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Gabriele Ciaccio

  • Biodiversity Journal, 10 (4): 457-461 - MONOGRAPH

    Maria Flaminia Persichetti, Viviana Giangreco, Antonio Gentile, Tiziana Lupo, Gabriele Ciaccio & Santo Caracappa
    Molecular barcoding applied to the Mediterranean turtles biological matrices (Reptilia Cheloniidae)
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2019.10.4.457.461

    ABSTRACT
    Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) together with Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) is the most representative Cheloniidae species in the Mediterranean basin. Currently, at the National Reference Centre in the “Istituto Zooprofilattico” of Sicily (Italy), damaged subjects are rehabilitated before they are released again. Clinical, physiological and molecular parameters were collected from each subject. We analysed 46 turtles which samples were collected. Species specific Cytochrome oxidase I sequences for the identification of marine turtle species were obtained. Barcoding is a new tool of classical taxonomy that allows the characterisation of living species and the differentiation of very morphologically similar species. It is a practical tool that can be used in cases of damaged samples and is also useful for taxonomical characterisation of specimen at immature development stages. In our region, in the centre of the Mediterranean area, we represent a reference centre for injured animals both stranded on the beach and captured in offshore.Turtles caught in fishing lines generally retain the fishing hooks in their throat or oesophagus, as visible by X-ray investigations. After the cure and samples collection, the animals are released into the sea. The polymorphisms could be related to the geographical distance of the turtles following different routes during their life. The large-scale sequencing of a single or few genes in taxonomic studies, denominated by species barcoding, aims at offering a practical method for species identification, as well as for providing insights into the evolutionary diversification of life.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 10 (4): 445-450 - MONOGRAPH

    Viviana Giangreco, Tiziana Lupo, Ignazio Sammarco, Maurizio Bivona, Gabriele Ciaccio, Luca Sineo & Stefano Reale
    Genetic database development for the characterisation of Sicilian sheep population
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2019.10.4.445.450

    ABSTRACT
    The most representative sheep in Sicily are Belicina, Comisana, Pinzirita, Barbaresca and the crossbred derived sheep from all this species. In this study, the allelic frequencies of the Sicilian sheep population were investigated. It currently represents the best way to determine the genetic identity and/or family even with limited amounts of sample or when the DNA is degraded. The aim of the study was to provide a reference data bank and to evaluate a microsatellite panel for pedigree analysis as suggested by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG). There are various studies on European sheep, but few datasets were developed on the population of Sicilian sheep. The reference database will include allele frequencies at each locus and will determine genetic parameters for Sicilian ovine species selection. Our results indicated that Hardy Weinberg equilibrium was not always maintained. These results could be explained by a non-random mating. The database is useful to investigate the relationship, the parentage the meat traceability and in disease control programs. The standardized panels of allele frequencies represent a molecular fingerprinting characterizing the subjects with very high definition level and can be useful to control all the livestock. The parentage identification could be important for the veterinary police to investigate the theft or the animal substitutions in the Sicilian farms.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 10 (4): 329-336

    Davide Vancheri, Andrea Tetamo, Stefano Reale, Eugenia Oliveri & Gabriele Ciaccio
    Melissopalinological study of Sicilian honey by morphological and molecoular approach
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2019.10.4.329.336

    ABSTRACT
    With the Legislative Decree n.179 of 21 May 2004 on the unifloral honey’s characteristics and with the CEE regulation 2081/92 of DOP denomination (from protect origin), scientific investigations in the agri-food sector started to occupy a prominent position with increasing importance. This area of investigation has been considerably deepened, becoming fundamental in order to consider this term valid, as it is also fundamental for investigation on production chain and denomination, made on various types of products. The morpho-genetic characterization analysis of pollen from honeys, made in the present work, lands itself well to this purpose; with the aim of ascertaining the validity of the wording of “unifloral” applied to some products from the beekeeping industry. Since the implications to which the investigations in the agri-food sector lead to cover not only the purely scientific-agronomic, but also the legal field, it follows the importance of an increasingly scientifically accurate methodology that also allows a faster processing of the sample. The protocol commonly used for pollen characterization of honeys is based on the visual recognition of the pollen present in the sample, their count and statistical analysis of the data obtained. Our method, using Real Time PCR technology, allows a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the pollen species inherent in the sample, thus allowing a fast and accurate analysis of the data that lends itself well to assist the classical research based on visual recognition of pollen.