Mattia Toni

Followers

Following

Co-author

Public Views

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Mattia Toni

Brain Proteome and Behavioural Analysis in Wild Type, BDNF+/− and BDNF−/− Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Exposed to Two Different Temperatures

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, May 17, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more

Download

Loss of circadian rhythmicity in bdnf knockout zebrafish larvae

iScience, 2022

Highlights Generation of a viable bdnf KO line in zebrafish Bdnf deficiency affects locomotor act... more

Download

Distribution of Tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the CNS of the common carp Cyprinus carpio

Italian journal of anatomy and embryology, 2016

Catecholamines, including dopamine, are the principal neurotransmitters mediating a variety of fu... more Catecholamines, including dopamine, are the principal neurotransmitters mediating a variety of functions in the CNS, such as motor control, cognition, emotion, memory processing, and endocrine modulation. Dysfunctional catecholamine neurotransmission is also implicated in neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders. Human brain diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease (1), have been recently approached by using fish models, especially cyprinid teleosts, given basic similarities of the fish brain to that of mammals. The distribution of the catecholaminergic system has been studied in the forebrain of several teleosts, but relevant information are not available for the common carp, Cyprinus carpio, which is a model species in several studies. In this study, we have analyzed the distribution of catecholaminergic neurons in the carp brain by immunohistochemistry using a specific antibody to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) on transverse serial frozen sections of the whole brain. In the carp brain, ...

Download

Synuclein expression in the lizard Anolis carolinensis

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology, 2016

The synuclein (syn) family comprises three proteins: α-, β- and γ-syns. In humans, they are invol... more The synuclein (syn) family comprises three proteins: α-, β- and γ-syns. In humans, they are involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and in tumors. Members of the syn family were sequenced in representative species of all vertebrates and the comparative analysis of amino acid sequences suggests that syns are evolutionarily conserved, but information about their expression in vertebrate lineages is still scarce and completely lacking in reptiles. In this study, the expression of genes coding for α-, β- and γ-syns was analyzed in the green lizard Anolis carolinensis by semiquantitative RT-PCR and Western blot. Results demonstrate good expression levels of the three syns in the lizard nervous system, similarly to human syns. This, together with the high identity between lizard and human syns, suggests that these proteins fulfill evolutionarily conserved functions. However, differences between lizard and humans in the expression of syn variants (two differe...

Download

Alpha-synuclein in the central nervous system of the carp (Cyprinus Carpio). Immunohistochemical study

Italian journal of anatomy and embryology, 2012

Alpha Synuclein (α-Syn) is a 140 amino acid protein, highly expressed in the central nervous syst... more Alpha Synuclein (α-Syn) is a 140 amino acid protein, highly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) of different vertebrates and abnormally accumulated in Parkinson's disease and other degenerative disorders, known as synucleinopathies. Although most physiological functions of α-Syn remain elusive, this protein possesses chaperone properties and it is involved in vesicular storage and docking, neurotransmitters release and synaptic plasticity. Although non mammalian synucleins have been relatively well-characterized, present knowledge about their cellular localization is still scarce. Ciprinids have been used as piscine models for Parkinson's disease [1] and an α-Syn gene has been recently sequenced in Cyprinus carpio [2]. Through our previous study on α-Syn expression in non mammalian vertebrates [3], we have described the distribution of α-Syn immunoreactivity in the carp brain and spinal cord, by using a novel monoclonal antibody (3D5) against α-Syn [4]. 3D5 distribution was also compared with monoaminergic, cholinergic and serotoninergic pathways. Present results show that α-Syn immunoreactivity is mainly distributed in motor and reticular pathways, throughout the brainstem and the spinal cord. Moreover, α-Syn is also localized into small beaded fibers innervating the main forebrain regions including basal telencephalon, preoptic region and hypothalamus. In motor and reticular nuclei α-Syn is clearly co-distributed with ChAT. Therefore, the putative α-Syn positive neurons may represent a subpopulation of cholinergic neurons. The colocalization between α-Syn and ChAT in the same neurons needs to be verified by confocal microscopy. The knowledge of α-Syn cellular distribution in teleosts adds new prospectives to physiological roles of synucleins during evolution and neurological disorders. references

