Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Annarita Miluzio, Alessandro Cuomo, Chiara Cordiglieri, Lorena Donnici, Elisa Pesce, Mauro Bombaci, Matteo Conti, Alessandra Fasciani, Luigi Terracciano, Lara Manganaro, Mirco Toccafondi, Alessandra Scagliola, Stefania Oliveto, Sara Ricciardi, Renata Grifantini, Raffaele De Francesco, Sergio Abrignani, Nicola Manfrini, Stefano Biffo
Summary: The study found that the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to hACE2 receptors is the first step in infection, but the abundance of receptors is influenced by various factors. Further research revealed SLC1A5 as a factor involved in receptor localization and viral entry, and co-expression with hACE2 improved the prediction of SARS-CoV-2 binding and entry. The Omicron variant showed higher efficiency in binding to hACE2 sites, but was equally sensitive to SLC1A5 downregulation.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Om Shanker Tiwari, Ruth Aizen, Massimiliano Meli, Giorgio Colombo, Linda J. W. Shimon, Noam Tal, Ehud Gazit
Summary: Molecular self- and co-assembly have the ability to form diverse and well-defined supramolecular structures with notable physical properties. By exploring the co-assembly of L-His with different aromatic amino acids, including Phe, Tyr, and Trp, we expanded the structural space of amino acid nanomaterials. The best seamless co-assembly was observed between L-His and L-Phe, resulting in the formation of single crystals.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Margherita Bolognesi, Mario Prosa, Michael Toerker, Laura Lopez Sanchez, Martin Wieczorek, Caterina Giacomelli, Emilia Benvenuti, Paola Pellacani, Alexander Elferink, Andreas Morschhauser, Laura Sola, Francesco Damin, Marcella Chiari, Mark Whatton, Etienne Haenni, David Kallweit, Franco Marabelli, Jeroen Peters, Stefano Toffanin
Summary: Optical biosensors based on plasmonic detection have been developed, which can provide fast and multiplex sensing of analytes in milk. These miniaturized biosensors utilize organic optoelectronic devices and nanostructured plasmonic gratings for highly sensitive and specific detection. The sensors demonstrate quantitative and linear response, with a low limit of detection for lactoferrin, validating their alignment with the reference benchtop SPR method.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Lange-Consiglio, Giulia Gaspari, Federico Funghi, Emanuele Capra, Marina Cretich, Roberto Frigerio, Giampaolo Bosi, Fausto Cremonesi
Summary: In this study, a novel approach of using extracellular vesicles derived from amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells (AMSC-EVs) was investigated to prevent and alleviate persistent post-breeding induced endometritis (PPBIE) in mares. The supplementation of AMSC-EVs to stallion semen resulted in a reduction in neutrophil infiltration and intrauterine fluid accumulation, and modulation of the post-insemination inflammatory response was observed. This procedure may be beneficial for susceptible mares with PPBIE.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lisa Pagani, Clizia Chinello, Giulia Risca, Giulia Capitoli, Lucrezia Criscuolo, Andrea Lombardi, Riccardo Ungaro, Davide Mangioni, Isabella Piga, Antonio Muscatello, Francesco Blasi, Andrea Favalli, Martina Martinovic, Andrea Gori, Alessandra Bandera, Renata Grifantini, Fulvio Magni
Summary: By studying the plasma proteome of 43 COVID-19 patients, differentially expressed proteins related to the severity of infection were identified. Three proteins were found to be able to accurately distinguish different stages of infection. These proteins may be associated with the severity of the disease and the immune response.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Giulia Birolini, Marta Valenza, Ilaria Ottonelli, Francesca Talpo, Lucia Minoli, Andrea Cappelleri, Mauro Bombaci, Claudio Caccia, Caterina Canevari, Arianna Trucco, Valerio Leoni, Alice Passoni, Monica Favagrossa, Maria Rosaria Nucera, Laura Colombo, Saverio Paltrinieri, Renzo Bagnati, Jason Thomas Duskey, Riccardo Caraffi, Maria Angela Vandelli, Franco Taroni, Mario Salmona, Eugenio Scanziani, Gerardo Biella, Barbara Ruozi, Giovanni Tosi, Elena Cattaneo
Summary: The study demonstrates that delivering cholesterol to the brain using nanoparticles can effectively reverse cognitive decline and neuropathological signs in Huntington's disease (HD). The administration of hybrid-g7-NPs-chol in both early and late stages of HD shows long-term therapeutic effects without adverse reactions. The findings highlight the therapeutic potential of cholesterol-based strategies in HD patients.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Giovanni Nava, Luca Casiraghi, Thomas Carzaniga, Giuliano Zanchetta, Marcella Chiari, Francesco Damin, Valentina Bollati, Lucia Signorini, Serena Delbue, Tommaso Bellini, Marco Buscaglia
Summary: This article describes an optical device that enables the enumeration of single virus particles binding on a surface coated with antibody or aptamers. By utilizing the localized contributions of nanoparticles adhering to the sensor surface, a scan-free, label-free microarray-type digital assay is realized. The combination of different probes on the same surface increases the specificity of detection and dynamic range.
