
Luis Ovidiu PopaNational Museum of Natural History “Grigore Antipa” · Molecular Biology
Luis Ovidiu Popa
Ph.D.
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Publications (88)
The book contains the abstracts and program of the international zoological congress ZOOLOGYCON 2024, organized by the Grigore Antipa Museum and held in Bucharest, Romania from 6th to 9th November 2024.
Background
The endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidases (ERAPs) are responsible for trimming protein residues to optimal length for major histocompatibility complex class-1 mediated antigen presentation process. Genome-wide association studies have shown the influence of ERAP1 and ERAP2 genetic variants in disease susceptibility for autoimmune disorde...
Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the largest Coleoptera species in Europe and one of the most recognizable. It is a saproxylic species living in woodlands and wooded urban habitats and spending its larval stages inside tree trunks below or near soil level, feeding on decaying wood. The stag beetle has a wide distribution covering the entir...
Unlabelled:
1.
Introduction:
Multiple cytokines have been studied for their role in the propagation of the inflammatory process related to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but the role of interleukin-4 remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of two IL-4 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in disease suscep...
The unique aquatic Pontocaspian (PC) biota of the Black Sea Basin (BSB) is in decline. The lack of detailed knowledge on the status and trends of species, populations, and communities hampers a thorough risk assessment and precludes effective conservation. This paper reviews PC biodiversity trends in the BSB (Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, an...
Until the beginning of the 21st century, the famous medicinal leech was thought to be represented by only one species, Hirudo medicinalis. However, recent publications have demonstrated that under that name, at least five different species of medicinal leeches were hidden. During the last decade, the biogeography of Western-Palaearctic leeches has...
In the present study 423 Lucanus cervus individuals belonging to the entomological collection of the” Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History (MNINGA) were checked for the presence of morphological differences and anomalies. Various malformations were identified in 16 specimens. This study also presents the first cases of bilateral symph...
Dr. Dumitru Murariu was born on September 21, 1940 in Ungureni, Botoşani County, as the first child in a peasant family. He attended primary and secondary school in his home village. Since the beginning he proved himself to be one of the brightest students in the class and, as a consequence, the school teachers advised his parents to have him conti...
Abstract The long-term survival of a species requires, among other things, gene flow between populations. Approaches for the evaluation of fragmentation in the frame of freshwater habitats consider only a small amount of the information that combined demography and geography are currently able to provide. This study addresses two species of Austrop...
Palaeoecological records are required to test ecological hypotheses necessary for conservation strategies as short-term observations can insufficiently capture natural variability and identify drivers of biotic change. Here, we demonstrate the importance of an integrated conservation palaeobiology approach when making validated decisions for conser...
Defining and recording the loss of species diversity is a daunting task, especially if identities of species under threat are not fully resolved. An example is the Pontocaspian biota. The mostly endemic invertebrate faunas that evolved in the Black Sea – Caspian Sea – Aral Sea region and live under variable salinity conditions are undergoing strong...
Palaeoecological records are required to test ecological hypotheses necessary for conservation strategies as short-term observations can be insufficiently to capture natural variability and identify drivers of biotic change. Here, we demonstrate the importance of an integrated conservation palaeobiology approach to make validated decisions for cons...
Two new feather mite species of the genus Montesauria Oudemans, 1905, collected from thrushes (Turdidae) in India, are described: Montesauria hernandesi sp. n. from Turdus dissimilis Blyth, 1847 and M. caerulea sp. n. from Myophonus caeruleus (Scopoli, 1786). Both species belong to the merulae species group, being morphologically closest to other t...
A new species of the feather mite genus Trouessartia (Trouessartiidae) is described from the Large Niltava Niltava grandis (Blyth) (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae) in Northeast India (Meghalaya, Jaintia Hills, Shnongrim village). Trouessartia niltavae Constantinescu, sp. n. is morphologically closely related (no phylogenetic meaning) to T. bulligera G...
A new species of the feather mite genus Trouessartia (Trouessartiidae) is described from the Large Niltava Niltavagrandis (Blyth) (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae) in Northeast India (Meghalaya, Jaintia Hills, Shnongrim village). Trouessartianiltavae Constantinescu, sp. n. is morphologically closely related (no phylogenetic meaning) to T.bulligera Gaud...
