Antonio Masi

University of Padua | UNIPD · Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and the Environment DAFNAE

This study evaluates the reasons and factors making soil pollution by poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) a wicked problem, reflecting upon the nature, persistence, mobility, and bioaccumulative properties of these compounds. The current regulation trends in the production and use of such substances are also explored. This study highlights...

The unique properties of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have driven their pervasive use in different industrial applications, leading to substantial environmental pollution and raising critical concerns about the long-term impacts on ecosystem and human health. To tackle the global challenge of PFAS contamination, there is an urgent...

Early detection of bovine subclinical mastitis may improve treatment strategies and reduce the use of antibiotics. Herein, individual milk samples from Holstein cows affected by subclinical mastitis induced by S. agalactiae and Prototheca spp. were analyzed by untargeted and targeted mass spectrometry approaches to assess changes in their peptidome...

Nanomaterials and plant biostimulants are attracting significant attention for their potential applications in the agri-food sector. These efforts have mostly focused on the independent applicability of these two emerging fields to achieve improved agricultural outcomes. However, an even larger impact can be created if the emerging fields of nanote...

Climate change and pollution are increasingly important stress factors for life on Earth. Dispersal of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are causing worldwide contamination of soils and water tables. PFAS are partially hydrophobic and can easily bioaccumulate in living organisms, causing metabolic alterations. Different plant species can u...

Background: Buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp.), belonging to the Polygonaceae family, is an ancient pseudo-cereal with high nutritional and nutraceutical properties. Buckwheat proteins are gluten-free and show balanced amino acid and micronutrient profiles, with higher content of health-promoting bioactive flavonoids that make it a golden crop of the futu...

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp.) is an underutilized resilient crop of North Western Himalayas belonging to the family Polygonaceae and is a source of essential nutrients and therapeutics. Common Buckwheat and Tatary Buckwheat are the two main cultivated species used as food. It is the only grain crop possessing rutin, an important metabolite with high n...

Cheese production is an applied biotechnology whose proper outcome relies strictly on the complex interactive dynamics which unfold within defined microbial groups. These may start being active from the collection of milk and continue up to its final stages of maturation. One of the critical parameters playing a major role is the milk refrigeration...

Asparagus officinalis is largely consumed as food in many parts of the world, and due to its content in secondary metabolites can be considered as a vegetable with health-promoting value. Part of its organoleptic qualities can be ascribed to the presence of sulfur-containing compounds, nevertheless qualitative data about the volatile and non-volati...

The Pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.) belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae is a tropical perennial vegetable with an origin in the Indian subcontinent. There is a lack of genetic information for this commercially important cucurbit. A comprehensive transcriptome analysis of the T. dioica Roxb. ovary was carried out in this study. The BLAS...

Poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of persistent organic pollutants causing serious global concern. Plants can accumulate PFAS but their effect on plant physiology, especially at the molecular level is not very well understood. Hence, we used hydroponically-grown maize plants treated with a combination of eleven different...

The change in climatic conditions is the major cause for decline in crop production worldwide. Decreasing crop productivity will further lead to increase in global hunger rate. Climate change results in environmental stress which has negative impact on plant-like deficiencies in growth, crop yield, permanent damage, or death if the plant remains in...

The free radicals along with several reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are known to play a dual role in the biological living system which carries a substantial importance in terms of signal networking in plants. The production of these active molecules in different cellular compartments eventually led to oxidative d...

The resurrection plant Ramonda serbica Panc. survives long desiccation periods and fully recovers metabolic functions within one day upon watering. This study aimed to identify key candidates and pathways involved in desiccation tolerance in R. serbica. We combined differential transcriptomics and proteomics, phenolic and sugar analysis, FTIR analy...

Drought differs from other natural disasters in several respects, largely because of the complexity of a crop’s response to it and also because we have the least understanding of a crop’s inductive mechanism for addressing drought tolerance among all abiotic stressors. Overall, the growth and productivity of crops at a global level is now thought t...

