The Role of the Endophytic Microbiome in the Grapevine Response to Environmental Triggers.

Endophytism within represents a topic of critical relevance due to the multiple standpoints from which it can be approached and considered. From the biological and botanical perspectives, the interaction between microorganisms and perennial woody plants falls within the category of stable relationships from which the plants can benefit in multiple ways. The life cycle of the host ensures persistence in all seasons, repeated chances of contact, and consequent microbiota accumulation over time, leading to potentially high diversity compared with that of herbaceous short-lived plants.

Salt tolerance in indica rice cell cultures depends on a fine tuning of ROS signalling and homeostasis.

Among cereal crops, salinity tolerance is rare and complex. Multiple genes control numerous pathways, which constitute plant's response to salinity. Cell cultures act as model system and are useful to investigate the salinity response which can possibly mimic a plant's response to stress.

HO Signature and Innate Antioxidative Profile Make the Difference Between Sensitivity and Tolerance to Salt in Rice Cells.

Salt tolerance is a complex trait that varies between and within species. HO profiles as well as antioxidative systems have been investigated in the cultured cells of rice obtained from Italian rice varieties with different salt tolerance. Salt stress highlighted differences in extracellular and intracellular HO profiles in the two cell cultures.

Biocontrol traits of Bacillus licheniformis GL174, a culturable endophyte of Vitis vinifera cv. Glera.

Background: Bacillus licheniformis GL174 is a culturable endophytic strain isolated from Vitis vinifera cultivar Glera, the grapevine mainly cultivated for the Prosecco wine production. This strain was previously demonstrated to possess some specific plant growth promoting traits but its endophytic attitude and its role in biocontrol was only partially explored. In this study, the potential biocontrol action of the strain was investigated in vitro and in vivo and, by genome sequence analyses, putative functions involved in biocontrol and plant-bacteria interaction were assessed.

Fast Regulation of Hormone Metabolism Contributes to Salt Tolerance in Rice ( spp. Japonica, L.) by Inducing Specific Morpho-Physiological Responses.

Clear evidence has highlighted a role for hormones in the plant stress response, including salt stress. Interplay and cross-talk among different hormonal pathways are of vital importance in abiotic stress tolerance. A genome-wide transcriptional analysis was performed on leaves and roots of three-day salt treated and untreated plants of two Italian rice varieties, Baldo and Vialone Nano, which differ in salt sensitivity.

Transcriptome and Cell Physiological Analyses in Different Rice Cultivars Provide New Insights Into Adaptive and Salinity Stress Responses.

Salinity tolerance has been extensively investigated in recent years due to its agricultural importance. Several features, such as the regulation of ionic transporters and metabolic adjustments, have been identified as salt tolerance hallmarks. Nevertheless, due to the complexity of the trait, the results achieved to date have met with limited success in improving the salt tolerance of rice plants when tested in the field, thus suggesting that a better understanding of the tolerance mechanisms is still required.

Plant Cell Cultures as Model Systems to Study Programmed Cell Death.

The study of programmed cell death (PCD) activated in a certain group of cells is complex when analyzed in the whole plant. Plant cell suspension cultures are useful when investigating PCD triggered by environmental and developmental stimuli. Due to their homogeneity and the possibility to synchronize their responses induced by external stimuli, these cultures are used for studying the signaling pathways leading to PCD.

Mitochondria change dynamics and morphology during grapevine leaf senescence.

Leaf senescence is the last stage of development of an organ and is aimed to its ordered disassembly and nutrient reallocation. Whereas chlorophyll gradually degrades during senescence in leaves, mitochondria need to maintain active to sustain the energy demands of senescing cells. Here we analysed the motility and morphology of mitochondria in different stages of senescence in leaves of grapevine (Vitis vinifera), by stably expressing a GFP (green fluorescent protein) reporter targeted to these organelles.

Nutritional profile and productivity of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) in different habitats of a protected area of the eastern Italian Alps.

Plant productivity and fruit quality in terms of occurrence of mineral elements and metabolites were determined on wild bilberry growing in open and forest stands in a protected area of N-Italy. Plant productivity was significantly higher in open stands (3 ± 2.5 compared with 0.

Transcriptome analysis of Medicago truncatula leaf senescence: similarities and differences in metabolic and transcriptional regulations as compared with Arabidopsis, nodule senescence and nitric oxide signalling.

Here, for the first time, a comprehensive transcriptomics study is presented of leaf senescence in the legume model Medicago truncatula, providing a broad overview of differentially expressed transcripts involved in this process. The cDNA-amplification fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique was used to identify > 500 genes, which were cloned and sorted into functional categories according to their gene ontology annotation. Comparison between the datasets of Arabidopsis and M.

Agroinfiltration of grapevine leaves for fast transient assays of gene expression and for long-term production of stable transformed cells.

Agrobacterium-mediated transient assays for the analysis of gene function are used as alternatives to genetic complementation and stable plant transformation. Although such assays are routinely performed in several plant species, they have not yet been successfully applied to grapevines. We explored genetic background diversity of grapevine cultivars and performed agroinfiltration into in vitro cultured plants.

Growth and senescence of Medicago truncatula cultured cells are associated with characteristic mitochondrial morphology.

Here mitochondrial morphology and dynamics were investigated in Medicago truncatula cell-suspension cultures during growth and senescence. Cell biology techniques were used to measure cell growth and death in culture. Mitochondrial morphology was investigated in vivo using a membrane potential sensor probe coupled with confocal microscopy.

Potassium and carrot embryogenesis: are K+ channels necessary for development?

The expression pattern of the KDC1 gene, coding for an inwardly-rectifying K(+) channel of Daucus carota , is described in several embryo stages and seedling tissues. Relative quantitative RT-PCR experiments indicated that, during (somatic) embryonic development, the KDC1 transcript appears as early as the globular stage and that the transcript level remains constant throughout the successive heart and torpedo stages. Thereafter, the KDC1 transcript is preferentially expressed in plant roots, but is also present in other tissues, and in particular, in the shoot apical meristem.