Donatella Ficco - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Donatella Ficco

Journal of experimental botany, Jan 12, 2015

The process of domestication has led to dramatic morphological and physiological changes in crop ... more The process of domestication has led to dramatic morphological and physiological changes in crop species due to adaptation to cultivation and to the needs of farmers. To investigate the phenotypic architecture of shoot- and root-related traits and quantify the impact of primary and secondary domestication, we examined a collection of 36 wheat genotypes under optimal and nitrogen-starvation conditions. These represented three taxa that correspond to key steps in the recent evolution of tetraploid wheat (i.e. wild emmer, emmer, and durum wheat). Overall, nitrogen starvation reduced the shoot growth of all genotypes, while it induced the opposite effect on root traits, quantified using the automated phenotyping platform GROWSCREEN-Rhizo. We observed an overall increase in all of the shoot and root growth traits from wild emmer to durum wheat, while emmer was generally very similar to wild emmer but intermediate between these two subspecies. While the differences in phenotypic diversity...

Field Crops Research, 2009

Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral conten... more Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral content in cereal products represents a possible strategy to increase the human mineral intake. Nevertheless, most of the inorganic phosphorus (P i ) present in mature cereal seeds (40-80%) is stored as phytate, an antinutritional factor that forms complexes with minerals such as Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe reducing their bioavailability. The present study was undertaken: (i) to determine the variation in phytate and mineral concentrations in the whole grains of 84 Italian durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars representative of old and modern germplasm; (ii) to estimate the magnitude of genotype  environment interaction effects; and (iii) to examine the interrelationships among mineral concentrations in durum wheat with the final aim to identify superior durum wheat cultivars that possess low phytate content and high concentration of mineral elements in their whole-wheat flour. The cultivars were grown in field trials during 2004-2005 at Foggia, Italy and during 2005-2006 at Foggia and Fiorenzuola d'Arda-Southern and Northern Italy. The phytate content was estimated indirectly by using a microtitre plate assay evaluating the P i absorbance at 820 nm, while the Cu, Fe, Mn, Ca, K, Mg, Na and Zn mineral contents were determined by ICP/OES. The contents of Zn and Fe across years and locations ranged from 28.5 to 46.3 mg/kg for Zn with an average of 37.4 mg/kg and from 33.6 to 65.6 mg/kg for Fe with an average of 49.6 mg/kg. P i grain content was between 0.46 and 0.76 mg/g showing a positive correlation with all minerals except Cu and Zn. Although breeding activity for Fe and Zn would be difficult because G  E interaction is prevalent, multi-location evaluation of germplasm collection help to identify superior genotypes to achieve this objective. The results here reported open the possibility of designing a specific breeding program for improving the nutritional value of durum wheat through the identification of parental lines with low-P i and high minerals concentration in whole grains. ß

Cereal Research Communications

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. Desf.) is a species well adapted to the Mediterranean environme... more Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. Desf.) is a species well adapted to the Mediterranean environments where salt stress due to seawater intrusion is an increasing problem. The purpose of this study was to deep insight into the relationships among physiological, productive and qualitative aspects under salinity, being these aspects still poorly investigated in durum wheat. In 2004-2005 crop season 10 durum wheat genotypes of different origin and breeding time were grown in a naturally-lit polycarbonate greenhouse under three irrigation water salinity levels (0.9, 6.0 and 12.0 dS m -1 ). A complete randomized block design with three replications was adopted. The osmotic damage was evaluated by estimating relative water content (RWC), leaf water potential (Y w ) and osmotic potential at full turgor (Y p100 ). The toxic damage to the plants was evaluated by measuring Na + accumulation and Na + /K + ratio in the leaves. Differences in yield performance were evaluated by assessing the main yield components and some qualitative traits, carotenoid pigment and protein content and Sedimentation test in sodium dodecyl sulphate. A significant effect of genotype, salt stress and of their interaction on all the characters was observed. Durum wheat genotypes generally showed a moderate tolerance to salt stress. The genotype performance was dependent on stress level and RWC maintenance. Osmotic adjustment and low sodium accumulation were found to play a key role in salt tolerance. An improvement in the grain quality characters on increasing salinity level, consistently with a yield decrease, was observed.

