Varietal identification in pasta through an SSR-based approach: a case study.

Background: Pasta is a worldwide popular Italian food made exclusively of durum wheat. The choice of variety to be used to produce pasta is at the discretion of the producer based on the peculiar characteristics of each cultivar. The availability of analytical approaches for the tracking of specific varieties along the productive chain is becoming increasingly important to authenticate the pasta products and distinguish between fraudulent activities and cross-contaminations during the production process.

Biodiversity Evaluation and Preservation of Italian Stone Fruit Germplasm (Peach and Apricot) in Southern Italy.

The genus encompasses a group of economically important and closely related crops, sharing an essentially common genome and, thereby, a high level of conserved and transferable microsatellite (SSR) loci. In Southern Italy, many of the local and/or neglected varieties are abandoned and at risk of extinction due to the high degree of urbanization and agricultural intensification, despite their value as genetic resources for crop improvement. This research aimed to genetically and morphologically characterize the traditional apricot () and peach () germplasms collected in old family orchards.

"Good Wine Makes Good Blood": An Integrated Approach to Characterize Autochthonous Apulian Grapevines as Promising Candidates for Healthy Wines.

Wine production represents an ancient human activity and one of the most economically important markets in Europe. Moreover, the health effects of grapes and related products have been largely demonstrated, and mostly depend on their richness in bioactive molecules such as flavonoid and non-flavonoid phenolic compounds. Italy has the highest global wine production and provides one of the richest grapevine germplasm in the Mediterranean area.

The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic Markers.

Almond cultivation has great traditional and economic relevance in Southern Italy, especially in the Apulia region, where almond trees feature an ample and ancient varietal richness. To contrast the loss of plant genetic erosion and to safeguard the available bioresources, as well as to reinforce the local production, the regional Re.Ge.

Bioactive Potential of Minor Italian Olive Genotypes from Apulia, Sardinia and Abruzzo.

This research focuses on the exploration, recovery and valorization of some minor Italian olive cultivars, about which little information is currently available. Autochthonous and unexplored germplasm has the potential to face unforeseen changes and thus to improve the sustainability of the whole olive system. A pattern of nine minor genotypes cultivated in three Italian regions has been molecularly fingerprinted with 12 nuclear microsatellites (SSRs), that were able to unequivocally identify all genotypes.

A TILLING by sequencing approach to identify induced mutations in sunflower genes.

The Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes (TILLING) technology is a reverse genetic strategy broadly applicable to every kind of genome and represents an attractive tool for functional genomic and agronomic applications. It consists of chemical random mutagenesis followed by high-throughput screening of point mutations in targeted genomic regions. Although multiple methods for mutation discovery in amplicons have been described, next-generation sequencing (NGS) is the tool of choice for mutation detection because it quickly allows for the analysis of a large number of amplicons.

Functional conservation of the grapevine candidate gene INNER NO OUTER for ovule development and seed formation.

Seedlessness represents a highly appreciated trait in table grapes. Based on an interesting case of seedless fruit production described in the crop species Annona squamosa, we focused on the Vitis vinifera INNER NO OUTER (INO) gene as a candidate. This gene encodes a transcription factor belonging to the YABBY family involved in the determination of abaxial identity in several organs.

Re.Ger.O.P.: An Integrated Project for the Recovery of Ancient and Rare Olive Germplasm.

The olive tree is one of the most important economic, cultural, and environmental resources for Italy, in particular for the Apulian region, where it shows a wide diversity. The increasing attention to the continuous loss of plant genetic diversity due to social, economic and climatic changes, has favored a renewed interest in strategies aimed at the recovery and conservation of these genetic resources. In the frame of a project for the valorization of the olive Apulian biodiversity (Re.

Serendipitous In Situ Conservation of Faba Bean Landraces in Tunisia: A Case Study.

Cultivation of faba bean ( L.) in Tunisia is largely based on improved varieties of the crop. However, a few farmers continue to produce local cultivars or landraces.

Self-Incompatibility Assessment of Some Italian Olive Genotypes ( L.) and Cross-Derived Seedling Selection by SSR Markers on Seed Endosperms.

The morphology of olive flowers allows either self- or cross-pollination that could partially explain the existence of both reproductive features in this species. However, a high degree of self-incompatibility is reported for many olive genotypes, that could be an important reproductive barrier influencing olive yield. Due to the strong environmental influence, results of compatibility tests are often contradictory, making cultivar classification quite imprecise.

Genetic buffering of cyclic AMP in Arabidopsis thaliana compromises the plant immune response triggered by an avirulent strain of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato.

