Latest PUBLICATIONS

  • Midline (dermoid) cysts of the floor of the mouth: report of 16 cases and review of surgical techniques.
    Publication Date: 01/11/2003, on Plastic and reconstructive surgery
    by Longo F, Maremonti P, Mangone GM, De Maria G, Califano L
    DOI: 10.1097/01.PRS.0000086735.56187.22

    A retrospective review of 16 cases of midline (dermoid) cysts of the floor of the mouth is presented, evaluating the different surgical approaches. Sixteen cases of patients with a diagnosis of midline cyst of the floor of the mouth, treated at the Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the School of Medicine and Surgery of the "Federico II" University of Naples (Naples, Italy), were observed over a 10-year period, between 1988 and 1998; age, sex, localization, diagnostic technique, and type of treatment were evaluated. Male patients were more frequently affected, with a male-to-female ratio of 3:1 (12:4 cases). Patients ranged in age from 5 to 51 years (average age, 27.8 years). The preoperative assessment was made using ultrasonography in all cases but one, computed tomography in eight cases, and magnetic resonance imaging in three cases. Regarding surgical techniques used, a transcutaneous approach was adopted for median geniohyoid cysts, an extended median glossotomy technique was used for very large median genioglossal cysts, a median glossotomy technique was used for median genioglossal cysts, and a midline incision of the oral mucosa along the lingual frenulum was used for sublingual cysts. During the postoperative course, there were no complications except for modest edema in three cases. Follow-up ranged between 24 months and 12 years; no relapses or malignant changes were observed. In the authors' experience, the intraoral approach was also effective for the treatment of large lesions and led to very good cosmetic and functional results, whereas the extraoral incision was necessary only when the cysts were under the geniohyoid muscle.

  • Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease with giant axons: a clinicopathological and genetic entity.
    Publication Date: 14/10/2003, on Neurology
    by Lus G, Nelis E, Jordanova A, Löfgren A, Cavallaro T, Ammendola A, Melone MA, Rizzuto N, Timmerman V, Cotrufo R, De Jonghe P
    DOI:

    The authors report an Italian family with autosomal-dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) in which there were giant axons in the sural nerve biopsy. Linkage to the known CMT2 loci (CMT2A, CMT2B, CMT2D, CMT2F) and mutations in the known CMT2 genes (Cx32, MPZ, NEFL), GAN, NEFM, and CMT1A duplication/HNPP deletion were excluded. This family with CMT and giant axons has a pathologic and genetic entity distinct from classic CMT.

  • Skeletal muscle metabolism in physiology and in cancer disease.
    Publication Date: 01/09/2003, on Journal of cellular biochemistry
    by Giordano A, Calvani M, Petillo O, Carteni' M, Melone MR, Peluso G
    DOI: 10.1002/jcb.10601

    Skeletal muscle is a tissue of high demand and it accounts for most of daily energy consumption. The classical concept of energy metabolism in skeletal muscle has been profoundly modified on the basis of studies showing the influence of additional factors (i.e., uncoupling proteins (UCPs) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs)) controlling parameters, such as substrate availability, cellular enzymes, carrier proteins, and proton leak, able to affect glycolysis, nutrient oxidation, and protein degradation. This extremely balanced system is greatly altered by cancer disease that can induce muscle cachexia with significant deleterious consequences and results in muscle wasting and weakness, delaying or preventing ambulation, and rehabilitation in catabolic patients.

  • Clinical features of X linked juvenile retinoschisis associated with new mutations in the XLRS1 gene in Italian families.
    Publication Date: 01/09/2003, on The British journal of ophthalmology
    by Simonelli F, Cennamo G, Ziviello C, Testa F, de Crecchio G, Nesti A, Manitto MP, Ciccodicola A, Banfi S, Brancato R, Rinaldi E
    DOI:

    To describe the clinical phenotype of X linked juvenile retinoschisis in eight Italian families with six different mutations in the XLRS1 gene.

