Maurizio Casiraghi

Publications (63) View all

• Source

  Available from: Anna Sandionigi

  Article: Analytical approaches for DNA barcoding data: how to find a way for plants?

  Anna Sandionigi, Andrea Galimberti, Massimo Labra, Emanuele Ferri, Emanuele Panunzi, Fabrizio De Mattia, Maurizio Casiraghi, A Zooplantlab
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  ABSTRACT: Identification of living beings is a core problem in biology. Identification can be achieved by several methods, but in recent decades, molecular techniques have become more and more common. DNA barcoding is an initiative that was launched less than 10 years ago, but which has already gained a reputation in biological studies. The method was originally applied to metazoans, but it was rapidly used to discriminate plants. However, in plants there were several problems, including the choice of the right markers, their universality and the discrimination power. On the whole, DNA barcoding in plants is slightly behind when compared to animals, but it is likely that the gap will be filled in a Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2 – 20126 Milan, Italy short period of time. In a DNA barcoding approach molecular and bioinformatics are deeply linked to generate the identification system. In this paper we summarize the recent advances in DNA barcoding bioinformatics, by reviewing the principal approaches and critically analyzing the procedures
  Plant Biosystems 10/2012; · 1.42 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Sueli Souza LIma

  Article: A new type F Wolbachia from Splendidofilariinae (Onchocercidae) supports the recent emergence of this supergroup.

  Emilie Lefoulon, Laurent Gavotte, Kerstin Junker, Michela Barbuto, Shigehiko Uni, Frederic Landmann, Sauli Laaksonen, Susanna Saari, Sven Nikander, Sueli de Souza Lima, Maurizio Casiraghi, Odile Bain, Coralie Martin
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  ABSTRACT: Wolbachia are vertically transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria of arthropods and onchocercid nematodes. It is commonly accepted that they co-evolved with their filarial hosts, and have secondarily been lost in some species. However, most of the data on the Wolbachia/Onchocercidae relationship have been derived from studies on two subfamilies, the Dirofilariinae and the Onchocercinae, which harbour parasites of humans and domestic animals. Within the last few years, analyses of more diverse material have suggested that some groups of Onchocercidae do not have Wolbachia, such as recently studied Splendidofilariinae from birds. This study takes advantage of the analysis of additional Splendidofilariinae, Rumenfilaria andersoni from a Finnish reindeer and Madathamugadia hiepei from a South African gecko, using PCR, immunohistochemical staining and whole-mount fluorescent analysis to detect Wolbachia and describe its strains. A DNA barcoding approach and phylogenetic analyses were used to investigate the symbiosis between Wolbachia and the Onchocercidae. A new supergroup F Wolbachia was demonstrated in M. hiepei, representing the first filarial nematode harbouring Wolbachia described in a non-mammalian host. In the adult, Wolbachia infects the female germline but not the hypodermis, and intestinal cells are also infected. The phylogenetic analyses confirmed a recent emergence of supergroup F. They also suggested several events of horizontal transmission between nematodes and arthropods in this supergroup, and the existence of different metabolic interactions between the filarial nematodes and their symbionts.
  International journal for parasitology 10/2012; · 3.39 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Andrea Galimberti

  Article: DNA barcoding as a new tool for food traceability

  Andrea Galimberti, Fabrizio De Mattia, Alessia Losa, Ilaria Bruni, Silvia Federici, Maurizio Casiraghi, Stefano Martellos, Massimo Labra
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  ABSTRACT: Food safety and quality are nowadays a major concern. Any case of food alteration, especially when reported by the media, has a great impact on public opinion. There is an increasing demand for the improvement of quality controls, hence addressing scientific research towards the development of reliable molecular tools for food analysis. DNA barcoding is a widely used molecular-based system, which can identify biological spec-imens, and is used for the identification of both raw materials and processed food. In this review the results of several researches are critically analyzed, in order to exploit the effectiveness of DNA barcoding in food trace-ability, and to delineate some best practices in the application of DNA barcoding throughout the industrial pipeline. The use of DNA barcoding for food safety and in the identification of commercial fraud is also discussed.
  Food Research International 09/2012; · 3.15 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Adriano Martinoli

  Dataset: PLoS one 2012

  Andrea Galimberti, Martina Spada, Danilo Russo, Mauro Mucedda, Paolo Agnelli, Angelica Crottini, Emanuele Ferri, Adriano Martinoli, Maurizio Casiraghi
• Article: Errors in ribosomal sequence datasets generated using PCR-coupled 'panbacterial' pyrosequencing, and the establishment of an improved approach.

  Erica M Prosdocimi, Stefano Novati, Raffaele Bruno, Claudio Bandi, Patrizia Mulatto, Riccardo Giannico, Maurizio Casiraghi, Emanuele Ferri
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  ABSTRACT: Universal bacterial primers are often used in PCR-coupled sequencing approaches to investigate environmental and host-associated bacterial communities. Some of these primers can also amplify eukaryotic DNA. This is leading to the submission of datasets to public databases which are erroneously annotated as prokaryotic sequences. The present note sends a message about the risk of submitting incorrectly annotated sequence data and suggests a reliable approach for the sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and identification of bacteria within complex communities.
  Molecular and Cellular Probes 07/2012; · 2.08 Impact Factor