Showing papers by "Massimo Santoro published in 2015"
TL;DR: It is shown here that this platform, called ZebraBeat, can successfully detect heart rate variations in embryonic zebrafish at various developmental stages, and it can record cardiac rate fluctuations induced by factors such as temperature and genetic- and chemical-induced alterations.
Abstract: Heartbeat measurement is important in assesssing cardiac function because variations in heart rhythm can be the cause as well as an effect of hidden pathological heart conditions. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as one of the most useful model organisms for cardiac research. Indeed, the zebrafish heart is easily accessible for optical analyses without conducting invasive procedures and shows anatomical similarity to the human heart. In this study, we present a non-invasive, simple, cost-effective process to quantify the heartbeat in embryonic zebrafish. To achieve reproducibility, high throughput and flexibility (i.e., adaptability to any existing confocal microscope system and with a user-friendly interface that can be easily used by researchers), we implemented this method within a software program. We show here that this platform, called ZebraBeat, can successfully detect heart rate variations in embryonic zebrafish at various developmental stages, and it can record cardiac rate fluctuations induced by factors such as temperature and genetic- and chemical-induced alterations. Applications of this methodology may include the screening of chemical libraries affecting heart rhythm and the identification of heart rhythm variations in mutants from large-scale forward genetic screens.
135 citations
TL;DR: Which molecules are involved in redox signaling and how they influence the relationship between ECs and other vascular component with regard to angiogenesis are described.
Abstract: The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of redox mechanisms, sources and antioxidants that control signaling events in ECs. In particular, we describe which molecules are involved in redox signaling and how they influence the relationship between ECs and other vascular component with regard to angiogenesis. Recent and new tools to investigate physiological ROS signaling will be also discussed. Such findings are providing an overview of the ROS biology relevant for endothelial cells in the context of normal and pathological angiogenic conditions.
111 citations
TL;DR: The role of specific miR (-9 and -200) in olfactory/GnRH development is described for the first time, and a Dlx5–Foxg1 regulation whose alteration affects receptor neuron differentiation, axonal targeting, GnRH neuron development, the hallmarks of the Kallmann syndrome are uncovered.
50 citations
TL;DR: Consistently, reduction or increase of the cytosolic heme rescued the erythroid defects in zebrafish deficient in Flvcr1a or FlvCr1b, respectively, suggesting heme export represents a tightly regulated process that controls erythropoiesis.
Abstract: Feline leukemia virus subgroup C receptor 1 (Flvcr1) encodes two heme exporters: FLVCR1a, which localizes to the plasma membrane, and FLVCR1b, which localizes to mitochondria. Here, we investigated the role of the two Flvcr1 isoforms during erythropoiesis. We showed that, in mice and zebrafish, Flvcr1a is required for the expansion of committed erythroid progenitors but cannot drive their terminal differentiation, while Flvcr1b contributes to the expansion phase and is required for differentiation. FLVCR1a-down-regulated K562 cells have defective proliferation, enhanced differentiation, and heme loading in the cytosol, while FLVCR1a/1b-deficient K562 cells show impairment in both proliferation and differentiation, and accumulate heme in mitochondria. These data support a model in which the coordinated expression of Flvcr1a and Flvcr1b contributes to control the size of the cytosolic heme pool required to sustain metabolic activity during the expansion of erythroid progenitors and to allow hemoglobinization during their terminal maturation. Consistently, reduction or increase of the cytosolic heme rescued the erythroid defects in zebrafish deficient in Flvcr1a or Flvcr1b, respectively. Thus, heme export represents a tightly regulated process that controls erythropoiesis.
49 citations
TL;DR: An HPLC-HRMS based method to rapidly measure multiple prenol lipid molecules from zebrafish tissues for concurrent detection of ubiquinones and cholesterol, vitamin E (α-tocopherol), vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 is presented.
14 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that noradrenergic (NA) differentiation of SN precursors temporally coincides with vascular mural cell (VMC) recruitment to the DA and vascular maturation, and PDGFR-mediated mural cell recruitment mediates neurovascular interactions between the aorta and sympathetic precursor and promotes their nor adrenergic differentiation.
14 citations