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L Borrelli

Publications and source records attributed to L Borrelli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Molecular cloning, sequence and expression of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor in the lizard Podarcis sicula.

The present paper reports the full nucleotide sequence of a cloned cDNA prepared from RNA of lizard ovaries. The open reading frame consists of 2019 nucleotides, which encodes a protein of 673 amino acids belonging to the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily with a large extracellular N-terminal domain involved in hormone recognition. The transmembrane domain ends with a short intracytoplasmic COOH-terminal domain involved in effector activation. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the lizard receptor belongs to the family of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptors. The hydrophobicity profile is similar to that observed for mammalian and avian FSH receptors. Northern blot analysis of total RNA revealed that the FSH receptor is expressed at high levels in the ovary. In situ hybridization experiments demonstrate that FSH receptor mRNA is specifically localized within the small cells of the follicular epithelium surrounding the oocyte.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Impact of donor-specific antibodies on chronic rejection occurrence and graft loss in renal transplantation: posttransplant analysis using flow cytometric techniques.

BACKGROUND: Improvements in immunosuppressive therapy have greatly reduced acute rejection (ARj) episodes, ensuring better short-term graft outcome, but have not modified long-term survival in renal transplantation. It is now well accepted that chronic rejection (CRj) can be determined by both immune and/or nonimmune mechanisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of the posttransplant humoral immune response towards mismatched HLA graft antigens in CRj occurrence and graft outcome. METHODS: Serum samples from 120 nonpresensitized renal transplant recipients were prospectively screened for 1 year after surgery by means of flow cytometry cross-match (FCXM) and FlowPRA beads (microbeads coated with purified HLA class I and class II antigens) assays. All transplants were followed-up for 2 years or until graft removal. RESULTS: FCXM monitoring identified donor-specific antibodies (DS-Abs) in 29 (24.2%) of 120 transplanted patients. Correlation with clinical data highlighted a higher incidence of ARj in DS-Abs-positive patients compared to negative patients (62% vs. 13%, P<0.00001). Furthermore, graft failure occurred more frequently among FCXM-positive patients than among negative patients (34% vs. 1%, P<0.00001). The deleterious effect of DS-Abs on graft function was confirmed by serum creatinine levels 2 years after transplantation. These were in fact higher in subjects producing DS-Abs than in subjects with only ARj (mean creatinine: 2.5+/-1.3 mg/dL vs.1.7+/-0.5 mg/dL, P=0.04). FlowPRA analysis of DS-Ab HLA specificity highlighted the presence of anti-HLA class I antibodies in 85% of FCXM-positive patients, who also presented with a higher incidence of HLA-B mismatches than FCXM-negative patients (1.23+/-0.66 vs. 0.92+/-0.59, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Flow cytometric techniques are precious tools for investigating the activation of the humoral response against HLA antigens of the graft in renal transplantation. DS-Abs production has a worse impact on organ function and survival than ARj episodes. These findings represent further proof of the threat posed by DS-Abs on long-term graft function and draw attention to the need for a specific immunosuppressive therapy aimed at counteracting the different kinds of immune activation toward graft.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The human tumor suppressor arf interacts with spinophilin/neurabin II, a type 1 protein-phosphatase-binding protein.

The INK4a gene, one of the most often disrupted loci in human cancer, encodes two unrelated proteins, p16(INK4a) and p14(ARF) (ARF) both capable of inducing cell cycle arrest. Although it has been clearly demonstrated that ARF inhibits cell cycle via p53 stabilization, very little is known about the involvement of ARF in other cell cycle regulatory pathways, as well as on the mechanisms responsible for activating ARF following oncoproliferative stimuli. In search of factors that might associate with ARF to control its activity or its specificity, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen. We report here that the human homologue of spinophilin/neurabin II, a regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit specifically interacts with ARF, both in yeast and in mammalian cells. We also show that ectopic expression of spinophilin/neurabin II inhibits the formation of G418-resistant colonies when transfected into human and mouse cell lines, regardless of p53 and ARF status. Moreover, spinophilin/ARF coexpression in Saos-2 cells, where ARF ectopic expression is ineffective, somehow results in a synergic effect. These data demonstrate a role for spinophilin in cell growth and suggest that ARF and spinophilin could act in partially overlapping pathways.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed2000

Posttransplant donor-specific antibody characterization and kidney graft survival.