Download

Selective inhibition of prostacyclin synthase activity by rofecoxib

Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 2007

The second isoform of cyclooxygenase enzyme discovered (COX-2) is very similar to COX-1 as far as... more The second isoform of cyclooxygenase enzyme discovered (COX-2) is very similar to COX-1 as far as active site structure, catalytic mechanism, products and kinetics are concerned. Yet, two structural differences between the two isoenzymes have important pharmacological and biological consequences. The first difference is that COX-2 active site is larger and more accommodating than that of COX-1 and includes a side pocket not present in COX-1, providing the basis for the development of selective COX-2 inhibitors. Second, only COX-1 (but not COX-2) is negatively regulated in an allosteric manner by

Download

Expression of beta-keratin mRNAs and proline uptake in epidermal cells of growing scales and pad lamellae of gecko lizards

Journal of Anatomy, 2007

Beta-keratins form a large part of the proteins contained in the hard beta layer of reptilian sca... more Beta-keratins form a large part of the proteins contained in the hard beta layer of reptilian scales. The expression of genes encoding glycine-proline-rich beta-keratins in normal and regenerating epidermis of two species of gecko lizards has been studied by in situ hybridization. The probes localize mRNAs in differentiating oberhautchen and beta cells of growing scales and in modified scales, termed pad lamellae, on the digits of gecko lizards. In situ localization at the ultrastructural level shows clusters of gold particles in the cytoplasm among beta-keratin filaments of oberhautchen and beta cells. They are also present in the differentiating elongation or setae of oberhautchen cells present in pad lamellae. Setae allow geckos to adhere and climb vertical surfaces. Oberhautchen and beta cells also incorporate tritiated proline. The fine localization of the beta-keratin mRNAs and the uptake of proline confirms the biomolecular data that identified glycine-proline-rich beta-keratin in differentiating beta cells of gecko epidermis. The present study also shows the presence of differentiating and metabolically active cells in both inner and outer oberhautchen/beta cells at the base of the outer setae localized at the tip of pad lamellae. The addition of new beta and alpha cells to the corneous layer near the tip of the outer setae explains the anterior movement of the setae along the apical free-margin of pad lamellae. The rapid replacement of setae ensures the continuous usage of the gecko's adhesive devices, the pad lamellae, during most of their active life.

Download

Beta-keratins of turtle shell are glycine-proline-tyrosine rich proteins similar to those of crocodilians and birds

Journal of Anatomy, 2009

This study presents, for the first time, sequences of five beta-keratin cDNAs from turtle epiderm... more This study presents, for the first time, sequences of five beta-keratin cDNAs from turtle epidermis obtained by means of 5 ′-and 3 ′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) analyses. The deduced amino acid sequences correspond to distinct glycine-proline-serine-tyrosine rich proteins containing 122-174 amino acids. In situ hybridization shows that beta-keratin mRNAs are expressed in cells of the differentiating beta-layers of the shell scutes. Southern blotting analysis reveals that turtle beta-keratins belong to a well-conserved multigene family. This result was confirmed by the amplification and sequencing of 13 genomic fragments corresponding to beta-keratin genes. Like snake, crocodile and avian beta-keratin genes, turtle beta-keratins contain an intron that interrupts the 5 ′-untranslated region. The length of the intron is variable, ranging from 0.35 to 1.00 kb. One of the sequences obtained from genomic amplifications corresponds to one of the five sequences obtained from cDNA cloning; thus, sequences of a total of 17 turtle beta-keratins were determined in the present study. The predicted molecular weight of the 17 different deduced proteins range from 11.9 to 17.0 kDa with a predicted isoelectric point of 6.8-8.4; therefore, they are neutral to basic proteins. A central region rich in proline and with beta-strand conformation shows high conservation with other reptilian and avian beta-keratins, and it is likely involved in their polymerization. Glycine repeat regions, often containing tyrosine, are localized toward the C-terminus. Phylogenetic analysis shows that turtle beta-keratins are more similar to crocodilian and avian beta-keratins than to those of lizards and snakes.