Drought differs from other natural disasters in several respects, largely because of the complexity of a crops response to it and also because we have the least understanding of a crops inductive mechanism for addressing drought tolerance among all abiotic stressors. Overall, the growth and productivity of crops at a global level is now thought to...

Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) stress significantly affects fundamental metabolic and physiological processes in plants that results in reduction of plant growth and development. In the present study, common bean variety; Shalimar French Bean-1 (SFB-1) was used as an experimental material. Four different MGRL media i.e. normal MGRL medium (Control), media...

The rising environmental issues on contemporary cities urgently calls for sustainable planning policies. Implementation of nature-based solutions, ecosystem services, and green infrastructures associated to green spaces management is at present of paramount importance. In contrast to policies mainly focused on public greenery, the inclusion of priv...

The consumption of soy milk is increasing worldwide for its nutritional value and health benefits, however, its protein composition after commercialization is not well known. Technological and thermal treatments to which soy milk is subjected could affect the protein composition of the commercial products. This study compared the protein profile of...

This book covers important topics on various neglected and underutilised crops (vegetables, cereals, fruit crops). It gives an overview of the potential, availability of genetic and genomic resources, and the future prospects of these food crops. The book presents different chapters on the importance of underutilised crops with respect to sustainab...

A culture-independent DNA metabarcoding analysis of the bacterial communities was carried out throughout a complete vermicomposting cycle of municipal solid waste material using the earthworm Eisenia fetida. 16S rRNA amplicons from the initial material (0 days), an intermediate (42 days), and a final stage (84 days) were sequenced in an Illumina NG...

Resurrection plant Ramonda serbica is a suitable model to investigate vegetative desiccation tolerance. However, the detailed study of these mechanisms at the protein level is hampered by the severe tissue water loss, high amount of phenolics and polysaccharide, and possible protein modifications and aggregations during the extraction and purificat...

DNA barcoding is an innovative tool to rapidly identify and classify organisms based on highly conserved species-specific DNA sequences. This technique has developed in parallel with other genomic-based investigations, which share special emphasis on the acquisition of data pertaining to hotspots regions of DNA (usually short sequence of DNA up to...

Thiols are important natural molecules with diverse functions, ranging from acting as antioxidants that prevent chronic diseases to contributing aromas to foods and beverages. Biological thiols such as glutathione are of particular interest due to their functional roles, which include helping maintain cellular redox homeostasis and detoxifying reac...

Protein hydrolysate (PH)-based biostimulants offer a cost-effective and sustainable approach for the regulation of physiological processes in plants to stimulate growth and improve stress tolerance. Understanding the mode of action of PHs is challenging, but it is indispensable to improve existing candidates and to develop novel molecules with enha...

Soil sealing is a worldwide phenomenon of covering of natural or seminatural soil with impervious surfaces, such as built-up or paved surfaces. It is widely recognized as a major environmental issue which drives landscape fragmentation and ecosystem services degradation and loss. Italy is one of European countries with the highest extent of soil se...

Sugarcane, Smut pathogen (Sporisorium scitamineum), Proteomics, iTRAQ lebeling, LTQ-Orbitrap MS/MS analysis

The potential of young rooted cuttings of three Salix L. species plants to accumulate a mixture of eleven perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), in particular, perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), from the nutrient solution and their effects on plant growth and photosynthesis were assessed in an 8-day experiment. The growth rate of the willow plants exposed t...

Animal manure or bio-solids used as fertilizers are the main routes of antibiotic exposure in the agricultural land, which can have immense detrimental effects on plants. Sulfadiazine (SDZ), belonging to the class of sulfona-mides, is one of the most detected antibiotics in the agricultural soil. In this study, the effect of SDZ on the growth, chan...

Background and Aim: Humic substances (HSs) influence the chemical and physical properties of the soil, and are also known to affect plant physiology and nutrient uptake. This study aimed to elucidate plant metabolic pathways and physiological processes influenced by HS activity. Methods: Arabidopsis roots were treated with HS for 8 h. Quantitative...