This study was designed to investigate the clinical relevance of donor-specific antibodies (DS-Abs) and their influence on graft survival. Among 106 patients who underwent cadaveric kidney donor transplantation and were monitored by flow cytometry crossmatch (FCXM) during the 1st posttransplantation year, 25 (23.6%) resulted positive for DS-Ab production. During a 2-year follow up only 12 of the 81 FCXM-negative patients (14.8%) suffered rejection vs 17 of 25 FCXM-positive patients (68%; P = 0.00001). Correlating graft loss to DS-Ab production, 9 FCXM-positive patients lost the graft vs only 1 among the FCXM-negative patients. A worse graft function was evidenced in FCXM-positive subjects who had also suffered rejection episodes than in those which had acute rejection but did not produce DS-Abs. A high incidence of HLA-AB mismatches was found in FCXM-positive subjects which produced anti-class I antibodies. FCXM appears useful in estimating posttransplant alloimmune response. Moreover our findings confirm the harmful effects of anti-class I DS-Abs on long-term graft survival.

Antibody Formation↗
PubMed2000

Seasonal-dependent effect of temperature on the response of adenylate cyclase to FSH stimulation in the oviparous lizard, Podarcis sicula.

The study of environmental factors affecting vertebrate reproduction has long interested both developmental and evolutionary biologists. Although photoperiod has been considered to be an important environmental parameter for vertebrates such as birds, temperature is probably a primary external factor responsible for reproductive cyclicity in reptiles. In spite of the progress made in the understanding of reptilian reproductive strategies and adaptations, much remains to be learned about the interplay between endocrine physiological factors, such as hormones, and environmental parameters. In this report, we have examined the effects of in vivo administered FSH on oocyte recruitment during the most significant periods of the reproductive cycle of the lizard, Podarcis sicula. The results show that when FSH is administered in proximity to the reproductive period, it stimulates oocyte growth and ovulation; when the hormone is administered at the beginning of the winter stasis it affects ovarian activity without inducing ovulation. Ovarian adenylate cyclase activity is moderately sensitive to in vitro FSH stimulation during the pre- and post-reproductive periods. The sensitivity to hormone stimulation increases significantly during the reproductive period and winter stasis. We have also tested the hypothesis that environmental temperature affects the responsiveness of ovarian adenylate cyclase to FSH stimulation. For such a purpose, we exposed animals to 28 degrees C or 4 degrees C in different periods of the ovarian cycle. The results show that, whenever the temperature applied mimics the thermal regime of the coming season, adenylate cyclase sensitivity to FSH shifts towards levels that anticipate the natural responsiveness.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1999

Isolation, characterization and molecular cloning of cathepsin D from lizard ovary: changes in enzyme activity and mRNA expression throughout ovarian cycle.

During vitellogenesis, the oocytes of oviparous species accumulate in the cytoplasm a large amount of proteic nutrients synthetized in the liver. Once incorporated into the oocytes, these nutrients, especially represented by vitellogenin (VTG) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), are cleaved into a characteristic set of polypeptides forming yolk platelets. We have studied the molecular mechanisms involved in yolk formation in a reptilian species Podarcis sicula, a lizard characterized by a seasonal reproductive cycle. Our results demonstrate the existence in the lizard ovary of an aspartic proteinase having a maximal activity at acidic pH and a molecular mass of 40 kDa. The full-length aspartic proteinase cDNA produced from total RNA by RT-PCR is 1,442 base pairs long and encodes a protein of 403 amino acids. A comparison of the proteic sequence with aspartic proteinases from various sources demonstrates that the lizard enzyme is a cathepsin D. Lizard ovarian cathepsin D activity is maximal in June, in coincidence with vitellogenesis and ovulation, and is especially abundant in vitellogenic follicles and in eggs. Ovarian cathepsin D activity can be enhanced during the resting period by treatment with FSH in vivo. Northern blot analysis shows that cathepsin D mRNA is exceedingly abundant during the reproductive period, and accumulates preferentially in previtellogenic oocytes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Responsiveness of adenylate cyclase to pituitary gonadotropins and evidence of a hormone-induced desensitization in the lizard ovary.