  • Destination 'lysosome': a target organelle for tumour cell killing?
    Publication Date: 01/09/2003, on Journal of molecular recognition : JMR
    by Castino R, Démoz M, Isidoro C
    DOI: 10.1002/jmr.643

    Lysosomes and lysosome-related organelles constitute a system of acid compartments that interconnect the inside of the cell with the extracellular environment via endocytosis, phagocytosis and exocytosis. In recent decades it has been recognized that lysosomes are not just wastebaskets for disposal of unused cellular constituents, but that they are involved in several cellular processes such as post-translational maturation of proteins, degradation of receptors and extracellular release of active enzymes. By complementing the autophagic process, lysosomes actively contribute to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Proteolysis by lysosomal cathepsins has been shown to mediate the death signal of cytotoxic drugs and cytokines, as well as the activation of pro-survival factors. Secreted lysosomal cathepsins have been shown to degrade protein components of the extracellular matrix, thus contributing actively to its re-modelling in physiological and pathological processes. The malfunction of lysosomes can, therefore, impact on cell behaviour and fate. Here we review the role of lysosomal hydrolases in several aspects of the malignant phenotype including loss of cell growth control, altered regulation of cell death, acquisition of chemoresistance and of metastatic potential. Based on these observations, the lysosome is proposed as a potential target organelle for the chemotherapy of tumours. We will also present some recent data concerning the technologies for delivering chemotherapeutic drugs to the endosomal-lysosomal compartment and the strategies to improve their efficacy.

  • Squid photoreceptor terminals synthesize calexcitin, a learning related protein.
    Publication Date: 14/08/2003, on Neuroscience letters
    by Eyman M, Crispino M, Kaplan BB, Giuditta A
    DOI:

    Nerve endings of squid photoreceptor neurons generate large synaptosomes upon homogenization of the optic lobe. Using several independent methods, these presynaptic structures have been shown to synthesize a wealth of soluble, cytoskeletal and nuclear encoded mitochondrial proteins, and to account for essentially all the translation activity of the synaptosomal fraction. We are now presenting evidence that calexcitin, a learning related, Ca(2+)-binding protein of the B photoreceptors of Hermissenda crassicornis (a mollusk), is synthesized and subjected to post-translational modifications in the squid photoreceptor terminals. In view of the essential role of presynaptic protein synthesis in long-term memory formation in Aplysia, our data suggest that a comparable role may be played by calexcitin synthesized in the squid photoreceptor terminals.

  • Cell cycle regulation and neural differentiation.
    Publication Date: 11/08/2003, on Oncogene
    by Galderisi U, Jori FP, Giordano A
    DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1206558

    The general mechanisms that control the cell cycle in mammalian cells have been studied in depth and several proteins that are involved in the tight regulation of cell cycle progression have been identified. However, the analysis of which molecules participate in cell cycle exit of specific cell lineages is not exhaustive yet. Moreover, the strict relation between cell cycle exit and induction of differentiation has not been fully understood and seems to depend on the cell type. Several in vivo and in vitro studies have been performed in the last few years to address these issues in cells of the nervous system. In this review, we focus our attention on cyclin-cyclin-dependent kinase complexes, cyclin kinase inhibitors, genes of the retinoblastoma family, p53 and N-Myc, and we aim to summarize the latest evidence indicating their involvement in the control of the cell cycle and induction of differentiation in different cell types of the peripheral and central nervous systems. Studies on nervous system tumors and a possible contributory role in tumorigenesis of polyomavirus T antigen are reported to point out the critical contribution of some cell cycle regulators to normal neural and glial development.

  • Assignment of disulphide bridges in Par j 2.0101, a major allergen of Parietaria judaica pollen.
    Publication Date: 01/08/2003, on Biological chemistry
    by Amoresano A, Pucci P, Duro G, Colombo P, Costa MA, Izzo V, Lamba D, Geraci D
    DOI: 10.1515/BC.2003.129

    Par j 2.0101, a major allergen of the Parietaria judaica pollen, was expressed in E. coli, purified to homogeneity and fully characterised both at the structural and the functional level. The recombinant rPar j 2.0101 protein showed an allergenic activity in histamine release, skin prick tests and capacity to bind IgE, almost identical to that of the native allergens purified from aqueous pollen extract. The complete pattern of S-S bridges of rPar j 2.0101 was determined by enzymatic digestion with endoproteinase Lys-C followed by mass spectrometric analysis of the resulting peptide mixtures. The eight cysteines occurring in the allergenic protein were found to be paired into the following four disulphides: Cys35-Cys83, Cys45-Cys60, Cys61-Cys106 and Cys81-Cys121. This structural information probes Par j 2.0101 to attain a 3-D fold consistent with that of the non-specific lipid transfer protein (ns-LTP) family and it represents an effective molecular basis to develop modified antigens by selective site-directed mutagenesis for immunotherapy.

