110 results on '"Biondi, Stefania"'
Search Results
102. Quinoa seed coats as an expanding and sustainable source of bioactive compounds: An investigation of genotypic diversity in saponin profiles
- Author
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Sven-Erik Jacobsen, Bekzod Khakimov, Karina B. Ruiz, Stefania Biondi, Søren Bak, Søren B. Engelsen, Ruiz, Karina B., Khakimov, Bekzod, Engelsen, Søren B., Bak, Sã¸ren, Biondi, Stefania, and Jacobsen, Sven-Erik
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Seed coat ,0106 biological sciences ,Triterpenoid ,Saponin ,Biology ,01 natural sciences ,Chenopodium quinoa ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Nutraceutical ,Quinoa waste-product ,Sugar ,Oleanolic acid ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,business.industry ,010401 analytical chemistry ,0104 chemical sciences ,Biotechnology ,Hederagenin ,Biopesticide ,Aglycone ,chemistry ,business ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Saponins (SAPs) are a diverse family of plant secondary metabolites and due to their biological activities, SAPs can be utilised as biopesticides and as therapeutic compounds. Given their widespread industrial use, a search for alternative sources of SAPs is a priority. Quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa Willd) is a valuable food source that is gaining importance worldwide for its nutritional and nutraceutical properties. SAPs from quinoa seed coats could represent a new sustainable source to obtain these compounds in high quantities due to the increasing production and worldwide expansion of the crop. This research aims to characterise saponins of seed coat waste products from six different quinoa varieties for their potential use as a saponin source. Gas chromatography (GC)- and Liquid chromatography (LC)- with mass spectrometry (MS) were applied for qualitative and relative quantitative analysis of saponins. GC–MS led to the identification of three main aglycones, oleanolic acid (Ole), hederagenin (Hed), and a phytolaccagenic acid (Phy), while LC–MS enabled characterization of 24 SAPs with varying sugar moieties. Hed was the most abundant aglycone, followed by Phy and Oledepending on the genotype. Saponin distribution and relative abundances are discussed in the light of genotype provenance and agronomic features. Improved knowledge on the phytochemicals present in quinoa varieties might help in finding valuable and sustainable uses for quinoa SAPs in agroindustry as biopesticides as well as in the production of food and pharmaceuticals.
- Published
- 2017
103. Comparing salt-induced responses at the transcript level in a salares and coastal-lowlands landrace of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd)
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Karina B. Ruiz, Francesca Rapparini, Herman Silva, Stefania Biondi, Patrizia Torrigiani, G. Bertazza, Ruiz, Karina B., Rapparini, Francesca, Bertazza, Gianpaolo, Silva, Herman, Torrigiani, Patrizia, and Biondi, Stefania
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0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Polyamine ,Halophyte ,Plant Science ,Biology ,01 natural sciences ,Chenopodium quinoa ,Abscisic acid ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Salt stre ,Botany ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Ecotype ,biology.organism_classification ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematic ,Salinity ,030104 developmental biology ,Ion homeostasis ,chemistry ,Seedling ,Quinoa ,Shoot ,Gene expression ,Ion transporter ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
To further our understanding of the mechanisms governing salt stress responses and adaptation in halophytes, we explored morphological, metabolic, and gene expression responses to high salinity in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd). The main objective of this study was to analyze selected responsive genes in a time-course experiment to test for expression kinetics and to compare short-term salt-induced effects at the transcript level between two Chilean landraces belonging to different ecotypes. Quinoa genotypes exhibit a large variability in their responses to salinity, but it is not clear whether this is strictly related to the ecotype to which they belong. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the expression levels of genes involved in growth, ion homeostasis, abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis, perception, and conjugate cleavage, polyamine (PA) biosynthesis and oxidation, and proline biosynthesis as well as genes encoding ABA-dependent and âindependent transcription factors. Landraces R49 (salares ecotype) and Villarrica (VR, coastal-lowlands ecotype) were analyzed from 0.5 to 120Âh after transfer to saline (300ÂmM NaCl) or non-saline (control) medium. All the genes, except CqSOS1 and CqNHX, were investigated here for the first time in quinoa under salt stress. Transcript levels were determined by quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. Germination, seedling growth, ABA, and PA contents were evaluated in parallel. Even though on saline medium germination was inhibited in VR but not in R49, seedling growth reduction at 120Âh was not substantially different in the two landraces. The ABA biosynthetic enzyme NCED was the most strongly salt-induced gene; ABA content was similarly enhanced (shoots) or unaffected (roots) in both R49 and VR. NaCl treatment also altered transcript levels of some PA metabolic enzymes and the PA profile leading to an enhanced ratio between the higher PAs and putrescine. All other genes also exhibited similar expression profiles in response to salinity in the two landraces especially in roots, while in shoots some differences were observed. Our results provide new information indicating that crucial salt adaptation strategies at the molecular level and in terms of ABA and PA contents are shared by the coastal-lowlands and salares landraces; however, the timing of the onset of transcriptional changes (e.g., NCED, ABF3, and RD22) may reflect genotype-dependent constitutive and/or inducible adaptive strategies.
