Publications

heat stress-activated, calcium-dependent nitric oxide synthase in sponges.	the presence of ca(2+)-dependent, heat-stress-activated nitric oxide synthase (nos) activity in peculiarly shaped, fusiform, and dendritic sponge cells is described for the first time. the nos activity was evidenced evaluating the conversion of radioactive citrulline from [(14)c]arginine in intact cells from two different species that are phylogenetically unrelated in the class of demospongiae: axinella polypoides and petrosia ficiformis. the production of nitrogen monoxide (no) was confirmed by ...	2001	11587557
comparative studies on two potential methods for the biotechnological production of sponge biomass.	the production of marine sponge biomass is one of the main outstanding goals of marine biotechnology. due to the increased number of sponge secondary metabolites of economical value the interest in sponge cultivation increased over the last years, too. therefore, we examined cultivation properties of 11 mediterranean sponge species. two methodologies were tested: functional fragment culture and multicell reaggregate culture. the in vitro cultivation of sponge fragments without further dissociati ...	2001	11640986
petrosifungins a and b, novel cyclodepsipeptides from a sponge-derived strain of penicillium brevicompactum.	a strain of penicillium brevicompactum derived from a specimen of the mediterranean sponge petrosia ficiformis was investigated for its secondary metabolites. using fast centrifugal partitioning chromatography (fcpc) two previously unknown cyclodepsipeptides, petrosifungins a (1) and b (2), were isolated, both containing two neighboring units of the nonproteinogenic amino acid l-pipecolinic acid. the absolute configurations of all amino acids were established to be l using gitc derivatization an ...	2004	15043401
the biogeography and phylogeny of unicellular cyanobacterial symbionts in sponges from australia and the mediterranean.	the distribution, host associations, and phylogenetic relationships of the unicellular cyanobacterial symbionts of selected marine sponges were investigated with direct 16s rdna sequencing. the results indicate that the symbionts of the marine sponges aplysina aerophoba, ircinia variabilis, and petrosia ficiformis from the mediterranean, four chondrilla species from australia and the mediterranean, and haliclona sp. from australia support a diversity of symbionts comprising at least four closely ...	2004	15546037
molecular cloning of silicatein gene from marine sponge petrosia ficiformis (porifera, demospongiae) and development of primmorphs as a model for biosilicification studies.	in some sponges peculiar proteins called silicateins catalyze silica polymerization in ordered structures, and their study is of high interest for possible biotechnological applications in the nanostructure industry. in this work we describe the isolation and the molecular characterization of silicatein from spicules of petrosia ficiformis, a common mediterranean sponge, and the development of a cellular model (primmorphs) suitable for in vitro studies of silicatein gene regulation. the spicule ...	2004	15747092
effects of agelas oroides and petrosia ficiformis crude extracts on human neuroblastoma cell survival.	among marine sessile organisms, sponges (porifera) are the major producers of bioactive secondary metabolites that defend them against predators and competitors and are used to interfere with the pathogenesis of many human diseases. some of these biological active metabolites are able to influence cell survival and death, modifying the activity of several enzymes involved in these cellular processes. these natural compounds show a potential anticancer activity but the mechanism of this action is ...	2007	17143525
differential gene expression in a marine sponge in relation to its symbiotic state.	the molecular mechanisms involved in the establishment and maintenance of sponge photosymbiosis, and in particular the association with cyanobacteria, are unknown. in the present study we analyzed gene expression in a common mediterranean sponge (petrosia ficiformis) in relation to its symbiotic (with cyanobacteria) or aposymbiotic status. a screening approach was applied to identify genes expressed differentially in symbiotic specimens growing in the light and aposymbiotic specimens growing in ...	2007	17624575
square-wave anodic-stripping voltammetric determination of cd, pb, and cu in a hydrofluoric acid solution of siliceous spicules of marine sponges (from the ligurian sea, italy, and the ross sea, antarctica).	square-wave anodic-stripping voltammetry (swasv) was set up and optimized for simultaneous determination of cadmium, lead, and copper in siliceous spicules of marine sponges, directly in the hydrofluoric acid solution (approximately 0.55 mol l(-1) hf, ph approximately 1.9). a thin mercury-film electrode (tmfe) plated on to an hf-resistant epoxy-impregnated graphite rotating-disc support was used. the optimum experimental conditions, evaluated also in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio, were as f ...	2008	18642105
