Papers by Stefano Sangiorgio
In recent years, the interest in increasingly sustainable agriculture has also turned attention t... more In recent years, the interest in increasingly sustainable agriculture has also turned attention towards new crops which could enter the food chain as new protein and oil sources or that can be used as new cover crops. In this scenario, Camelina sativa is a perfect crop to study. Camelina is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Brassicaceae which is interesting for its oil content, since the seeds contain about 40% of oils, with a high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (30-40% alpha linolenic acid, 15-25 % linoleic acid, 15% oleic acid and about 15% eicosenoic acid). It is a hexaploid species (2n = 40, genome size ~782 Mb) characterized by rapid growth, short life cycle (85-100 days for spring varieties, 190-210 for autumn varieties) and low input cultivation needs. All these traits make it suitable for use in marginal areas. However, its use in feed and food is limited by the presence of glucosinolates (GLS). GLS are sulfur molecules involved in plant defense. In recent ye...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Phytic acid (PA) is a strong anti-nutritional factor with a key antioxidant role in countering re... more Phytic acid (PA) is a strong anti-nutritional factor with a key antioxidant role in countering reactive oxygen species. Despite the potential benefits of low phytic acid (lpa) mutants, the reduction of PA causes pleiotropic effects, e.g., reduced seed germination and viability loss related to seed ageing. The current study evaluated a historical series of naturally aged seeds and showed that lpa1-1 seeds aged faster as compared to wildtype. To mimic natural ageing, the present study set up accelerated ageing treatments at different temperatures. It was found that incubating the seeds at 57 °C for 24 h, the wildtype germinated at 82.4% and lpa1-1 at 40%. The current study also hypothesized two possible solutions to overcome these problems: (1) Classical breeding was used to constitute synthetic populations carrying the lpa1-1 mutation, with genes pushing anthocyanin accumulation in the embryo (R-navajo allele). The outcome showed that the presence of R-navajo in the lpa1-1 genotype w...
Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark
Background: Phosphorus is an essential component of fertilizers and feed and in recent decades ha... more Background: Phosphorus is an essential component of fertilizers and feed and in recent decades has become one of the main sustainability issues as a non-renewable resource. In plant seeds, the main reserve of phosphorus is phytic acid, a strong anti-nutritional factor for monogastrics and a pollutant of cultivated lands. The reduction of phytic acid in cereal seeds has become a major challenge in breeding programs to increase the nutritional quality of foods and feeds and to improve the environmental phosphorus sustainability in agriculture. In maize (Zea mays L.), four low phytic acid (lpa) mutations have been isolated and lpa1-1 is the most promising. However, the reduction of phytic acid in lpa1-1 leads to many adverse pleiotropic effects on the seed and in general on plant performance. A seed weight reduction and a consequent yield loss were previously described in this mutant. Method: In this work, a field experiment to study seed weight and yield was conducted for two years in two different genetic backgrounds (B73 and B73/Mo17). Furthermore, the greater susceptibility of lpa1-1 to drought stress was also investigated: a dedicated field experiment was set up and measurements were carried out under optimal water conditions and moderate drought stress. Results: From the first experiment it emerges that under high-input conditions, lpa1-1 seems to have comparable or even better yield than the relative control. The main problem of this mutant remains the reduced field emergence (~40%). In the study of drought stress it was found that the increased sensitivity in the mutant is mainly caused by an altered stomatal regulation, but not by a less developed root system, as previously reported. When the stress occurred, the parameters measured did not significantly change in the wild-type, while they dropped in the mutant: the net photosynthesis decreased by 58%, the transpiration rate by 63% and the stomatal conductance by 67%. Conclusions: Some possible solutions have been proposed, with the aim of developing a commercial variety, which remains the main goal to exploit the nutritional benefits of low phytic acid mutants.
Plants, Mar 23, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Scientific Reports, 2022
Maize is the basis of nutrition of domesticated herbivores and one of the most promising energy c... more Maize is the basis of nutrition of domesticated herbivores and one of the most promising energy crops. The presence of lignin in the cell wall, tightly associated to carbohydrates, prevents the physical access of enzymes such as cellulase, limiting the carbohydrate degradability and consequently the energy value. To increase the utilization of the biomass cellulose content, the challenge of breeding programs is to lower or modify the lignin components. In maize several mutations are able to modify the lignin content and in particular the mutation in brown midrib3 (bm3) gene appeared as one of the most promising in breeding programs. Unfortunately this mutation has several negative pleiotropic effects on various important agronomic traits such as stay green, lodging and susceptibility to several infections.The maize Brachyitic 2 (br2) gene encodes for a putative protein involved in polar movement of auxins. br2 mutant plants are characterized by shortening of lower stalk internodes, ...