Gonadotropins (FSH and LH) affect several mammalian gonadal functions. In particular, FSH stimulates oogonial proliferation and oocyte growth, while LH regulates ovulation and progesterone secretion. In lacertilian reptiles, gonadal function is also regulated by pituitary gonadotropins, but which hormone controls ovarian activities and the mechanisms of action are unknown. The present study aimed to clarify mechanisms of action of pituitary gonadotropins on the ovary of Podarcis sicula (Lacertilia). The data demonstrate that mammalian gonadotropins FSH and LH produce a threefold stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity in follicular membranes, while hCG and TSH are less effective, causing a twofold increase in adenylate cyclase activity. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and catecholamines have no effect on enzyme activity. The action of mammalian FSH and LH on the ovary mimics the effect of homologous hormones: in lizard ovaries incubated in vitro in the presence of isolated homologous pituitary glands, the intracellular cAMP level increased by 50% with respect to control ovaries. Mammalian gonadotropins appear homologous to lizard gonadotropin(s): Southern blot analyses show that the lizard genome contains nucleotide sequences homologous to those encoding for mammalian beta FSH and beta LH. Both homologous and heterologous desensitization of adenylate cyclase activity occurs in the lizard ovary. In fact, responsiveness of adenylate cyclase to gonadotropin stimulation is abolished in animals 2 hr after in vivo treatment with FSH. Sensitivity to gonadotropin stimulation is restored 2 weeks after the beginning of the in vivo treatment. Desensitization was also observed in ovaries incubated in vitro with mammalian FSH or with isolated pituitary glands.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1995

Changes in dopamine uptake and developmental effects of dopamine receptor inactivation in the sea urchin.

[3H]-dopamine ([3H]-DA) uptake was measured in the presence or absence of the catecholamine uptake inhibitor nomifensine in both unfertilized and fertilized eggs. Specific [3H]-DA uptake depended on time and [3H]-DA concentration; it was high in unfertilized eggs, declined 20-30 min after fertilization, and rose again during cleavage. Irreversible inactivation of dopamine receptors by N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ) resulted in a complete loss of sensitivity of egg adenylate cyclase to dopamine stimulation. In fertilized eggs treated with EEDQ for 1 hr, restoration of adenylate cyclase activity sensitive to dopamine stimulation could be observed 4 hr after the end of treatment, thus suggesting the appearance of new dopamine receptors in cleaving eggs. Short-term EEDQ treatment on unfertilized eggs, although not impairing fertilization, resulted in cleavage inhibition; the same treatment carried out soon after fertilization, on the other hand, elicited no effect on development. On the contrary, in embryos subjected to continuous treatment with EEDQ, development was impaired independent of the stage at which the treatment was started.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1995

The effects of follicle-stimulating hormone treatment on early meiotic oocytes of Podarcis sicula (Lacertilia).

The effects of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on early meiotic oocytes were studied by cytological, autoradiographic, and photometric techniques. In addition to regulating oogonial proliferation, oogenesis, and folliculogenesis, the hormone influenced germ cell number and the time course of early meiosis. FSH did not affect the timing of DNA replication and amplification and did not change the amount of rDNA accumulated in the nucleus by amplification. A genetic control mechanism for these processes is suggested.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Bateman's disease.

Bateman's disease is characterized by the presence of purpuric eruptions involving the extremities. Semi-thin sections and morphological pictures evidence the damage this illness can cause to the elastic fibres. After passing in review the various pathogenetic theories, the Authors consider this disease an expression of discrasic alterations of an amyloidosic character of all the vessel structures, of severe senile elastosis and of the lack of fibrin-like material.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Adenylate cyclase from sea urchin eggs is positively and negatively regulated by D-1 and D-2 dopamine receptors.

The adenylate cyclase present in membranes prepared from sea urchin eggs is sensitive to dopamine stimulation. The receptor sites coupled to sea urchin adenylate cyclase were characterized by means of specific agonists and antagonists. The D-1 dopamine agonist SKF-38393 was able to stimulate enzyme activity, while the two D-1 dopamine antagonists, SCH-23390 and SKF-83566, suppressed the stimulatory effect of dopamine. In addition, the D-2 dopamine agonists, PPHT and metergoline, brought about a dose-dependent inhibition of dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. These data show that: (i) in sea urchin eggs adenylate cyclase is regulated by dopamine receptors; (ii) these receptors share characteristics with D-1 and D-2 dopamine receptors present in the mammalian brain.

2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-ben↗
PubMed1992

Histochemistry of the triceps surae muscle in idiopathic congenital clubfoot.

The histochemical composition of the triceps surae muscle was investigated in 13 previously unoperated children (age 9-24 months) with unilateral idiopathic clubfoot. On both the normal and the affected side, the percentage of type I fibers was significantly higher than that of the other fiber types. The muscle biopsies from the clubfoot side showed an increase in their connective tissue content. The affected side showed a nonsignificant higher percentage of type I fibers, whereas the average capillary density and capillary to fiber ratio were significantly lower.

Clubfoot↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia in the hand of a fencer.

A case of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia in the hypothenar eminence of a 23-year-old female fencer is described. Differential diagnosis with other similar benign and malignant lesions was made using histopathology and immunohistochemistry. The possible post-traumatic proliferative histogenesis is discussed. The non-malignant nature of the mass was confirmed after a three year follow-up.

Adult↗