Journal of experimental botany, Jan 12, 2015

The process of domestication has led to dramatic morphological and physiological changes in crop ... more The process of domestication has led to dramatic morphological and physiological changes in crop species due to adaptation to cultivation and to the needs of farmers. To investigate the phenotypic architecture of shoot- and root-related traits and quantify the impact of primary and secondary domestication, we examined a collection of 36 wheat genotypes under optimal and nitrogen-starvation conditions. These represented three taxa that correspond to key steps in the recent evolution of tetraploid wheat (i.e. wild emmer, emmer, and durum wheat). Overall, nitrogen starvation reduced the shoot growth of all genotypes, while it induced the opposite effect on root traits, quantified using the automated phenotyping platform GROWSCREEN-Rhizo. We observed an overall increase in all of the shoot and root growth traits from wild emmer to durum wheat, while emmer was generally very similar to wild emmer but intermediate between these two subspecies. While the differences in phenotypic diversity...

Molecular Breeding, 2014

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) is a very important crop in the Mediterranean basin... more Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) is a very important crop in the Mediterranean basin. Intense breeding activities are carried out to improve its productivity, quality, and resistance, and new genomic tools are essential to speed up the breeding progress. A segregating population of 136 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between the durum wheat cv. Simeto and the T. dicoccum accession Molise Colli was genotyped with the wheat 90k iSelect Infinium SNP assay. A linkage map was developed with 9,040 markers. Forty-five linkage groups were obtained, which covered all of the chromosomes. The map covered 2,879.3 cM, with a mean length of 205.6 cM per chromosome. The number of markers for each chromosome was from 418 (4B) to 978 (2B), with an average of 645.7. The parents of the genetic map differ according to several features, from traits linked to spike and kernel morphology to grain yield. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was performed for traits related to kernel morphology and thousand-kernel weight: six QTL were identified on chromosomes 1B, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4B and 7A, and 2 QTL on chromosomes 3B and 4B. Bioinformatic and synteny analyses with rice and Brachypodium genomes were performed based on the SNP sequences, with the identification of a candidate gene corresponding to a kinesin under the QTL located on chromosome 1B. The SNP-based Simeto 9 Molise Colli linkage map represents a useful tool to dissect out the genetic basis of traits of agronomic relevance for the genetic improvement of durum wheat.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2014

Renewed interest in breeding for high anthocyanins in wheat (Triticum ssp.) is due to their antio... more Renewed interest in breeding for high anthocyanins in wheat (Triticum ssp.) is due to their antioxidant potential. A collection of different pigmented wheats was used to investigate the stability of anthocyanins over three crop years. The data show higher anthocyanins in blue-aleurone bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), followed by purple-and red-pericarp durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. turgidum convar. durum), using cyanidin 3-O-glucoside as standard. HPLC of the anthocyanin components shows five to eight major anthocyanins for blue wheat extracts, compared to three anthocyanins for purple and red wheats. Delphinidin 3-O-rutinoside, delphinidin 3-O-glucoside, and malvidin 3-O-glucoside are predominant in blue wheat, with cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, peonidin 3-O-galactoside, and malvidin 3-O-glucoside in purple wheat. Of the total anthocyanins, 40− 70% remain to be structurally identified. The findings confirm the high heritability for anthocyanins, with small genotype × year effects, which will be useful for breeding purposes, to improve the antioxidant potential of cereal-based foods.

Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 2012

A durum wheat consensus linkage map was developed by combining segregation data from six mapping ... more A durum wheat consensus linkage map was developed by combining segregation data from six mapping populations. All of the crosses were derived from durum wheat cultivars, except for one accession of T. ssp. dicoccoides. The consensus map was composed of 1,898 loci arranged into 27 linkage groups covering all 14 chromosomes. The length of the integrated map and the average marker distance were 3,058.6 and 1.6 cM, respectively. The order of the loci was generally in agreement with respect to the individual maps and with previously published maps. When the consensus map was aligned to the deletion bin map, 493 markers were assigned to specific bins. Segregation distortion was found across many durum wheat chromosomes, with a higher frequency for the B genome. This high-density consensus map allowed the scanning of the genome for chromosomal rearrangements occurring during the wheat evolution. Translocations and inversions that were already known in literature were confirmed, and new putative rearrangements are proposed. The consensus map herein described provides a more complete coverage of the durum wheat genome compared with previously developed maps. It also represents a step forward in durum wheat genomics and an essential tool for further research and studies on evolution of the wheat genome.

Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 2012

Diversity array technology (DArT) markers are largely used for mapping, genetic diversity, and as... more Diversity array technology (DArT) markers are largely used for mapping, genetic diversity, and association mapping studies. For years, they have been used as anonymous genomic markers, as their sequences were not known. As the sequences of 2,000 wheat DArT clones are now available, this study was designed to analyze these sequences with bioinformatic approaches, and to study the genetic features of a subset of 291 markers positioned on the A and B genomes in three durum wheat genetic maps. A set of 1,757 non-redundant sequences was identified, and used as queries for similarity searches. Analysis of the genetic positions of markers corresponding to nearly identical sequences indicates that redundancy of sequences is one of the factors that explains the clustering of these markers in specific genomic regions. Of a total of 1,124

Journal of Plant Interactions, 2012

Journal of Cereal Science, 2010

Yellow pigment content (YPC), lipoxygenase (LPX) activity and the polymorphism at the Lpx-B1.1 lo... more Yellow pigment content (YPC), lipoxygenase (LPX) activity and the polymorphism at the Lpx-B1.1 locus were assessed on an Italian durum wheat germplasm collection and four varieties contrasting for YPC and LPX activity were then characterized in terms of Lpx gene expression, biochemical LPX properties and their performance during pasta processing. The screening of 71 genotypes showed a great genetic variability for YPC (3.68e9.43 mg/g dw) and LPX activity (0.02e7.91 EU/g dw). The Lpx-B1.1 polymorphism was significantly associated with differences in LPX activity. Besides the Lpx-B1.1 deletion, different expression levels of Lpx mRNAs were found associated with differences in LPX activity. The temporal expression of three Lpx genes showed different profiles among the cultivars investigated. Genotypes with high LPX activity showed an anticipated temporal expression for Lpx-1 compared to low LPX activity ones. The LPX activity in the analysed genotypes is most likely due to the contribution of different LPX isoforms observed in the later stage of grain filling.

International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 2013

The effects of different hydrocolloids on chemical composition and cooking quality of spaghetti b... more The effects of different hydrocolloids on chemical composition and cooking quality of spaghetti based on maize and oat flours were investigated. Rheological and texture properties of the gluten-free dough were also assessed. Amount of 2% of gellan gum, carboxymethylcellulose, pectin, agar, egg protein powder, tapioca starch, guar seed flour and chitosan were separately added to the formulation. The samples enriched with hydrocolloids generally showed a different rheological behaviour compared with the control samples. As regards chemical composition, spaghetti with chitosan showed a value of insoluble dietary fibres (8.0%) higher than the control ones (3.9%). Moreover, results highlighted that most hydrocolloids improved cooking quality and texture properties of spaghetti (adhesiveness, cooking loss, hardness), thus supporting their application in gluten-free pasta.

International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 2006

To study the involvement of lipoxygenase (LOX) and oxidising agent potassium iodate (KIO 3 ) in r... more To study the involvement of lipoxygenase (LOX) and oxidising agent potassium iodate (KIO 3 ) in rheological behaviour of dough, mixograph and alveograph tests were performed using durum cultivars differing for quality and endogenous levels of LOX. Both tests were done in standard condition and with the adding of KIO 3 and of LOX and/or its substrate, utilised singly or in different combinations. The effects of these treatments were related to change of -SH and S-S content in relative mixograph dough. The mixograph and alveograph responses showed that the KIO 3 had an improving effect on dough tenacity and that the adding of LOX system enhanced this trend; on the contrary, the LOX system alone seemed not affect mixing stability. No relation was found between rheological responses and -SH and S-S content in the mixograph doughs. The results obtained could suggest that in durum wheat the main effect of LOX could be ascribable to bleaching action because of the co-oxidation of carotenoid pigments.

Field Crops Research, 2009

Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral conten... more Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral content in cereal products represents a possible strategy to increase the human mineral intake. Nevertheless, most of the inorganic phosphorus (P i ) present in mature cereal seeds (40-80%) is stored as phytate, an antinutritional factor that forms complexes with minerals such as Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe reducing their bioavailability. The present study was undertaken: (i) to determine the variation in phytate and mineral concentrations in the whole grains of 84 Italian durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars representative of old and modern germplasm; (ii) to estimate the magnitude of genotype  environment interaction effects; and (iii) to examine the interrelationships among mineral concentrations in durum wheat with the final aim to identify superior durum wheat cultivars that possess low phytate content and high concentration of mineral elements in their whole-wheat flour. The cultivars were grown in field trials during 2004-2005 at Foggia, Italy and during 2005-2006 at Foggia and Fiorenzuola d'Arda-Southern and Northern Italy. The phytate content was estimated indirectly by using a microtitre plate assay evaluating the P i absorbance at 820 nm, while the Cu, Fe, Mn, Ca, K, Mg, Na and Zn mineral contents were determined by ICP/OES. The contents of Zn and Fe across years and locations ranged from 28.5 to 46.3 mg/kg for Zn with an average of 37.4 mg/kg and from 33.6 to 65.6 mg/kg for Fe with an average of 49.6 mg/kg. P i grain content was between 0.46 and 0.76 mg/g showing a positive correlation with all minerals except Cu and Zn. Although breeding activity for Fe and Zn would be difficult because G  E interaction is prevalent, multi-location evaluation of germplasm collection help to identify superior genotypes to achieve this objective. The results here reported open the possibility of designing a specific breeding program for improving the nutritional value of durum wheat through the identification of parental lines with low-P i and high minerals concentration in whole grains. ß

