Francesca Cardinale

Francesca Cardinale
University of Turin | UNITO · Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences

PhD

About

103
Publications
15,937
Reads
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Introduction
My research has generally been within a group of thematic areas (molecular plant physiology and pathology, biotic and abiotic stress perception and signal transduction, phytohormones), with individual projects that can be considered under more than one area. My current studies focus on the phytohormones strigolactones both in Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) with emphasis on cell type/organ specificity in biosynthesis, perception and effects; role in long-range stress signalling and in stomata closure under drought; interactions with abscisic acid and micro RNAs; effects in developmental phase transition. I am co-charter member of StrigoLab S.r.l. (www.strigolab.eu).
Additional affiliations
September 1998 - September 2000
University of Vienna
Position
  • PostDoc Position
September 2000 - present
University of Turin
Position
  • Staff Researcher

Publications

Publications (103)
Article
Full-text available
Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones that modulate morphological, physiological and biochemical changes as part of the acclimation strategies to phosphorus (P) deficiency, but an in-depth description of their effects on tomato P-acquisition strategies under P shortage is missing. Therefore, in this study, we investigate how SLs impact on root ex...
Article
Full-text available
Abstract: Strigolactones (SLs) have been implicated in many plant biological and physiological processes, including the responses to abiotic stresses such as drought, in concert with other phytohor-mones. While it is now clear that exogenous SLs may help plants to survive in harsh environmental condition, the best, most effective protocols for trea...
Chapter
The binding of strigolactones to their receptor, the α/β hydrolase DWARF14 (D14), leads to the modulation of transcriptional activity by destabilization of specific transcriptional corepressors via proteasomal degradation. Subsequently, strigolactones also promote D14 degradation by the same pathway. Here we describe an innovative quantitative bioa...
Book
This volume presents the most useful laboratory protocols in strigolactones(SL) research. Chapters guide readers through wet-lab paths, issues around stability, protocols to evaluate SL activity, effects towards soil inhabitants such as parasitic plants, mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal fungi, nodulating bacteria, and protocols to assess effects on...
Article
Full-text available
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...
Article
Full-text available
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...
Article
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...
Chapter
In the last decade strigolactones have been recognized as a novel type of plant hormones. They are involved in the control of key developmental processes such as lateral shoot outgrowth and leaf and root development, among others. In addition, strigolactones modulate plant responses to abiotic stresses like phosphate starvation and drought. Here we...
Conference Paper
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...
Article
Full-text available
Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones with various functions in development, responses to stress and interaction with (micro)organisms in the rhizosphere, including seeds of parasitic plants. Their perception for hormonal functions requires an α,β-hydrolase belonging to the D14 clade in higher plants; perception of host-produced SLs in parasitic...
Article
Full-text available
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...
Article
Full-text available
Strigolactones, a group of terpenoid lactones, control many aspects of plant growth and development, but the active forms of these plant hormones and their mode of action at the molecular level are still unknown. The strigolactone protein receptor is unusual because it has been shown to cleave the hormone and supposedly forms a covalent bond to the...
Article
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...
Article
Full-text available
In order to investigate cross-protection mechanisms between stresses of different origins, greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine whether resistance levels to the fungal pathogen P. capsici were affected on wounded plants. To this purpose, tomato roots were wounded at 24h-intervals and allowed to age for up to 7 days before inoculation....
Chapter
Transcript levels of key genes in a biosynthetic pathway are often taken as a proxy for metabolite production. This is the case of FUM1, encoding the first dedicated enzyme in the metabolic pathway leading to the production of the mycotoxins Fumonisins by fungal species belonging to the genus Fusarium. FUM1 expression can be quantified by different...
Conference Paper
Host root‐derived signals trigger the germination of seeds of obligate root parasitic weeds. Among these, strigolactones (SLs), a class of plant hormones, are the major natural germination stimulants in the rhizosphere. The early growth stages of parasitic plant development – such as seed germination, host attachment, and tubercle development – are...
Article
Full-text available
• 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...
Article
When more scientists describe independently the same species under different valid Latin names, a case of synonymy occurs. In such a case, the international nomenclature rules stipulate that the first name to appear on a peer-reviewed publication has priority over the others. Based on a recent episode involving priority determination between two co...