Download

Effects of Temperature on the Antipredator Behaviour and on the Cholinergic Expression in the European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labraxL.) Juveniles

Ethology, 2013

In this paper, an experimental approach was used to test for the parallel effects of temperature ... more In this paper, an experimental approach was used to test for the parallel effects of temperature (T) increase on the antipredator behaviour and the cholinergic expression in the juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.). The effects of three T treatments (18, 22 and 26°C) were tested on the main behavioural components of the antipredator response towards live aquatic predators and aerial simulated attacks, whereas brain cholinergic expression was evaluated by choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoblotting (Western blot) at the extreme values of the thermal range (18 and 26°C). Antipredator responses towards a live fish were analysed over pre-exposure and exposure phases within a short temporal scale (20 s before and after the stimulus). The results suggest that T modulates several quantitative components of the antipredator behaviour. The mean shoaling index (shoal cohesiveness) was higher at 22°C than at 18 and 26°C during both the pre-stimulus and the exposure phase. Conversely, the mean distances from the predator and the tank bottom were, respectively, lower and higher at 26°C than in the other two treatments. In regard to the antipredator response on the aerial stimulus, comparisons across treatments revealed statistically significant differences between fish performing freezing or latency to recovery, suggesting that the fright reaction has a higher persistence at the coldest T (18°C) than at 22 and 26°C. Western blot analysis revealed a reduction in brain ChAT expression in fish acclimated to 26°C compared to those at 18°C. Results were discussed in the light of the relationships between behavioural traits, metabolism and their consequences on the population level, as a response to climate change in coastal habitats. Effects of Temperature on Antipredator Behaviour in Juvenile Sea Bass S. Malavasi et al.

Download

Knock down of cytosolic phospholipase A2: an antisense oligonucleotide having a nuclear localization binds a C-terminal motif of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids, 2004

We have previously shown that an antisense, effective in the knock down of cytosolic phospholipas... more We have previously shown that an antisense, effective in the knock down of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), localizes mainly in the nucleus of human endothelial cells and monocytes and that glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is involved in its nuclear localization. In this study, we clarify how GAPDH participates in the nuclear localization of this antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) directed against cPLA2 mRNA. A central TAAAT motif providing specificity and high affinity binding was assumed to interact with the enzyme Rossmann fold region on the basis of competition to this site by NAD +. To asses whether the TAAAT motif interacts directly with the enzyme Rossmann fold region, we evaluated the binding to GAPDH of different oligonucleotides and the effect of competitors such as NAD + , NADH, mononucleotides, DNA, polyribonucleic acids and polyanions. We found that the dissociation constant for TAAAT containing oligonucleotides was three-to fivefold higher with respect to oligo not containing this motif. By covalently linking 32 P-labeled cPLA2p(N) 16 to GAPDH and after executing hydrolysis with hydroxylamine, the labeling was exclusively found in the C-terminal domain (aa 286-334). These results indicate that the antisense oligonucleotide interacts with a site not having a defined function but which can be negatively allosterically regulated when NAD + or polynucleotides are bound to Rossmann fold.

