Caratterizzazione genetica di popolazioni di Fusarium da frumento e da altre piante di interesse agrario del bacino Mediterraneo.

L\u2019attivit\ue0 svolta in questa ricerca ha riguardato la selezione di una popolazione di Fusarium graminearum isolata da diverse piante (principalmente frumento e mais) di diverse regioni italiane, al fine di condurre una serie di studi di caratterizzazione molecolare per definirne le caratteristiche filogenetiche e chemiotipiche. Si \ue8 proceduto all\u2019identificazione e all\u2019amplificazione delle regioni genomiche corrispondenti ai geni analizzati in questo studio: EF-1\u3b1 (Fattore di elongazione), BenA (\u3b2-tubulina), H3 (Istone 3) e Tri101 (Tricotecene 3-O-Acetiltransferasi). Gli alberi filogenetici ottenuti mostrano che gli isolati analizzati appartengono a F. graminearum sensu stricto (lignaggio 7) ad eccezione di due (6417 e 6418) che invece appartengono a F. cortaderiae (lignaggio 8). Sulla base della variabilit\ue0 dei quattro geni analizzati, \ue8 interessante notare la presenza omogenea nel territorio italiano di F. graminearum sensu stricto, specie (lignaggio) considerata la pi\uf9 pericolosa a causa del profilo tossicologico che include tutti i chemiotipi (3A-DON, 15A-DON e NIV). La conoscenza della struttura filogenetica italiana di F. graminearum fornisce molteplici indicazioni per quanto riguarda la lotta e il ridimensionamento degli eventi patologici sui cereali provocati da questo agente patogeno, permettendo una gestione pi\uf9 efficiente e razionale della malattia. L\u2019omogeneit\ue0 riscontrata rende infatti relativamente semplice lo sviluppo di idonei programmi di miglioramento genetico per la selezione varietale, al fine di indurre resistenza nei cereali che possono essere attaccati da questo patogeno, soprattutto nel frumento duro, dimostratosi pi\uf9 suscettibile agli attacchi di fusariosi (Moretti et al., 2002). Inoltre, si \ue8 proceduto alla caratterizzazione molecolare dei diversi genotipi chimici con riferimento al profilo dei tricoteceni prodotti (Desjardins, 2008). La via biosintetica dei tricoteceni \ue8 stata ampiamente indagata e chiarita, caratterizzando i diversi geni coinvolti nella produzione e nella regolazione di queste micotossine (Desjardins, 2006). In particolare, nel corso di questa ricerca sono stati utilizzati primer specifici per i geni Tri5 e Tri7 (Quarta et al., 2005; 2006) utili a differenziare genotipi potenzialmente DON da quelli potenzialmente NIV, e primer per l\u2019identificazione del gene Tri3 per determinare la potenziale capacit\ue0 dei diversi ceppi di produrre i derivati del DON, il 3A-DON e il 15A-DON (Quarta et al., 2006). Sono stati, inoltre, utilizzati primer specifici per il gene Tri13 (Wang et al., 2008) per discriminare chemiotipi potenzialmente produttori di 15A-DON, 3A-DON e NIV. E\u2019 opportuno sottolineare che la presenza di un prodotto di amplificazione esprime la possibilit\ue0 di una particolare tossina di essere prodotta, ma l\u2019effettiva biosintesi della tossina deve essere confermata dalle analisi chimiche. 