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Introduction
Publications
Publications (131)
A major issue in several farming areas of the Mediterranean basin consists of drought and salinity stress. This stress is mainly due to a steady exposition of warm daily temperature and heatwaves, moreover with inevitable irrigation with saline water. Therefore, detecting the stress is essential to minimise significant yield loss and preserve agric...
Flavescence dorée (FD) is a phytoplasma disease transmitted by insects, causing severe damage to vineyards across Europe. Infected plants cannot be cured and must be removed to prevent further spread. Different grapevine cultivars show varying susceptibility to FD, and some exhibit symptom remission, known as recovery, although the mechanisms behin...
Underutilised landraces of major crops are an untapped source of resilience in the face of climate change, and may be an important resource for biodiversity. Strigolactones are phytohormones with a positive effect on tomato performance under drought. Thus, in our work, underutilised and stress-resilient tomato varieties selected during previous EU...
Strigolactones are a class of phytohormones with various functions in plant development, stress responses, and in the interaction with (micro)organisms in the rhizosphere. While their effects on vegetative development are well studied, little is known about their role in reproduction. We investigated the effects of genetic and chemical modification...
The phytohormones strigolactones crosstalk with abscisic acid (ABA) in acclimation to osmotic stress, as ascertained in leaves. However, our knowledge about underground tissues is limited, and null in Arabidopsis. Namely, if strigolactones affect ABA transport across plasma membranes has never been addressed. We evaluated the effect of strigolacton...
Strigolactones are phytohormones with many attributed roles in development, and more recently in responses to environmental stress. We will review evidence of the latter in the frame of the classic distinction among the three main stress acclimation strategies (i.e. avoidance, tolerance, and escape), by taking osmotic stress in its several facets a...
Strigolactones (SLs) are carotenoid-derived phytohormones governing a wide range of physiological processes, including drought-associated stomatal closure. We have previously shown in tomato that SLs regulate the so-called after-effect of drought, whereby stomatal conductance is not completely restored for some time during recovery after a drought...
Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) performs the first step in the biosynthetic pathway of trehalose-6-phosphate and trehalose. These two molecules play key roles in the control of carbon allocation and of stress responses in plants. We investigated the organization of the TPS gene family and its developmental and environmental expression regulati...
Flavescence dorée (FD) is a destructive phytoplasma disease of European grapevines. Spontaneous and cultivar-dependent recovery (REC) may occur in the field in FD-infected vines starting the year following the first symptoms. However, the biological underpinnings of this process are still largely unexplored. In this study, transcriptome sequencing...
The aim of this work was to evaluate the susceptibility to flavescence dorée (FD) of 12 Vitis vinifera cultivars grown in Piedmont, and representative of the wine-making tradition of this area. The experiments were conducted under controlled conditions to ensure constant infection pressure. Test plants were ex vitro potted vines, singly inoculated...
The convenient model Arabidopsis thaliana has allowed tremendous advances in plant genetics and physiology, in spite of only being a weed. It has also unveiled the main molecular networks governing, among others, abiotic stress responses. Through the use of the latest genomic tools, Arabidopsis research is nowadays being translated to agronomically...
The hormones strigolactones accumulate in plant roots under phosphorus (P) shortage, inducing variations in plant phenotype. In this study, we aimed at understanding whether strigolactones control morphological and anatomical changes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) roots under varying P supply. Root traits were evaluated in wild-type seedlings...
miR156 is a conserved microRNA whose role and induction mechanisms under stress are poorly known. Strigolactones are phytohormones needed in shoots for drought acclimation. They promote stomatal closure ABA‐dependently and independently; however, downstream effectors for the former have not been identified. Linkage between miR156 and strigolactones...
Some plant species are capable of significant reduction of xylem embolism during recovery from drought despite that stem water potential remains negative. However, the functional biology underlying this process remains elusive. We subjected poplar trees to drought stress followed by a period of recovery. Water potential, hydraulic conductivity, gas...
The first serious outbreak of Flavescence dorée (FD) in Piedmont (North-West Italy) dates back to 1998 in the Tortona area (Alessandria province). FD is a serious quarantine-worthy disease transmitted by the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball. Different Vitis vinifera L. biotypes react differently to the phytoplasma, in particular as to the accumu...
Il report seguente simula gli indicatori relativi alla produzione scientifica in relazione alle soglie ASN 2018-2020 del proprio SC/SSD. Si ricorda che il superamento dei valori soglia (almeno 2 su 3) è requisito necessario ma non sufficiente al conseguimento dell'abilitazione.
La simulazione si basa sui dati IRIS e presenta gli indicatori calcolat...
https://iris.unito.it/handle/2318/1680100#.YJ_tmBjtZPw
https://iris.unito.it/handle/2318/1680101#.YJ_tzxjtZPw
Besides signalling to soil organisms, strigolactones (SL) control above- and below-ground morphology, in particular shoot branching. Furthermore, SL interact with stress responses, possibly thanks to a cross-talk with the abscisic acid (ABA) signal. In grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), ABA drives the accumulation of anthocyanins over the ripening seas...