Objectives
This work aimed to describe the genetic landscape of the Balkan Peninsula, as revealed by STR markers commonly used in forensics and spatial methods specifically developed for genetic data.
Methods
We generated and analyzed 16 short tandem repeats (STRs) autosomal genotypes in 287 subjects from ten administrative/geographical regions of...
Understanding the invasive potential of species outside their native range is one of the most pressing questions in applied evolutionary and ecological research. Admixture of genotypes of invasive species from multiple sources has been implicated in successful invasions, by generating novel genetic combinations that facilitate rapid adaptation to n...
Genus Isophya is one of the most species-rich genera from the European Orthoptera, comprising 97 taxons described so far, commonly known as plump bushcrickets. Based on their morphology, most of these taxa are grouped in several species complexes. One of these is “Isophya pyrenaea” species complex with 14 species, some of them recently described (W...
The Danube salmon or huchen (Hucho hucho, Linnaeus, 1758) is an endemic species in the Danube basin, being almost extinct in particular because of anthropogenic activities. The huchen has a special status throughout Europe, being listed on Appendix III of the Bern Convention and on Annexes II and V of the EU Habitat Directive and is a protected spe...
A new species of the feather mite genus Proterothrix (Proctophyllodidae: Pterodectinae) is described from the Large Niltava Niltava grandis (Blyth) (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae) in northeast India (Meghalaya, Jaintia Hills, Shnongrim village). Proterothrix chachulae Constantinescu, sp. n. differs from all known species of the genus by having in mal...
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that belongs to the group of spondyloarthritis (SpA). It was found that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase (ERAP1 and ERAP2) genes influence the risk of ankylosing spondylitis, the most common form of SpA and the risk of psoriasis. Our purpose w...
The Curve-tailed Plump Bush-cricket, Isophya camptoxypha (Fieber, 1853), is a species with a Central European distribution, in the Carpathians and Eastern Alps, being reported from: Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and Austria. The habitat preferences of this species comprise subalpine mesophytic meadows, dominated by dicotyledonous broa...
The terrestrial snail Helix pomatia (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Helicidae) is one of the largest gastropod species in Europe. This species is strictly protected in some European Union countries; however, at the same time, it is also farmed and commercialized for human consumption. Here, we describe 11 microsatellite markers that are very useful i...
Objective. Our aim was to investigate whether two ERAP2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs2910686 and rs2248374) influence spondyloarthritis (SpA) susceptibility in Romanians.
Methods. The case control study included 139 controls and 192 SpA patients. The two polymorphisms were genotyped by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The associa...
Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate whether two IL1A gene polymorphisms, rs17561 and rs1800587, influence disease susceptibility for seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SpA) in Romanians. Subsequently, we analysed separately ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) subgroups in relation with the two IL1A gene varian...
Objective. Our aim was to investigate whether two ERAP1 gene variants, rs30187 and rs27044, influence the clinical characteristics of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (the age of onset and the type of articular manifestations - axial or mixed) in Romanian patients. Methods. We studied 94 AS patients and 139 healthy controls. The method used for genotypi...
Introduction:
Leukotriene C4 synthase (LTC4S) gene -444A/C polymorphism has been implicated in susceptibility to asthma, but a large number of studies have reported inconclusive results. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the -444A/C polymorphism of LTC4S gene and asthma, asthma phenotypes (aspirin intolerant/tolerant...
The Carpathians are one of the largest mountain ranges in Europe and played an important role in the survival of boreo-alpine taxa during Pleistocene. Pholidoptera transsylvanica is an alpine bush-cricket, endemic to the Carpathians, found in Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine with the most numerous and biggest populations located in Romania. The species i...
In this study we analyzed comparatively the host-parasite associations between two fish
host species invasive in Europe (Lepomis gibbosus and
Pseudorasbora parva) and one known generalist parasite species, the
copepod Lernaea cyprinacea. We used a fragment of the hypervariable
region D1-D2 of the 28S rRNA to confirm that the copepod specimens colle...
The use of DNA barcoding in alien invasions has recently proved to be a powerful tool in delineating dispersal pathways and clarifying doubtful identifications. Morphological similarities between Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906) and Anadara inaequivalvis (Bruguière, 1789) require the use of genetic markers in identifying the ark shell species...
Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) is an invasive species which has spread rapidly across Europe over the last few.decades. Although it is
already well established throughout Italy (both in lakes and in rivers), during a regular monitoring of the mussel communities in Northern
Italy, this species was found for the first time in the fluvial natural re...
The Transylvanian bush-cricket, Pholidoptera transsylvanica, is a protected mesophytic species endemic to the Carpathian Mountains grasslands. We developed 14 polymorphic microsatellite markers in order to investigate the population genetic structure of this species. These markers were tested on a population sample and the average number of alleles...
We describe here eight polymorphic microsatellite markers for Nannospalax leucodon, an exclusively subterranean and highly specialized rodent species which exhibits range contractions and population declines in Europe. The level of polymorphism was tested on 36 individuals of blind mole rat from Doubroudja region, in South-Eastern part of Romania....
In this study we analyzed at a submeso-geographic scale (2 km) the genetic diversity of two sub-populations of Platynereis dumerilii and correlated this with the physical characteristics of the marine currents along the western Black Sea coast. For this purpose, we developed a set of 13 new polymorphic microsatellite markers and used them to assess...
The use of DNA barcoding in alien invasions has recently proved to be a powerful tool in delineating dispersal pathways and clarifying doubtful identifications. Morphological similarities between Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906) and Anadara inaequivalvis (Bruguière, 1789) require the use of genetic markers in identifying the ark shell species...
The sequences alignment consisted of 509bp with 63 variable positions, out of which 43 are parsimony informative. Average pairwise genetic distances were 2.9% among all specimens. The largest distance was observed between Isophya ciucasi and Isophya camptoxypha 6.4%. The average pairwise genetic distances calculated on the whole Isophya genusis 15%...
We investigated two nonsynonymous variants (rs30187 and rs27044) of ERAP1 gene in HLA-B27 positive individuals (150 spondyloarthritis and 108 controls) and in general ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients (n = 137) vs random controls (n = 139). Both single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with the risk of spondyloarthritis [odds ratio...
Abstract Ten microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized for Stys's bush-cricket, Isophya stysi Cejchan (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), an endemic Orthoptera species to the Carpathian Basin, using an enriched genomic library procedure. The polymorphism of these loci were tested in two populations of I. stysi, and the number of alleles per locu...
Background:
The cytokines IL12 and IL23 have been recently implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In this study we investigated the genetic variations in the genes coding for IL12, IL23 and IL23 receptor as a plausible source of susceptibility and modification of clinical symptoms of PsA in Romanian population.
Methods:
Twe...
Ten microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized for Stys's bush-cricket, Isophya stysi Cejchan (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), an endemic Orthoptera species to the Carpathian Basin, us-ing an enriched genomic library procedure. The polymorphism of these loci were tested in two populations of I. stysi, and the number of alleles per locus varied...
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with predominant involvement of the spine. Recent findings showed that variations of the genes coding for members of the Th17 axis influence the risk of AS (1, 2). Among these genes, IL12B that encodes the common subunit p40 of the heterodimeric cytokines IL12 and IL23 was less studied....
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a family of rheumatic diseases with common clinical features (inflammatory back pain, asymmetrical oligoarthritis, enthesitis), but also with genetic similarities – such as HLA-B27. ERAP1 gene encodes an endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase involved in peptide precursor trimming before loading into HLA class I molecules....
The invasive softshell clam (Mya arenaria Linnaeus, 1758) is native to the northwestern region of the Atlantic Ocean. This species has been introduced in the northeast Pacific and along the European coasts, due to intense naval transports and aquaculture, and it is now present in all the European seas. In this paper we describe seven new microsatel...
In this study, we used data from morphology and three DNA markers to assess the taxonomic status of the putative bivalve species Hypanis colorata and Hypanis angusticostata in a Black Sea lagoon, the Razelm Lake in Romania. The morphological data (the shape of shell ribs and the multivariate analysis of morphometric variance of three variables cons...
Hypanis colorata (Eichwald, 1829) (Cardiidae: Lymnocardiinae) is a bivalve relict species with a Ponto-Caspian distribution and is under strict protection in Romania, according to national regulations. While the species is depressed in the western Black Sea lagoons from Romania and Ukraine, it is also a successful invader in the middle Dniepr and V...