Article
Immunology
Elisa Pesce, Chiara Cordiglieri, Mauro Bombaci, Serenella Eppenberger-Castori, Stefania Oliveto, Cristina Manara, Mariacristina Crosti, Caner Ercan, Mairene Coto, Andrea Gobbini, Susanna Campagnoli, Tiziano Donnarumma, Manuele Martinelli, Valeria Bevilacqua, Elisa De Camilli, Paola Gruarin, Maria L. Sarnicola, Elisa Cassinotti, Ludovica Baldari, Giuseppe Viale, Stefano Biffo, Sergio Abrignani, Luigi M. Terracciano, Renata Grifantini
Summary: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related death. The interplay between effector immune cells and cancer cells in the tumor site plays a key role in determining tumor elimination or outgrowth. TMEM123 protein is over-expressed in infiltrating CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes and contributes to their effector phenotype. TMEM123 plays a role in lymphocyte migration and cytoskeleton organization, and its presence is associated with improved survival in CRC patients.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Tecla Ciociola, Laura Giovati, Tiziano De Simone, Greta Bergamaschi, Alessandro Gori, Valerio Consalvi, Stefania Conti, Alberto Vitali
Summary: Antimicrobial resistance, including fungal resistance, is a global public health concern. This study aimed to search for potential alternatives to conventional drugs, focusing on proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) from plants. Two candidates showed potent activity against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata strains, including resistant isolates, with unique mechanistic properties.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Alessandro Gori, Giulia Lodigiani, Stella G. Colombarolli, Greta Bergamaschi, Alberto Vitali
Summary: Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are a class of peptides with the remarkable ability to cross cell membranes and deliver various cargoes into cells. They are extensively investigated for drug delivery in diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and genetic disorders. Despite sharing common structural features, CPPs are a highly diverse group of elements. This review summarizes their characteristics, distinctive features, mechanisms, and commonly used techniques for studying their structure and function, highlighting current gaps and future perspectives in the field of drug delivery and therapeutics.
Article
Immunology
Ylenia Silvestri, Francesca Clemente, Giorgia Moschetti, Sara Maioli, Elena Carelli, Alejandro Espadas de Arias, Rosanna Torelli, Elena Longhi, Tullia De Feo, MariaCristina Crosti, Maria Lucia Sarnicola, Mario Salvi, Giovanna Mantovani, Maura Arosio, Mauro Bombaci, Elisa Pesce, Renata Grifantini, Sergio Abrignani, Jens Geginat, Ilaria Muller
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to thyroid disorders like subacute thyroiditis (SAT). This study aimed to investigate the role of T-cells in SAT following severe COVID disease (COV-A-SAT). T-cells from COV-A-SAT patients were analyzed and compared to controls. The results showed that COV-A-SAT was associated with specific HLA haplotypes and activated T-cell responses. Tissue-resident memory cells were present in the thyroid, suggesting a prolonged immune response in the target tissue.
CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Federica Guarra, Giorgio Colombo
Summary: The design of new biomolecules that utilize immune mechanisms for disease treatment is a major challenge for computational and simulative approaches. Antibodies have emerged as an important class of therapeutics, particularly in cancer treatment and other diseases. This article provides a summary of the state-of-the-art computational approaches for designing antibodies and antigens, as well as key methodologies for identifying epitopes for B-cell and T-cell responses. The focus is on structure- and physics-based models, which are favored over purely sequence-based approaches. The implications of novel methods in engineering biomolecules with tailor-made immunological properties for therapeutic purposes are discussed. In addition, the integration of structure- and physics-based methods with emerging Artificial Intelligence technologies for predicting and designing novel antigens, epitopes, and antibodies presents extraordinary challenges and opportunities.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL THEORY AND COMPUTATION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Marta Brambilla, Roberto Frigerio, Alessia Becchetti, Alessandro Gori, Marina Cretich, Maria Conti, Antonella Mazza, Martino Pengo, Marina Camera
Summary: The concentration of tissue factor (TF) positive small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) is significantly higher than that of large EVs (lEVs), but the TF-dependent procoagulant potential is primarily sustained by lEVs. In thromboinflammatory conditions such as COVID-19, the enhanced procoagulant potential is predominantly supported by lEVs, with both TF-positive sEVs and lEVs increasing during the acute phase of the disease.
Article
Cell Biology
Andrea Ridolfi, Laura Conti, Marco Brucale, Roberto Frigerio, Jacopo Cardellini, Angelo Musico, Miriam Romano, Andrea Zendrini, Laura Polito, Greta Bergamaschi, Alessandro Gori, Costanza Montis, Stefano Panella, Lucio Barile, Debora Berti, Annalisa Radeghieri, Paolo Bergese, Marina Cretich, Francesco Valle
Summary: The overlapping physicochemical properties of lipoproteins and extracellular vesicles pose challenges in isolating and characterizing these biogenic lipid nanoparticles. This study presents a rapid nanomechanical screening method using atomic force microscopy to determine the diameter and stiffness of individual nanometric objects in mixed lipoprotein and extracellular vesicle samples. The method enables discrimination of co-isolated vesicles and lipoproteins based on their specific nanomechanical readouts and provides insights into the relationship between mechanical behavior and structural features. The approach is label-free and can be used to assess the purity of lipoprotein and extracellular vesicle isolates efficiently.
JOURNAL OF EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES
(2023)