Current research is attempting to address more complex questions than ever before. As such, the need to follow complex processes in intact media and mixtures is becoming commonplace. Here a targeted NMR experiment is introduced which selectively detects the formation of ¹³C-¹²C bonds in mixtures. This study introduces the experiment on simple stand...

Nitrogen (N) is an indispensable nutrient for crops but its availability in agricultural soils is subject to considerable fluctuation. Plants have developed plastic responses to external N fluctuations in order to optimise their development. The coordinated action of nitric oxide and auxin seems to allow the cells of the transition zone (TZ) of the...

Colletotrichum falcatum, a hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen, causes one of the major devastating diseases of sugarcane—red rot. C. falcatum secretes a plethora of molecular signatures that might play a crucial role during its interaction with sugarcane. Here, we report the purification and characterization of a novel secreted protein of C. falcatum t...

"Droni in viticoltura e frutticoltura: geoinformazione per agroecosistemi 4.0 in Veneto e Trentino" è il progetto finanziato dal bando FSE 2017 della Regione Veneto (DGR 2216/2016) denominato "La ricerca a sostegno della trasformazione aziendale; innovatori in azienda”. Obiettivo del progetto è mettere a disposizione delle aziende agricole venete,...

Il progetto qui presentato è stato sviluppato a partire da giugno 2017 dall’Università degli Studi di Padova, attraverso il sostegno della Regione Veneto nell’ambito di un bando POR-FSE, con l‘obiettivo di mettere a disposizione delle aziende agricole venete competenze e conoscenze avanzate nell’impiego di Sistemi a Pilotaggio Remoto (SPR), di dati...

Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) is harmful to conifer trees because of defoliation and to public health because of the release of urticating setae from the caterpillars. Contact with setae by humans and domestic animals induces dermatitis, usually localized to the exposed areas. Recent studies demonstrat...

Biological significance: Being the first secretomic investigation of C. falcatum, this study has identified five potential effectors, two pathogenicity-related proteins and a PAMP. Although many reports have highlighted the influence of light on pathogenicity, this study has established a direct link between light and expression of effectors, for...

Proteomics, one of the major tools of ‘omics’ is evolving phenomenally since the development and application of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry at the end of twentieth century. However, the adoption and application of advanced proteomic technologies in understanding plant–pathogen interactions are far less, when c...

Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT; EC 2.3.2.2) is the only enzyme capable of degrading glutathione (GSH) in extra-cytosolic spaces. In plant cells, the GGT1 and GGT2 isoforms are located in the apoplast, bound respectively to the cell wall and the plasma membrane. GGT1 is expressed throughout plants, mainly in the leaves and vascular system, while GG...

Significance: Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a legume of appreciable importance and usefulness worldwide to the human population providing food and feed. It is rich in high-quality protein, energy, fiber and micronutrients especially iron, zinc, and pro-vitamin A; and possesses potentially disease-preventing and health-promoting compounds....

Insect studies, dealing with parasitism of aphids, have shown that the disruption of host glutathione (GSH) pool and metabolisms significantly contributes to its physiological regulation and castration. The parasitic wasp Aphidius ervi injects into host aphids a venom containing large amounts of a gamma-glutamyltransferase (Ae-GGT) enzyme, which ca...

Sporisorium scitamineum - the sugarcane smut pathogen, relies predominantly on its secretome to successfully colonise its host, in accordance with other related smut fungi. Considering the significance of deciphering its secretome, we have examined alterations in the in vitro secretome of S. scitamineum in response to synthetic and sugarcane merist...

In plants, environmental perturbations often result in oxidative reactions in the apoplastic space, which are counteracted for by enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidative systems, including ascorbate and glutathione. However, the occurrence of the latter and its exact role in the extracellular space are not well documented. In Arabidopsis thaliana...

Smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum is one of the important diseases of sugarcane with global significance. Despite the intriguing nature of sugarcane - S. scitamineum interaction, several pertinent aspects remain unexplored. This study investigates the proteome level alterations occurring in the meristem of a S. scitamineum infected susceptible...

