent production of physical maps was established within the frame of the International Wheat Genome Sequence Consortium (IWGSC). A total of 95,812 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones of short-arm chromosome 5A (5AS) and long-arm chromosome 5A (5AL) arm-specific BAC libraries were fingerprinted and assembled into contigs by complementary analytical approaches based on the FingerPrinted Contig (FPC) and Linear Topological Contig (LTC) tools. Combined anchoring approaches based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) marker screening, microarray, and sequence homology searches applied to several genomic tools (i. e., genetic maps, deletion bin map, neighbor maps, BAC end sequences (BESs), genome zipper, and chromosome survey sequences) allowed the development of a high-quality physical map with an anchored physical coverage of 75% for 5AS and 53% for 5AL with high portions (64 and 48%, respectively) of contigs ordered along the chromosome. In the genome of grasses, Brachypodium [Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv.], rice (Oryza sativa L.), and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] homologs of genes on wheat chromosome 5A were separated into syntenic blocks on different chromosomes as a result of translocations and inversions during evolution. The physical map presented represents an essential resource for fine genetic mapping and map-based cloning of agronomically relevant traits and a reference for the 5A sequencing projects
Strong hyperbolicity in Gevrey classes
We are concerned with the Cauchy problem in Gevrey classes and we are interested in finding condition on the principal symbol for which the Cauchy problem is stable under perturbation by lower order terms
Strong hyperbolicity in Gevrey classes
We are concerned with the Cauchy problem in Gevrey classes and we are interested in finding condition on the principal symbol for which the Cauchy problem is stable under perturbation by lower order terms
On the regularity of the roots of hyperbolic polynomials
We investigate the regularity of functions of one variable
such that ,
where is a given polynomial of degree in whose
coefficients are functions of class of . We show that
there is a complete family of roots that are absolutely continuous
functions of ; indeed, we prove that any complete family of
continuous roots has this property