Project 1

Higher Plants as Biosensor

Project manager -Massimo Maffei-
This workpackage aims to the use of plants in the perception of external stimuli both of abiotic (atmospheric pollution, climate change, mechanical injury, etc.) and biotic (microorganism and insect attack, allelopathic molecules released by other plants) origin. The workpackage is subdivided into three actions:

1.1: Manager -Carlo Bicchi-

Identification, isolation and purification of bioactive natural substances produced in response to environmental pollution and herbivore and pathogen attack.

Plants, which are static organisms, have evoluted a series of strategies aimed to cope with adverse conditions both of biotic and abiotic nature. Secondary plant metabolites are produced from primary metabolites and have been studied since ancient times because of their physiological, metabolic, pharmaceutical characteristics. Recently, they have gained a focal role in the struggle of plants against environmental and biotic adverse conditions, in what has been called “chemical defense”. Thus, chemical characterization and the evaluation of biological activity of plant secondary metabolism represent a starting point, fundamental in order to understand mechanisms of response of plants to external stimuli. Short term objectives of this action will be: a) identification of natural substances acting as a signal in biosensing atmospheric pollutants; b) identification of natural substances acting as a signal in biosensing the plant-plant, plant-herbivore and plant-pathogen interaction; and c) selective evaluation of their biological activity.
Long term objectives will be: a) wide range modeling for use of higher plants as biosensors of environmental pollution (also through comparative remote-sensing); b) use of plants in sustainable agriculture through natural mechanisms such as rhizodeposition, phyllodeposition, leaching and volatilization of bioactive molecules environmentally friend;
c) deciphering of the signal transduction pathway in plant-environment, plant-plant, plant-herbivore and plant-pathogen interaction.

1.2 Manager - Graziella Berta

In vivo and in vitro cultures, cytogenetics and plant-symbiotic non-mychorrizal microorganisms interactions.

The aim of this action is to select, collect and preserve in vitro cell cultures, clones and organisms, in order to build up a biosensor bank to evaluate biotic and abiotic stress and to test, in vitro and in vivo, biostimulators and xenobiotics, by morphometric and caryological techniques (determination of mitotic index, cell cycle, genotoxicity, nuclear DNA content).

Short term aims of this action will be: a) to test biostimulators fungal strains to select Arabidopsis thaliana mutants biosensors for gibberellins, b) to use Pisum sativum cultivars with different sensitivity to heavy metals and xenobiotics, to check alterations of the mitotic cells.

Long term aims will be: a) collections and production of plant clones (susceptible to heavy metals and/or xenobiotics, belonging to extreme environments or endangered by biotic or abiotic stresses) as useful tools for biosensing in controlled conditions or in vitro, b) preservation of clones in order to build up a cell line bank as a useful tool to protect natural biodiversity and eco-agrosistem genomes; c) Utilization of the selected plants (point a) to develop a system of bioassays for the detection of cytological and genotoxic effects of abiological (heavy metals and xenobiotics) and biological factors which can influence the activity of the mitotic cells, as well as for studies in controlled conditions and environmental monitoring.

1.3: Manager Prof. -Sergio Sgorbati-

Improving higher plant efficacy as biosensors through monitoring coupled to ecophysiological parameters.

Short-term objective is monitoring of different physiological parameters (growth, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, sap flow) seeking for distinctive characters useful for biosensing data analysis.

Long-term objectives will be the improvement of a remote monitoring network by sensors of the most important physiological parameters related to phytomonitor responses.