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- 2017
104. New Insight into Quinoa Seed Quality under Salinity: Changes in Proteomic and Amino Acid Profiles, Phenolic Content, and Antioxidant Activity of Protein Extracts
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Giampiero Cai, Claudia Landi, Stefania Biondi, Luca Bini, Iris Aloisi, Karina B. Ruiz, Stefano Del Duca, Luigi Parrotta, Aloisi, Iri, Parrotta, Luigi, Ruiz, KARINA BEATRIZ, Landi, Claudia, Bini, Luca, Cai, Giampiero, Biondi, Stefania, and DEL DUCA, Stefano
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Polyphenol ,0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Hydrolyzed protein ,Seed storage protein ,Globulin ,seed storage proteins ,Plant Science ,lcsh:Plant culture ,Biology ,01 natural sciences ,Chenopodium quinoa ,03 medical and health sciences ,Antioxidant activity ,Salt stre ,Storage protein ,lcsh:SB1-1110 ,Amino Acids ,polyphenols ,Original Research ,salt stress ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Albumin ,Polyphenols ,Salt stress ,Seed storage proteins ,Amino acid ,Salinity ,030104 developmental biology ,chemistry ,Biochemistry ,biology.protein ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) is an ancient Andean seed-producing crop well known for its exceptional nutritional properties and resistance to adverse environmental conditions, such as salinity and drought. Seed storage proteins, amino acid composition, and bioactive compounds play a crucial role in determining the nutritional value of quinoa. Seeds harvested from three Chilean landraces of quinoa, one belonging to the salares ecotype (R49) and two to the coastal-lowlands ecotype, VI-1 and Villarrica (VR), exposed to two levels of salinity (100 and 300 mM NaCl) were used to conduct a sequential extraction of storage proteins in order to obtain fractions enriched in albumins/globulins, 11S globulin and in prolamin-like proteins. The composition of the resulting protein fractions was analyzed by one- and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results confirmed a high polymorphism in seed storage proteins; the two most representative genotype-specific bands of the albumin/globulin fraction were the 30- and 32-kDa bands, while the 11S globulin showed genotype-specific polymorphism for the 40- and 42-kDa bands. Spot analysis by mass spectrometry followed by in silico analyses were conducted to identify the proteins whose expression changed most significantly in response to salinity in VR. Proteins belonging to several functional categories (i.e., stress protein, metabolism, and storage) were affected by salinity. Other nutritional and functional properties, namely amino acid profiles, total polyphenol (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents, and antioxidant activity (AA) of protein extracts were also analyzed. With the exception of Ala and Met in R49, all amino acids derived from protein hydrolysis were diminished in seeds from salt-treated plants, especially in landrace VI-1. By contrast, several free amino acids were unchanged or increased by salinity in R49 as compared with VR and VI-1, suggesting a greater tolerance in the salares landrace. VR had the highest TPC and AA under non-saline conditions. Salinity increased TPC in all three landraces, with the strongest increase occurring in R49, and enhanced radical scavenging capacity in R49 and VR. Overall, results show that salinity deeply altered the seed proteome and amino acid profiles and, in general, increased the concentration of bioactive molecules and AA of protein extracts in a genotype-dependent manner.
