-
Article
Open AccessControlled uptake of PFOA in adult specimens of Paracentrotus lividus and evaluation of gene expression in their gonads and embryos
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been largely used in the manufacturing industry but a few years ago it turned out to be a dangerous pollutant which is now of concern for terrestrial and aquatic environments....
-
Article
Open AccessPresence and biodistribution of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in Paracentrotus lividus highlight its potential application for environmental biomonitoring
The first determination of presence and biodistribution of PFOA in ninety specimens of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus from two differently contaminated sites along Palermo’s coastline (Sicily) is reported. Anal...
-
Article
Open AccessTranscriptional and in silico analyses of MIF cytokine and TLR signalling interplay in the LPS inflammatory response of Ciona robusta
The close phylogenetic relationship between Ciona robusta and vertebrates makes it a powerful model for studying innate immunity and the evolution of immune genes. To elucidate the nature and dynamics of the immu...
-
Chapter
Correction to: Echinodermata: The Complex Immune System in Echinoderms
Correction to: Chapter 13 in: E. L. Cooper (ed.), Advances in Comparative Immunology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76768-0_13
-
Chapter
Echinodermata: The Complex Immune System in Echinoderms
The Echinodermata are an ancient phylum of benthic marine invertebrates with a dispersal-stage planktonic larva. These animals have innate immune systems characterized initially by clearance of foreign particl...
-
Article
A peptide from human β thymosin as a platform for the development of new anti-biofilm agents for Staphylococcus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Conventional antibiotics might fail in the treatment of biofilm-associated infections causing infection recurrence and chronicity. The search for antimicrobial peptides has been performed with the aim to disco...
-
Article
Open AccessParacentrin 1, a synthetic antimicrobial peptide from the sea-urchin Paracentrotus lividus, interferes with staphylococcal and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation
The rise of antibiotic-resistance as well as the reduction of investments by pharmaceutical companies in the development of new antibiotics have stimulated the investigation for alternative strategies to conve...
-
Article
The impact of climate change on mediterranean intertidal communities: losses in coastal ecosystem integrity and services
As has been shown for other ecosystems, the ecological and socio-economic impacts of climate change on Mediterranean intertidal habitats are highly variable in space and time. We conducted field and laboratory...
-
Article
Open AccessImmune mediators of sea-cucumber Holothuria tubulosa (Echinodermata) as source of novel antimicrobial and anti-staphylococcal biofilm agents
The present study aims to investigate coelomocytes, immune mediators cells in the echinoderm Holothuria tubulosa, as an unusual source of antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents. The activity of the 5kDa peptide fra...
-
Article
Inflamed adult pharynx tissues and swimming larva of Ciona intestinalis share CiTNFα-producing cells
In situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry analyses have shown that the Ciona intestinalis tumour necrosis factor alpha gene (CiTNFα), which has been previously cloned and sequenced, is expressed either durin...
-
Article
Enhanced expression of a cloned and sequenced Ciona intestinalis TNFα-like (CiTNFα) gene during the LPS-induced inflammatory response
A tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα)-like gene from Ciona intestinalis (CiTNFα-like) body wall challenged with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was cloned and sequenced 4 h after LPS inoculation. An open readin...
-
Article
Inducible lectins with galectin properties and human IL1α epitopes opsonize yeast during the inflammatory response of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis
Studies on inducible ascidian lectins may shed light on the evolutionary emergence of cytokine functions. Here, we show that the levels of opsonins, with IL1α-epitopes, increase in Ciona intestinalis hemolymph as...
-
Chapter
Identification of Type I and IX Collagens in the Ascidian Ciona intestinalis
Immunohistochemical methods showed that a type I collagen is a component of the tunic of Ciona intestinalis, involved in the encapsulation process. Since the fibril-forming collagen types are characterized by tri...
-
Chapter
Immunological Activity of Ascidian Hemocytes
In ascidians, various hemocyte types and their differentiation stages may be responsible for several immune functions. A central role in the immune effector mechanisms can be assigned to PO-containing hemocyte...
