Alessandro Botton | Università degli Studi di Padova (original) (raw)

Papers by Alessandro Botton

Plant Physiology

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most widely cultivated fruit crops because the winema... more Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most widely cultivated fruit crops because the winemaking industry has huge economic relevance worldwide. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms controlling the developmental progression of plant organs will prove essential for maintaining high-quality grapes, expressly in the context of climate change, which impairs the ripening process. Through a deep inspection of transcriptomic data, we identified VviNAC60, a member of the NAC transcription factor family, as a putative regulator of grapevine organ maturation. We explored VviNAC60 binding landscapes through DNA affinity purification followed by sequencing and compared bound genes with transcriptomics datasets from grapevine plants stably and transiently overexpressing VviNAC60 to define a set of high-confidence targets. Among these, we identified key molecular markers associated with organ senescence and fruit ripening. Physiological, metabolic, and promoter activation analyses showed that...

Plants, Dec 17, 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

X Giornate Scientifiche SOI, 2013

20th International Conference on Plant Growth Substances, 2010

Postharvest Physiology and Biochemistry of Fruits and Vegetables, 2019

The plant hormone, ethylene, plays a major role in postharvest handling of fruits and vegetables ... more The plant hormone, ethylene, plays a major role in postharvest handling of fruits and vegetables by hastening ripening, senescence, abscission, and physiological disorders. Technologies to limit ethylene biosynthesis, to efficiently remove it from storage rooms, and to inhibit its action are utilized widely in commercial practice. The determination of ethylene concentration is the first step for the optimization of handling, storage, and transportation. The inhibition of ethylene synthesis by reducing temperature, decreasing oxygen, and increasing carbon dioxide concentrations (controlled atmosphere), alone or in combination, are widely used approaches to delay postharvest senescence. The deciphering of ethylene’s perception has opened a new era by providing its antagonist 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), currently used to counteract ethylene action in commercial storage facilities for a number of crops. New perspectives for better control of postharvest life are envisaged from a deepe...

V International Peach Symposium, 2002

Considering the increase of fruit allergy diseases, a specific research on some molecular aspects... more Considering the increase of fruit allergy diseases, a specific research on some molecular aspects of Lipid Transfer Protein (LTP), the major allergen of peach, has been carried out. Fruits of four peach cultivars (Sentry, Royal Gemm, Summered, Tardiva Zuliani) were harvested in correspondence of commercial ripeness and stored at 20°C or at 4°C. A 269bp cDNA fragment (named Pp-LTP1) was PCRsynthesized from poly A+ mRNA extracted from epicarp of cv Sentry, using degenerated primers. Sequencing analysis revealed that Pp-LTP1 encodes a protein belonging to the LTP family. Southern analysis indicated that Pp-LTP1 belongs to a small multigenic family of at least three members. Expression analysis showed that Pp-LTP1 mRNA is present in epicarp but not in mesocarp of ripe fruit and that specific transcript accumulation remains unchanged throughout postharvest ripening at 20°C. Storage at low temperatures induced a decrease of Pp-LTP1 transcript accumulation in cv Sentry and Tardiva Zuliani but not in Royal Gemm and Summered.

V International Postharvest Symposium, 2005

1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is known as an antagonist of ethylene action. A number of different ... more 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is known as an antagonist of ethylene action. A number of different trials demonstrated that not all climacteric fruits respond in a similar way to 1-MCP treatment: two examples are represented by apple and peach fruits. When applied on apples, 1-MCP is particularly effective in delaying ripening, while in peaches the rate of softening is slowed down only during the incubation period and a quick recovery of ripening parameters occurs in the post-treatment phase. In order to elucidate this different behavior, specific trials on peaches and apples have been performed. As expected, apple (cv. 'Golden Delicious' and 'Royal Gala') fruits responded to 1-MCP (0.625 ppm for 24h) maintaining firmness and producing little ethylene for the considered period (24 days) at 20°C, whereas in peaches (cv. 'Summer Rich'), 1-MCP (1ppm for 24 or 72h) was effective in reducing ethylene evolution and slowing down the softening process only during the incubation time and a short period thereafter. The quick recoveries of ethylene biosynthesis and the softening process observed in peaches during the posttreatment phase are associated with increases of PpACO1 and polygalacturonase (PG) gene expression. A molecular approach was used to investigate the sensitivity of both apples and peaches to ethylene. ETR1 (a member of the ethylene receptor family) gene expression was monitored via RT-PCR and a different behavior between apples and peaches has been observed: in fact, following 1-MCP treatment, MdETR1 transcript accumulation showed a decreasing trend, whereas the amount of PpETR1 mRNA did not significantly change throughout the considered periods.

Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology, 2014

ABSTRACT

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021

Superficial scald is a post-harvest chilling storage injury leading to browning of the surface of... more Superficial scald is a post-harvest chilling storage injury leading to browning of the surface of the susceptible cv Granny Smith apples. Wounding of skins has been reported to play a preventive role on scald development however its underlying molecular factors are unknown. We have artificially wounded the epidermal and sub-epidermal layers of apple skins consistently obtaining the prevention of superficial scald in the surroundings of the wounds during two independent vintages. Time course RNA-Seq analyses of the transcriptional changes in wounded versus unwounded skins revealed that two transcriptional waves occurred. An early wave included genes up-regulated by wounding already after 6 h, highlighting a specific transcriptional rearrangement of genes connected to the biosynthesis and signalling of JA, ethylene and ABA. A later transcriptional wave, occurring after three months of cold storage, included genes up-regulated exclusively in unwounded skins and was prevented from its o...

Scientia Horticulturae

Peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) trees need to be thinned in order to guarantee yield of fruits o... more Peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) trees need to be thinned in order to guarantee yield of fruits of marketable size and a sufficient return to bloom in the following season. In this fruit crop, however, thinning is often complicated by several endogenous as well as exogenous factors, such as genotype, orchard structure, environmental conditions and agronomic management, and the current thinning methods (manual, mechanical or chemical), taken singularly, present more disadvantages than advantages. Therefore, the only possible option is currently represented by the adoption of a "thinning strategy", consisting in subsequent interventions at different phenological stages, to finely tune the final fruit load along its physiological evolution. Such strategies must also consider the ongoing climate changes, which further complicates the thinning interventions also due to the lack of Decision Support Systems (DSSs), and the current trends of the global market. The present review takes a picture of the current situation of peach thinning, with a particular focus on the current development of new chemical thinners, and its future perspectives. Some general remarks are made considering the evolution of the global market and the obstacles found in peach research in some of the most traditional peach areas of the world.

Frontiers in Plant Science

Flooding Responses on Grapevine hypothesis. Overall integration of these data enabled us to draft... more Flooding Responses on Grapevine hypothesis. Overall integration of these data enabled us to draft a first comprehensive view of the molecular and metabolic pathways involved in grapevine's root responses highlighting a deep metabolic and transcriptomic reprogramming during and after exposure to waterlogging.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2016

XI International Symposium on Plant Bioregulators in Fruit Production, 2010

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2009

The fruits of Rosaceae species may frequently induce allergic reactions in both adults and childr... more The fruits of Rosaceae species may frequently induce allergic reactions in both adults and children, especially in the Mediterranean area. In peach, true allergens and cross-reactive proteins may cause hypersensitive reactions involving a wide diversity of symptoms. Three known classes of allergenic proteins, namely, Pru p 1, Pru p 3, and Pru p 4, have been reported to be mostly involved, but an exhaustive survey of the proteins determining the overall allergenic potential, their biological functions, and the factors affecting the expression of the related genes is still missing. In the present study, the expression profiles of some selected genes encoding peach allergen isoforms were studied during fruit growth and development and upon different fruit load and light radiation regimens. The results indicate that the majority of allergen-encoding genes are expressed at their maximum during the ripening stage, therefore representing a potential risk for peach consumers. Nevertheless, enhancing the light radiation and decreasing the fruit load achieved a reduction of the transcription rate of most genes and a possible decrease of the overall allergenic potential at harvest. According to these data, new growing practices could be set up to obtain hypoallergenic peach fruits and eventually combined with the cultivation of hypoallergenic genotypes to obtain a significant reduction of the allergenic potential.