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Water-soluble protein signals (pheromones) of the ciliate Euplotes have been supposed to be functional precursors of growth factors and cytokines that regulate cell-cell interaction in multi-cellular eukaryotes. This work provides... more
Water-soluble protein signals (pheromones) of the ciliate Euplotes have been supposed to be functional precursors of growth factors and cytokines that regulate cell-cell interaction in multi-cellular eukaryotes. This work provides evidence that native preparations of the Euplotes raikovi pheromone Er-1 (a helical protein of 40 amino acids) specifically increases viability, DNA synthesis, proliferation, and the production of interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, and IL-13 in human Jurkat T-cells. Also, Er-1 significantly decreases the mRNA levels of the β and γ subunits of IL-2 receptor (IL-2R), while the mRNA levels of the α subunit appeared to be not affected. Jurkat T-cell treatments with Er-1 induced the down-regulation of the IL-2Rα subunit by a reversible and time-dependent endocytosis, and increased the levels of phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK). The cell-type specificity of these effects was supported by the finding that Er-1, although unable to directly influence the growth of human glioma U-373 cells, induced Jurkat cells to synthesize and release factors that, in turn, inhibited the U-373 cell proliferation. Overall, these findings imply that Er-1 coupling to IL-2R and ERK immuno-enhances T-cell activity, and that this effect likely translates to an inhibition of glioma cell growth.
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Marine litter is composed mainly of plastics and is recognized as a serious threats to marine ecosystems. Ecotoxicological approaches have started elucidating the potential severity of microplastics (MPs) in controlled laboratory studies... more
Marine litter is composed mainly of plastics and is recognized as a serious threats to marine ecosystems. Ecotoxicological approaches have started elucidating the potential severity of microplastics (MPs) in controlled laboratory studies with pristine materials but no information exist on marine environmental microlitter as a whole. Here, we characterized the litter in the coastal Northern Tyrrhenian sea and in the stomach of two fish species of socio-economic importance, and exposed primary cell cultures of mucosal and lymphoid organs to marine microlitter for evaluating possible cytotoxic effects. An average of 0.30 ± 0.02 microlitter items m-3 was found in water samples. μFT-IR analysis revealed that plastic particles, namely HDPE, polyamide and polypropylene were present in 100% and 83.3% of Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus analyzed, which overall ingested 14.67 ± 4.10 and 5.50 ± 1.97 items/individual, respectively. Moreover, microlitter was confirmed as a vector of mic...
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The gills of fish are a mucosal tissue that contains T cells involved in the recognition of non-self and pathogens, and in this work we describe some features of gill-associated T cells of European sea bass, a marine model species. A... more
The gills of fish are a mucosal tissue that contains T cells involved in the recognition of non-self and pathogens, and in this work we describe some features of gill-associated T cells of European sea bass, a marine model species. A whole transcriptome was obtained by deep sequencing of RNA from unstimulated gills that has been analyzed for the presence of T cell-related transcripts. Of the putative expressed sequences identified in the transcriptome, around 30 were related to main functions related to T cells including Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg cell subpopulations, thus suggesting their possible presence in the branchial epithelium. The number of T cells in the gills of sea bass, measured with the specific T cell mAb DLT15 range from 10% to 20%, and IHC analysis shows their abundance and distribution in the epithelium. Leukocytes from gills are able to proliferate in the presence of lectins ConA and PHA, as measured by flow cytometry using CFSE fluorescence incorporation, and during proli...