Download

Differentiation of the epidermis in turtle: an immunocytochemical, autoradiographic and electrophoretic analysis

Acta Histochemica, 2004

Proteins involved in the process of cornification of turtle epidermis are not well known. The pre... more Proteins involved in the process of cornification of turtle epidermis are not well known. The present immunocytochemical, electrophoretic and autoradiographic study reports on the localization patterns and molecular weights of keratins, which are cornification proteins, and of tritiated histidine in turtle epidermis. Alpha-keratins with a molecular weight of 40-62 kDa are present in the epidermis. Beta-keratin is mainly detectable in the stratum corneum of the carapace and plastron, but is rarely present or even absent in the corneous layer of limb, tail and neck epidermis. After electrophoresis and immunoblotting with an antibody against chicken scale betakeratin, bands at 15-17, 22-24, and 36-38 kDa appeared. This antibody recognized weaker bands at 38-40 and 58-60 kDa in the soft epidermis. After reduction and carboxymethylation of proteins extracted from carapace and plastron, but not of proteins from the soft epidermis, protein bands at 15-17 and 35-37 kDa were found when using the anti-beta 1-keratin antibody. Loricrin-, filaggrin-, sciellin-, and transglutaminase-like immunostaining was detectable only in the transitional and lowermost corneous layers of the soft epidermis. Vesicular bodies in the transitional layer were immunolabeled by the anti-loricrin antibody, and weakly by the antifilaggrin and anti-transglutaminase antibodies. In immunoblots, the anti-loricrin antibody reacted with a major band at 50-54 kDa in both carapace-plastron and soft epidermis. The anti-sciellin antibody detected major bands at 38-40 and 50 kDa in hard epidermis, and at 50 and 54-56 kDa in soft epidermis. Filaggrin-like immunostained bands were observed at 50-55 and 62-64 kDa. This immunostaining was probably due to a common epitope in filaggrin and some keratins. Histidine was evenly incorporated in the epidermis, and the ultrastructural study showed random labeling, often associated with keratin bundles of alpha and beta-keratinocytes. Histidinelabeled protein bands were not found in the carapace-plastron. In the soft epidermis,

Download

Cellular Prion Protein and Caveolin-1 Interaction in a Neuronal Cell Line Precedes Fyn/Erk 1/2 Signal Transduction

Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, 2006

It has been reported that cellular prion protein (PrPc) is enriched in caveolae or caveolae-like ... more It has been reported that cellular prion protein (PrPc) is enriched in caveolae or caveolae-like domains with caveolin-1 (Cav-1) participating to signal transduction events by Fyn kinase recruitment. By using the Glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-fusion proteins assay, we observed that PrPc strongly interacts in vitro with Cav-1. Thus, we ascertained the PrPc caveolar localization in a hypothalamic neuronal cell line (GN11), by confocal microscopy analysis, flotation on density gradient, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Following the anti-PrPc antibody-mediated stimulation of live GN11 cells, we observed that PrPc clustered on plasma membrane domains rich in Cav-1 in which Fyn kinase converged to be activated. After these events, a signaling cascade through p42/44 MAP kinase (Erk 1/2) was triggered, suggesting that following translocations from rafts to caveolae or caveolae-like domains PrPc could interact with Cav-1 and induce signal transduction events.

Download

Article Nitric Oxide Synthase in the Central Nervous System and Peripheral Organs of Stramonita haemastoma: Protein Distribution and Gene Expression in Response to Thermal Stress

marine drugs

Synuclein expression in the african clawed frog Xenopus laevis

Italian journal of anatomy and embryology, 2016

The synuclein (syn) family comprises three proteins (α-, β- and γ- syns) encoded by different gen... more The synuclein (syn) family comprises three proteins (α-, β- and γ- syns) encoded by different genes (snca, sncb and sncg). In mammals, α- and β- syn are primarily expressed in the brain where they are localized in pre-synaptic terminals while γ-syn is mainly expressed in the peripheral nervous system. In humans, synucleins are involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and in tumors. However, the normal cellular functions of the three syns have not yet been fully clarified. Members of the syn family were sequenced in representative species of all vertebrates and the comparative analysis of amino acid sequences suggests that syns are evolutionarily conserved, but information about their expression in vertebrate lineages is still scarce. Our research focused on the evolution of syns with the aim of analyzing their molecular and cellular expression in the CNS of representative vertebrates such as the carp Cyprinus carpio for teleost fish (1,2) and the green liza...