3 Le analisi chimiche hanno evidenziato che il chemiotipo pi\uf9 presente \ue8 il 15A-DON, mentre \ue8 stata riscontrata una minore presenza di chemiotipi NIV e 3A-DON. I dati ottenuti mostrano che la struttura genetica di Fusarium graminearum complex (FGC) italiano \ue8 omogenea per quel che riguarda la filogenesi e che un\u2019ampia variabilit\ue0 dei chemiotipi pu\uf2 essere presente anche all\u2019interno di una singola specie del FGC. Inoltre, la predominanza del chemiotipo 15ADON rispetto a quello 3A-DON espone il frumento italiano a un minor rischio di tossicit\ue0 dal momento che il chemiotipo 3A-DON \ue8 pi\uf9 tossico rispetto al 15A-DON (O\u2019Donnell et al., 2004). L\u2019attivit\ue0 di ricerca di questa tesi ha anche riguardato l\u2019isolamento di funghi micotossigeni eventualmente presenti su specie di piante officinali tipiche della flora mediterranea e la loro caratterizzazione molecolare. L\u2019aumento del consumo delle piante officinali, come medicina alternativa, rende infatti necessario l\u2019utilizzo di corrette metodiche di raccolta, manipolazione, produzione e distribuzione che potrebbero rendere le piante sensibili a contaminazione da parte di diverse funghi responsabili della produzione di micotossine. Considerato le pochissime informazioni riguardanti funghi tossigeni su piante officinali, molta della letteratura conferma la larga distribuzione e l\u2019incidenza di funghi dei generi Aspergillus e Penicillium, con particolare riferimento alle piante essiccate. Per quanto concerne la realt\ue0 italiana, il fatto che non esistano dati, se non sporadici, sulla contaminazione di funghi tossigeni sulle piante officinali, rende tale campo di indagine estremamente interessante ed innovativo. Quindi, uno degli obiettivi di questa ricerca \ue8 stato quello di caratterizzare a livello molecolare gli isolati fungini rinvenuti su piante officinali prendendo in esame geni utili per studi di popolazione e di filogenesi, come ad esempio i geni ITS e actina. La ricerca ha permesso di identificare una consistente presenza di funghi tossigeni del genere Fusarium e Alternaria, e in particolare, gli alberi filogenetici, analizzati in questo studio, mostrano che i 144 isolati appartengono a 13 generi differenti, tra cui Fusarium, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Pestalotiopsis, Phoma, Calonectria, Colletotrichum, Phomopsis, Trichoderma e in misura minore sono anche presenti i generi Aspergillus, Stemphylium, Chetomium, Macrophomina e Bionectria. Inoltre, uno degli obiettivi di questo studio \ue8 stato quello di valutare in vitro l\u2019attivit\ue0 antifungina di estratti fogliari grezzi di timo (Thymus capitatus), e delle infiorescenze di camomilla (Anthemis aetnensis) su diverse specie fungine fitopatogene e micotossigene. Gli estratti saggiati hanno mostrato in genere un\u2019azione inibitrice dello sviluppo delle colonie, ma 4 solo in pochi casi \ue8 stata rilevata un\u2019inibizione totale della crescita dei miceli. Infine, \ue8 stata valutata anche l\u2019attivit\ue0 degli oli essenziali su Artemia salina, tale test ha permesso di saggiare in vivo l\u2019eventuale zootossicit\ue0 degli oli essenziali estratti da piante officinali. Alla luce dei risultati ottenuti si pu\uf2 affermare che gli estratti saggiati hanno attivit\ue0 antifungina, eventuali campi di applicazione delle potenzialit\ue0 degli oli essenziali potrebbero essere quello medico-farmacologico, ma anche quello alimentare