  • The swapping of terminal arms in ribonucleases: comparison of the solution structure of monomeric bovine seminal and pancreatic ribonucleases.
    Publication Date: 29/07/2003, on Biochemistry
    by Avitabile F, Alfano C, Spadaccini R, Crescenzi O, D'Ursi AM, D'Alessio G, Tancredi T, Picone D
    DOI: 10.1021/bi0342517

    Bovine seminal ribonuclease (BS-RNase), the only dimeric protein among the pancreatic-like ribonucleases, is endowed with special structural features and with biological functions beyond enzymatic activity. In solution, the protein exists as an equilibrium mixture of two forms, with or without exchange (or swapping) of the N-terminal arms. After selective reduction and alkylation of the two intrachain disulfide bridges, the dimeric protein can be transformed into a monomeric derivative that has a ribonuclease activity higher than that of the parent dimeric protein but is devoid of the special biological functions. A detailed investigation of the structural features of this protein in solution, in comparison with those of other monomeric ribonucleases, may help unveil the structural details which induce swapping of the N-terminal arms of BS-RNase. The solution structure of the recombinant monomeric form of BS-RNase, as determined by 3D heteronuclear NMR, shows close similarity with that of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase A) in all regions characterized by regular elements of secondary structure. However, significant differences are present in the flexible regions, which could account for the different behavior of the two proteins. To characterize in detail these regions, we have measured H/D exchange rate constants, temperature coefficients and heteronuclear NOEs of backbone amides for both RNase A and monomeric BS-RNase. The results indicate a large difference in the backbone flexibility of the hinge peptide segment 16-22 of the two proteins, which could provide the molecular basis to explain the ability of BS-RNase subunits to swap their N-terminal arms.

  • Waking EEG power spectra in the rat: correlations with training performance.
    Publication Date: 01/06/2003, on Brain research. Cognitive brain research
    by Mandile P, Giuditta A, Romano F, Montagnese P, Piscopo S, Cotugno M, Vescia S
    DOI:

    Adult rats chronically implanted with supradural electrodes were telemetrically EEG recorded during a baseline session, a training session for a two-way active avoidance task, and a retention session. Rats were assigned to a fast learning (FL), slow learning (SL) and non learning (NL) group if they achieved criterion during the training session, the retention session, or in neither session. High-resolution EEG analyses indicated that intergroup differences were present in the low frequency range of waking baseline power spectra. Moreover, baseline delta emissions directly correlated with freezings, and inversely correlated with avoidances, while emissions at 7-10 Hz directly correlated with avoidances and inversely correlated with freezings. Interestingly, during the first training period, waking delta emission selectively increased in FL rats in concomitance with a marked performance improvement; instead, SL and NL rats displayed increments at 7-9 Hz. In addition, freezings scored during the first two training periods directly correlated with post-training waking emission at 2 Hz, and inversely correlated with emission at 7-10 Hz. Conversely, escapes and avoidances directly correlated with waking emission at 7-10 Hz. The data indicate that (i) waking baseline power spectra differ among behavioral groups, and correlate with behavioral performance the following day; (ii) selective modifications of waking power spectra occur in each behavioral group during training; and (iii) behavioral responses during training correlate with post-training waking power spectra. Notably, the delta increment selectively occurring in training FL rats is assumed to reflect online memory processing leading to better performance. The latter observation supports the primary involvement of delta waves in learning.

  • The mechanism of interaction of sweet proteins with the T1R2-T1R3 receptor: evidence from the solution structure of G16A-MNEI.
    Publication Date: 02/05/2003, on Journal of molecular biology
    by Spadaccini R, Trabucco F, Saviano G, Picone D, Crescenzi O, Tancredi T, Temussi PA
    DOI:

    The mechanism by which sweet proteins elicit a response on the T1R2-T1R3 sweet taste receptor is still mostly unknown but has been so far related to the presence of "sweet fingers" on the protein surface able to interact with the same mechanism as that of low molecular mass sweeteners. In the search for the identification of sweet fingers, we have solved the solution structure of G16A MNEI, a structural mutant that shows a reduction of one order of magnitude in sweetness with respect to its parent protein, MNEI, a single-chain monellin. Comparison of the structures of wild-type monellin and its G16A mutant shows that the mutation does not affect the structure of potential glucophores but produces a distortion of the surface owing to the partial relative displacement of elements of secondary structure. These results show conclusively that sweet proteins do not possess a sweet finger and strongly support the hypothesis that the mechanism of interaction of sweet-tasting proteins with the recently identified T1R2-T1R3 GPC receptor is different from that of low molecular mass sweeteners.

