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  1. Article ; Online: Small Angle X-ray Scattering Sensing Membrane Composition

    Rita Carrotta / Maria Rosalia Mangione / Fabio Librizzi / Oscar Moran

    Biology, Vol 11, Iss 26, p

    The Role of Sphingolipids in Membrane-Amyloid β-Peptide Interaction

    2022  Volume 26

    Abstract: The early impairments appearing in Alzheimer’s disease are related to neuronal membrane damage. Both aberrant Aβ species and specific membrane components play a role in promoting aggregation, deposition, and signaling dysfunction. Ganglioside GM1, ... ...

    Abstract The early impairments appearing in Alzheimer’s disease are related to neuronal membrane damage. Both aberrant Aβ species and specific membrane components play a role in promoting aggregation, deposition, and signaling dysfunction. Ganglioside GM1, present with cholesterol and sphingomyelin in lipid rafts, preferentially interacts with the Aβ peptide. GM1 at physiological conditions clusters in the membrane, the assembly also involves phospholipids, sphingomyelin, and cholesterol. The structure of large unilamellar vesicles (LUV), made of a basic POPC:POPS matrix in a proportion of 9:1, and containing different amounts of GM1 (1%, 3%, and 4% mol/mol) in the presence of 5% mol/mol sphingomyelin and 15% mol/mol cholesterol, was studied using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The effect of the membrane composition on the LUVs–Aβ-peptide interaction, both for Aβ 1–40 and Aβ 1–42 variants, was, thus, monitored. The presence of GM1 leads to a significant shift of the main peak, towards lower scattering angles, up to 6% of the initial value with SM and 8% without, accompanied by an opposite shift of the first minimum, up to 21% and 24% of the initial value, respectively. The analysis of the SAXS spectra, using a multi-Gaussian model for the electronic density profile, indicated differences in the bilayer of the various compositions. An increase in the membrane thickness, by 16% and 12% when 2% and 3% mol/mol GM1 was present, without and with SM, respectively, was obtained. Furthermore, in these cases, in the presence of Aβ 40 , a very small decrease of the bilayer thickness, less than 4% and 1%, respectively, was derived, suggesting the inhibiting effect that the presence of sphingomyelin has on the GM1–Aβ interaction.
    Keywords Aβ ; GM1 ; sphingomyelin ; SAXS ; large unilamellar vesicles ; rafts ; Biology (General) ; QH301-705.5
    Subject code 290
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  2. Article ; Online: The Possible Role of the Type I Chaperonins in Human Insulin Self-Association

    Federica Pizzo / Maria Rosalia Mangione / Fabio Librizzi / Mauro Manno / Vincenzo Martorana / Rosina Noto / Silvia Vilasi

    Life, Vol 12, Iss 448, p

    2022  Volume 448

    Abstract: Insulin is a hormone that attends to energy metabolism by regulating glucose levels in the bloodstream. It is synthesised within pancreas beta-cells where, before being released into the serum, it is stored in granules as hexamers coordinated by Zn 2+ ... ...

    Abstract Insulin is a hormone that attends to energy metabolism by regulating glucose levels in the bloodstream. It is synthesised within pancreas beta-cells where, before being released into the serum, it is stored in granules as hexamers coordinated by Zn 2+ and further packaged in microcrystalline structures. The group I chaperonin cpn60, known for its assembly-assisting function, is present, together with its cochaperonin cpn10, at each step of the insulin secretory pathway. However, the exact function of the heat shock protein in insulin biosynthesis and processing is still far from being understood. Here we explore the possibility that the molecular machine cpn60/cpn10 could have a role in insulin hexameric assembly and its further crystallization. Moreover, we also evaluate their potential protective effect in pathological insulin aggregation. The experiments performed with the cpn60 bacterial homologue, GroEL, in complex with its cochaperonin GroES, by using spectroscopic methods, microscopy and hydrodynamic techniques, reveal that the chaperonins in vitro favour insulin hexameric organisation and inhibit its aberrant aggregation. These results provide new details in the field of insulin assembly and its related disorders.
    Keywords insulin ; chaperonins ; self-association ; amyloid aggregation ; Science ; Q
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  3. Article: Biophysical characterization of asolectin-squalene liposomes

    Costa, Maria Assunta / Daniela Giacomazza / Fabio Librizzi / Maria Rosalia Mangione / Oscar Moran / Radha Santonocito / Rita Carrotta / Rosa Passantino

    Colloids and surfaces. 2018 Oct. 01, v. 170

    2018  

    Abstract: Liposomes are shell nanoparticles able to embed hydrophobic molecules into their lipid layers to be released to cells. In pharmaceutical sciences, liposomes remain the delivery system with the highest biocompatibility, stability, loading characteristics, ...

