Laboratory of animal and environmental physiology

Keywords: biomarker, cell signaling, climate change, emerging contaminants, physiological plasticity, stress response, transcriptomic

The laboratory is located in Ravenna UOS, and carries out research and teaching activities. The aim is to understand the mechanisms involved in neuro-endocrine effects of emerging contaminants (i.e. endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals and plastic additives). Chemicals occurrence is assessed by HPLC-MS/MS and effects are studied in marine mollusks, fish, and human cell lines at the molecular and cellular level by Western blotting, ELISA, spectrophotometry, fluorescence, microscopy, etc. Molecular mechanisms behind physiological plasticity and stress responses in corals and bivalve mollusks under the effects of emerging pollutants and drivers of climate change (sea surface temperature rising, ocean acidification) are also evaluated through transcriptomic techniques (quantitative real time PCR, next generation sequencing). The lab also carries out applied research on early warning signals (biomarkers) in aquatic organisms used as environmental sentinels. 

Laboratory equipments

In addition to the basic equipments (chemical hood, shaking water bath,  thermostatic incubator shaker, magnetic stirrers, heating magnetic stirrers, Ultra Turrax homogenizer, Potter tissue grinder, electrophoresis systems, Thermoblock), Animal and Environmental Physiology lab is equipped with:

• Absorbance and Fluorescence microplate reader
• UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
• Fluorimeter
• Cryostat
• Real Time PCR
• PCR
• High frequency electromagnetic fields generator
• Optical microscope
• 2 Inverted microscopes
• 2 CO₂ incubators for cell culture
• Laminar flow hood
• Refrigerated centrifuge

Teaching, training and research activities

The laboratory allows students to carry out internships and thesis internships (for bachelor and master’s degree students), hosts Italian and international PhD students and offers its resources to support the development of research projects for post-doctoral fellows.