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Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) polymorphisms in Cupressus sempervirens (CNR-IBBR-C-SEMPERVIRENS)
No full textThe dataset derives from the first large-scale analysis using nuclear molecular markers to assess the genetic diversity and structure of Cupressus sempervirens L. Genetic and fossil data were combined to infer the possible role of human activity and evolutionary history in shaping the diversity of cypress populations. Thirty populations with six polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers were analyzed. Dramatic reductions in heterozygosity and allelic richness were observed from east to west across the species range. Structure analysis assigned individuals to two main groups separating the central Mediterranean and eastern populations. The two main groups could be further divided into five subgroups, which showed the following geographical distributions: Turkey with the Greek islands Rhodes and Samos, Greece (Crete), Southern Italy, Northern Italy, and Tunisia with Central Italy. This pattern of genetic structure is also supported by SAMOVA and Barrier analyses. Palaeobotanical data indicated that Cupressus was present in Italy in the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene. Furthermore, the survey showed that Italian cypress populations experienced bottlenecks resulting in reduced genetic diversity, allelic richness, and higher genetic differentiation. Recent colonization or introduction may also have influenced levels of diversity detected in the Italian populations, as most individuals in this range today have multilocus genotypes also present in the eastern range of the species. The data reveal a new interpretation of the history of cypress distribution characterized by ancient eastern populations (Turkey and Greek islands) and a mosaic of recently introduced trees and remnants of ancient, depauperate populations in the central Mediterranean rang
Relazione scientifica Attività di eradicazione del gambero della Louisiana (Procambarus Clarkii) dal lago di Lagolo: campagna 2024
Full text linkTwo Antarctic endophytic bacteria of Colobanthus quitensis show functional and genomic characteristics potentially responsible for plant growth promotion and cold tolerance
Full text linkBacterial endophytes reside in plant tissues and can promote plant growth under abiotic stresses. Complex microbial communities are associated with cold-adapted plants, but scarce information is available on the functional properties of Antarctic bacterial endophytes. This study aimed to investigate possible cold tolerance and plant growth promotion activities of two Antarctic bacterial endophytes by in vitro functional characterization and genome sequence analysis. Ewingella sp., Pseudomonas sp, and their bacterial consortium were cold tolerant and showed plant growth-promoting activity on tomato seedlings at low temperature. Phytohormones (indole-3-acetic acid) and proteases were produced by Ewingella sp. and Pseudomonas sp., respectively, while ammonia and siderophores were produced by both bacterial isolates and their consortium. Ewingella sp. and Pseudomonas sp. genomes encompassed genes possibly involved in plant growth promotion (e.g., auxin, cytokinin, ethylene, salicylic acid, and siderophore metabolism and transport) and genes related to bacterial metabolic processes that can contribute to plant growth-promoting activities, such as amino acid metabolism, iron transport, nitrogen metabolism, and lytic activities (amylases, cellulases, and proteases), phosphate metabolism, potassium transport, and zinc transport. Moreover, Ewingella sp. and Pseudomonas sp. encompassed genes possibly associated with bacterial cold tolerance that can contribute to cold stress mitigation in the plant host, such as cold shock- and heat shock-related proteins, lipid desaturases, polyamine metabolism, proline metabolism, proline and glycine betaine transport, reactive oxygen species detoxification, and trehalose metabolism. Antarctic bacterial endophytes include multiple characteristics to survive under cold conditions and some bacterial functions can contribute to plant growth promotion and stress mitigation at low temperatur
Deciphering the synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of the bioactives melatonin, serotonin, indoleacetic acid, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol from glucose by using 13C labelling precursors and UHPLC-MS
Full text linkSaccharomyces cerevisiae produces bioactive compounds such as melatonin (MEL), serotonin (SER), indoleacetic acid (IAA), hydroxytyrosol (HT), and tyrosol during alcoholic fermentation. Previous research shows that tryptophan and tyrosine are precursors. This study aimed to investigate whether S. cerevisiae can synthetize these bioactives from glucose. Using [U13C]-glucose as the fermentation substrate and UHPLC-MS for analysis, the research traced unequivocally the formation of these compounds. Results confirmed that MEL, SER, IAA, tyrosol, and HT are partly derived from glucose. Different 13C-labelled forms of HT, tyrosol, and tyrosine were identified which allows to propose a biosynthetic pathway leading to the formation of HT through reactions between intermediates from the pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis, additionally to the Erlich pathway. The proposed pathway includes L-DOPA and catechol which were detected in their 13C-labelled forms. Understanding HT synthesis opens opportunities to enhance the bioactive potential of fermented beverages
Hypericum hircinum L.: botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties
Full text linkHypericum hircinum L., commonly known as goat St. John’s wort or stinking tutsan, is a medicinal plant native to the Mediterranean basin and widespread across Europe and parts of the Middle East. It has a long history of traditional uses in folk medicine to treat respiratory diseases, wounds, and burns and to relieve migraine, rheumatism, and muscular pains. Despite numerous scientific studies shading light on the phytochemical profile and on the beneficial properties of the plant extracts, a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge is missing. In this paper, we summarized the available information on botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of Hypericum hircinum from peer-reviewed articles published till March 2025 in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, Springer, ACS, Scielo, and Web of Science databases. The presence of numerous valuable compounds, including terpenes, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and phloroglucinols, is reported as well as the wide range of pharmacological properties, such as antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, antidepressant, anti-collagenase, anti-α-glucosidase, and antioxidant activities, together with non-pharmacological properties. The data reported in this review contribute to a deeper understanding of the biological properties of the species and pave the way for further investigation of its potential application
