Medicago truncatula CYP716A12 is a multifunctional oxidase involved in the biosynthesis of hemolytic saponins.

Saponins, a group of glycosidic compounds present in several plant species, have aglycone moieties that are formed using triterpenoid or steroidal skeletons. In spite of their importance as antimicrobial compounds and their possible benefits for human health, knowledge of the genetic control of saponin biosynthesis is still poorly understood. In the Medicago genus, the hemolytic activity of saponins is related to the nature of their aglycone moieties.

Backbone-free transformation of barrel medic (Medicago truncatula) with a Medicago-derived transfer DNA.

In the present work, Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation of the model legume Medicago truncatula Gaertn. (barrel medic) was carried out using the pSIM843 vector that contains a Medicago-derived transfer DNA, delineated by a 25-bp sequence homologous to bacterial T-DNA borders. The transfer DNA contains an expression cassette for the nptII (neomycin phosphotransferase) gene and is flanked by an expression cassette for the backbone integration marker gene ipt (isopentenyl transferase).

Volatile constituents of Trifolium pratense and T. repens from N.E. Italian alpine pastures.

The composition of the volatile fraction of two important forage legumes from Italian sub-alpine N.E. pastureland, namely Trifolium pratense L.

An Italian functional genomic resource for Medicago truncatula.

Background: Medicago truncatula is a model species for legumes. Its functional genomics have been considerably boosted in recent years due to initiatives based both in Europe and US. Collections of mutants are becoming increasingly available and this will help unravel the genetic control of important traits for many species of legumes.

Delay of leaf senescence in Medicago sativa transformed with the ipt gene controlled by the senescence-specific promoter SAG12.

We report the successfull delay of leaf senescence in Medicago sativa. A highly regenerable clone of alfalfa was transformed with the construct SAG12-IPT, an approach that has already proved efficient in other crops. Several independent transformants were obtained as determined by Southern analysis and all the transformants expressed the transgene as measured by RT-PCR.