    Abstract Liposomes are shell nanoparticles able to embed hydrophobic molecules into their lipid layers to be released to cells. In pharmaceutical sciences, liposomes remain the delivery system with the highest biocompatibility, stability, loading characteristics, tunable physicochemical properties. Squalene is a natural, water insoluble, lipid, abundant in olive oil and shark liver. Studies in vitro and in animal models suggest protective and inhibitory effects of squalene against cancer. To study its effect on cells, and to overcome its insolubility in water, we have designed and produced large unilamellar liposomes containing different quantities of this terpene (0%, 2.8%, 5% w/w). Liposomes have been characterized by different biophysical techniques. Size-exclusion and affinity chromatography showed a unimodal size distribution and confirmed the squalene loaded dose. Laurdan fluorescence evidenced the changes in the hydration of the external layer of liposomes as a function of squalene concentration. Dynamic light scattering and small angle X-ray scattering revealed squalene induced structural differences in the hydrodynamic radius distribution and in the bilayer thickness respectively. Finally, preliminary experiments on the effects of liposome-delivered squalene on tumor and non-tumor cell lines showed time- and dose-dependent cytotoxic effects on LAN5 tumor cells and no effect on NIH-3T3 normal cells.
    Keywords affinity chromatography ; animal models ; biocompatibility ; cell lines ; colloids ; cytotoxicity ; dose response ; fluorescence ; hydrodynamics ; hydrophobicity ; light scattering ; lipids ; liver ; nanoparticles ; neoplasm cells ; neoplasms ; olive oil ; sharks ; small-angle X-ray scattering ; squalene
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2018-1001
    Size p. 479-487.
    Publishing place Elsevier B.V.
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 1500523-9
    ISSN 1873-4367 ; 0927-7765
    ISSN (online) 1873-4367
    ISSN 0927-7765
    DOI 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.06.032
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  4. Article: Biochemical and biophysical characterization of water-soluble pectin from Opuntia ficus-indica and its potential cytotoxic activity

    Lefsih, Khalef / Daniela Giacomazza / Donatella Bulone / Francesco Mingoia / Khodir Madani / Maria Assunta Costa / Maria Rosalia Mangione / Pier Luigi San Biagio / Rosa Passantino / Valeria Guarrasi

    Phytochemistry. 2018 Oct., v. 154

    2018  

    Abstract: This work aims to fill the gap in the present knowledge about the structure of pectin from Opuntia ficus-indica. The water-soluble pectin (WSP) fraction, extracted with the Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE), was further deproteinated (dWSP) and ... ...

    Abstract This work aims to fill the gap in the present knowledge about the structure of pectin from Opuntia ficus-indica. The water-soluble pectin (WSP) fraction, extracted with the Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE), was further deproteinated (dWSP) and analyzed through several biophysical and biochemical techniques. HPSEC, light scattering and FTIR data showed that dWSP is low methylated high molecular weight pectin. The biochemical structure of dWSP, after methanolysis, silylation, carboxyl reduction showed that dWSP belongs to rhamnogalacturonan I class. Then, dWSP was heat-modified (HM) to obtain small-molecular weight deproteinated fraction (HM-dWSP). Both species, dWSP and HM-dWSP, were tested in LAN5 and NIH 3T3 model cells to study their biological effect. Results indicated that both dWSP and HM-dWSP exerted cytotoxic activity affecting selectively LAN5 cancer cells, without any effect on NIH 3T3 normal cells.
    Keywords cytotoxicity ; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy ; light scattering ; methanolysis ; microwave treatment ; models ; molecular weight ; neoplasm cells ; Opuntia ficus-indica ; pectins ; silylation ; water solubility
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2018-10
    Size p. 47-55.
    Publishing place Elsevier Ltd
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 208884-8
    ISSN 1873-3700 ; 0031-9422
    ISSN (online) 1873-3700
    ISSN 0031-9422
    DOI 10.1016/j.phytochem.2018.06.015
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  5. Article: Temporal control of xyloglucan self-assembly into layered structures by radiation-induced degradation

    Todaro, Simona / Clelia Dispenza / Donatella Bulone / Maria Antonietta Sabatino / Maria Laura Di Giacinto / Maria Rosalia Mangione / Pasquale Picone

    Carbohydrate polymers. 2016 Nov. 05, v. 152

    2016  

    Abstract: Partially degalactosylated xyloglucan from tamarind seeds (Deg-XG) is a very appealing biopolymer for the production of in situ gelling systems at physiological temperature. In this work, we observe that the morphology of hydrogels evolves towards high ... ...