THE IMPACT OF NATIONAL CULTURE ON CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: How much does your origin say about how green you are?

This paper aims to study the effect of national culture on corporate environmental responsibility practices and commitment. To this end, we employ the Hofstede framework of cultural dimensions in order to examine each cultural aspect’s power to predict a firm’s environmental performance. Furthermore, we explore the potential of national environmental commitment as a moderator of the relationship between national culture and corporate environmental performance. Our findings, deriving from a sample of 591 corporations of the S&P 1200 index, suggest that a firm’s environmental performance is influenced by the culture characterizing its country of origin. Among the cultural aspects that function as predictors of corporate environmental commitment, we identify the power distance dimension, as well as masculinity, long-term orientation and indulgence levels. Our study finds no support for moderation effects originating from national environmental efforts on the examined relationship. Finally, national culture dimensions remain significant in both models of analysis highlighting the strength of the liaison between a firm and its national culture context

Are vegans generous? An exploration of the success factors of vegan crowdfunding projects

Purpose – Crowdfunding is a relatively new alternative method of raising capital for new ventures. In recent years, crowdfunding has also gained prominence within the food industry. On the basis of signaling theory, this study aims to analyze the success factors of vegan crowdfunding campaigns, which remains unexplored in academia. Design/methodology/approach – This study employs a logistic regression analysis on a sample of 200 vegan crowdfunding campaigns launched in Europe between 2014 and 2021 on the popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Findings – The results show that the number of images, comments and updates as well as the readability of project descriptions positively impact the success rate of vegan crowdfunding campaigns. Furthermore, the length of the project description has a negative effect, whereas the number of videos has no bearing on the success of vegan crowdfunding campaigns. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study pioneers examining the success factors of vegan crowdfunding campaigns. This study enriches the literature in several ways. First, this study contributes to an open debate on the success factors of crowdfunding. Second, this study provides knowledge about the factors that can favor the success of vegan initiatives. Third, this study confirms the usefulness of signaling theory as a theoretical framework for understanding vegan crowdfunding

Tackling dysfunction of mitochondrial bioenergetics in the brain

Oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) is the basic function of mitochondria, although the landscape of mitochondrial functions is continuously growing to include more aspects of cellular homeostasis. Thanks to the application of -omics technologies to the study of the OxPhos system, novel features emerge from the cataloging of novel proteins as mitochondrial thus adding details to the mitochondrial proteome and defining novel metabolic cellular interrelations, especially in the human brain. We focussed on the diversity of bioenergetics demand and different aspects of mitochondrial structure, functions, and dysfunction in the brain. Definition such as ‘mitoexome’, ‘mitoproteome’ and ‘mitointeractome’ have entered the field of ‘mitochondrial medicine’. In this context, we reviewed several genetic defects that hamper the last step of aerobic metabolism, mostly involving the nervous tissue as one of the most prominent energy-dependent tissues and, as consequence, as a primary target of mitochondrial dysfunction. The dual genetic origin of the OxPhos complexes is one of the reasons for the complexity of the genotype-phenotype correlation when facing human diseases associated with mitochondrial defects. Such complexity clinically manifests with extremely heterogeneous symptoms, ranging from organ-specific to multisystemic dysfunction with different clinical courses. Finally, we briefly discuss the future directions of the multi-omics study of human brain disorders

Innovation ecosystems for youth agrifood entrepreneurship in the mediterranean region

This paper is the outcome of a reflection on the MIP report 2020, a collection of information and data used to describe the scenario on youth innovation and entrepreneurship in agrifood sector in Mediterranean countries. In particular, it highlights the need to study innovation in Mediterranean regions under the lens of social and institutional innovation. It is argued that social and institutional innovation are key drivers of the development of Innovation Ecosystems. The paper discusses the main findings ‒ and relevant case studies ‒ of the MIP report, with a specific attention to the role of the Innovation Support Organizations. It is noted that while in the field of institutional innovation there are signs of official activity, in the field of social innovation there is no or very limited attempt to embody social innovation into national policy frameworks. However, the article identifies interesting bottom-up initiatives that may constitute the basis for new policy initiatives

RCC1L (WBSCR16) isoforms coordinate mitochondrial ribosome assembly through their interaction with GTPases

Mitochondrial translation defects can be due to mutations affecting mitochondrial-or nuclear-encoded components. The number of known nuclear genes involved in mitochondrial translation has significantly increased in the past years. RCC1L (WBSCR16), a putative GDP/GTP exchange factor, has recently been described to interact with the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit. In humans, three different RCC1L isoforms have been identified that originate from alternative splicing but share the same N-Terminus, RCC1LV1, RCC1LV2 and RCC1LV3. All three isoforms were exclusively localized to mitochondria, interacted with its inner membrane and could associate with homopolymeric oligos to different extent. Mitochondrial immunoprecipitation experiments showed that RCC1LV1 and RCC1LV3 associated with the mitochondrial large and small ribosomal subunit, respectively, while no significant association was observed for RCC1LV2. Overexpression and silencing of RCC1LV1 or RCC1LV3 led to mitoribosome biogenesis defects that resulted in decreased translation. Indeed, significant changes in steady-state levels and distribution on isokinetic sucrose gradients were detected not only for mitoribosome proteins but also for GTPases, (GTPBP10, ERAL1 and C4orf14), and pseudouridylation proteins, (TRUB2, RPUSD3 and RPUSD4). All in all, our data suggest that RCC1L is essential for mitochondrial function and that the coordination of at least two isoforms is essential for proper ribosomal assembly

RCC1L (WBSCR16) isoforms coordinate mitochondrial ribosome assembly through their interaction with GTPases.

