centro biotecnologie avanzate

LABORATORY OF: Marine Biotechnology
CONTACT PERSON: Prof. Marco Giovine (University of Genova)
Phone +39 0105737440 - 480 E-mail: mgiovine@unige.it

Description of Laboratory and Expertise:

The laboratory investigates both basic and application-oriented aspect of the biology of several marine invertebrates, most specifically the biology of silica and biosilicification, and the development of innovative, though poor, technology-based systems of wastewater treatment, respectively. Applications extend, prospectively, to the extraction or the cloning, followed by molecular characterization, of new compounds from marine organisms to be exploited for biomedical applications.

Abstract of Activities:

Molecular characterization of enzymes catalysing biosilica precipitation for applications in nanotechnology and biomedicine.
Industrial development of innovative systems for wastewater treatment (MUDS) and upgrading of home-made such systems and bioreactors.

Detailed Research Activities:

Biosilica: Natural proteins coming from marine sponges (silicateins) are used as a model for the structure-directed synthesis of amorphous silica (biosilica). Usually the synthesis of glass-like silica structures requires high temperature or high pressure processes, this limiting the possibility to build up functional biomolecule-silica composite structures. These proteins are able to catalyze silica deposition under soft environmental conditions (room temperature or low temperature and atmospheric pressure),thereby allowing the biosynthesis of silica nanostructures containing enzymes or other organic compounds like fluorophores or drugs.
The specific aims of the project are: 1) To biochemically characterize the native, natural silicateins from different sponge species and demonstrate their unique ability to precipitate nanostructured biosilica under mild environmental conditions, thus serving as a model for novel (bio)technological applications. 2) To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the control of structural and molecular properties of biogenic nanostructured silica and to identify the best suitable substrates for low cost production of biosilica. 3) Use of native or recombinant silicateins for the co-precipitation of silica together with industrial enzymes, fluorophores or drugs and to check and possibly to optimize their activity under water or anhydrous conditions. 4) To produce functionalized and size–controlled silica nanostructures for biomedical or biological research.
MUDS: The acronym means “Marine Underwater Depuration System” and concerns a new process and the relative submerged plant, suitable for carrying out the submarine biopurification using marine organisms of the effluents (wastewaters) discharged into the sea from coastal municipalities or other isolated human settlings. This system was invented by the researchers now operating at the Marine biotechnology laboratory of ABC,where the industrial scaling-up and the study of new applications of this system are now under development.

Applications and Developments:

Biosilica: medicine; biology and micro-electronics; nanobiotechnological devices.
MUDS: environment (wastewater treatment). Up-grading of pre-existing systems to make them suitable for a wide range of conditions of marine environments and of specific needs and tools of biodepuration.

Managed core facilities:

1.Molecular biology laboratory
2,Marine biology laboratory equipped with Mediterranean aquarium and marine cell incubator
3 Biochemistry laboratory

Ongoing collaborations:

Prof. Werner Müller, BIOTECmarin GmbH, Mainz, DE (Biosilica)
Prof. Heinz-Christoph Schröder, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, DE (Biosilica)
Ing. Francesco Gasparoni, Tecnomare (ENI), Venezia, Italy (MUDS)
Ing. David Corsini, Telerobot S.r.l., Genova, Italy (MUDS)
Dott. Dario Pisignano, National Nanotechnology Laboratory (CNR-INFM) Lecce, Italy (Biosilica).
Prof. Sergey Belikov, Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkusk, Russia (Biosilica).

Most recent and significant publications:

Zocchi E, Carpaneto A, Cerrano C, Bavestrello G, Giovine M, Bruzzone S, Guida L, Franco L, Usai The temperature-signaling cascade in sponges involves a heat-gated cation channel, abscisic acid, and cyclic ADP-ribose. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Dec 18;98(26):

Cattaneo-Vietti R., Benatti U., Cerrano C., Giovine M, Tazioli S, Bavestrello G A marine biological underwater depuration system (MUDS) to process waste waters. Biomol Eng. 2003 Jul;20(4-6):291-8.

Bavestrello G., Benatti U., Cattaneo-Vietti R., Cerrano C., Giovine M. Sponge cell reactivity to various forms of silica. Microsc Res Tech. 2003 Nov 1;62(4):327-35.

Croce G., Frache A., Milanesio M., Viterbo D., Bavestrello G., Benatti U., Giovine M., Amenitsch H. Fiber diffraction study of spicules from marine sponges. Microsc Res Tech. 2003 Nov 1;62(4):378-81.

Croce, G., Frache, A., Milanesio, M., Marchese, L., Causà, M., Viterbo, D., Barbaglia, A., Bolis, V., Bavestrello, G., Cerrano, C., Benatti, U., Pozzolini, M., Giovine, M., and Amenitsch, H Structural characterization of siliceous spicules from marine sponges. Biophys J. 2004 Jan;86(1 Pt 1):526-34.

Pozzolini, M., Sturla, L., Cerrano, C., Bavestrello, G., Camardella, L., Parodi, A.M., Raheli, F., Benatti, U., Müller, WEG, and Giovine M., Molecular cloning of silicatein gene from marine sponge Petrosia ficiformis (Porifera, Demospongiae) and development of primmorphs as a model for biosilicification studies. Mar Biotechnol (NY). 2004 Nov-Dec;6(6):594-603.

Perovic-Ottstadt S, Wiens M, Schroder HC, Batel R, Giovine M, Krasko A, Muller IM, Muller WE. Arginine kinase in the demosponge Suberites domuncula: regulation of its expression and catalytic activity by silicic acid. J Exp Biol. 2005 Feb;208(Pt 4):637-46.

Kaluzhnaya OV, Belikov SI, Schroder HC, Wiens M, Giovine M, Krasko A, Muller IM, Muller WE. Dynamics of skeleton formation in the Lake Baikal sponge Lubomirskia baicalensis. Part II. Molecular biological studies. Naturwissenschaften. 2005 Mar;92(3):134-8.

Valicano L., Bavestrello G., Giovine M., Arillo A., Cerrano C. Seasonal production of primmorphs from the marine sponge Petrosia ficiformis (Poiret, 1789) and new culturing approaches. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 337 2006, 171–177

Valisano, L., Bavestrello, G., Giovine, M., Arillo, A., Cerrano, C. Effect of iron and dissolved silica on primmorphs of Petrosia ficiformis (Poiret, 1789). Chemistry and Ecology 2007, 23: 1–10

Patents:

De Flora; Antonio; Benatti Umberto; Giovine Marco (21 marzo 2000) Dinucleoside-5',5'-pyrophosphates. United States Patent Number 6,040,297

Cattaneo-Vietti Riccardo; Bavestrello Giorgio; Benatti Umberto; Cerrano Carlo; Giovine Marco (Pubblicato il 2002-07-18, priority nr.: ITTMI010024A 20010110A process and apparatus for submerged biodepuration of effluents disposed of in the sea. PCT PUB NO WO2002IB00037

Scarfì, S., Pozzolini, M., Giovine, M., Benatti, U. Metodo per la valutazione in vitro della potenziale tossicità di polveri di tipo industriale e relativo kit analitico. (RM2005A000200)

Fiore Arianna; Badano Roberto; Zocchi Elena; Benatti Umberto; Giovine Marco; Tagliafico Luca Antonio (TO2005A000653) Termoanemometro a Controllo di Guadagno, relativa disposizione circuitale e procedimento di misurazione della velocità di una corrente fluida.

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ABC-based grants, contracts, services

Agency/Company	Starting date	Expiring date	Title
Tecnomare	10/12/07	29/02/08	Feasibility study for shifting the MUDS prototype to off-shore depuration systems