    Abstract Partially degalactosylated xyloglucan from tamarind seeds (Deg-XG) is a very appealing biopolymer for the production of in situ gelling systems at physiological temperature. In this work, we observe that the morphology of hydrogels evolves towards high degrees of structural organization with time, yielding to dense stacks of thin membranes within 24h of incubation at 37°C. We also explore the possibility offered by gamma irradiation of controlling the time scale of this phenomenon, the final morphology and mechanical properties of the system. Structural and molecular modifications of Deg-XG with dose are investigated by FTIR, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and rotational viscosimetry. The impact on gelation ability and gel strength is studied by rheological analysis. The morphology evolution is investigated by SEM analysis, and absence of cytotoxicity verified by MTS assay and optical microscopy of neuroblastoma cells.
    Keywords biopolymers ; cytotoxicity ; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy ; gamma radiation ; gel strength ; gelation ; hydrocolloids ; light scattering ; mechanical properties ; scanning electron microscopy ; seeds ; tamarinds ; temperature ; viscometry ; xyloglucans
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2016-1105
    Size p. 382-390.
    Publishing place Elsevier Ltd
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 1501516-6
    ISSN 1879-1344 ; 0144-8617
    ISSN (online) 1879-1344
    ISSN 0144-8617
    DOI 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.07.005
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  6. Article: Pectin from Opuntia ficus indica: Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction and preliminary characterization

    Lefsih, Khalef / Daniela Giacomazza / Donatella Bulone / Farid Dahmoune / Khodir Madani / Maria Assunta Costa / Maria Rosalia Mangione / Pier Luigi San Biagio / Rosa Passantino / Valeria Guarrasi

    Food chemistry. 2017 Apr. 15, v. 221

    2017  

    Abstract: Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of water-soluble pectin (WSP) from Opuntia ficus indica cladodes was performed using Response Surface Methodology. The effect of extraction time (X1), microwave power (X2), pH (X3) and solid-to-liquid ... ...

    Abstract Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of water-soluble pectin (WSP) from Opuntia ficus indica cladodes was performed using Response Surface Methodology. The effect of extraction time (X1), microwave power (X2), pH (X3) and solid-to-liquid ratio (X4) on the extraction yield was examined. The optimum conditions of MAE were as follows: X1=2.15min; X2=517W; X3=2.26 and X4=2g/30.6mL. The maximum obtained yield of pectin extraction was 12.57%. Total carbohydrate content of WSP is about 95.5% including 34.4% of Galacturonic acid. Pectin-related proteins represent only the 0.66% of WSP mass. HPSEC and light scattering analyses reveal that WSP is mostly constituted of high molecular pectin and FTIR measurements show that the microwave treatment does not alter the chemical structure of WSP, in which Galacturonic acid content and yield are 34.4% and 4.33%, respectively. Overall, application of MAE can give rise to high quality pectin.
    Keywords carbohydrate content ; chemical structure ; cladodes ; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy ; galacturonic acid ; light scattering ; microwave treatment ; Opuntia ficus-indica ; pectins ; pH ; proteins ; response surface methodology ; water solubility
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2017-0415
    Size p. 91-99.
    Publishing place Elsevier Ltd
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 243123-3
    ISSN 1873-7072 ; 0308-8146
    ISSN (online) 1873-7072
    ISSN 0308-8146
    DOI 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.10.073
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  7. Article: Functional and dysfunctional conformers of human neuroserpin characterized by optical spectroscopies and Molecular Dynamics

    Noto, Rosina / Antonio Cupane / Daniele Parisi / Maria Grazia Santangelo / Maria Rosalia Mangione / Martino Bolognesi / Matteo Levantino / Mauro Manno / Stefano Ricagno / Vincenzo Martorana

    Biochimica et biophysica acta. 2015 Feb., v. 1854, no. 2

    2015  

    Abstract: Neuroserpin (NS) is a serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) involved in different neurological pathologies, including the Familial Encephalopathy with Neuroserpin Inclusion Bodies (FENIB), related to the aberrant polymerization of NS mutants. Here we ... ...

