Publications by authors named "Maria Modica"

Motivation: Accurate sequence length profiling is essential in bioinformatics, particularly in genomics and proteomics. Existing tools like SeqKit and the Trinity toolkit provide basic sequence statistics but often fall short in offering comprehensive analytics and plotting options. For instance, SeqKit is a very complete and fast tool for sequence analysis, delivering useful metrics (e.

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  • The study explores the relationship between corallivorous marine snails (Coralliophilinae) and the cnidarian corals they feed on, highlighting gaps in knowledge regarding their phylogenetic links and feeding specificity.
  • A comprehensive molecular dataset from 586 specimens was created, revealing numerous cryptic species and showing that currently accepted genera are often not monophyletic.
  • Findings indicate the subfamily originated in shallow waters during the Middle Eocene, with evolutionary patterns influenced more by host associations rather than depth changes.
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  • - Research on animal venoms involves various fields like biology, pharmacology, and bioinformatics, yet accessing the necessary tools and data can be difficult for nonexperts due to their scattered availability online.
  • - The article identifies and discusses key web resources and databases for venom research, compiling them into a comprehensive table found on the VenomZone website to aid scientists in their work.
  • - It also addresses the current challenges in the field, advocating for better standards, data sharing, and community collaboration to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of venom research.
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  • Venomous marine gastropods in the Conoidea superfamily, particularly Raphitomidae, have a variety of toxins, but their venom is not well-studied.
  • This research produced transcriptomes from different body parts of a northeastern Atlantic species and identified a new vermivorous diet through gut barcoding.
  • The study uncovered over a hundred potential venom components, including 69 neurotoxins and 20 new toxin families, highlighting the significance of salivary gland secretions in the evolution of conoidean venom.
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  • - Venomous organisms have evolved toxins independently over 101 times, resulting in over 200,000 species that produce millions of toxins, making them significant for bioprospecting and genetic study.
  • - RNA-seq is commonly used to analyze toxin repertoires, but current methods face challenges due to their reliance on similarity-based mapping, which doesn’t effectively utilize structural features of toxins.
  • - DeTox is a new user-friendly tool that integrates structural and similarity-based approaches for toxin research, improving toxin identification in diverse organisms and easing the analysis process for those with less experience.
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  • - Neogastropoda is a diverse order of over 15,000 marine species that are significant for both ecological functions and the economies of coastal regions, but their evolutionary relationships are complex and poorly understood due to a dense "bush" in their evolutionary tree.
  • - The study utilized various phylogenetic methods and a comprehensive dataset of 1,817 genetic loci from 112 taxa to analyze relationships within Neogastropoda, confirming the monophyly of several superfamilies while revealing that some currently recognized groups are paraphyletic.
  • - Three major uncertainties were identified in the phylogenetic relationships, particularly concerning the placement of the Cancellariidae family, which could hint at deeper evolutionary interventions,
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  • The text discusses research on neogastropods, a group of marine predators, and their unique toxins, which have been linked to their evolutionary success but are under-researched.
  • Two high-quality genomes for species Monoplex corrugatus and Stramonita haemastoma were created, revealing evidence of a whole genome duplication event and the presence of venom-related genes.
  • The study emphasizes the significance of these genomes for understanding evolutionary processes, taxonomic diversity, and the relationship between venom production and species diversification.
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In this work, we extend the concept of 5-fluorouracil/heme oxygenase 1 (5-FU/HO-1) inhibitor hybrid as an effective strategy for enhancing 5-FU-based anticancer therapies. For this purpose, we designed and synthesized new mutual prodrugs, named SI 1/20 and SI 1/22, in which the two active parent drugs (i. e.

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  • Pore-forming toxins, particularly actinoporins, are found in animal venoms, with a notable discovery of 27 unique actinoporin-like genes (termed mytiporins) in the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.
  • Mytiporin-1, one of the characterized mytiporins, shows different properties from the typical actinoporin fragaceatoxin C, including weaker pore-forming ability and forming hexameric pores instead of octameric ones.
  • The existence and variability of mytiporins suggest they may play a significant role in the mussel's physiology and could impact their digestive processes or immune responses, indicating a strong evolutionary pressure for their
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The overexpression of σ receptors (σRs) in various types of tumors has prompted a deep investigation of their role in cancer pathophysiology. Consequently, σR ligands have been widely studied in vitro and in vivo for their antiproliferative effects as a novel potential class of chemotherapeutic agents, both alone and in combination with other anticancer drugs. A growing body of evidence highlights that σR ligands can inhibit cancer cells' survival, migration, and proliferation, thanks to the modulation of a wide panel of tumorigenic pathways.

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  • * The study focuses on SI 1/28, a new S1R antagonist that is significantly more selective for S1R than for the sigma-2 receptor and assesses its pain-relieving properties and potential side effects.
  • * Results indicated that SI 1/28 effectively reduced pain in various tests without causing sedation, impaired movement, or respiratory issues, supporting its potential as a safe treatment for chronic pain.
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The development of potent antitumor agents with a low toxicological profile against healthy cells is still one of the greatest challenges facing medicinal chemistry. In this context, the "mutual prodrug" approach has emerged as a potential tool to overcome undesirable physicochemical features and mitigate the side effects of approved drugs. Among broad-spectrum chemotherapeutics available for clinical use today, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most representative, also included in the World Health Organization model list of essential medicines.