  • EGF-responsive rat neural stem cells: molecular follow-up of neuron and astrocyte differentiation in vitro.
    Publication Date: 01/05/2003, on Journal of cellular physiology
    by Jori FP, Galderisi U, Piegari E, Cipollaro M, Cascino A, Peluso G, Cotrufo R, Giordano A, Melone MA
    DOI: 10.1002/jcp.10249

    Neural stem cells (NSCs) could be very useful for the "cell therapy" treatment of neurological disorders. For this reason basic studies aiming to well characterize the biology of NSCs are of great interest. We carried out a molecular and immunocytochemical analysis of EGF-responsive NSCs obtained from rat pups. After the initial growth of NSCs as floating neurospheres in EGF-containing medium, cells were plated on poly-L-ornithine-coated dishes either in the presence or absence of EGF. We followed cell differentiation and apoptosis for 21 days in vitro and analyzed the expression levels of some genes having a major role in these processes, such as pRB, pRB2/p130, p27, and p53. We observed that EGF impairs neuronal differentiation. Furthermore, in the absence of mitogens, apoptosis, which appeared to proceed through the "p53 network," was significantly lower than in the presence of EGF. The cyclin kinase inhibitor p27, while important for cell cycle exit, seemed dispensable for cell survival and differentiation.

  • 1H-NMR study of the quadruplex [d(TGGGT)]4 containing a modified thymine.
    Publication Date: 01/05/2003, on Nucleosides, nucleotides & nucleic acids
    by Petraccone L, Erra E, Nasti L, Galeone A, Randazzo A, Esposito V, Mayol L, Barone G, Giancola C
    DOI: 10.1081/NCN-120023111

    A NMR structural study of quadruplex [d(TGGGT)]4 containing a modified thymine is reported. The three dimensional structure of the complex is very similar to those of other parallel stranded quadruplexes. The modified thymines (T*) are able, at least in the minimised structures, to form a tetrad containing extra H-bonds through the hydroxyl groups. Nevertheless, in this new tetrad the modified thymines are slightly open towards the solvent respect to the unmodified T-tetrad.

  • Synthesis and DNA binding properties of DNA-PNA chimeras.
    Publication Date: 01/05/2003, on Nucleosides, nucleotides & nucleic acids
    by Barone G, De Napoli L, Di Fabio G, Erra E, Giancola C, Messere A, Montesarchio D, Petraccone L, Piccialli G
    DOI: 10.1081/NCN-120022743

    A systematic study to evaluate the ability of 5'-DNA-3'-p-(N)-PNA-(C) chimeras to form triple helix structures has been undertaken. Preliminary results carried out on a 16-mer chimera with three PNA monomers at the 3'-end showed the formation of a stable DNA-PNA/DNA/DNA triplex, having similar conformational behaviour to a canonical DNA/DNA/DNA triplex.

  • Physico-chemical studies of a DNA triplex containing a new ferrocenemethyl-thymidine residue in the third strand.
    Publication Date: 01/05/2003, on Biophysical chemistry
    by Petraccone L, Erra E, Messere A, Montesarchio D, Piccialli G, Barone G, Giancola C
    DOI:

    The stability of a 16-mer DNA triple helix containing a 3-N(ferrocenemethyl)-thymidine residue in the third strand has been investigated in comparison with the unmodified triplex of the same sequence. A complete physico-chemical characterization of the two triple helices on changing the pH by means of calorimetry, circular dichroism and molecular modeling is therefore reported. The thermodynamic parameters were obtained in the pH range 5.5-7.2 by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For both triplexes the T(m) and Delta H degrees (T(m)) values increase on decreasing the pH. In the pH range 7.2-6.0 the triplex containing the ferrocenemethyl nucleoside is less stable than the unmodified one, whereas the modified triplex becomes more stable at pH 5.5. Such difference in stability at each pH value is overwhelmingly enthalpic in origin. CD spectra show conformational changes on decreasing the pH for both the triplexes. By spectroscopic pH titration the apparent pK(a) values of the cytosines in the two triplexes could be estimated, with the cytosines in the TFO containing the ferrocenemethyl residue having lower apparent pK(a) values. These results are consistent with the calorimetric data, showing a decrease of the thermodynamic parameters in the pH range 7.2-6.0 and an increase at pH 5.5 for the ferrocenylated triplex with respect to the unmodified one. The thermodynamic and spectroscopic data are also discussed in relation to molecular models.