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- 2016
105. Oxidative stress and antioxidant responses to increasing concentrations of trivalent chromium in the Andean crop species Chenopodium quinoa Willd
- Author
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Anahi Bucchini, Marta Iacobucci, Valeria Scoccianti, Karina B. Ruiz, Stefania Biondi, Scoccianti, Valeria, Bucchini, Anahi E., Iacobucci, Marta, Ruiz, Karina B., Biondi, Stefania, DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE BIOLOGICHE, GEOLOGICHE E AMBIENTALI, Facolta' di SCIENZE MATEMATICHE FISICHE e NATURALI, and AREA MIN. 05 - Scienze biologiche
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Chromium ,Polyamine ,Antioxidant ,DPPH ,Chenopodium quinoa ,Oxidative stress ,Polyamines ,Tocopherols ,Tyrosine aminotransferase ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Pollution ,medicine.medical_treatment ,010501 environmental sciences ,medicine.disease_cause ,01 natural sciences ,Plant Roots ,Antioxidants ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Food science ,Photosynthesis ,Hydrogen peroxide ,Tocopherol ,Plant Stems ,Chemistry ,food and beverages ,General Medicine ,Health ,Seeds ,Public Health ,Oxidation-Reduction ,Chenopodium quinoa, Chromium, Oxidative stress, Polyamines, Tocopherols, Tyrosine aminotransferase ,Proline ,Botany ,medicine ,Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Tyrosine Transaminase ,Flavonoids ,Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ,Abiotic stress ,Environmental and Occupational Health ,Polyphenols ,Hydrogen Peroxide ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesi ,Plant Leaves ,Oxidative Stress ,Oxidative stre ,Lipid Peroxidation ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
none 5 no This research was supported by funds from the University of Bologna (RFO2014) to S.B.and from the University of Urbino (RFO 2014) to V.S.. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd), an ancient Andean seed crop, exhibits exceptional nutritional properties and resistance to abiotic stress. The species' tolerance to heavy metals has, however, not yet been investigated nor its ability to take up and translocate chromium (Cr). This study aimed to investigate the metabolic adjustments occurring upon exposure of quinoa to several concentrations (0.01–5mM) of CrCl3. Young hydroponically grown plants were used to evaluate Cr uptake, growth, oxidative stress, and other biochemical parameters three and/or seven days after treatment. Leaves accumulated the lowest amounts of Cr, while roots and stems accumulated the most at low and at high metal concentrations, respectively. Fresh weight and photosynthetic pigments were reduced only by the higher Cr(III) doses. Substantially increased lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide, and proline levels were observed only with 5mM Cr(III). Except for a significant decrease at day 7 with 5mM Cr(III), total polyphenols and flavonoids maintained control levels in Cr(III)-treated plants, whereas antioxidant activity increased in a dose-dependent manner. Maximum polyamine accumulation was observed in 1mM CrCl3-treated plants. Even though α- and γ-tocopherols also showed enhanced levels only with the 1mM concentration, tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT, EC 2.6.1.5) activity increased under Cr(III) treatment in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Taken together, results suggest that polyamines, tocopherols, and TAT activity could contribute to tolerance to 1mM Cr(III), but not to the highest concentration that, instead, generated oxidative stress. open Scoccianti, Valeria; Bucchini, Anahi E.; Iacobucci, Marta; Ruiz, Karina B.; Biondi, Stefania Scoccianti, Valeria; Bucchini, Anahi E.; Iacobucci, Marta; Ruiz, Karina B.; Biondi, Stefania
- Published
- 2016
106. Salares versus coastal ecotypes of quinoa: Salinity responses in Chilean landraces from contrasting habitats
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Iris Aloisi, Karina B. Ruiz, Valentina Canelo, Herman Silva, Stefano Del Duca, Patrizia Torrigiani, Stefania Biondi, Ruiz, KARINA BEATRIZ, Aloisi, Iri, DEL DUCA, Stefano, Canelo, Valentina, Torrigiani, Patrizia, Silva, Herman, and Biondi, Stefania
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Polyphenol ,0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Salinity ,Physiology ,Growth ,Plant Science ,Sodium Chloride ,01 natural sciences ,Chenopodium quinoa ,Plant Roots ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Genetic ,Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ,Genetics ,Extreme environment ,Adaptation ,Chile ,Ecosystem ,Plant Proteins ,Ecotype ,biology ,food and beverages ,Plant physiology ,biology.organism_classification ,Plant Leaves ,030104 developmental biology ,chemistry ,Agronomy ,Seed quality/protein ,Seedling ,Germination ,Chlorophyll ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a highly salt-tolerant species subdivided into five ecotypes and exhibiting broad intra-specific differences in tolerance levels. In a greenhouse study, Chilean landraces belonging either to the salares (R49) or coastal lowlands (VI-1, Villarrica) ecotype with contrasting agro-ecological origins were investigated for their responses to high salinity. The effects of two levels of salinity, 100 (T1) and 300 (T2) mM NaCl, on plant growth and on some physiological parameters were measured. Leaf and root Na(+) accumulation differed among landraces. T2 reduced growth and seed yield in all landraces with maximum inhibition relative to controls in R49. Salinity negatively affected chlorophyll and total polyphenol content (TPC) in VI-1 and Villarrica but not R49. Germination on saline or control media of seeds harvested from plants treated or not with NaCl was sometimes different; the best performing landrace was R49 insofar as 45-65% of seeds germinated on 500 mM NaCl-containing medium. In all landraces, average seedling root length declined strongly with increasing NaCl concentration, but roots of R49 were significantly longer than those of VI-1 and Villarrica up to 300 mM NaCl. Salt caused increases in seed TPC relative to controls, but radical scavenging capacity was higher only in seeds from T2 plants of R49. Total SDS-extractable seed proteins were resolved into distinct bands (10-70 kDa) with some evident differences between landraces. Salt-induced changes in protein patterns were landrace-specific. The responses to salinity of the salares landrace are discussed in relation to its better adaptation to an extreme environment.