In the dairy industry, membrane filtration is used to reduce the amount of whey waste and, simultaneously, to recover whey proteins (WP). The composition of WP can strongly affect the filtration treatment of whey, and rapid determination of WP fractions would be of interest for dairy producers to monitor WP recovery. This study aimed to develop mid...

Apple (Malus×domestica Borkh) fruits are stored for long periods of time at low temperatures (1 °C) leading to the occurrence of physiological disorders. ‘Superficial scald’ of Granny Smith apples, an economically important ethylene-dependent disorder, was used as a model to study relationships among ethylene action, the regulation of the ROP-GAP r...

Low-molecular-weight (LMW) thiols are highly reactive compounds involved in the maintenance of the cellular redox balance. These compounds and specifically glutathione (GSH) have an antioxidant function which is not limited to grapes but extends in must and wine. They may influence the susceptibility to oxidative browning by exerting a protective f...

Antioxidants are molecules essential for the maintenance of cell homeostasis and their intake through the diet has positive effects on human health. Among antioxidants, low-molecular weight (LMW) thiols represent an important class of compounds. The aim of this study was to identify LMW thiols in bovine milk. A total of 96 individual milk samples f...

Nitrate is an essential nutrient for plants, and crops depend on its availability for growth and development, but its presence in agricultural soils is far from stable. In order to overcome nitrate fluctuations in soil, plants have developed adaptive mechanisms allowing them to grow despite changes in external nitrate availability. Nitrate can act...

The apoplast represents a compartment where an extensive cross-talk occurs among different components, to generate signals that can pass through the plasmalemma and reach the symplast (Agrawal et al., 2010). Both abiotic and biotic stress conditions evoke defensive and adaptive responses. Occurrence of structural and metabolic readjustments is then...

Ultraviolet-B radiation acts as an environmental stimulus, but in high doses it has detrimental effects on plant metabolism. Plasma membranes represent a major target for Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generated by this harmful radiation. Oxidative reactions occurring in the apoplastic space are counteracted by antioxidative systems mainly involving...

Low-molecular-weight (LMW) thiols are a class of highly reactive compounds massively involved in the maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis. They are implicated in plant responses to almost all stress factors, as well as in the regulation of cellular metabolism. The most studied LMW thiols are glutathione and its biosynthetically related compoun...

Aim of this work was to investigate different concentrations of microparticulated whey proteins (MWP) added during cheesemaking process on the recovery of low molecular weight thiols (LMT) in cheese. Historically, milk whey has been considered an industrial waste, because of its high cost of disposal and its polluting potential. In recent years the...

Thiols are reduced sulphur molecules that occur both in plants and animals with relevant roles, as for example the modulation of oxidative stress and participation to enzymatic reactions. Low molecular weight (LMW) thiols are key biological molecules due to the intrinsic reactivity of their nucleophilic -SH group. They can modify the redox state of...

International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) outlined ten initiatives to promote plant proteomics in each and every country. With greater emphasis in developing countries, one of those was to “organize workshops at national and international levels to train manpower and exchange information”. This third INPPO highlights covers the workshop o...

Polyamine oxidases (PAOs) are flavin-dependent enzymes involved in polyamine catabolism. In Arabidopsis five PAO genes (AtPAO1–AtPAO5) have been identified which present some common characteristics, but also important differences in primary structure, substrate specificity, subcellular localization, and tissue-specific expression pattern, differenc...

Aim of this work was to investigate different concentrations of microparticulated whey proteins (MWP) added during cheesemaking process on the recovery of low molecular weight thiols (LMT) in cheese. Historically, milk whey has been considered an industrial waste, because of its high cost of disposal and its polluting potential. In recent years the...

International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) outlined ten initiatives to promote plant proteomics in each and every country. With greater emphasis in developing countries, one of those was to "organize workshops at national and international levels to train manpower and exchange information". This third INPPO highlights covers the workshop o...

A very simple means of nitrogen functional group grafting onto the backbone of Desmostachya bipinnata is investigated, which is a sacrificial herb in the south Asian region particular to Hindu religion. This natural biomaterial is found to be very effective for metal binding, after treatment with hydrazine monohydrate. The present study explores a...