Agronomy, 2021
The introduction of mechanized agricultural practices after the Second World War and the use of p... more The introduction of mechanized agricultural practices after the Second World War and the use of productive hybrids led to a gradual disappearance of local maize varieties. However, 13 landraces are still cultivated in North-Western Italy, in the Lombardy region; those that are cultivated in mountainous areas (roughly up to 1200 m in altitude) are often characterized by the pointed shape of their seeds (i.e., “Nero Spinoso”, “Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta”, “Spinato di Gandino” and “Scagliolo di Carenno”) and the presence of pigments (i.e., “Nero Spinoso”, “Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta”). The pointed shape of the seeds is an ancient characteristic of maize-ancestors, which negatively affects the yield by not allowing optimal “filling” of the ear. This study reports work on four different Italian varieties of pointed maize in order to assess the genetic bases of the “pointed character” and to try to explain the reasons for this adaptation to the mountain environment. The data obtained by gen...
Frontiers in Nutrition, 2021
Since in late 2019, when the coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COV... more Since in late 2019, when the coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) started to spread all over the world, causing the awful global pandemic we are still experiencing, an impressive number of biologists, infectious disease scientists, virologists, pharmacologists, molecular biologists, immunologists, and other researchers working in laboratories of all the advanced countries focused their research on the setting up of biotechnological tools, namely vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, as well as of rational design of drugs for therapeutic approaches. While vaccines have been quickly obtained, no satisfactory anti-Covid-19 preventive, or therapeutic approach has so far been discovered and approved. However, among the possible ways to achieve the goal of COVID-19 prevention or mitigation, there is one route, i.e., the diet, which until now has had little consideration. In fact, in the edible parts of plants supplying our food, there are a fair number ...
Applied Sciences, 2021
Within the framework of energy biomass production, Arundo donax L. is very promising for its capa... more Within the framework of energy biomass production, Arundo donax L. is very promising for its capability to grow on marginal lands with high yields. This potential can be realized in unused polluted areas where the energy production can be coupled with phytoremediation, and harvested biomass represents a resource and a means to remove contaminants from the soil. Two main processes are considered to evaluate A. donax L. biomass as an energy crop, determined by the timing of harvest: anaerobic digestion with fresh biomass before winter and combustion (e.g., pyrolysis and gasification) of dry canes in late winter. The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of A. donax L. in an area polluted by heavy metals for phytoextraction and energy production at two different harvest times (October and February). For that purpose, we established in polluted area in northern Italy (Caffaro area, Brescia) an experimental field of A. donax, and included switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and mixed me...
Plant Reproduction, 2016
The designation emp (empty pericarp) refers to a group of defective kernel mutants that exhibit a... more The designation emp (empty pericarp) refers to a group of defective kernel mutants that exhibit a drastic reduction in endosperm tissue production. They allow the isolation of genes controlling seed development and affecting seed size. Nine independently isolated emp mutants have been analyzed in this study and in all cases longitudinal sections of mature seeds revealed the absence of morphogenesis in the embryo proper, an observation that correlates with their failure to germinate. Complementation tests with the nine emp mutants, crossed inter se in all pairwise combinations, identified complementing and noncomplementing pairs in the F 1 progenies. Data were then validated in the F 2 /F 3 generations. Mutant chromosomal location was also established. Overall our study has identified two novel emp genes and a novel allele at the previously identified emp4 gene. The introgression of single emp mutants in a different genetic background revealed the existence of a cryptic genetic variation (CGV) recognizable as a variable increase in the endosperm tissue. The unmasking of CGV by introducing single mutants in different genetic backgrounds is the result of the interaction of the emp mutants with a suppressor that has no obvious phenotype of its own and is present in the genetic background of the inbred lines into which the emp mutants were transferred. On the basis of these results, emp mutants could be used as tools for the detection of genetic factors that enhance the amount of endosperm tissue in the maize kernel and which could thus become valuable targets to exploit in future breeding programs.
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Papers by Stefano Sangiorgio