Bari Unit Laboratories

Laboratories

  • Microscopy laboratory. It consists of an area for the preparation of samples for electron and optical microscopy and an instrumental area that houses a transmission electron microscope, including a darkroom for developing and acquiring micrographs. The laboratory are completed with a microtomy / ultramicrotomy section for the preparation of thin sections and with stations for digitization, processing and image analysis.
  • Molecular Biology Laboratories. Studies are carried out on nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) and proteins. They are equipped with centrifuges, fume cupboards, sterile laminar flow hoods, freezers (-20 and -80 ° C), automated platforms for the extraction of nucleic acids, platform “Liquid-handling”. The amplification reactions are carried out by means of thermal cyclers, instruments for “real-time PCR” and “Droplet Digital PCR” and a portable instrument for LAMP. The Oxford Nanopore MinION mass sequencing platform is available.
  • Laboratory for the manipulation and isolation of Xylella fastidiosa. It has sterile laminar flow hoods for the preparation of growth substrates and the isolation of the bacterium from plant matrices, controlled temperature thermostats where the bacterium is raised, a freezer (-80 ° C) for storing the strains of the bacterium.
  • Laboratory for the acceptance and preparation of plant samples contaminated by Xylella fastidiosa. It has a refrigeration cell for the conservation of plant samples, semi-automated instrumentation for the maceration of plant tissues to prepare the extracts to be subjected to molecular and / or serological tests.
  • Serology laboratory. It has refrigerators, centrifuges and an absorbance multimode microplate reader.
  • Micropropagation laboratory. It is equipped with growth chambers, phytotrons and sterile laminar flow hoods for in vitro micropropagation activities and rehabilitation of plant materials from virosis.
  • Controlled temperature and lighting environments and equipment. They consist of greenhouses and / or phytotrons for studies on plant-pathogen interactions, biological assays and conservation of virus-infected plant sources.