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Since their discovery as distinct receptor proteins, the specific physiopathological role of sigma receptors (σRs) has been deeply investigated. It has been reported that these proteins, classified into two subtypes indicated as σ and σ, might play a pivotal role in cancer growth, cell proliferation, and tumor aggressiveness. As a result, the development of selective σR ligands with potential antitumor properties attracted significant attention as an emerging theme in cancer research.

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σ-1 receptors (σR) modulate nociceptive signaling, driving the search for selective antagonists to take advantage of this promising target to treat pain. In this study, a new series of benzylpiperazinyl derivatives has been designed, synthesized, and characterized for their affinities toward σR and selectivity over the σ-2 receptor (σR). Notably, 3-cyclohexyl-1-{4-[(4-methoxyphenyl)methyl]piperazin-1-yl}propan-1-one () showed the highest σR receptor affinity ( σ = 1.

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  • - Venom research combines various disciplines, including biology, informatics, pharmacology, and medicine, but often suffers from disconnected teams and technological challenges.
  • - This disconnection hinders comprehensive exploration and practical uses of venom studies.
  • - The COST Action CA19144-European Venom Network aims to enhance collaboration among different stakeholders to advance venom research across Europe.
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Resveratrol (RSV) is well known for its many beneficial activities, but its unfavorable physicochemical properties impair its effectiveness after systemic and topical administration; thus, several strategies have been investigated to improve RSV efficacy. With this aim, in this work, we synthesized a novel RSV triester with trolox, an analogue of vitamin E with strong antioxidant activity. The new RSV derivative (RSVTR) was assayed in vitro to evaluate its antioxidant and anti-glycation activity compared to RSV.

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  • The typical feature of gastropod molluscs is a coiled shell, but over 54 families, including the Capulidae, have evolved simpler limpet-like shells independently, adapting to various aquatic habitats and lifestyles.
  • A phylogenetic analysis of 16 capulid species revealed at least three separate instances of limpet-like shell evolution, indicating a recurring "limpetization" process within this family.
  • The study suggests that capulids likely evolved from coiled suspension feeders and that their shift to kleptoparasitism contributed to the development of their shell morphology based on ecological factors and interactions with host substrates.
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The synthesis of seventeen new 1,3-diaryl-5-oxo-proline derivatives as endothelin receptor (ETR) ligands is described. The structural configuration of the new molecules was determined by analyzing selected signals in proton NMR spectra. In vitro binding assays of the human ET and ET receptors allowed us to identify compound as a selective ETR ligand.

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  • The text discusses a unique cone snail genus that is crucial for studying venom evolution and diversity due to its distinct genetic relationship within the Conidae family.
  • Researchers analyzed venom components from two species, identifying 137 components in one and 82 in the other, with only four overlapping between them.
  • The findings highlight a low diversity of conotoxins and specific types of insulin, suggesting these snails have a limited diet consisting mainly of worms or mollusks, making their venom different from other cone snails in the family.
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The present paper describes the synthesis and the binding properties for the serotonergic 5-HT and 5-HT receptors of three new series (A-C) of (benzo)thienopyrimidinone derivatives. All series exhibit a basic moiety at the 2-position of the heterocyclic scaffold such as N,N-dialkylaminoalkylthio chain in series A and phenylpiperazine, benzylpiperazine, or benzylpiperidine alkyl chain in series B and C. Compounds endowed with the best binding properties at 5-HTR belong to the B and C types.

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  • The study investigates how diversification occurs in predatory sea snails from the Terebridae family, focusing on factors like shell size and larval ecology.
  • A new molecular phylogeny indicates that the Terebridae family has seen an increase in diversification rates since around 25 million years ago, with shell size and depth range playing significant roles in this process.
  • Interestingly, the presence of venom glands did not significantly impact species diversification, suggesting that environmental factors were more influential in the evolutionary history of these marine invertebrates.
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In recent years, a great deal of attention has been paid to natural compounds due to their many biological effects. Polyphenols are a class of plant derivatives that have been widely investigated for preventing and treating many oxidative stress-related pathological conditions, such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus and inflammation. Among these polyphenols, resveratrol (RSV) has attracted considerable interest owing to its high antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities.

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A new set of 5-chlorobenzoxazole- and 5-chlorobenzothiazole-based derivatives containing the azepane ring as a basic moiety was designed, synthesized and evaluated through binding assays to measure their affinity and selectivity towards σ and σ receptors. Compounds 19, 22 and 24, with a four units spacer between the bicyclic scaffold and the azepane ring, showed nanomolar affinity towards both receptor subtype and the best K values (K σ = 1.27, 2.

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  • The ShK superfamily consists of proteins featuring a conserved ShKT domain, initially found in small venom peptides from sea anemones, which inhibit specific potassium channels.
  • This superfamily includes small toxic peptides as well as larger multifunctional proteins that have various roles, including neurotoxicity and immunosuppression, making them potential treatments for autoimmune diseases.
  • Research on ShKT proteins from the Mediterranean vampire snail shows that these proteins are specifically expressed in salivary glands, suggesting their importance in venom, and they exhibit high variability due to frequent gene duplications.
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