Beyond the surface: investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying superficial scald in two apple cultivars
No full textThe influence of local particles on classifier performance for pollen monitoring
Full text linkPollen detection through automatic instruments has significantly improved over the recent years. Hirst-type traps start to be complemented with automatic instruments throughout Europe. Instead of the traditional identification of airborne pollen particles using light microscopy, data of the particles is collected and subsequently analysed by an AI-classifier. As an airflow-cytometer, SwisensPoleno instruments capture a fingerprint of each particle in-flight. Holography images, as well as fluorescence spectral data, as for SwisensPoleno Jupiter, are collected to classify measured pollen grains flowing through the device in real-time. Labelled datasets of each pollen-type of interest are required for the training of a new classifier. These are generated by collecting fresh and pure pollen from plants and aerosolizing it directly into a SwisensPoleno instrument under controlled conditions. New classifiers are evaluated by correlating concentrations determined by the automatic instrument with daily concentrations of co-located Hirst-type traps. To evaluate the performance of classifiers throughout Europe, multiple sites in different countries are assessed. Using results of the latest pollen classifier “Swisens (2025)”, based on holography images and fluorescence spectra, we show here how different locations of the SwisensPoleno and different input data can affect the resulting correlations to Hirst data, as well as the Mean Absolute Error (MAE). Differences in performance are expected between sites which are far apart, due to many factors such as differing geography, local climatic conditions and flora. Bad performance may arise from unknown interfering particles, only abundant at one specific site, and thus not included in the training datasets. Our results demonstrate that this effect can also occur at a sub-regional scale, in sites only 30 km apart (Figure 1A), installed with the same instrument, and analysing data with the same classifier. Fraxinus pollen concentrations for P48 (Bolzano, Italy) correlate very well with a co-located Hirst (Figure 1B); that isn’t true for P46 (San Michele all’Adige, Italy), where strong interference from other particles is present during late May and beginning of June (Figure 1C). Interfering particles, similar to the target taxa, require site specific fine-tuning, e.g. in form of additional filters specifically excluding the interfering particles. In conclusion, while automatic pollen detection instruments show great promise in improving accuracy and efficiency, our findings highlight the importance of site-specific adaptations to address geographic and environmental variability, ensuring reliable performance across diverse locations
Axiosafe (axiomtm SNP assessment and filtering engine): a novel python pipeline for axiomtm genotyping datasets
Full text linkRecent spread of Raphidiopsis raciborskii in the lake district south of the Alps
Full text linkIn recent years, there has been a rise in cyanobacterial blooms, and climate warming is believed to be a key driver sustaining these changes. Climate change may affect the geographic distribution of potentially toxigenic species and cyanobacteria, leading to the appearance of new threats in previously unexposed areas. Recently, the potentially toxic cyanobacterium Raphidiopsis (Cylindrospermopsis) raciborskii, known for forming blooms, has increased its presence, particularly in temperate regions. In this work, we expanded the knowledge about the distribution of R. raciborskii in Northern Italy. Specifically, we reported new observations recorded during the last decade based on investigations carried out in the framework of scientific and government monitoring and large biogeographical surveys carried out on the whole Alpine Space area. The detection of R. raciborskii in Northern Italy highlights the importance of closely monitoring freshwater quality and implementing measures to prevent the spread of harmful organism
Taxonomic and functional metagenomic assessment of cyanobacteria
Full text linkThe sequencing and use of single marker genes and the adoption of a polyphasic approach represented a major historical advance in the taxonomy and study of cyanobacteria. Currently, these approaches are still widely used and are helping to fill gaps in the taxonomy, geographic distribution and toxicity of cyanobacterial strains. However, these approaches have important bottlenecks that limit analyses to isolated and cultured specimens, single individuals or colonies, and monospecific environmental samples. In the last decade, the advent of innovative technological methods, particularly the increased use of high-throughput sequencing, has led to important advances in the study of microbial communities. The increasing use of amplicon sequencing approaches (metabarcoding) has paved the way for the study of microbial communities in environmental samples and has rapidly become a mature and de facto standard in many laboratories. However, metabarcoding for the identification of bacteria and cyanobacteria has several drawbacks, mainly due to the short length and resulting low taxonomic resolution of the 16S rRNA gene after bioinformatic processing (around 400 bp), which mostly limits classification to the genus level. Recent improvements in this approach (selection of non-ribosomal marker genes and sequencing of 16S rRNA long reads) have not broadened the scope of this approach, which remains limited to the taxonomic classification of microbial communities. A breakthrough has been the implementation of genomic and metagenomic methods, either based on short read assembly (whole genome shotgun sequencing) or long read assembly (Pacific Biosciences-PacBIO and Oxford Nanopore Technologies-ONT), which allow the reconstruction of draft or circular cyanobacterial genomes. These techniques are being applied to a wide range of samples (from isolates to complex microbial communities), providing information at the strain level and on species metabolic functions and community functioning following genome annotation. At the taxonomic level, the calculation of average nucleotide identity (ANI) and/or digital DNA-DNA hybridisation (dDDH) values, complemented by phylogenomic analyses based on the selection of single-copy marker genes or (from pangenomic analyses) single-copy core genes, represent an increasingly adopted approach for genome-based species delineation and evolutionary relationships among cyanobacteria. Overall, the study of cyanobacterial taxonomy and ecology is undergoing rapid and extensive development. These changes will be critically discussed by reporting on specific case studies from ongoing research and literature, highlighting the drawbacks and limitations as well as the prospects for development of the different approaches used in the modern study of cyanobacteria