    Abstract Neuroserpin (NS) is a serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) involved in different neurological pathologies, including the Familial Encephalopathy with Neuroserpin Inclusion Bodies (FENIB), related to the aberrant polymerization of NS mutants. Here we present an in vitro and in silico characterization of native neuroserpin and its dysfunctional conformation isoforms: the proteolytically cleaved conformer, the inactive latent conformer, and the polymeric species. Based on circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, we present an experimental validation of the latent model and highlight the main structural features of the different conformers. In particular, emission spectra of aromatic residues yield distinct conformational fingerprints, that provide a novel and simple spectroscopic tool for selecting serpin conformers in vitro. Based on the structural relationship between cleaved and latent serpins, we propose a structural model for latent NS, for which an experimental crystallographic structure is lacking. Molecular Dynamics simulations suggest that NS conformational stability and flexibility arise from a spatial distribution of intramolecular salt-bridges and hydrogen bonds.
    Keywords circular dichroism spectroscopy ; encephalopathy ; fluorescence emission spectroscopy ; humans ; hydrogen bonding ; inclusion bodies ; models ; molecular dynamics ; mutants ; polymerization ; proteinase inhibitors ; serine proteinases
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2015-02
    Size p. 110-117.
    Publishing place Elsevier B.V.
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 2918798-9
    ISSN 1878-1454 ; 1570-9639
    ISSN (online) 1878-1454
    ISSN 1570-9639
    DOI 10.1016/j.bbapap.2014.10.002
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  8. Article ; Online: The tempered polymerization of human neuroserpin.

    Rosina Noto / Maria Grazia Santangelo / Stefano Ricagno / Maria Rosalia Mangione / Matteo Levantino / Margherita Pezzullo / Vincenzo Martorana / Antonio Cupane / Martino Bolognesi / Mauro Manno

    PLoS ONE, Vol 7, Iss 3, p e

    2012  Volume 32444

    Abstract: Neuroserpin, a member of the serpin protein superfamily, is an inhibitor of proteolytic activity that is involved in pathologies such as ischemia, Alzheimer's disease, and Familial Encephalopathy with Neuroserpin Inclusion Bodies (FENIB). The latter ... ...

    Abstract Neuroserpin, a member of the serpin protein superfamily, is an inhibitor of proteolytic activity that is involved in pathologies such as ischemia, Alzheimer's disease, and Familial Encephalopathy with Neuroserpin Inclusion Bodies (FENIB). The latter belongs to a class of conformational diseases, known as serpinopathies, which are related to the aberrant polymerization of serpin mutants. Neuroserpin is known to polymerize, even in its wild type form, under thermal stress. Here, we study the mechanism of neuroserpin polymerization over a wide range of temperatures by different techniques. Our experiments show how the onset of polymerization is dependent on the formation of an intermediate monomeric conformer, which then associates with a native monomer to yield a dimeric species. After the formation of small polymers, the aggregation proceeds via monomer addition as well as polymer-polymer association. No further secondary mechanism takes place up to very high temperatures, thus resulting in the formation of neuroserpin linear polymeric chains. Most interesting, the overall aggregation is tuned by the co-occurrence of monomer inactivation (i.e. the formation of latent neuroserpin) and by a mechanism of fragmentation. The polymerization kinetics exhibit a unique modulation of the average mass and size of polymers, which might suggest synchronization among the different processes involved. Thus, fragmentation would control and temper the aggregation process, instead of enhancing it, as typically observed (e.g.) for amyloid fibrillation.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Language English
    Publishing date 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  9. Article ; Online: Human Hsp60 with its mitochondrial import signal occurs in solution as heptamers and tetradecamers remarkably stable over a wide range of concentrations.

    Silvia Vilasi / Rita Carrotta / Maria Rosalia Mangione / Claudia Campanella / Fabio Librizzi / Loredana Randazzo / Vincenzo Martorana / Antonella Marino Gammazza / Maria Grazia Ortore / Annalisa Vilasi / Gabriella Pocsfalvi / Giosalba Burgio / Davide Corona / Antonio Palumbo Piccionello / Giovanni Zummo / Donatella Bulone / Everly Conway de Macario / Alberto J L Macario / Pier Luigi San Biagio /
    Francesco Cappello

    PLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 5, p e

    2014  Volume 97657

    Abstract: It has been established that Hsp60 can accumulate in the cytosol in various pathological conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. Part or all of the cytosolic Hsp60 could be naïve, namely, bear the mitochondrial import signal (MIS), ...

    Abstract It has been established that Hsp60 can accumulate in the cytosol in various pathological conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. Part or all of the cytosolic Hsp60 could be naïve, namely, bear the mitochondrial import signal (MIS), but neither the structure nor the in solution oligomeric organization of this cytosolic molecule has still been elucidated. Here we present a detailed study of the structure and self-organization of naïve cytosolic Hsp60 in solution. Results were obtained by different biophysical methods (light and X ray scattering, single molecule spectroscopy and hydrodynamics) that all together allowed us to assay a wide range of concentrations of Hsp60. We found that Naïve Hsp60 in aqueous solution is assembled in very stable heptamers and tetradecamers at all concentrations assayed, without any trace of monomer presence.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Language English
    Publishing date 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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