Unit of Molecular evolution & reproductive strategies
Lab of Molecular Zoology
tel. ++39 051 209 4169
fax ++39 051 209 4286
Group Leader: Barbara Mantovani
E-mail : barbara.mantovani@unibo.it
Research in progress :
- Main research areas are: 1) Animal taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny: morphometric, ultrastructural (SEM and TEM) and karyological analyses together with mitochondrial and nuclear markers studies are utilized for taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny of Arthropoda showing non canonical sexuality such as: i) Crustacea Branchiopoda Notostraca and Conchostraca (with instances of hermaphroditism, androdioeicy and parthenogenesis) ii) Insecta Isoptera (gonochoric but not panmictic because of their eusociality) iii) Insecta Siphonaptera (fleas with unbalanced sex ratio, sometimes embodying the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis, known as a host sexuality modifier). 2) Repetitive DNA sequence evolution: The molecular dynamics of repetitive sequences are analyzed in the nuclear genome of some of the above reported animal models through the study of rDNA, satellites, microsatellites and transposons in order to determine their rate and mechanism of evolution with a particular attention to the concerted evolution theory ad to the library hypothesis.
- For full descriptions on our researches please refer to the following page: MoZoo Lab
Funding :
- PRIN 1999 (MIUR) (Barbara Mantovani) "Variazione geografica e biodiversita': cause evolutive e conseguenze ecologiche".
- PRIN 1999 (MIUR) (Franca Scanabissi) "Ecologia evoluzionistica delle strategie riproduttive: controllo ambientale e genetico della dormienza e della riproduzione sessuata".
- Azienda USL Bologna citta' 2002-2003: "Riconoscimento macroscopico, microscopico o tramite analisi del DNA di Insetti potenzialmente pericolosi"
- PRIN 2002 (MIUR) (Franca Scanabissi) "Variabilita' genetica e varianza riproduttiva: sistemi animali non canonici a confronto".
- Donazione Canziani
- European Science Foundations funding the for Exploratory Workshop "Heterochromatin structure and function: from repetitive DNA sequences to epigenetics", (Donja Stubica, Croatia, 20-23/9/2008) (Barbara Mantovani, co-convenor).
- Funding for a joint research projects within the III executive programme of Scientific and Technological co-operation for the exchange of researchers between Croatia and Italy "Origin and evolution of satellite DNAs in two economically relevant Venerupis bivalve molluscs of the Adriatic Sea" (2009-2010).
- PRIN 2008-2010 (MIUR) (Barbara Mantovani) "Retrotransposon dynamics and inbred genomes: the termite diplo-diploid eusocial model"
- Contributo Fondazione del Monte (Barbara Mantovani) "Pirosequenziamento di genomi di Artropodi modello"
Patents :
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Selected Publications :
- Mingazzini V., Luchetti A., Mantovani B. 2010 R2 dynamics in Triops cancriformis (Bosc, 1801) (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Notostraca): turnover rate and 28S concerted evolution. Heredity in press
- Velona' A., Ghesini S., Luchetti A., Marini M., Mantovani B. 2010 Starting from Crete, a phylogenetic re-analysis of the genus Reticulitermes in the Mediterranean area. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.04.037
- Plohl M., Petrović V., Luchetti A., Ricci A., Satović E., Passamonti M., Mantovani B. 2010 Long-term conservation vs high sequence divergence: the case of an extraordinarily old satellite DNA in bivalve mollusks. Heredity 104: 543-551
- Luchetti A., Mantovani B. 2009 Talua SINE biology in the genome of the Reticulitermes subterranean termites (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae). Journal of Molecular Evolution 69: 589-600.
- Pampiglione S., Fioravanti M.L. , Gustinelli A., Onore G. , Mantovani B. , Luchetti A., Trentini M. 2009 Sand flea (Tunga spp.) infections in humans and domestic animals: state of the art. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 23: 172-186.
- Velona' A., Luchetti A., Scanabissi F., Mantovani B. 2009 Genetic variability and reproductive modalities in European populations of Triops cancriformis (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Notostraca). Italian Journal of Zoology 76 (4): 366-375.
- Mantovani B., Cesari M., Luchetti A., Scanabissi F. 2008 Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA variability in the living fossil Triops cancriformis (Bosc, 1801) (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Notostraca). Heredity 100 (5): 496-505
- Plohl M., Luchetti A., Mestrović N., Mantovani B. 2008 Satellite DNAs between selfishness and functionality: structure, genomics and evolution of tandem repeats in centromeric (hetero)chromatin. Gene, 409: 72-82.
