LucAS

The project titled “Lucani tra Ambiente e Salute” – Linea di Intervento 6 – Biosistemi: Ponte tra Ambiente e Salute aims to carry out a multidisciplinary study focused on the characterization of environmental matrices. The findings will assess the degree of anthropogenic pollution capable of inducing variations in ecosystem services that, in turn, could negatively affect human health.

The proposed intervention arises from the need to provide information on natural and anthropogenic pollution sources affecting a specific territory, with the goal of evaluating both the state and quality of the environment, as well as developing effective strategies for resilience and territorial recovery. This information will facilitate a proper assessment of the current state of the environment, and the potential health impacts of environmental exposure on the population, both in the short and long term, will also be considered.

In recent years, epigenetic processes have proven effective in studying the response to anthropogenic stressors by influencing the expression of specific genes, either directly or indirectly. These processes contribute to high phenotypic plasticity, often more so than natural selection. Specifically, the secretion of extracellular vesicles, including exosomes (EVs), from donor to recipient cells exerts epigenetic control through the release of their cargo (including RNA, proteins, and metabolites).

Thus, the project focuses significantly on aspects such as:

1. The involvement of EVs in modulating plant responses to anthropogenic stress;

2. The influence of EVs on soil microbiota.