Cereal Research Communications, 2011

The genetic variations of high and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS and LMW-GS) as ... more The genetic variations of high and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS and LMW-GS) as well as of wand g-gliadins in 562 accessions of 7 tetraploid Triticum turgidum L. subspecies were investigated using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). A total of 26 HMW-GS alleles (7 at Glu-A1 and 19 at Glu-B1 loci) with 63 allelic combinations, as well as 11 LMW-GS alleles (5 at Glu-A3, 4 at Glu-B3 and 2 at Glu-B2 loci) with 26 allelic combinations, were detected. Two novel HMW-GS, called B1cf and B1cg, were discovered in T. dicoccum, B1cg was also found in T. turanicum. The Glu-B1 locus showed the highest values of genetic diversity index (H), with a mean of 0.72. As regards gliadins, 8 alleles at Gli-B1 locus have been found. The dendrogram based on allelic frequencies, revealed that T. durum, T. carthlicum and T. polonicum grouped a part from the other subspecies. This behaviour suggested probably different evolutive pathways among the tetraploid wheats.

Cereal Research Communications, 2011

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. Desf.) is a species well adapted to the Mediterranean environme... more Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. Desf.) is a species well adapted to the Mediterranean environments where salt stress due to seawater intrusion is an increasing problem. The purpose of this study was to deep insight into the relationships among physiological, productive and qualitative aspects under salinity, being these aspects still poorly investigated in durum wheat. In 2004-2005 crop season 10 durum wheat genotypes of different origin and breeding time were grown in a naturally-lit polycarbonate greenhouse under three irrigation water salinity levels (0.9, 6.0 and 12.0 dS m -1 ). A complete randomized block design with three replications was adopted. The osmotic damage was evaluated by estimating relative water content (RWC), leaf water potential (Y w ) and osmotic potential at full turgor (Y p100 ). The toxic damage to the plants was evaluated by measuring Na + accumulation and Na + /K + ratio in the leaves. Differences in yield performance were evaluated by assessing the main yield components and some qualitative traits, carotenoid pigment and protein content and Sedimentation test in sodium dodecyl sulphate. A significant effect of genotype, salt stress and of their interaction on all the characters was observed. Durum wheat genotypes generally showed a moderate tolerance to salt stress. The genotype performance was dependent on stress level and RWC maintenance. Osmotic adjustment and low sodium accumulation were found to play a key role in salt tolerance. An improvement in the grain quality characters on increasing salinity level, consistently with a yield decrease, was observed.

Journal of Cereal Science, 2012

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune permanent enteropathy that is triggered in susceptible indiv... more Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune permanent enteropathy that is triggered in susceptible individuals after the ingestion of gluten, a storage protein fraction presents in wheat, rye and barley endosperm. Specific gluten peptides can bind to HLA-DQ2/8 and induce lamina propria CD4 þ T cell responses causing damage of the small intestine mucosa. Recent studies suggested that beside immunodominant and toxic epitopes, wheat gluten also contains epitopes capable of preventing the mucosal response in vitro. Among them, a decapeptide (QQPQDAVQPF) from wheat was reported to have an antagonist effect on the agglutination of K562(S) cells and celiac T-cell activation, although the corresponding nucleotidic sequence remained unknown. This study was therefore designed to clone the sequence encoding the protein carrying the decapetide with CD protective properties. A u-secalin gene encoding containing the decapeptide QQPQRPQQPF was isolated. Although the decapeptide was not identical to the one previously described, QQPQRPQQPF showed the same capability to prevent K562(S) cell agglutination and celiac mucosa immune activation induced by toxic gliadins. The u-secalin gene was found in wheat carrying the wheaterye chromosomal translocations 1BL.1RS. The identification of this immunomodulatory gliadin sequence, naturally occurring in cultivars of wheat toxic for celiac patients, might offer new therapeutic strategies for CD.