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- 2015
107. Re-cultivation of Neochloris oleoabundans in exhausted autotrophic and mixotrophic media: the potential role of polyamines and free fatty acids
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Alessandra Sabia, Lorenzo Ferroni, Annalisa Maietti, Stefania Biondi, Paola Tedeschi, Simonetta Pancaldi, Martina Giovanardi, Roberta Marchesini, Costanza Baldisserotto, Sabia, Alessandra, Baldisserotto, Costanza, Biondi, Stefania, Marchesini, Roberta, Tedeschi, Paola, Maietti, Annalisa, Giovanardi, Martina, Ferroni, Lorenzo, and Pancaldi, Simonetta
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Polyamine ,Photosynthetic apparatu ,Photobioreactor ,Chlorophyta ,Photosynthetic efficiency ,Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ,Photosynthesis ,Cell morphology ,Free fatty acids ,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Botany ,Polyamines ,Food science ,Recycling culture media ,Neochloris oleoabundan ,Growth medium ,Free fatty acid ,biology ,Neochloris oleoabundans, Recycling culture media, Photosynthetic apparatus, Biomass production, Polyamines, Free fatty acids ,Ambientale ,Photosynthetic apparatus ,General Medicine ,Neochloris oleoabundans ,biology.organism_classification ,Culture Media ,Biomass production ,chemistry ,Mixotroph ,Biotechnology - Abstract
Neochloris oleoabundans (Chlorophyta) is widely considered one of the most promising microalgae for biotechnological applications. However, the large-scale production of microalgae requires large amounts of water. In this perspective, the possibility of using exhausted growth media for the re-cultivation of N. oleoabundans was investigated in order to simultaneously make the cultivation more economically feasible and environmentally sustainable. Experiments were performed by testing the following media: autotrophic exhausted medium (E+) and mixotrophic exhausted medium after cultivation with glucose (EG+) of N. oleoabundans cells grown in a 20-L photobioreactor (PBR). Both exhausted media were replenished with the same amounts of nitrate and phosphate as the control brackish medium (C). Growth kinetics, nitrate and phosphate consumption, photosynthetic pigments content, photosynthetic efficiency, cell morphology, and lipid production were evaluated. Moreover, the free fatty acid (FFA) composition of exhausted media and the polyamine (PA) concentrations of both algae and media were analyzed in order to test if some molecules, released into the medium, could influence algal growth and metabolism. Results showed that N. oleoabundans can efficiently grow in both exhausted media, if appropriately replenished with the main nutrients (E+ and EG+), especially in E+ and to the same extent as in C medium. Growth promotion of N. oleoabundans was attributed to PAs and alteration of the photosynthetic apparatus to FFAs. Taken together, results show that recycling growth medium is a suitable solution to obtain good N. oleoabundans biomass concentrations, while providing a more sustainable ecological impact on water resources.
- Published
- 2015
108. Peach (Prunus persica L.) fruit growth and ripening: transcript levels and activity of polyamine biosynthetic enzymes in the mesocarp.