terretonins e and f, inhibitors of the mitochondrial respiratory chain from the marine-derived fungus aspergillus insuetus (#).	two new meroterpenoids, terretonins e and f (1, 2), together with three known compounds, aurantiamine (3), linoleic acid, and uridine, were isolated as fermentation products of the marine-derived fungus aspergillus insuetus, which was associated with the sponge petrosia ficiformis. structures of all isolates were elucidated employing spectroscopic methods, mainly by two-dimensional nmr techniques. compounds 1-3 showed activity as inhibitors of the mammalian mitochondrial respiratory chain.	2009	19719247
differences between bacterial communities associated with the surface or tissue of mediterranean sponge species.	bacterial communities associated with the surfaces of several mediterranean sponge species (agelas oroides, chondrosia reniformis, petrosia ficiformis, geodia sp., tethya sp., axinella polypoides, dysidea avara, and oscarella lobularis) were compared to those associated with the mesohyl of sponges and other animate or inanimate reference surfaces as well as with those from bulk seawater. denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (dgge) analysis of pcr-amplified bacterial 16s ribosomal rna genes ob ...	2011	21246194
cytotoxic and antimitotic activities in aqueous extracts of eight cyanobacterial strains isolated from the marine sponge petrosia ficiformis.	marine cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes of significant ecological interest, living free or in association with invertebrates. they are also considered as excellent sources of antineoplastic, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal compounds. in this work, aqueous extracts from eight cyanobacterial strains isolated from the mediterranean sponge petrosia ficiformis have been investigated for their bioactive properties. bioassays with human erythrocytes, artemia salina nauplii, and para ...	2011	21396391
heavy metal distribution in organic and siliceous marine sponge tissues measured by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry.	may sponge spicules represent a "tank" to accumulate heavy metals? in this study we test this hypothesis determining the distribution of cd, pb and cu concentrations between organic and siliceous tissues in antarctic demospongia (sphaerotylus antarcticus, kirkpatrikia coulmani and haliclona sp.) and in the mediterranean species petrosia ficiformis. results show that although, in these sponges, spicules represent about 80% of the mass content, the accumulation of pollutant is lower in the spicule ...	2016	27389453
in vitro bioactivity studies of ceramic structures isolated from marine sponges.	in this work, we focused on the potential of bioceramics from different marine sponges-namely petrosia ficiformis, agelas oroides and chondrosia reniformis-for novel biomedical/industrial applications. the bioceramics from these sponges were obtained after calcination at 750 °c for 6 h in a furnace. the morphological characteristics were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (sem). the in vitro bioactivity of the bioceramics was evaluated in simulated body fluid (sbf) after 14 and 21 d. obse ...	2016	27481449
an enrichment of crispr and other defense-related features in marine sponge-associated microbial metagenomes.	many marine sponges are populated by dense and taxonomically diverse microbial consortia. we employed a metagenomics approach to unravel the differences in the functional gene repertoire among three mediterranean sponge species, petrosia ficiformis, sarcotragus foetidus, aplysina aerophoba and seawater. different signatures were observed between sponge and seawater metagenomes with regard to microbial community composition, gc content, and estimated bacterial genome size. our analysis showed fur ...	2016	27877161
sponge microbiota are a reservoir of functional antibiotic resistance genes.	wide application of antibiotics has contributed to the evolution of multi-drug resistant human pathogens, resulting in poorer treatment outcomes for infections. in the marine environment, seawater samples have been investigated as a resistance reservoir; however, no studies have methodically examined sponges as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance. sponges could be important in this respect because they often contain diverse microbial communities that have the capacity to produce bioactive metab ...	2016	27909433