Article
Full-text available
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...
Article
Full-text available
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...
Article
Full-text available
Foliar fungicides are widely used to control pests on several crops and, from mid-2000s, have become more common on maize. The yield advantages derived from foliar fungicides on maize, as for other crops, could be related not only to the direct control of the disease, but also to physiological effects on the plant. The aim of the research was to ev...
Article
Full-text available
Oxylipins are fatty acid-derived signaling compounds produced by all eukaryotes so far investigated; in mycotoxigenic fungi, they modulate toxin production and interactions with the host plants. Among the many enzymes responsible for oxylipin generation, Linoleate Diol Synthase 1 (LDS1) produces mainly 8-hydroperoxyoctadecenoic acid and subsequentl...
Chapter
Strigolactones (SLs) are terpenoid lactones produced mainly in plant roots and initially identified as seed germination stimulants for parasitic weeds. In 2005, they were described also as boosters of hyphal branching in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and thereby as promoters of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. In 2008, they emerged as a new class...
Article
Full-text available
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),...
Article
Fumonisins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by some Fusarium spp. and Aspergillus niger, have strong agro-economic and health impacts. The genes needed for their biosynthesis, named FUM, are clustered and co-expressed in fumonisin producers. In eukaryotes, coordination of transcription can be attained through shared transcription factors, whos...
Article
Full-text available
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...
Article
Full-text available
The genus Gnomoniopsis (Gnomoniaceae, Dia-porthales) is currently composed of 13 species which are endophytic and/or parasitic to plants in the families Fagaceae, Onagraceae and Rosaceae. Species definition is based on a combination of morphological traits, association with specific plant hosts, and phylogeny. In this paper a new species, Gnomoniop...
Article
Full-text available
Strigolactones (SLs) are recently identified plant hormones modulating root and shoot branching. Besides their endogenous role within the producing organism, SLs are also key molecules in the communication of plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and parasitic weeds. In fact SLs are exuded into the rhizosphere where they act as a host-deriv...
Article
Full-text available
When the fungal pathogen Gibberella moniliformis (anamorph, Fusarium verticillioides) colonizes maize and maize-based products, it produces class B fumonisin (FB) mycotoxins, which are a significant threat to human and animal health. FB biosynthetic enzymes and accessory proteins are encoded by a set of clustered and cotranscribed genes collectivel...
Article
The molecular dialogue occurring prior to direct contact between the fungal and plant partners of arbuscular-mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses begins with the release of fungal elicitors, so far only partially identified chemically, which can activate specific signaling pathways in the host plant. We show here that the activation of MAPK is also induced b...
Article
Full-text available
The majority of plants establish symbiotic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. The symbiosis provides the plants with an improved mineral nutrition and, to some extent, higher tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this work we have evaluated whether AM symbiosis modifies the response of tomato plants to the attack of the nec...
Article
In tobacco, 9-divinyl ethers (DVEs) produced by the lipoxygenase NtLOX1 and DVE synthase NtDES1 are important for full resistance to pathogens. In this work, the regulation of NtLOX1 and NtDES1 expression by signal molecules was investigated in LOX1 promoter-reporter transgenic plants and by RT-qPCR. Methyl jasmonate, ACC and elicitor were shown to...
Chapter
Full-text available
Pink and red ear rot of maize are common diseases in temperate cropping zones. These diseases are caused by toxigenic fungi belonging to the genus Fusarium. Economic losses flow from both reduced yield (shriveled grain) and compromised quality (contamination with mycotoxin). Since the etiology of these diseases is complex and the taxonomy of the ge...
Article
The maize pathogens Fusarium verticillioides (Fv) and Fusarium proliferatum (Fp) are morphologically very similar to one another, so Fp isolates have been often mistaken as Fusarium moniliforme (the former name of Fv). The only presently accepted morphological discriminator between these species is the presence/absence of polyphialides. Here, a col...
Article
Full-text available
A network of shared intermediates/components and/or common molecular outputs in biotic and abiotic stress signaling has long been known, but the possibility of effective influence between differently triggered stresses (co-protection) is less studied. Recent observations show that wounding induces transient protection in tomato (Solanum lycopersicu...
Article
Many reports point to the existence of a network of regulatory signalling occurring in plants during the interaction with micro-organisms (biotic stress) and abiotic stresses such as wounding. However, the focus is on shared intermediates/components and/or common molecular outputs in differently triggered signalling pathways, and not on the degree...