Journal of experimental botany, Jan 12, 2015

The process of domestication has led to dramatic morphological and physiological changes in crop ... more The process of domestication has led to dramatic morphological and physiological changes in crop species due to adaptation to cultivation and to the needs of farmers. To investigate the phenotypic architecture of shoot- and root-related traits and quantify the impact of primary and secondary domestication, we examined a collection of 36 wheat genotypes under optimal and nitrogen-starvation conditions. These represented three taxa that correspond to key steps in the recent evolution of tetraploid wheat (i.e. wild emmer, emmer, and durum wheat). Overall, nitrogen starvation reduced the shoot growth of all genotypes, while it induced the opposite effect on root traits, quantified using the automated phenotyping platform GROWSCREEN-Rhizo. We observed an overall increase in all of the shoot and root growth traits from wild emmer to durum wheat, while emmer was generally very similar to wild emmer but intermediate between these two subspecies. While the differences in phenotypic diversity...

Field Crops Research, 2009

Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral conten... more Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral content in cereal products represents a possible strategy to increase the human mineral intake. Nevertheless, most of the inorganic phosphorus (P i ) present in mature cereal seeds (40-80%) is stored as phytate, an antinutritional factor that forms complexes with minerals such as Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe reducing their bioavailability. The present study was undertaken: (i) to determine the variation in phytate and mineral concentrations in the whole grains of 84 Italian durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars representative of old and modern germplasm; (ii) to estimate the magnitude of genotype  environment interaction effects; and (iii) to examine the interrelationships among mineral concentrations in durum wheat with the final aim to identify superior durum wheat cultivars that possess low phytate content and high concentration of mineral elements in their whole-wheat flour. The cultivars were grown in field trials during 2004-2005 at Foggia, Italy and during 2005-2006 at Foggia and Fiorenzuola d'Arda-Southern and Northern Italy. The phytate content was estimated indirectly by using a microtitre plate assay evaluating the P i absorbance at 820 nm, while the Cu, Fe, Mn, Ca, K, Mg, Na and Zn mineral contents were determined by ICP/OES. The contents of Zn and Fe across years and locations ranged from 28.5 to 46.3 mg/kg for Zn with an average of 37.4 mg/kg and from 33.6 to 65.6 mg/kg for Fe with an average of 49.6 mg/kg. P i grain content was between 0.46 and 0.76 mg/g showing a positive correlation with all minerals except Cu and Zn. Although breeding activity for Fe and Zn would be difficult because G  E interaction is prevalent, multi-location evaluation of germplasm collection help to identify superior genotypes to achieve this objective. The results here reported open the possibility of designing a specific breeding program for improving the nutritional value of durum wheat through the identification of parental lines with low-P i and high minerals concentration in whole grains. ß

Cereal Research Communications

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. Desf.) is a species well adapted to the Mediterranean environme... more Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. Desf.) is a species well adapted to the Mediterranean environments where salt stress due to seawater intrusion is an increasing problem. The purpose of this study was to deep insight into the relationships among physiological, productive and qualitative aspects under salinity, being these aspects still poorly investigated in durum wheat. In 2004-2005 crop season 10 durum wheat genotypes of different origin and breeding time were grown in a naturally-lit polycarbonate greenhouse under three irrigation water salinity levels (0.9, 6.0 and 12.0 dS m -1 ). A complete randomized block design with three replications was adopted. The osmotic damage was evaluated by estimating relative water content (RWC), leaf water potential (Y w ) and osmotic potential at full turgor (Y p100 ). The toxic damage to the plants was evaluated by measuring Na + accumulation and Na + /K + ratio in the leaves. Differences in yield performance were evaluated by assessing the main yield components and some qualitative traits, carotenoid pigment and protein content and Sedimentation test in sodium dodecyl sulphate. A significant effect of genotype, salt stress and of their interaction on all the characters was observed. Durum wheat genotypes generally showed a moderate tolerance to salt stress. The genotype performance was dependent on stress level and RWC maintenance. Osmotic adjustment and low sodium accumulation were found to play a key role in salt tolerance. An improvement in the grain quality characters on increasing salinity level, consistently with a yield decrease, was observed.

