The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a facultative anaerobe and its mitochondrial morphology is ... more The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a facultative anaerobe and its mitochondrial morphology is linked to its metabolic activity. The Sco proteins (Sco1p and Sco2p) were characterized as proteins required for copper delivery to cytochrome c oxidase. Our results indicated a higher fermentative capacity of the sco1-Delta mutant in comparison to the control and the sco2-Delta mutant strains. The mitochondrial proteome analysis showed that the sco1-Delta mutant down-regulated components of the respiratory chain, the TCA cycle and transport of metabolites across the mitochondrial membrane. This evidence suggests that the absence of Sco1p causes irreversible damage to the mitochondria.
The reason why CD4(+) T helper 17 (Th17) cells, despite their well-known pathogenic role in chron... more The reason why CD4(+) T helper 17 (Th17) cells, despite their well-known pathogenic role in chronic inflammatory disorders, are very rare in the inflammatory sites remains unclear. We demonstrate that human Th17 cells exhibit low ability to proliferate and to produce the T cell growth factor interleukin-2 (IL-2), in response to combined CD3 and CD28 stimulation. This was due to the upregulated expression of IL-4-induced gene 1 (IL4I1) mRNA, a secreted L-phenylalanine oxidase, which associated with a decrease in CD3ζ chain expression and consequent abnormalities in the molecular pathway that allows IL-2 production and cell proliferation. High IL4I1 mRNA expression was detectable in Th17 cell precursors and was strictly dependent on Th17 cell master gene, the retinoid acid related orphan receptor (RORC). Th17 cells also exhibited RORC-dependent CD28 hyperexpression and the ability to produce IL-17A after CD28 stimulation without CD3 triggering. Our findings suggest that the rarity of human Th17 cells in inflamed tissues results from RORC-dependent mechanisms limiting their expansion.
Sinorhizobium meliloti is a soil bacterium that forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots of leg... more Sinorhizobium meliloti is a soil bacterium that forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots of leguminous plants such as alfalfa (Medicago sativa). This species occupies different ecological niches, being present as a free-living soil bacterium and as a symbiont of plant root nodules. The genome of the type strain Rm 1021 contains one chromosome and two megaplasmids for a total genome size of 6 Mb. We applied comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) on an oligonucleotide microarrays to estimate genetic variation at the genomic level in four natural strains, two isolated from Italian agricultural soil and two from desert soil in the Aral Sea region. From 4.6 to 5.7 percent of the genes showed a pattern of hybridisation concordant with deletion, nucleotide divergence or ORF duplication when compared to the type strain Rm 1021. A large number of these polymorphisms were confirmed by sequencing and Southern blot. A statistically significant fraction of these variable genes was found on th...
One of the underlying principles of scientific publication in peer-reviewed journals has been the... more One of the underlying principles of scientific publication in peer-reviewed journals has been the requirement that the authors make available the data and materials necessary for a reader to reproduce the experiment or analysis and to determine whether the data support ...
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a facultative anaerobe and its mitochondrial morphology is ... more The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a facultative anaerobe and its mitochondrial morphology is linked to its metabolic activity. The Sco proteins (Sco1p and Sco2p) were characterized as proteins required for copper delivery to cytochrome c oxidase. Our results indicated a higher fermentative capacity of the sco1-Delta mutant in comparison to the control and the sco2-Delta mutant strains. The mitochondrial proteome analysis showed that the sco1-Delta mutant down-regulated components of the respiratory chain, the TCA cycle and transport of metabolites across the mitochondrial membrane. This evidence suggests that the absence of Sco1p causes irreversible damage to the mitochondria.
The reason why CD4(+) T helper 17 (Th17) cells, despite their well-known pathogenic role in chron... more The reason why CD4(+) T helper 17 (Th17) cells, despite their well-known pathogenic role in chronic inflammatory disorders, are very rare in the inflammatory sites remains unclear. We demonstrate that human Th17 cells exhibit low ability to proliferate and to produce the T cell growth factor interleukin-2 (IL-2), in response to combined CD3 and CD28 stimulation. This was due to the upregulated expression of IL-4-induced gene 1 (IL4I1) mRNA, a secreted L-phenylalanine oxidase, which associated with a decrease in CD3ζ chain expression and consequent abnormalities in the molecular pathway that allows IL-2 production and cell proliferation. High IL4I1 mRNA expression was detectable in Th17 cell precursors and was strictly dependent on Th17 cell master gene, the retinoid acid related orphan receptor (RORC). Th17 cells also exhibited RORC-dependent CD28 hyperexpression and the ability to produce IL-17A after CD28 stimulation without CD3 triggering. Our findings suggest that the rarity of human Th17 cells in inflamed tissues results from RORC-dependent mechanisms limiting their expansion.
Sinorhizobium meliloti is a soil bacterium that forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots of leg... more Sinorhizobium meliloti is a soil bacterium that forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots of leguminous plants such as alfalfa (Medicago sativa). This species occupies different ecological niches, being present as a free-living soil bacterium and as a symbiont of plant root nodules. The genome of the type strain Rm 1021 contains one chromosome and two megaplasmids for a total genome size of 6 Mb. We applied comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) on an oligonucleotide microarrays to estimate genetic variation at the genomic level in four natural strains, two isolated from Italian agricultural soil and two from desert soil in the Aral Sea region. From 4.6 to 5.7 percent of the genes showed a pattern of hybridisation concordant with deletion, nucleotide divergence or ORF duplication when compared to the type strain Rm 1021. A large number of these polymorphisms were confirmed by sequencing and Southern blot. A statistically significant fraction of these variable genes was found on th...
One of the underlying principles of scientific publication in peer-reviewed journals has been the... more One of the underlying principles of scientific publication in peer-reviewed journals has been the requirement that the authors make available the data and materials necessary for a reader to reproduce the experiment or analysis and to determine whether the data support ...
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