Porto Conte Ricerche

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https://hdl.handle.net/11050/3
Porto Conte Ricerche è uno dei motori del Parco Scientifico e Tecnologico della Sardegna, attivo in ambiti tecnologici tra loro complementari: biomarker discovery, sistemi diagnostici e biotecnologie applicate per l’alimentazione e per la salute.

Il Centro di Ricerca sviluppa ed eroga servizi ad alto contenuto tecnologico a favore di imprese impegnate nell’innovazione dei propri sistemi produttivi attraverso attività di ricerca industriale e sviluppo sperimentale.

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Mostra il contenuto di Porto Conte Ricerche per Autore "Alberti, Alberto"

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  • Immagine di anteprima
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    Mycoplasma agalactiae MAG_5040 is a Mg2+ -Dependent, Sugar-Nonspecific SNase Recognised by the Host Humoral Response during Natural Infection
    (Public Library of Science, 2013-02-28) Cacciotto, Carla; Addis, Maria Filippa; Coradduzza, Elisabetta; Carcangiu, Laura; Nuvoli, Anna Maria; Tore, Gessica; Dore, Gian Mario; Pagnozzi, Daniela; Uzzau, Sergio; Chessa, Bernardo; Pittau, Marco; Alberti, Alberto
    In this study the enzymatic activity of Mycoplasma agalactiae MAG_5040, a magnesium-dependent nuclease homologue to the staphylococcal SNase was characterized and its antigenicity during natural infections was established. A UGA corrected version of MAG_5040, lacking the region encoding the signal peptide, was expressed in Escherichia coli as a GST fusion protein. Recombinant GST-MAG_5040 exhibits nuclease activity similar to typical sugar-nonspecific endo- and exonucleases, with DNA as the preferred substrate and optimal activity in the presence of 20 mM MgCl2 at temperatures ranging from 37 to 45°C. According to in silico analyses, the position of the gene encoding MAG_5040 is consistently located upstream an ABC transporter, in most sequenced mycoplasmas belonging to the Mycoplasma hominis group. In M. agalactiae, MAG_5040 is transcribed in a polycistronic RNA together with the ABC transporter components and with MAG_5030, which is predicted to be a sugar solute binding protein by 3D modeling and homology search. In a natural model of sheep and goats infection, anti-MAG_5040 antibodies were detected up to 9 months post infection. Taking into account its enzymatic activity, MAG_5040 could play a key role in Mycoplasma agalactiae survival into the host, contributing to host pathogenicity. The identification of MAG_5040 opens new perspectives for the development of suitable tools for the control of contagious agalactia in small ruminants.
  • Immagine di anteprima
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    The liposoluble proteome of Mycoplasma agalactiae: an insight into the minimal protein complement of a bacterial membrane
    (BioMed Central, 2010-08-25) Cacciotto, Carla; Addis, Maria Filippa; Pagnozzi, Daniela; Chessa, Bernardo; Coradduzza, Elisabetta; Carcangiu, Laura; Uzzau, Sergio; Alberti, Alberto; Pittau, Marco
    Background: Mycoplasmas are the simplest bacteria capable of autonomous replication. Their evolution proceeded from gram-positive bacteria, with the loss of many biosynthetic pathways and of the cell wall. In this work, the liposoluble protein complement of Mycoplasma agalactiae, a minimal bacterial pathogen causing mastitis, polyarthritis, keratoconjunctivitis, and abortion in small ruminants, was subjected to systematic characterization in order to gain insights into its membrane proteome composition. Results: The selective enrichment for M. agalactiae PG2T liposoluble proteins was accomplished by means of Triton X-114 fractionation. Liposoluble proteins were subjected to 2-D PAGE-MS, leading to the identification of 40 unique proteins and to the generation of a reference 2D map of the M. agalactiae liposoluble proteome. Liposoluble proteins from the type strain PG2 and two field isolates were then compared by means of 2D DIGE, revealing reproducible differences in protein expression among isolates. An in-depth analysis was then performed by GeLCMS/ MS in order to achieve a higher coverage of the liposoluble proteome. Using this approach, a total of 194 unique proteins were identified, corresponding to 26% of all M. agalactiae PG2T genes. A gene ontology analysis and classification for localization and function was also carried out on all protein identifications. Interestingly, the 11.5% of expressed membrane proteins derived from putative horizontal gene transfer events. Conclusions: This study led to the in-depth systematic characterization of the M. agalactiae liposoluble protein component, providing useful insights into its membrane organization.