Journal of experimental botany, Jan 12, 2015

The process of domestication has led to dramatic morphological and physiological changes in crop ... more The process of domestication has led to dramatic morphological and physiological changes in crop species due to adaptation to cultivation and to the needs of farmers. To investigate the phenotypic architecture of shoot- and root-related traits and quantify the impact of primary and secondary domestication, we examined a collection of 36 wheat genotypes under optimal and nitrogen-starvation conditions. These represented three taxa that correspond to key steps in the recent evolution of tetraploid wheat (i.e. wild emmer, emmer, and durum wheat). Overall, nitrogen starvation reduced the shoot growth of all genotypes, while it induced the opposite effect on root traits, quantified using the automated phenotyping platform GROWSCREEN-Rhizo. We observed an overall increase in all of the shoot and root growth traits from wild emmer to durum wheat, while emmer was generally very similar to wild emmer but intermediate between these two subspecies. While the differences in phenotypic diversity...

Molecular Breeding, 2014

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) is a very important crop in the Mediterranean basin... more Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) is a very important crop in the Mediterranean basin. Intense breeding activities are carried out to improve its productivity, quality, and resistance, and new genomic tools are essential to speed up the breeding progress. A segregating population of 136 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between the durum wheat cv. Simeto and the T. dicoccum accession Molise Colli was genotyped with the wheat 90k iSelect Infinium SNP assay. A linkage map was developed with 9,040 markers. Forty-five linkage groups were obtained, which covered all of the chromosomes. The map covered 2,879.3 cM, with a mean length of 205.6 cM per chromosome. The number of markers for each chromosome was from 418 (4B) to 978 (2B), with an average of 645.7. The parents of the genetic map differ according to several features, from traits linked to spike and kernel morphology to grain yield. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was performed for traits related to kernel morphology and thousand-kernel weight: six QTL were identified on chromosomes 1B, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4B and 7A, and 2 QTL on chromosomes 3B and 4B. Bioinformatic and synteny analyses with rice and Brachypodium genomes were performed based on the SNP sequences, with the identification of a candidate gene corresponding to a kinesin under the QTL located on chromosome 1B. The SNP-based Simeto 9 Molise Colli linkage map represents a useful tool to dissect out the genetic basis of traits of agronomic relevance for the genetic improvement of durum wheat.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2014

Renewed interest in breeding for high anthocyanins in wheat (Triticum ssp.) is due to their antio... more Renewed interest in breeding for high anthocyanins in wheat (Triticum ssp.) is due to their antioxidant potential. A collection of different pigmented wheats was used to investigate the stability of anthocyanins over three crop years. The data show higher anthocyanins in blue-aleurone bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), followed by purple-and red-pericarp durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. turgidum convar. durum), using cyanidin 3-O-glucoside as standard. HPLC of the anthocyanin components shows five to eight major anthocyanins for blue wheat extracts, compared to three anthocyanins for purple and red wheats. Delphinidin 3-O-rutinoside, delphinidin 3-O-glucoside, and malvidin 3-O-glucoside are predominant in blue wheat, with cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, peonidin 3-O-galactoside, and malvidin 3-O-glucoside in purple wheat. Of the total anthocyanins, 40− 70% remain to be structurally identified. The findings confirm the high heritability for anthocyanins, with small genotype × year effects, which will be useful for breeding purposes, to improve the antioxidant potential of cereal-based foods.

Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 2012

A durum wheat consensus linkage map was developed by combining segregation data from six mapping ... more A durum wheat consensus linkage map was developed by combining segregation data from six mapping populations. All of the crosses were derived from durum wheat cultivars, except for one accession of T. ssp. dicoccoides. The consensus map was composed of 1,898 loci arranged into 27 linkage groups covering all 14 chromosomes. The length of the integrated map and the average marker distance were 3,058.6 and 1.6 cM, respectively. The order of the loci was generally in agreement with respect to the individual maps and with previously published maps. When the consensus map was aligned to the deletion bin map, 493 markers were assigned to specific bins. Segregation distortion was found across many durum wheat chromosomes, with a higher frequency for the B genome. This high-density consensus map allowed the scanning of the genome for chromosomal rearrangements occurring during the wheat evolution. Translocations and inversions that were already known in literature were confirmed, and new putative rearrangements are proposed. The consensus map herein described provides a more complete coverage of the durum wheat genome compared with previously developed maps. It also represents a step forward in durum wheat genomics and an essential tool for further research and studies on evolution of the wheat genome.

Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 2012

Diversity array technology (DArT) markers are largely used for mapping, genetic diversity, and as... more Diversity array technology (DArT) markers are largely used for mapping, genetic diversity, and association mapping studies. For years, they have been used as anonymous genomic markers, as their sequences were not known. As the sequences of 2,000 wheat DArT clones are now available, this study was designed to analyze these sequences with bioinformatic approaches, and to study the genetic features of a subset of 291 markers positioned on the A and B genomes in three durum wheat genetic maps. A set of 1,757 non-redundant sequences was identified, and used as queries for similarity searches. Analysis of the genetic positions of markers corresponding to nearly identical sequences indicates that redundancy of sequences is one of the factors that explains the clustering of these markers in specific genomic regions. Of a total of 1,124

Journal of Plant Interactions, 2012

Journal of Cereal Science, 2010

Yellow pigment content (YPC), lipoxygenase (LPX) activity and the polymorphism at the Lpx-B1.1 lo... more Yellow pigment content (YPC), lipoxygenase (LPX) activity and the polymorphism at the Lpx-B1.1 locus were assessed on an Italian durum wheat germplasm collection and four varieties contrasting for YPC and LPX activity were then characterized in terms of Lpx gene expression, biochemical LPX properties and their performance during pasta processing. The screening of 71 genotypes showed a great genetic variability for YPC (3.68e9.43 mg/g dw) and LPX activity (0.02e7.91 EU/g dw). The Lpx-B1.1 polymorphism was significantly associated with differences in LPX activity. Besides the Lpx-B1.1 deletion, different expression levels of Lpx mRNAs were found associated with differences in LPX activity. The temporal expression of three Lpx genes showed different profiles among the cultivars investigated. Genotypes with high LPX activity showed an anticipated temporal expression for Lpx-1 compared to low LPX activity ones. The LPX activity in the analysed genotypes is most likely due to the contribution of different LPX isoforms observed in the later stage of grain filling.

International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 2013

The effects of different hydrocolloids on chemical composition and cooking quality of spaghetti b... more The effects of different hydrocolloids on chemical composition and cooking quality of spaghetti based on maize and oat flours were investigated. Rheological and texture properties of the gluten-free dough were also assessed. Amount of 2% of gellan gum, carboxymethylcellulose, pectin, agar, egg protein powder, tapioca starch, guar seed flour and chitosan were separately added to the formulation. The samples enriched with hydrocolloids generally showed a different rheological behaviour compared with the control samples. As regards chemical composition, spaghetti with chitosan showed a value of insoluble dietary fibres (8.0%) higher than the control ones (3.9%). Moreover, results highlighted that most hydrocolloids improved cooking quality and texture properties of spaghetti (adhesiveness, cooking loss, hardness), thus supporting their application in gluten-free pasta.

International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 2006

To study the involvement of lipoxygenase (LOX) and oxidising agent potassium iodate (KIO 3 ) in r... more To study the involvement of lipoxygenase (LOX) and oxidising agent potassium iodate (KIO 3 ) in rheological behaviour of dough, mixograph and alveograph tests were performed using durum cultivars differing for quality and endogenous levels of LOX. Both tests were done in standard condition and with the adding of KIO 3 and of LOX and/or its substrate, utilised singly or in different combinations. The effects of these treatments were related to change of -SH and S-S content in relative mixograph dough. The mixograph and alveograph responses showed that the KIO 3 had an improving effect on dough tenacity and that the adding of LOX system enhanced this trend; on the contrary, the LOX system alone seemed not affect mixing stability. No relation was found between rheological responses and -SH and S-S content in the mixograph doughs. The results obtained could suggest that in durum wheat the main effect of LOX could be ascribable to bleaching action because of the co-oxidation of carotenoid pigments.

Field Crops Research, 2009

Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral conten... more Mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations and the improvement of the mineral content in cereal products represents a possible strategy to increase the human mineral intake. Nevertheless, most of the inorganic phosphorus (P i ) present in mature cereal seeds (40-80%) is stored as phytate, an antinutritional factor that forms complexes with minerals such as Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe reducing their bioavailability. The present study was undertaken: (i) to determine the variation in phytate and mineral concentrations in the whole grains of 84 Italian durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars representative of old and modern germplasm; (ii) to estimate the magnitude of genotype  environment interaction effects; and (iii) to examine the interrelationships among mineral concentrations in durum wheat with the final aim to identify superior durum wheat cultivars that possess low phytate content and high concentration of mineral elements in their whole-wheat flour. The cultivars were grown in field trials during 2004-2005 at Foggia, Italy and during 2005-2006 at Foggia and Fiorenzuola d'Arda-Southern and Northern Italy. The phytate content was estimated indirectly by using a microtitre plate assay evaluating the P i absorbance at 820 nm, while the Cu, Fe, Mn, Ca, K, Mg, Na and Zn mineral contents were determined by ICP/OES. The contents of Zn and Fe across years and locations ranged from 28.5 to 46.3 mg/kg for Zn with an average of 37.4 mg/kg and from 33.6 to 65.6 mg/kg for Fe with an average of 49.6 mg/kg. P i grain content was between 0.46 and 0.76 mg/g showing a positive correlation with all minerals except Cu and Zn. Although breeding activity for Fe and Zn would be difficult because G  E interaction is prevalent, multi-location evaluation of germplasm collection help to identify superior genotypes to achieve this objective. The results here reported open the possibility of designing a specific breeding program for improving the nutritional value of durum wheat through the identification of parental lines with low-P i and high minerals concentration in whole grains. ß