After quickly touching upon general aspects of strigolactones biology and functions, including structure, synthesis and perception, this review focuses on the role and regulation of the strigolactone pathway during osmotic stress, in light of the most recent research developments. We discuss available data on organ-specific dynamics of strigolacton...
Modern viticulture requires robust, fast, non-destructive methods to assess berry composition. We tested a chlorophyll fluorescence screening method to estimate berry phenolic substances. We focused on anthocyanin and flavonol in red and white cultivars. The ANTH_RG index was dependent on the cultivar anthocyanin profile. In Nebbiolo, in which dihy...
Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is routinely grafted and rootstocks inducing drought tolerance represent a source for adapting vineyards to climate change in temperate areas. Our goal was to investigate drought stress effects on miRNA abundance in a drought-resistant grapevine rootstock, M4 (Vitis vinifera X Vitis berlandieri), compared with a commer...
• Strigolactones (SL) contribute to drought acclimatization in shoots, since SL-depleted plants are hypersensitive to drought due to stomatal hyposensitivity to abscisic acid (ABA). However, under drought, SL biosynthesis is repressed in roots, suggesting organ specificity in their metabolism and role. Since SL can be transported acropetally, such...
The evolution of pre-fermentative volatiles and of the global aroma potential in three Italian neutral varieties (‘Nebbiolo,’ ‘Barbera’ and ‘Dolcetto’) was assessed from véraison to harvest by SBSE–GC/MS. C6 and C9 compounds, benzene derivatives, bound monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes showed differences among varieties in quantity and profiles durin...
Petunia mutants ( Petunia hybrida ) with blue flowers defined a novel vacuolar proton pump consisting of two interacting P‐ ATP ases, PH 1 and PH 5, that hyper‐acidify the vacuoles of petal cells. PH 5 is similar to plasma membrane H ⁺ P 3A ‐ ATP ase, whereas PH 1 is the only known eukaryoticP 3B ‐ ATP ase. As there were no indications that this to...
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which form symbioses with the roots of the most important crop species, are usually considered bio-fertilizers, whose exploitation could represent a promising avenue for the development in the future of a more sustainable next-generation agriculture. The best understood function in symbiosis is an improvement in p...
Abstract: The aquaporin specific control on water versus carbon pathways in leaves is pivotal in controlling gas exchange and leaf hydraulics. We investigated whether NtAQP1 and NtPIP2;1 gene expression varies in tobacco leaves subjected to treatments with different CO2 concentrations (ranging from 0 to 800 ppm), inducing changes in photosynthesis,...
Drought stress affects anthocyanin accumulation and modification in vegetative and reproductive plant tissues. Anthocyanins are the most abundant flavonoids in grape (Vitis vinifera L.) coloured berry genotypes and are essential markers of grape winemaking quality. They are mostly mono- and di-methylated, such modifications increase their stability...
Main conclusion:
Strigolactone changes and cross talk with ABA unveil a picture of root-specific hormonal dynamics under stress. Strigolactones (SLs) are carotenoid-derived hormones influencing diverse aspects of development and communication with (micro)organisms, and proposed as mediators of environmental stimuli in resource allocation processes...
Anthocyanins are a chemically diverse class of secondary metabolites that color most flowers and fruits. They consist of three aromatic rings that can be substituted with hydroxyl, sugar, acyl and methyl groups in a variety of patterns depending on the plant species. To understand how such chemical diversity evolved we isolated and characterized ME...
Flavescence dorée phytoplasma (FDp) infections seriously affect production and survival of grapevine. We analysed the changes in the flavonoid pathway occurring in two red cultivars, the highly susceptible Barbera and the less susceptible Nebbiolo, following FDp infection. A combination of metabolic and transcript analyses was used to quantify flav...
In this work, the involvement of vessel-associated cells in embolism recovery was investigated by studying leaf petiole hydraulics and expression profiles of aquaporins and genes related to sugar metabolism. Two different stress treatments were imposed onto grapevines to induce xylem embolism: one involved a pressure collar applied to the stems, wh...
We have performed the isolation, functional characterization and expression analysis of aquaporins in roots and leaves of Helianthemum almeriense, in order to evaluate their roles in tolerance to water deficit. Five cDNAs, named HaPIP1;1, HaPIP1;2, HaPIP2;1, HaPIP2;2 and HaTIP1;1, were isolated from H. almeriense. A phylogenetic analysis of deduced...
The anthocyanin, hydroxycinnamate (HCTs) and flavonol profiles of 17 minor Vitis vinifera genotypes were studied in 2006. A wide diversity of phenolic profiles was found among varieties. HCTs and flavonols were used to discriminate white and colored berry cultivars. The possibility of using HCTs and flavonols to classify grape varieties is appealin...
Volatile composition of grapes is essential to wine quality. Wine olfactory complexity depends not only on winemaking techniques, but also on the grapevine varietal aroma that, in turn, is largely influenced by soil and climatic conditions. The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of growing areas on the evolution of volatile compounds in...