Mitochondrial translation defects can be due to mutations affecting mitochondrial- or nuclear-encoded components. The number of known nuclear genes involved in mitochondrial translation has significantly increased in the past years. RCC1L (WBSCR16), a putative GDP/GTP exchange factor, has recently been described to interact with the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit. In humans, three different RCC1L isoforms have been identified that originate from alternative splicing but share the same N-terminus, RCC1LV1, RCC1LV2 and RCC1LV3. All three isoforms were exclusively localized to mitochondria, interacted with its inner membrane and could associate with homopolymeric oligos to different extent. Mitochondrial immunoprecipitation experiments showed that RCC1LV1 and RCC1LV3 associated with the mitochondrial large and small ribosomal subunit, respectively, while no significant association was observed for RCC1LV2. Overexpression and silencing of RCC1LV1 or RCC1LV3 led to mitoribosome biogenesis defects that resulted in decreased translation. Indeed, significant changes in steady-state levels and distribution on isokinetic sucrose gradients were detected not only for mitoribosome proteins but also for GTPases, (GTPBP10, ERAL1 and C4orf14), and pseudouridylation proteins, (TRUB2, RPUSD3 and RPUSD4). All in all, our data suggest that RCC1L is essential for mitochondrial function and that the coordination of at least two isoforms is essential for proper ribosomal assembly

Multimode photonic molecules for advanced force sensing

We propose a force sensor, with optical detection, based on a reconfigurable multicavity photonic molecule distributed over two parallel photonic crystal membranes. The system spectral behaviour is described with an analytical model based on coupled mode theory and validated by finite difference time domain simulations. The deformation of the upper photonic crystal membrane, due to a localized vertical force, is monitored by the relative spectral positions of the photonic molecule resonances. The proposed system can act both as force sensor, with pico-newton sensitivity, able to identify the position where the force is applied, and as torque sensor able to measure the torsion of the membrane along two perpendicular directions

High mitochondrial DNA copy number is a protective factor from vision loss in heteroplasmic leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON)

PURPOSE. Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a mitochondrial disease that typically causes bilateral blindness in young men. It is characterized by as yet undisclosed genetic and environmental factors affecting the incomplete penetrance. METHODS. We identified 27 LHON subjects who possess heteroplasmic primary LHON mutations. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number was evaluated. RESULTS. The presence of centrocecal scotoma, an edematous, hyperemic optic nerve head, and vascular tortuosity, as well as telangiectasia was recognized in affected subjects. We found higher cellular mtDNA content in peripheral blood cells of unaffected heteroplasmic mutation carriers with respect to the affected. CONCLUSIONS. The increase of cellular mtDNA content prevents complete loss of vision despite the presence of a heteroplasmic state of LHON primary mutation, suggesting that it is a key factor responsible for penetrance of LHON

TRIM8 Blunts the Pro-proliferative Action of ΔNp63α in a p53 Wild-Type Background

The p53 gene family network plays a pivotal role in the control of many biological processes and therefore the right balance between the pro-apoptotic and pro-survival isoforms is key to maintain cellular homeostasis. The stability of the p53 tumor suppressor protein and that of oncogenic ΔNp63α, is crucial to control cell proliferation. The aberrant expression of p53 tumor suppressor protein and oncogenic ΔNp63α contributes to tumorigenesis and significantly affects anticancer drug response. Recently, we demonstrated that TRIM8 increases p53 stability, potentiating its tumor suppressor activity. In this paper, we show that TRIM8 simultaneously reduces the level of the pro-proliferative ΔNp63α protein, in both a proteasomal and caspase-1 dependent way, thereby playing a critical role in the cellular response to DNA damaging agents. Moreover, we provided evidence that ΔNp63α in turn, suppresses TRIM8 gene expression by preventing p53-mediated transactivation of TRIM8, therefore suggesting the existence of a negative feedback loop. These findings indicate that TRIM8 exerts its anticancer power through a joint action that provides on one hand, the activation of the p53 tumor suppressor role, and on the other the quenching of the oncogenic ΔNp63α protein activity. The enhancement of TRIM8 activity may offer therapeutic benefits and improve the management of chemoresistant tumors