Biology subjects

Sava, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Sava, G..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Old Collections, New Perspectives: Analytical Reassessment of One of Europe's Biggest Archaeological Broomcorn Millet Deposits (Romania)

The broomcorn millet grains (Panicum miliaceum) analysed in this study, recovered from Morteni tell (Romania), represent one of Europes largest archaeological millet deposits (150 kg). Originally attributed to the Chalcolithic period (Gumelnita culture), radiocarbon dating revealed a significantly later context (361 cal BC - 61 cal AD (95.4%)), placing the grains in the Late Iron Age - Latene, when millet was an established staple in the region. The uncharred, desiccated grains exhibited uneven preservation: while some retained isotopic values akin to fresh millet, others showed evidence of nitrogen loss due to diagenesis. High {delta}15N values point to intensive manuring, highlighting millets agricultural significance during the Iron Age. Combining isotopic data with FTIR-ATR analysis allowed the detection of diagenetic impacts and underscored the importance of cross-disciplinary approaches in archaeobotanical studies. These findings demonstrate the necessity of radiocarbon dating and integrated analyses to avoid misinterpretations based on stratigraphy alone and to enhance the reliability of data on ancient crop use and significance.

paleontology↗

bioRxiv2021

Active growth signalling promotes cancer cell sensitivity to the CDK7 inhibitor ICEC0942

CDK7 has a central role in promoting cellular proliferation, through the activation of the mitotic CDKs, and by driving global gene expression, through targeting RNA polymerase II. Several recently developed CDK7 inhibitors (CDK7i) have been shown to be non-toxic and to limit tumour growth for a number of cancer cell types and are now in Phase I/II clinical trials. However, the mechanisms underlying the sensitivity of particular cancer cells to CDK7 inhibition remain largely unknown. To improve the outcome of individual patients and increase the chances of successful CDK7i approval, we assessed which fundamental cellular processes determine sensitivity to CDK7 inhibition, using the highly specific CDK7 inhibitor ICEC0942. Our data shows that selective CDK7 inhibition acutely arrests cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, which over time leads to senescence. Through a genome-wide CRISPR knock-out chemogenetic screen we identified active mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) signalling, as an important determinant of ICEC0942-induced senescence and show that a cancer-associated mutation that promotes cell growth can increase sensitivity to ICEC0942. Our work indicates that cellular growth is an important predictive marker for sensitivity to CDK7i.

cancer biology↗