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Research Interests: Chemical Engineering, Kinetics, Fluorescence, Biology, Antimicrobial Peptides, and 15 moreMagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Medicine, Biological Sciences, Micelles, Escherichia coli, Comparative Immunology, Animals, Membrane, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Amino Acid Sequence, Biochemistry and cell biology, Molecular Sequence Data, Cell Membrane, and Cell membrane permeability
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ABSTRACT Teleost fish have a well-established innate immune response that is vital for anti-pathogen responses in their antigen-rich environment. With the increase in scientific investigations and the availability of specific reagents, it... more
ABSTRACT Teleost fish have a well-established innate immune response that is vital for anti-pathogen responses in their antigen-rich environment. With the increase in scientific investigations and the availability of specific reagents, it is clear that these fish also possess pathogen/antigen-specific adaptive responses. These responses are comparable to those of higher organisms, responding to intracellular and extracellular resident pathogens, initiating cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and humoral defences, respectively. This chapter reviews the current understanding of teleost immunity, with particular emphasis on the tissues involved in immune development (thymus, head kidney and spleen) and those under most antigenic stimulation – the skin and mucosal surfaces. In this context, an understanding of teleost immune defences is important for our comprehension of the health benefits conferred by prebiotics and probiotics introduced in feed formulations.
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Research Interests: Microbiology, Immunology, Microbial Ecology, Biology, Tumor Immunology, and 12 moreAquaculture, Toll like receptor signaling, Microbes, Adaptive Immunity, Quorum Sensing, Fisheries Sciences, Marine Fish, Fish Larvae, Community Composition, Microbial community, Quality Requirement, and Cyprinus carpio L
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Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Reproduction, Biology, Immunohistochemistry, Medicine, and 15 moreAnimals, Fisheries Sciences, Antiserum, Egg, Polyclonal Antibodies, Veterinary Sciences, Oocytes, Fish and Shellfish Diseases, Oocyte, Immunoglobulins, Sea Bream, Immunoglobulin, Protein Transport, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and Gilthead Sea Bream
Research Interests: Microbiology, Biology, Antimicrobial Peptides, Immunohistochemistry, Medicine, and 15 moreHumans, Animals, Fisheries Sciences, Lipopolysaccharides, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides, Gills, Head Kidney, Amino Acid Sequence, Base Sequence, Erythrocytes, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Gene Expression Regulation, Gene expression profiling, Hemolysis, and Molecular Sequence Data
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Cellular and molecular data have evidenced a gut-associated lymphoid tissue in a variety of teleost species, abundantly containing T cells, whose origin, selection and functions are still unclear. This study reports CD4, CD8-α, MHCI-α,... more
Cellular and molecular data have evidenced a gut-associated lymphoid tissue in a variety of teleost species, abundantly containing T cells, whose origin, selection and functions are still unclear. This study reports CD4, CD8-α, MHCI-α, MHCII-β, rag-1 and TCR-β gene transcription along the intestine (anterior, middle and posterior segments) and in the thymus of one year-old Dicentrarchus labrax (L.). Real-time PCR findings depicted a main role of the thymus in T-cell development, but also rag-1 and CD8-α transcripts are detected in the intestine, having significant expression in the posterior segment. In the whole intestine TCR-β and CD8-α exceeded CD4 transcripts. RNA ISH confirmed these data and detailed that mucosal CD8-α+ cells were especially numerous in the epithelium and in aggregates in the lamina propria. Regional differences in T-cell-specific gene expressions are first described in the intestine of a bony fish. High non-specific cytotoxic activity against xenogeneic and allogeneic cells was found in lymphocytes purified from the intestinal mucosa, providing further insight into their local defence roles.
Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Biology, Medicine, Gene expression, PCR, and 15 moreIntestinal Mucosa, Animals, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Fisheries Sciences, Gene, CD, GALT, Intestines, Dicentrarchus Labrax, Cytotoxic Activity, Bass, Fish and Shellfish Diseases, Gene Expression Regulation, Cytotoxic T cells, and Gene expression profiling
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Research Interests: Electron Microscopy, Biology, Cytokines, Immunohistochemistry, Medicine, and 15 moreIntestinal Mucosa, Animals, Fisheries Sciences, GALT, Intestines, Dicentrarchus Labrax, Immune system, Larva, Body Weight, Bass, Cell Proliferation, Fish and Shellfish Diseases, Gene Expression Regulation, Gene expression profiling, and hydrocortisone
Sea bass immunoglobulins were single-step purified from the whole serum by affinity chromatography on protein A-sepharose. The purified immuno-globulins had an apparent molecular weight of 78kDa (heavy chain) and 27kDa (light chain) in... more
Sea bass immunoglobulins were single-step purified from the whole serum by affinity chromatography on protein A-sepharose. The purified immuno-globulins had an apparent molecular weight of 78kDa (heavy chain) and 27kDa (light chain) in SDS-PAGE. ...
Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Biology, Immunofluorescence, Immunocytochemistry, FISH, and 15 moreELISA, Fisheries Sciences, FACS, Affinity chromatography, Dicentrarchus Labrax, Sea bass, Antibody, Molecular weight, Monoclonal Antibody, Academic, Fish and Shellfish Diseases, Light chain, Immunoglobulin, Fish and Shellfish Immunology, and Heavy Chain
Research Interests: Zoology, Biology, Immunohistochemistry, Quantitative analysis, FISH, and 12 moreFisheries Sciences, T lymphocytes, Dicentrarchus Labrax, Digestive Tract, Sea bass, Quantitative Analysis, Veterinary Sciences, Monoclonal Antibody, Fish and Shellfish Diseases, Immunoglobulin, Lymphatic System, and Fish and Shellfish Immunology
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Lymphoid cell subpopulations involved in allograft rejection in the teleost Dicentrarchus labrax were characterised at the ultrastructural level and quantified by using monoclonal antibodies against T- and B-lymphocytes. T-cells positive... more
Lymphoid cell subpopulations involved in allograft rejection in the teleost Dicentrarchus labrax were characterised at the ultrastructural level and quantified by using monoclonal antibodies against T- and B-lymphocytes. T-cells positive for T-cell receptor beta-chain (TcR beta) were detected by reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridisation by using RNA probes for TcR beta. Flow cytometry detected a similar percentage of T- and B-lymphocytes (around 17%) in the leucocyte-enriched fraction from allografts. Two different types of T-lymphocytes (DLT 15-immunoreactive) infiltrating the allografts were identified by cytomorphology: small cells with high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio and cells with a higher cytoplasmic content. RT-PCR revealed a single band (513 bp) corresponding to the TcR beta. In situ hybridisation showed that TcR beta-positive cells in the grafted muscle fibres were less numerous compared with DLT 15-positive cells, as evidenced in parallel sections, suggesting that cytotoxic cells might express different TcR phenotypes. DLIg 3-immunoreactive Ig-producing lymphocytes had: 1) a high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio or 2) a larger size similar to that of pre-plasma cells (plasma cells lacked any membrane labelling).
Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Flow Cytometry, Biology, Medicine, T cell receptor, and 15 moreIn Situ Hybridization, FISH, Animals, Medical Physiology, T lymphocytes, Dicentrarchus Labrax, Sea bass, B Lymphocytes, Bass, Monoclonal Antibody, Graft Rejection, Cytoplasm, Leukocytes, In Situ Hybridisation, and Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
Research Interests: Endocrinology, Chemistry, Fluorescence, Biology, Internalization, and 15 moreDDT, Cercopithecus aethiops, Humans, Internal Medicine, Endocrine disruptors, Animals, Medical Physiology, HeLa cells, Endocrine Disruptors, Cell Surface Markers, culture medium, CHO cells, Cricetinae, Chinese hamster ovary cells, and Chinese hamster ovary
Research Interests: Cognitive Science, Electron Microscopy, Biology, Immunohistochemistry, Cell Biology, and 15 moreMedicine, Extracellular Matrix, Anatomy, Female, Animals, Medical Physiology, Dicentrarchus Labrax, Bass, Monoclonal Antibody, Cytochemistry, Neurosciences, Thin Layer, ovum, Immunodetection, and teleost fish
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The gut microbiota regulates metabolic pathways that modulate the physiological state of hunger or satiety. Nutrients in the gut stimulate the release of several appetite modulators acting at central and peripheral levels to mediate... more
The gut microbiota regulates metabolic pathways that modulate the physiological state of hunger or satiety. Nutrients in the gut stimulate the release of several appetite modulators acting at central and peripheral levels to mediate appetite and glucose metabolism. After an eight-day exposure of zebrafish larvae to probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus, high-throughput sequence analysis evidenced the ability of the probiotic to modulate the microbial composition of the gastrointestinal tract. These changes were associated with a down-regulation and up-regulation of larval orexigenic and anorexigenic genes, respectively, an up-regulation of genes related to glucose level reduction and concomitantly reduced appetite and body glucose level. BODIPY-FL-pentanoic-acid staining revealed higher short chain fatty acids levels in the intestine of treated larvae. These results underline the capability of the probiotic to modulate the gut microbiota community and provides insight into how the probi...