Cereal Research Communications, 2011

The genetic variations of high and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS and LMW-GS) as ... more The genetic variations of high and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS and LMW-GS) as well as of wand g-gliadins in 562 accessions of 7 tetraploid Triticum turgidum L. subspecies were investigated using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). A total of 26 HMW-GS alleles (7 at Glu-A1 and 19 at Glu-B1 loci) with 63 allelic combinations, as well as 11 LMW-GS alleles (5 at Glu-A3, 4 at Glu-B3 and 2 at Glu-B2 loci) with 26 allelic combinations, were detected. Two novel HMW-GS, called B1cf and B1cg, were discovered in T. dicoccum, B1cg was also found in T. turanicum. The Glu-B1 locus showed the highest values of genetic diversity index (H), with a mean of 0.72. As regards gliadins, 8 alleles at Gli-B1 locus have been found. The dendrogram based on allelic frequencies, revealed that T. durum, T. carthlicum and T. polonicum grouped a part from the other subspecies. This behaviour suggested probably different evolutive pathways among the tetraploid wheats.

Cereal Research Communications, 2011

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. Desf.) is a species well adapted to the Mediterranean environme... more Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. Desf.) is a species well adapted to the Mediterranean environments where salt stress due to seawater intrusion is an increasing problem. The purpose of this study was to deep insight into the relationships among physiological, productive and qualitative aspects under salinity, being these aspects still poorly investigated in durum wheat. In 2004-2005 crop season 10 durum wheat genotypes of different origin and breeding time were grown in a naturally-lit polycarbonate greenhouse under three irrigation water salinity levels (0.9, 6.0 and 12.0 dS m -1 ). A complete randomized block design with three replications was adopted. The osmotic damage was evaluated by estimating relative water content (RWC), leaf water potential (Y w ) and osmotic potential at full turgor (Y p100 ). The toxic damage to the plants was evaluated by measuring Na + accumulation and Na + /K + ratio in the leaves. Differences in yield performance were evaluated by assessing the main yield components and some qualitative traits, carotenoid pigment and protein content and Sedimentation test in sodium dodecyl sulphate. A significant effect of genotype, salt stress and of their interaction on all the characters was observed. Durum wheat genotypes generally showed a moderate tolerance to salt stress. The genotype performance was dependent on stress level and RWC maintenance. Osmotic adjustment and low sodium accumulation were found to play a key role in salt tolerance. An improvement in the grain quality characters on increasing salinity level, consistently with a yield decrease, was observed.

Journal of Cereal Science, 2012

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune permanent enteropathy that is triggered in susceptible indiv... more Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune permanent enteropathy that is triggered in susceptible individuals after the ingestion of gluten, a storage protein fraction presents in wheat, rye and barley endosperm. Specific gluten peptides can bind to HLA-DQ2/8 and induce lamina propria CD4 þ T cell responses causing damage of the small intestine mucosa. Recent studies suggested that beside immunodominant and toxic epitopes, wheat gluten also contains epitopes capable of preventing the mucosal response in vitro. Among them, a decapeptide (QQPQDAVQPF) from wheat was reported to have an antagonist effect on the agglutination of K562(S) cells and celiac T-cell activation, although the corresponding nucleotidic sequence remained unknown. This study was therefore designed to clone the sequence encoding the protein carrying the decapetide with CD protective properties. A u-secalin gene encoding containing the decapeptide QQPQRPQQPF was isolated. Although the decapeptide was not identical to the one previously described, QQPQRPQQPF showed the same capability to prevent K562(S) cell agglutination and celiac mucosa immune activation induced by toxic gliadins. The u-secalin gene was found in wheat carrying the wheaterye chromosomal translocations 1BL.1RS. The identification of this immunomodulatory gliadin sequence, naturally occurring in cultivars of wheat toxic for celiac patients, might offer new therapeutic strategies for CD.