- Luchetti A., Marini M., Mantovani B. 2007 Filling the European gap: biosystematics of the eusocial system Reticulitermes (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) in the Balkanic Peninsula and Aegean area. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 45(1): 377-383.
- Bergamaschi S., Dawes-Gromadzki T.Z., Luchetti A., Marini M., Mantovani B. 2007 Molecular taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships among Australian Nasutitermes and Tumulitermes genera (Isoptera, Nasutitermitinae) inferred from mitochondrial COII and 16S sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 45(3): 813-821.
- Luchetti A., Scanabissi F., Mantovani B. 2007 Evolution of LEP150 sub-repeat array within the ribosomal IGS of the clam shrimp Leptestheria dahalacensis (Crustacea Branchiopoda Conchostraca). Gene, 400: 174-180.
- Luchetti A., Trentini M. Pampiglione S., Fioravanti M.L., Mantovani B. 2007 Genetic variability of Tunga penetrans (Siphonaptera, Tungidae) sand fleas across South America and Africa. Parasitology Research, 100: 593-598.
- Cesari M., Luchetti A., Scanabissi F., Mantovani B. 2007 Genetic variability in European Leptestheria dahalacensis (Rüppel, 1837) (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Spinicaudata). Hydrobiologia, 586: 249-260.
- Luchetti A., Scanabissi F., Mantovani B. 2006 Molecular characterization of ribosomal intergenic spacer in the tadpole shrimp Triops cancriformis (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Notostraca). Genome, 49 (8): 888-893.
- Luchetti A., Marini M., Mantovani B. 2006 Non-concerted evolution of the RET76 satellite DNA family in Reticulitermes taxa (Insecta, Isoptera). Genetica, 128:123-132.
Postgraduate training :
- PhD programme in Biodiversity and Evolution : Phylogeny and Molecular Evolution in animals
Collaborations :
Molecular systematics : Dr T. Davies-Gromadski, CSIRO, Darwin, Australia: Molecular systematics of Australian Isoptera
Reproductive biology and systematics : Dr E. Eder , Universitat Wien, Institut fur Zoologie, 1090 Wien, Austria: Reproductive biology and systematics of North European Branchiopoda
Morphological and molecular systematics : prof. G. Onore, Escuela de Ciencias Biologicas, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador, Apartado 17-012-2184 QUITO, ECUADOR: Morphological and molecular systematics of Tunga species from Ecuador and Peru
Reproductive biology and systematics : Dr S. C. Weeks, Dept. of Biology, University of Akron, OH, U.S.A: Reproductive biology and systematics of North American Branchiopoda
Molecular evolution : Dr. Miroslav Plohl, Department of molecular genetics, Ruđer Bosković Institute, Bijenička 54, HR-10002 Zagreb, Croatia. Molecular evolution of satellite DNA in animals
Taxonomy and phylogeny : prof. M. Trentini, Dipartimento di Sanita' Pubblica Veterinaria e Patologia Animale, Universita' di Bologna : Molecular taxonomy, phylogeny and phylogeography of Tunga penetrans and T. trimamillata (Siphonaptera, Tungidae)
Population genetics : Dr. Anne-Genevieve Bagneres, Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte I.R.B.I. - UMR CNRS 6035 - Faculte' des Sciences et Techniques, Universite' de Tours Parc Grandmont, F-37200 Tours, France. Colony structure in European Reticulitermes termites
Molecular evolution : Dr. Jiri Macas, Biology Centre ASCR, Institute of Plant Molecular Biology - Branisovska 31, Ceske Budejovice, CZ-37005, Czech Republic. eccDNA in Arthropods genomes
Links :
GenBank
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
S.Weeks
http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/hmpg1.html
E.Eder
http://www.urzeitkrebse.at/
Ente Risi
http://www.enterisi.it/
Postgraduate training
http://www.dipartimentobiologia.it/doctoraltraining/mantovani.asp
Consortium for the Barcode of Life
http://www.barcoding.si.edu/
BOLD system
http://www.barcodinglife.org/views/login.php
Lab of Molecular Zoology - MoZoo
www.mozoolab.net
Research group :
Barbara Mantovani (Professor of Zoology)
Franca Scanabissi (Associate professor of Zoology)
Andrea Luchetti (Research fellowship)
Alessandro Velona' (PhD student)
Valentina Mingazzini (PhD student)
Marco Ricci (PhD student)