Distribution of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactivity in the CNS of the common carp Cyprinus carpio

Italian journal of anatomy and embryology, 2015

Cholinergic systems play a role in basic cerebral functions and a number of human neurodegenerati... more Cholinergic systems play a role in basic cerebral functions and a number of human neurodegenerative disorders. Mechanisms involved in human brain diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (1), are often approached by using fish models, especially cyprinids, given basic similarities of the fish brain to that of mammals. In the present paper, the organization of central cholinergic systems have been described in the cyprinid Cyprinus carpio , the common carp, by using specific polyclonal antibodies against ChAT, the synthetic enzyme of acetylcholine, that is currently used as a specific marker for cholinergic neurons in all vertebrates. In this work, serial transverse and sagittal sections of the brain and the spinal cord were immunostained for ChAT. Results showed that positive neurons are present in several nuclei. In particular, ChAT-immunoreactive (ir) neurons were found in the forebrain (preoptic region, habenula), the midbrain (optic tectum, oculomotor nucleus, rostral tegmental n...

Expression of beta-keratin and its mRNA in differentiating lizard epidermis

Effects of low-dose methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl-derived manganese on the development of diencephalic dopaminergic neurons in zebrafish

Fuel additive methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) is counted as an organic mangane... more Fuel additive methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) is counted as an organic manganese (Mn)-derived compound. The toxic effects of Mn (alone and complexed) on dopaminergic (DA) neurotransmission have been investigated in both cellular and animal models. However, the impact of environmentally relevant Mn exposure on DA neurodevelopment is rather poorly understood. In the present study, the MMT dose of 100 μM (about 5 mg Mn/L) caused up-regulation of DA-related genes in association with cell body swelling and increase in the number of DA neurons of the ventral diencephalon subpopulation DC2. Furthermore, our analysis identified significant brain Mn bioaccumulation and enhancement of total dopamine levels in association with locomotor hyperactivity. Although DA levels were restored at adulthood, we observed a deficit in the acquisition and consolidation of memory. Collectively, these findings suggest that developmental exposure to low-level MMT-derived Mn is responsible fo...

Effetto della temperatura sulle risposte comportamentali e fisiologiche di sub-adulti di Dicentrarchus labrax

Behavioural and physiological effects of temperature increase on European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) and gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.)

Distribution of choline acetyltransferase ( ChAT ) immuno-reactivity in the brain of the teleost Cyprinus

Cholinergic systems play a role in basic cerebral functions and its dysfunction is associated wit... more Cholinergic systems play a role in basic cerebral functions and its dysfunction is associated with deficit in neurodegenerative disease. Mechanisms involved in human brain diseases are often approached by using fish models, especially cyprinids, given basic similarities of the fish brain to that of mammals. In the present paper, the organization of central cholinergic systems have been described in the cyprinid Cyprinus carpio, the common carp, by using specific polyclonal antibodies against ChAT, the synthetic enzyme of acetylcholine, that is currently used as a specific marker for cholinergic neurons in all vertebrates. In this work, serial transverse sections of the brain and the spinal cord were immunostained for ChAT. Results showed that positive neurons are present in several nuclei of the forebrain, the midbrain, the hindbrain and the spinal cord. Moreover, ChAT-positive neurons were detected in the synencephalon and in the cerebellum. In addition to neuronal bodies, afferent...

Download

Brain Proteome and Behavioural Analysis in Wild Type, BDNF+/− and BDNF−/− Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Exposed to Two Different Temperatures

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, May 17, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more

Download

Loss of circadian rhythmicity in bdnf knockout zebrafish larvae

iScience, 2022

Highlights Generation of a viable bdnf KO line in zebrafish Bdnf deficiency affects locomotor act... more

Download

Distribution of Tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the CNS of the common carp Cyprinus carpio

Italian journal of anatomy and embryology, 2016

Download