- Author
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Ziosi V, Scaramagli S, Bregoli AM, Biondi S, and Torrigiani P
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- Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase genetics, Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase metabolism, Carboxy-Lyases genetics, Carboxy-Lyases metabolism, Fruit genetics, Fruit growth & development, Fruit metabolism, Ornithine Decarboxylase genetics, Ornithine Decarboxylase metabolism, Plant Structures, Prunus genetics, Putrescine biosynthesis, RNA, Messenger genetics, RNA, Messenger metabolism, RNA, Plant genetics, RNA, Plant metabolism, Biogenic Polyamines biosynthesis, Prunus growth & development, Prunus metabolism
- Abstract
Transcript levels and activities of the polyamine biosynthetic enzymes arginine decarboxylase (ADC, EC 4.1.1.19), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC, EC 4.1.1.21), as well as free polyamine titres, were analysed throughout the four growth stages S1-S4 leading up to ripening in the mesocarp from peach fruit (Prunus persica L. Batsch cv. Redhaven) grown under field conditions. SAMDC mRNA, which was northern analysed by using a PCR-generated homologous SAMDC probe, and ADC mRNA levels appeared quite stable during fruit development, while ODC transcript accumulation showed a discontinuous trend. The pattern of transcript levels during growth did not correlate with that of the relative enzyme activity, which instead correlated well with free polyamine levels. Both exhibited maximum levels in S1 and a smaller peak in S3. The behaviour of the polyamine biosynthetic machinery is discussed in relation to the different cell growth rates occurring during fruit development.
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
109. A functional genomics approach toward the understanding of secondary metabolism in plant cells.
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Goossens A, Häkkinen ST, Laakso I, Seppänen-Laakso T, Biondi S, De Sutter V, Lammertyn F, Nuutila AM, Söderlund H, Zabeau M, Inzé D, and Oksman-Caldentey KM
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- Acetates pharmacology, Alkaloids biosynthesis, Cells, Cultured drug effects, Cells, Cultured metabolism, Cyclopentanes pharmacology, DNA, Complementary genetics, DNA, Plant genetics, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant drug effects, Nicotine biosynthesis, Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis, Oxylipins, Polyamines metabolism, Nicotiana cytology, Transcription, Genetic, Gene Expression Profiling, Genomics, Nicotiana metabolism
- Abstract
Despite the tremendous importance of secondary metabolites for humans as for the plant itself, plant secondary metabolism remains poorly characterized. Here, we present an experimental approach, based on functional genomics, to facilitate gene discovery in plant secondary metabolism. Targeted metabolite analysis was combined with cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism-based transcript profiling of jasmonate-elicited tobacco Bright yellow 2 cells. Transcriptome analysis suggested an extensive jasmonate-mediated genetic reprogramming of metabolism, which correlated well with the observed shifts in the biosynthesis of the metabolites investigated. This method, which in addition to transcriptome data also generates gene tags, in the future might lead to the creation of novel tools for metabolic engineering of medicinal plant systems in general.
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
110. Polyamine metabolism is upregulated in response to tobacco mosaic virus in hypersensitive, but not in susceptible, tobacco.
- Author
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Marini F, Betti L, Scaramagli S, Biondi S, and Torrigiani P
- Abstract
• Change is reported in the biosynthetic and oxidative activity of hypersensitive (NN) and susceptible (nn) tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants in response to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). • Mature leaves of nn and NN tobacco were collected over 0-72 h as uninoculated controls or after inoculation with TMV or phosphate buffer (mock-inoculation). The polyamine response to inoculation was analysed by measuring activity and gene expression of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC), arginine-(ADC) and ornithine decarboxylases (ODC); incorporation of labelled putrescine; and activity of diamine oxidase (DAO). • In NN leaves SAMDC activity and transcript levels, and DAO activity increased in the TMV-inoculated plants but not in the other treatments; a two-fold increase in DAO activity was seen after 72 h. Both ADC and ODC activity increased in NN leaves at 72 h in TMV-inoculated plants; ADC mRNA increased with activity. The increase in SAMDC mRNA (24 h) preceded the rise in activity (72 h). [
3 H]putrescine added to NN leaves led to enhanced label recovery and incorporation into spermidine and spermine in TMV-inoculated plants. No significant changes in biosynthetic or oxidative activity occurred in nn plants. • After TMV inoculation, NN, unlike nn, tobacco plants upgrade polyamine synthesis and oxidation; this leads to changes in cellular components which might induce programmed cell death.- Published
- 2001
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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