L'attività di ricerca è focalizzata sulle filiere viti-vinicola e olivicola pugliesi. Sono attive ricerche per la caratterizzazione biotecnologica di batteri lattici e lieviti isolati dalla microflora autoctona mediante l'applicazione di metodiche molecolari innovative, analisi delle caratteristiche fenotipiche e genotipiche, studio delle proprietà fisiologiche e tecnologiche. Obiettivo principale è la selezione e la preparazione di colture da utilizzare come starter fermentativi, che permettano di esprimere al meglio il potenziale della materie prime "uva" e "olive" e legare al territorio le bevande e i prodotti derivati, assicurando il corretto svolgimento del processo fermentativo e la salute del consumatore.

Four cultivars of chickpea (C. arietinum) were used in this study, two Desi (ICC 4958 and ICC 6098) cultivars and two Kabuli (Beja-1 and Amdoun-1) each one with a water stress tolerant and sensitive variety, inoculated with a Mesorhizobium strain. The effects of drought stress on plant growth and the response of genes related to metabolism were analysed by means of qRT-PCR at various time points of treatments. Nodules and root tissue was used for RNA extraction. We measured the expression of key genes involved by qRT-PCR on samples from stressed and control roots and nodules of a different cultivar using available Taqman assays. In addition phenotype characterisation was performed, such as Relative water content (RWC), quantification of biomass, evaluation ''in situ' of' acetylene reduction activity at the end of the vegetative stage, and nitrogenase activity. The expression analysis was done after 7 days of drought stress and after 10 days of drought stress. We studied genes implicated in the metabolism (glutamine synthase and AAT) or transport of proteins (peptide amino acid transporter like protein PAAT and proline rich protein PPP), sucrose synthase, malate dehydrogenase, sucrose phosphate synthase, sugar transporter) and Sucrose transporter, the antioxidant genes ascorbate peroxidase, Glutathione-S-transferase, Leghemoglobin, catalase, and two lipoxygenase genes.

The plant cell wall constitutes an essential protection barrier against pathogen attack. In addition, cell-wall disruption leads to accumulation of jasmonates (JAs), which are key signaling molecules for activation of plant inducible defense responses. However, whether JAs in return modulate the cell-wall composition to reinforce this defensive barrier remains unknown. The enzyme 13-allene oxide synthase (13-AOS) catalyzes the first committed step towards biosynthesis of JAs. In potato (Solanum tuberosum), there are two putative St13-AOS genes, which we show here to be differentially induced upon wounding. We also determine that both genes complement an Arabidopsis aos mutant, indicating that they encode functional 13-AOS enzymes. Indeed, transgenic potato plants lacking both St13-AOS genes (CoAOS1/2 lines) exhibited a significant reduction of JAs, a concomitant decrease in wound-responsive gene activation, and an increased severity of soft rot disease symptoms caused by Dickeya dadantii. Intriguingly, a hypovirulent D.dadantii pel strain lacking the five major pectate lyases, which causes limited tissue maceration on wild-type plants, regained infectivity in CoAOS1/2 plants. In line with this, we found differences in pectin methyl esterase activity and cell-wall pectin composition between wild-type and CoAOS1/2 plants. Importantly, wild-type plants had pectins with a lower degree of methyl esterification, which are the substrates of the pectate lyases mutated in the pel strain. These results suggest that, during development of potato plants, JAs mediate modification of the pectin matrix to form a defensive barrier that is counteracted by pectinolytic virulence factors from D.dadantii.

Multiple stresses are becoming common challenges in modern agriculture due to environmental changes. A large set of phytochemicals collectively known as oxylipins play a key role in responses to several stresses. Understanding the fine-tuned plant responses to multiple and simultaneous stresses could open new perspectives for developing more tolerant varieties. We carried out the molecular and biochemical profiling of genes, proteins and active compounds involved in oxylipin metabolism in response to single/combined salt and wounding stresses on Medicago truncatula. Two new members belonging to the CYP74 gene family were identified. Gene expression profiling of each of the six CYP74 members indicated a tissue- and time-specific expression pattern for each member in response to single/combined salt and wounding stresses. Notably, hormonal profiling pointed to an attenuated systemic response upon combined salt and leaf wounding stresses. Combined, these results confirm the important role of jasmonates in legume adaptation to abiotic stresses and point to the existence of a complex molecular cross-talk among signals generated by multiple stresses.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are ubiquitous organelles in plant cells, but their physiological roles are largely unknown. To gain insight into the function of LDs in plants, we have characterized the Arabidopsis homologues of SEIPIN proteins, which are crucial factors for LD biogenesis in yeast and animals. SEIPIN1 is expressed almost exclusively in embryos, while SEIPIN2 and SEIPIN3 have broader expression profiles with maximal levels in embryos and pollen, where LDs accumulate most abundantly. Genetic analysis demonstrates that all three SEIPINs contribute to proper LD biogenesis in embryos, whereas in pollen, only SEIPIN2 and SEIPIN3 play a significant role. The double seipin2 seipin3 and triple seipin mutants accumulate extremely enlarged LDs in seeds and pollen, which hinders their subsequent mobilization during germination. Interestingly, electron microscopy analysis reveals the presence of nuclear LDs attached to type I nucleoplasmic reticulum in triple seipin mutant embryos, supporting that SEIPINs are essential for maintaining the correct polarity of LD budding at the nuclear envelope, restricting it to the outer membrane. In pollen, the perturbations in LD biogenesis and turnover are coupled to reduced germination in vitro and with lower fertilization efficiency in vivo. In seeds, germination per se is not affected in seipin2 seipin3 and triple seipin mutants but there is a striking increase in seed dormancy levels. Our findings reveal the relevance of SEIPIN-dependent LD biogenesis in pollen transmission and in adjusting the timing of seed germination, two key adaptive traits of great importance in agriculture.