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Plant Biotechnology Laboratory

Lab Biotec Veg - Immagine

Referent: Prof. Anca Macovei

Co-workers: Conrado Jr. Dueñas (post-doc), Nicola Bosco (PhD student), Davide Pezzini (PhD student)


Research topics:

  • DDR (DNA Damage Response) in the response to genotoxic stress in plants. DDR is defined as a signal transduction pathway that detects DNA damage signals and transduces them into specific cellular responses (e.g., DNA repair, cell cycle arrest, programmed cell death, endoreduplication). In this topic we purpose to characterize, at the molecular level, genes involved in DDR useful for defining the profiles of resistance to different types of stress.
  • MicroRNAs: role in DDR and cross-kingdom transfer. MicroRNAs contribute to the modulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by inducing translation repression or gene silencing. With this line of research, we aim to investigate the role of miRNAs in the plant response to genotoxic stresses in the context of DDR mechanisms. We are investigating the possible involvement of miRNAs in the regulation of cross-kingdom processes through bioinformatics approaches, in collaboration with colleagues from the Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Mathematical Modelling, and Synthetic Biology (Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, UNIPV).
  • Development of non-invasive methods for seed quality. An early, reliable and non-invasive assessment of seed quality is a valuable tool for optimizing seed production. ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) approved standard tests assess seed performance but are generally invasive and time consuming. We propose several biochemical tests (detection of ROS molecules) and tools (biosensors), together with the analysis of omics data, to evaluate seed quality. Additionally, methods to improve seed quality (e.g. seed priming) and address storage/conservation-related issues, are constantly investigated.

Plant systems used in these works include legumes (Medicago truncatula, M. sativa, Glycine max, orphan species), cereals (Oryza sativa, Zea mays, Triticum aestivum), horticultural species (Solanum lycopersicum, S. melongena, Lattuca sativa) and model plants (Petunia hybrida, Arabidopsis thaliana). 

The main methodological approaches include: in silico analyses (use of specific tools and database), PCR, RT-PCR, qRT-PCR (genes, miRNA), Comet assay, Diffusion assay, ROS detection assays (FOX, DCFH-DA, DAB, NBT), microscopy (optical, fluorescent, TEM), omics data analysis (use of specific tools and database), germination tests, imaging analyses. 


National collaborations:

  • M. Biggiogera (piattaforma di microscopia elettronica, DBB)
  • C. Calvio (Genetica dei microorganismi, DBB)
  • O. Savino (Genetica delle popolazioni, DBB)
  • L. Pasotti (Modellistica Matematica e Biologia Sintetica, DIII)
  • D. Dondi (Lab. Chimica delle Radiazioni/Spettroscopia EPR, Dip. Chimica)
  • A. Mondoni, T. Abelli, M. Landoni, G. Franzoni, G. Rossi (DSTA)
  • P. Leonetti (IPSP-CNR, Bari)
  • V. Locato, S. Cimini (Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma).


International collaborations:

  • S. Araújo (MORE, Portogallo)
  • C. Dobrota (UBB, Romania)
  • M. Cordea (USAMV, Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
  • C. Reynaud (IPS2, France)
  • S.S. Gill (Center of Biotechnology MD University-Rohtak, India)
  • Vishal Pandey (Varanasi University, India)
  • Lata Shukla (Pondicherry University, India)
  • I. Slamet-Loedin (IRRI, Filippine)
  • J. Ray (Diliman University, Filippine)
  • V. Manova (Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
  • F. Hay (Aarhus University, Denmark).