308 research outputs found
Chromosomal assignment of six genes (EIF4G3, HSP90, RBBP6, IL8, TERT, and TERC) in four species of the genus Equus
No full textWe mapped six genes (EIF4G3, HSP90, RBBP6, IL8, TERT, and TERC) on the chromosomes of Equus caballus, Equus asinus, Equus grevyi, and Equus burchelli by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Our results add six type I markers to the cytogenetic map of these species and provide new information on the comparative genomics of the genus Equus.Pamela Vidale, Francesca M. Piras, Solomon G. Nergadze, Livia Bertoni, Andrea Verini-Supplizi, David Adelson, Gérard Guérin and Elena Giulott
Indagine epidemiologica e profilo di patogenicità di ceppi di Listeria monocytogenes isolati da prodotti della pesca ready to eat
No full text“Tipizzazione mediante PFGE di ceppi di Listeria monocytogenes isolati in stabilimenti di produzione di Salsiccia Sarda e valutazione della produzione in vitro di biofilm”
No full text
Telomeric-Like Repeats Flanked by Sequences Retrotranscribed from the Telomerase RNA Inserted at DNA Double-Strand Break Sites during Vertebrate Genome Evolution
No full textInterstitial telomeric sequences (ITSs) are stretches of telomeric-like repeats located at internal chromosomal sites. We previously demonstrated that ITSs have been inserted during the repair of DNA double-strand breaks in the course of evolution and that some rodent ITSs, called TERC-ITSs, are flanked by fragments retrotranscribed from the telomerase RNA component (TERC). In this work, we carried out an extensive search of TERC-ITSs in 30 vertebrate genomes and identified 41 such loci in 22 species, including in humans and other primates. The fragment retrotranscribed from the TERC RNA varies in different lineages and its sequence seems to be related to the organization of TERC. Through comparative analysis of TERC-ITSs with orthologous empty loci, we demonstrated that, at each locus, the TERC-like sequence and the ITS have been inserted in one step in the course of evolution. Our findings suggest that telomerase participated in a peculiar pathway of DNA double-strand break repair involving retrotranscription of its RNA component and that this mechanism may be active in all vertebrate species. These results add new evidence to the hypothesis that RNA-templated DNA repair mechanisms are active in vertebrate cells
Community social capital and status: The social dilemma of food waste
No full textIn developed countries, the largest share of food is wasted at the household level. Household food waste results from a complex interaction between economic factors, well-established routines, and social norms. To explain this interaction, we propose a simple model of waste behavior where the individual and social economic costs generated by wasting are counterbalanced by the security and status generated through acquiring excess food, thus causing a social dilemma. This trade-off is mediated by social capital, which measures the intensity with which each individual within a community evaluates the negative effects of waste. We test this model's hypotheses using a 2016 dataset of food behaviors and opinions of Italian households, which we merge with variables known to elicit the local level of social capital. We find individual food waste levels to be negatively related with social capital. Contrastingly, status concerns with respect to food and the lack of organizational abilities are both more prevalent in low social capital areas, and are related to increased food waste. This relationship is mediated by income
Intra- and intermale variability of mature sperm traits analysed in two brackish water populations of the pipefish Syngnathus abaster (Syngnathidae)
No full textSperm cells are highly diversified in animals, and considerable research effort has focused on variation in sperm morphology among species. Surprisingly, little is known about intraspecific variation in sperm morphology. We analysed within- and between-male variation in mature sperm traits in two brackish water populations of the pipefish Syngnathus abaster. Four morphometric parameters, such as the width and length of the head (including nucleus, and midpiece), length of flagellum and total sperm length were taken into account. The differences in all morphometric parameters analysed between populations were not statistically significant. Moreover, the multidimensional scaling analysis shows that (i) the two populations seem to be indistinguishable based on their spermatozoa and (ii) there is not polymorphism, being sperm not distinguishable into discrete classes both within a single male and between males of each populations. The latter datum does not seem to support the presence of polymorphic sperm in syngnathids. Both populations, however, exhibit a high variation in all sperm traits, both among individual sperm within an ejaculate and among males within each population. The relationship between sperm traits variability and the low selection pressure determined by the absence of postcopulatory sexual selection (i.e. absence of sperm competition) is discussed
Identification of Listeria spp. strains isolated from meat products and meat production plants by multiplex polymerase chain reaction
No full textListeriosis is a foodborne disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes and is considered as a serious health problem, due to the severity of symptoms and the high mortality rate. Recently, other Listeria species have been associated with disease in human and animals. The aim of this study was to develop a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in order to simultaneously detect six Listeria species (L. grayi, L. welshimeri, L. ivanovii, L. monocytogenes, L. seeligeri, L. innocua) in a single reaction. One hundred eighteen Listeria spp. strains, isolated from meat products (sausages) and processing plants (surfaces in contact and not in contact with meat), were included in the study. All the strains were submitted to biochemical identification using the API Listeria system. A multiplex PCR was developed with the aim to identify the six species of Listeria. PCR allowed to uniquely identify strains that had expressed a doubtful profile with API Listeria The results suggest that the multiplex PCR could represent a rapid and sensitive screening test, a reliable method for the detection of all Listeria species, both in contaminated food and in clinical samples, and also a tool that could be used for epidemiological purposes in food-borne outbreaks. A further application could be the development of a PCR that can be directly applied to the pre-enrichment broth
Profilo fenotipico e identificazione mediante PCR MULTIPLEX di Staphylococcus spp., isolati da Salsiccia Sarda stagionata”
No full textSalmonella spp in organi e carcasse suini e in ambienti di macellazione: risultati e preliminari
No full textThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the sources of direct and cross-contamination
by Salmonella spp. of swine meat at slaughterhouse. The study was carried out
in 4 plants of Sardinia, where pigs of different origin (Regional, Nederland, Spain,
France) were slaughtered. Two-hundred ninetyfour samples were examined for Salmonella
spp.: samples of caecal material, tonsils and limphonodes, carcass and liver, from
67 pigs randomly selected, and 21 environmental samples were collected. A selection of
strains were submitted to phenotypical identification (API ID32E) and serotyping
(N.R.C. for Salmonellosis). Salmonella spp. was isolated from the 21,4% of samples, both
from pigs and environmental samples. The highest prevalence was observed in limphonodes
samples (37,3%), whereas the lowest on the carcasses (10,4%). Eight different
serotypes were detected, the more common was S. Derby (67%), followed by S. Livingstone
(8%) and S. Typhimurium (6,3%). The 8% of the strains were unknown serotype.
Our preliminary results confirm the important role of pigs in the diffusion of Salmonella
in the slaughterhouses. The recovering of unusual serotypes from liver surfaces
and slaughterhouse environments, pointed out the importance of a better Good Slaughtering
Practices application by the workers, in order to prevent the possibility of crosscontamination
of raw meats
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