Cyclic AMP plays important roles in different physiological processes, including plant defence responses. However, as little information is known on plant enzymes responsible for cAMP production/degradation, studies of cAMP functions have relied, to date, on non-specific pharmacological approaches. We therefore developed a more reliable approach, producing transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines overexpressing the 'cAMP-sponge' (cAS), a genetic tool that specifically buffers cAMP levels.

GBS-derived SNP catalogue unveiled wide genetic variability and geographical relationships of Italian olive cultivars.

Information on the distribution of genetic variation is essential to preserve olive germplasm from erosion and to recover alleles lost through selective breeding. In addition, knowledge on population structure and genotype-phenotype associations is crucial to support modern olive breeding programs that must respond to new environmental conditions imposed by climate change and novel biotic/abiotic stressors. To further our understanding of genetic variation in the olive, we performed genotype-by-sequencing on a panel of 94 Italian olive cultivars.

Isolation and Characterization of the Flavonol Regulator CcMYB12 From the Globe Artichoke [ var. (L.) Fiori].

Flavonoids are a well-studied group of secondary metabolites, belonging to the phenylpropanoid pathway. Flavonoids are known to exhibit health promoting effects such as antioxidant capacities, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity. Globe artichoke is an important source of bioactive phenolic compounds, including flavonoids.

Genetic flow among olive populations within the Mediterranean basin.

Background: The olive tree is a typical crop of the Mediterranean basin where it shows a wide diversity, accounting for more than 2,600 cultivars. The ability to discriminate olive cultivars and determine their genetic variability is pivotal for an optimal exploitation of olive genetic resources.

Methods: We investigated the genetic diversity within 128 olive accessions belonging to four countries in the Mediterranean Basin (Italy, Algeria, Syria, and Malta), with the purpose of better understanding the origin and spread of the olive genotypes across Mediterranean Basin countries.

Constitutive cyclic GMP accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana compromises systemic acquired resistance induced by an avirulent pathogen by modulating local signals.

The infection of Arabidopsis thaliana plants with avirulent pathogens causes the accumulation of cGMP with a biphasic profile downstream of nitric oxide signalling. However, plant enzymes that modulate cGMP levels have yet to be identified, so we generated transgenic A. thaliana plants expressing the rat soluble guanylate cyclase (GC) to increase genetically the level of cGMP and to study the function of cGMP in plant defence responses.

Screening Auxin Response, In Vitro Culture Aptitude and Susceptibility to Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Italian Commercial Durum Wheat Varieties.

The development of a robust -mediated transformation protocol for a recalcitrant species like durum wheat requires the identification and optimization of factors affecting T-DNA delivery and plant regeneration. The purpose of this research was to compare the behavior of diverse durum wheat genotypes during in vitro culture and -mediated transformation, using immature embryos as explants. Apart from plant genotype, two of the main influencing factors for a successful genetic transformation have been examined here, i.

Fad7 gene identification and fatty acids phenotypic variation in an olive collection by EcoTILLING and sequencing approaches.

The ω-3 fatty acid desaturases (FADs) are enzymes responsible for catalyzing the conversion of linoleic acid to α-linolenic acid localized in the plastid or in the endoplasmic reticulum. In this research we report the genotypic and phenotypic variation of Italian Olea europaea L. germoplasm for the fatty acid composition.

sunTILL: a TILLING resource for gene function analysis in sunflower.

Background: Cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) is a globally important oilseed crop, subjected to intensive genetic and genomic studies. Although classical mutagenesis has successfully been applied to Helianthus genus in the past, we have developed the first sunflower TILLING resource.

DNA microsatellite region for a reliable quantification of soft wheat adulteration in durum wheat-based foodstuffs by real-time PCR.

Italian industrial pasta and durum wheat typical breads must be prepared using exclusively durum wheat semolina. Previously, a microsatellite sequence specific of the wheat D-genome had been chosen for traceability of soft wheat in semolina and bread samples, using qualitative and quantitative Sybr green-based real-time experiments. In this work, we describe an improved method based on the same soft wheat genomic region by means of a quantitative real-time PCR using a dual-labeled probe.

Effectiveness of microsatellite DNA markers in checking the identity of protected designation of origin extra virgin olive oil.

Collina di Brindisi is an Italian extra virgin olive oil that obtained the mark of protected designation of origin (PDO) according to EC Regulation 2081/92. The varietal requirements of the official production protocol of this oil foresee that this oil is prepared from cultivar Ogliarola (minimum 70%) and other Olea europaea L. cultivars that are diffused in the production area, accounting for a maximum of 30%.