Strigolactones (SLs) are newly identified hormones that regulate multiple aspects of plant development, infection by parasitic
weeds, and mutualistic symbiosis in the roots. In this study, the role of SLs was studied for the first time in the model
plant Lotus japonicus using transgenic lines silenced for CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE 7 (LjCCD7),...
Strigolactones (SLs) are a group of plant-exuded terpenoid lactones, initially known as the triggering signals for seed germination of parasitic weeds, and more recently for hyphal branching of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In 2008 they were defined as a new class of plant hormones controlling plant architecture. Since then, great advances have bee...
We functionally characterized the grape (Vitis vinifera) VvPIP2;4N (for Plasma membrane Intrinsic Protein) aquaporin gene. Expression of VvPIP2;4N in Xenopus laevis oocytes increased their swelling rate 54-fold. Northern blot and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses showed that VvPIP2;4N is the most expressed PIP2 g...
In this work we compared for two years (2010 and 2011) the anthocyanin content of Nebbiolo berries harvested in three vineyards (Alba, Serralunga and Novello, Cuneo Province, Italy) characterized by different rootstock, soil and climate conditions. A meteorological station was located in each vineyard. In the Serralunga vineyard, wireless micro-sen...
The diversity of berry skin flavonoids in grape genotypes has been previously widely investigated with regard to major compounds (nonacylated anthocyanins and flavonols), but much less with regard to acylated anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamoyl tartrates (HCTs). In this study, the composition of the phenolic fraction of the berry skin (free and acyla...
Fast and efficient recovery from water stress is a key determinant of plant adaptation to changing meteorological conditions modulating transpiration, i.e. air temperature and humidity. We analysed transcriptomic responses during rehydration after water stress in grapevine leaf petioles, where embolism formation and repair commonly take place, and...
A number of soil-borne fungi are able to form typical ericoid mycorrhizae with plants belonging to Ericales. Together with Hymenoscyphus ericae, the first isolate from roots of ericaceous plants, other fungal species belonging to the genus Oidiodendron and many sterile mycelia have been recognized as mycorrhizal by several authors. A high genetic d...
Evolution of HCA concentrations (as mg/kg of skin + pulps) in the three studied varieties. Evolution of total HCA contents (as mg/berry; tot HCAs) and of individual hydroxycinnamates in Nascetta, Barbarossa Uva reina and Nebbiolo. DAF = days after flowering; ct trans =trans caffeoyltartaric acid ; pcumT = para-coumaroyl tartaric acid. All data are...
Vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spore walls are of important diagnostic value in identifying a species within a genus. Since ultrastructural descriptions have so far been limited to a few species, the aim of this work was to describe the ultrastructural organization of seven species of Glomus. All these species show a different overall arch...
Climate has an important impact on grape and wine qualitative parameters. Experiments in controlled conditions have shown that the major climatic factors affecting polyphenol accumulation are radiative and thermal conditions; in particular, high temperatures inhibit anthocyanin formation and modify the composition of the anthocyanin fraction. The a...
Nel tentativo di legare le caratteristiche qualitative delle uve e gli indici bioclimatici, tipicamente utilizzati per spiegare le va-riazioni intrinseche dei frutti durante la stagione produttiva, è stato osservato come la loro capacità previsionale cambiasse molto nelle diverse annate. Questo ha indotto a pensare che fosse necessario introdurre n...
Aims: Grape berry is a model non-climacteric fruit, and many researchers have focused their investigations on its onset of ripening, termed véraison. This process, lasting several days, is composed by many changes, including berry softening, colouring, and sweetening. It is not synchronous for different vines, neither for different clusters on a vi...
The control of ripening of the non-climacteric grapevine fruit is still a matter of debate, but several lines of evidence
point to an important role for the hormone abscisic acid (ABA). The effects of ABA treatments on Cabernet Sauvignon berries
before and at véraison were studied using a 2-DE proteomic approach. Proteins from whole deseeded berrie...
This review deals with grapevine responses to water stress by examining perturbations to physiological and molecular processes at the root, shoot, leaf and berry levels. Long-distance signalling among organs is also considered. Isohydric or anisohydric Vitis genotypes are described in relation to their response to drought, which is linked to stomat...
Anthocyanins are major pigments in colored grape (Vitis vinifera) berries, and most of them are monomethoxylated or dimethoxylated. We report here the functional characterization of an anthocyanin O-methyltransferase (AOMT) from grapevine. The expression pattern in two cultivars with different anthocyanin methylation profiles (Syrah and Nebbiolo) s...
Small non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), are effectors of regulatory pathways underlying plant development, metabolism, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. To address the nature and functions of these regulators in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), we have produced a small RNA library from mixe...
* Proposed mechanisms of embolism recovery are controversial for plants that are transpiring while undergoing cycles of dehydration and rehydration. * Here, water stress was imposed on grapevines (Vitis vinifera), and the course of embolism recovery, leaf water potential (Psi(leaf)), transpiration (E) and abscisic acid (ABA) concentration followed...