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis. We have performed a case-control association study of three TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms in a group of Romanian psoriatic arthritis patients versus ethnically matched controls. A second group of patients with undi...
Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) is a large Unionid species with a real invasion success. It colonized Europe, Central America, the Indonesian Islands and recently North America. The species life cycle involves a larval parasitic stage on freshwater fish species which contributes to the spread of the mussel. In this paper we describe, for the first...
Infestation of the pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) by the copepod Lernaea Cyprinacea (Crustacea) - some ecological aspects
The copepod Lernaea cyprinacea Linnaeus, 1758 is known by the large spectrum of fish hosts which it infests, and to which it can cause haemorrhages and ulcerations. The paper focuses on some aspects of the...
The major aim of this study is to describe the first microsatellite loci for the stone-crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium), by cross-species am-plification. Austropotamobius torrentium is a priority species in the EU Habitats Directive and it needs effective conservation management efforts throughout Europe. We tested cross-species amplification...
We determined the distribution of human leukocyte antigen-C (HLA-C) allelic groups in a cohort of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients and a control population of Romanian ethnicity. A nominal association of HLA-C*06 with susceptibility to PsA was observed [P = 0.014, p(corr) > 0.05, odds ratio (OR) 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-4.46]. When...
This paper is a synthesis of the faunistic data present in the specialized literature on the alien decapod species identified in the Romanian fauna
Xenodiversity of decapod species (Crustaceea: Decapoda: Reptantia) from the Romanian waters
This paper is a synthesis of the faunistic data present in the specialized literature on the alien decapod species identified in the Romanian fauna between 1951 and 2010: Orconectes limosus (Rafinesque, 1817), Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896, Rhithropanope...
Morphometric analysis of some populations of lymnocardiid species (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from Razelm Lake Complex (Romania)
In this paper we report the morphometric analysis of some populations of Lymnocardiid species from the lakes Razelm and Goloviţa. We used three measurements ratios to perform a discriminant analysis and a multivariate analysis o...
The analysis of 310 Romanian spondyloarthritides patients confirmed the association of the HLA-B27 marker with the susceptibility to different diseases of this group. For ankylosing spondylitis, the HLA-B27 frequency in Romanian patients (72.1%) was similar to that found in several regions in the Mediterranean area.
Present Limnocardiidae species are relicts of a spread fauna during the geological past, in the Pontic-Aral-Caspian range. Family Limnocardiidae has a distribution range formed of the Caspian Sea, Aral Sea and the lagoons of the Black Sea. In the Romanian fauna, three genera were reported as belonging to this family: Didacna Eichwald, 1838, Adacna...
In this paper we present some aspects regarding the diversity of the Orthoptera communities in a comparative way, from three grasslands from Comana forest, the main component of Comana Natural Park. We analyze the data collected systematically in May, July and September during a two years period using synecological and diversity indices. A total of...
In 2006 and 2007 living individuals of Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea 1834) were collected from the eastern part of Romania. These samples represent the first report of this invasive species in the region and indicate that this alien species has colonized the main aquatic basins of Romania.
To analyze the contribution of the Czech population to the Y-chromosome diversity landscape of Europe and to reconstruct past demographic events, we typed 257 males from five locations for 21 UEPs. Moreover, 141 carriers of the three most common haplogroups were typed for 10 microsatellites and coalescent analyses applied. Sixteen Hg's characterize...
In this paper we propose an evaluation of four DNA extraction methods in terms of DNA quantity, quality and success of the subsequent PCR amplifications of nuclear and mitochondrial loci. Individuals from the following freshwater invasive mussels in Romania were used to asses the efficiency of the DNA extraction methods: Dreissena polymorpha, Dreis...
The occurence of Dreissena bugensis (Andrusov 1897) from the Romanian Danube is reported. This represents the most westward occurrence point of quagga mussel in Europe.
In this paper we report the first occurrence of the rotan Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877 and the black bullhead Ameiurus melas Rafinesque, 1820 in the Romanian sector of the Danube. Given the present distribution range in Europe, it is possible that the reported specimen of rotan (Perccottus glenii) belongs to a different population than the prev...