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Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Biology, Development, Medicine, Gene expression, and 15 moreIn Situ Hybridization, PCR, Cell Differentiation, Animals, Fisheries Sciences, CD, Dicentrarchus Labrax, Positive Selection, Age Factors, Bass, Lymphocytes, Fish and Shellfish Diseases, Gene expression profiling, Double Negative, and Expression pattern
MHC II-β chain gene transcripts were quantified by real-time PCR and localised by in situ hybridization in the developing thymus of the teleost Dicentrarchus labrax, regarding the specialization of the thymic compartments. MHC II-β... more
MHC II-β chain gene transcripts were quantified by real-time PCR and localised by in situ hybridization in the developing thymus of the teleost Dicentrarchus labrax, regarding the specialization of the thymic compartments. MHC II-β expression significantly rose when the first lymphoid colonization of the thymus occurred, thereafter increased further when the organ progressively developed cortex and medulla regions. The evolving patterns of MHC II-β expression provided anatomical insights into some mechanisms of thymocyte selection. Among the stromal cells transcribing MHC II-β, scattered cortical epithelial cells appeared likely involved in the positive selection, while those abundant in the cortico-medullary border and medulla in the negative selection. These latter most represent dendritic cells, based on typical localization and phenotype. These findings provide further proofs that efficient mechanisms leading to maturation of naïve T cells are operative in teleosts, strongly rem...
Research Interests: Zoology, Biology, Medicine, Dendritic Cells, In Situ Hybridization, and 14 moreAnimals, Fisheries Sciences, Thymus, Teleost, Major histocompatibility complex, Veterinary Sciences, Bass, Fish and Shellfish Immunology, Thymocyte, MHC II, real time polymerase chain reaction, Thymocytes, medulla, and Thymus Gland
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The sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax is one the most important seawater fish species of south Europe and Mediterranean aquaculture, and studies on its immune system are important for both scientific and applied purposes. In this paper, we... more
The sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax is one the most important seawater fish species of south Europe and Mediterranean aquaculture, and studies on its immune system are important for both scientific and applied purposes. In this paper, we summarise the results obtained in ...
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Research Interests: Zoology, Immunohistochemistry, Humans, Animals, Fisheries Sciences, and 13 moreLipopolysaccharides, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides, Perciformes, Gills, Head Kidney, Veterinary Sciences, Amino Acid Sequence, Base Sequence, Erythrocytes, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Gene Expression Regulation, Gene expression profiling, and Hemolysis
MHC II-β chain gene transcripts were quantified by real-time PCR and localised by in situ hybridization in the developing thymus of the teleost Dicentrarchus labrax, regarding the specialization of the thymic compartments. MHC II-β... more
MHC II-β chain gene transcripts were quantified by real-time PCR and localised by in situ hybridization in the developing thymus of the teleost Dicentrarchus labrax, regarding the specialization of the thymic compartments. MHC II-β expression significantly rose when the first lymphoid colonization of the thymus occurred, thereafter increased further when the organ progressively developed cortex and medulla regions. The evolving patterns of MHC II-β expression provided anatomical insights into some mechanisms of thymocyte selection. Among the stromal cells transcribing MHC II-β, scattered cortical epithelial cells appeared likely involved in the positive selection, while those abundant in the cortico-medullary border and medulla in the negative selection. These latter most represent dendritic cells, based on typical localization and phenotype. These findings provide further proofs that efficient mechanisms leading to maturation of naïve T cells are operative in teleosts, strongly rem...