Screening and In Silico Analyses of the Yeast Σ1278b Bank Mutants Using Citral as a Natural Antimicrobial.

The antimicrobial function of citral, one of the main compounds of the essential oils (EO) of the genus, and widely used by the food industry toward spoilage yeast, was previously proven. In this study, the possible mode of action of citral against yeast cells was evaluated by using a global deletome approach. Firstly, the suitability of Σ1278b to serve as model yeast was assessed by determining its sensitivity to citral (MIC = 0.

Antimicrobial Activity and Chemical Characterization of a Non-Polar Extract of Saffron Stamens in Food Matrix.

The production of saffron spice generates large quantities of plant by-products: over 90% of the plant material collected is discarded, and a consideration fraction of this waste is plant stamens. This work investigated the chemical composition and the antimicrobial activities of the non-polar fraction extracted from four different saffron flower stamens. The chemical composition of ethereal extracts of the saffron stamens was qualitatively assessed by means of gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses.

Bacterial Biodiversity of Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Their Potential Biotechnological Exploitation.

Bacterial diversity of 15 extra virgin olive oils, obtained from different Italian varieties, including Frantoio, Coratina, Bosana, and Semidana, was analyzed in this study. All bacterial isolates were genotyped using RAPD and REP-PCR method and grouped by means of cluster analyses. Sequencing of 16S rDNA of 51 isolates, representative of 36 clusters, led to the identification of spp.

Microbial biodiversity of Sardinian oleic ecosystems.

The olives are rich in microorganisms that, during the extraction process may persist in the oils and can influence their physicochemical and sensory characteristics. In this work, and for the first time, we isolated and identified microbial species, yeast and bacteria, present during the production process in four Sardinian (Italy) oleic ecosystems. Among these varieties, we found that Nera di Gonnos was associated to the highest microbial biodiversity, which was followed by Bosana, Nocellara del Belice and Semidana.

C(5) modified uracil derivatives showing antiproliferative and erythroid differentiation inducing activities on human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells.

The K562 cell line has been proposed as a useful experimental system to identify anti-tumor compounds acting by inducing terminal erythroid differentiation. K562 cells exhibit a low proportion of hemoglobin-synthesizing cells under standard cell growth conditions, but are able to undergo terminal erythroid differentiation when treated with a variety of anti-tumor compounds. In this paper we report a screening study on a set of different modified C(5) uracil derivatives for the evaluation of their antiproliferative effect in connection with erythroid differentiation pathways, and for defining a new class of drug candidates for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Two abnormal fetal hemoglobins found in the Sardinian population: the new Hb F-Osilo [(A)gamma119(GH2)Gly-->Ser, GGC > AGC] and Hb F-Paulinia [(G)gamma80(EF4)Asp-->Tyr, GAT > TAT] already described in the Brazilian population.

Two healthy newborns, heterozygous for two different gamma-globin chain mutations, were observed during an electrophoretic screening for hemoglobinopathies in Sassari, North Sardinia (Italy). The variants were characterized by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and sequencing of amplified gamma-globin genes. One of the two abnormalities was a novel (A)gammachain variant and the tetramer was named Hb F-Osilo [(A)gamma119(GH2)Gly-->Ser].

The sequence and phylogenesis of the ?-globin genes of Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia), goat (Capra hircus), European mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) and Cyprus mouflon (Ovis aries ophion).

In order to investigate the polymorphism of ?-globin chain of hemoglobin amongst caprines, the linked (I)? and (II)? globin genes of Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia), goat (Capra hircus), European mouflon (Ovis aries musimon), and Cyprus mouflon (Ovis aries ophion) were completely sequenced, including the 5? and 3? untranslated regions. European and Cyprus mouflons, which do not show polymorphic ? globin chains, had almost identical ? globin genes, whereas Barbary sheep exhibit two different chains encoded by two nonallelic genes. Four different ? genes were observed and sequenced in goat, validating previous observations of the existence of allelic and nonallelic polymorphism.

Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia): the structure of the adult beta-globin gene and the functional properties of its hemoglobin.

The adult beta-globin gene of Ammotragus lervia (Barbary sheep or aoudad) has been sequenced completely, including 185 base pairs of 5' flanking region and 168 base pairs 3' to the stop codon, and compared with that of other caprines such as goat (Capra hircus), wild Corsico-Sardinian (Ovis aries musimon) and Cypriot (O. a. ophion) mouflons, and domestic sheep (Ovis aries).