University of Bologna (UNIBO)
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Location : Bologna / Italy |
| Leader : Roberto TUBEROSA | |
| Website : www.eng.unibo.it |
Competences:
The Plant Breeding Research Group at the Department of Agroenvironmental Science and Technology, University of Bologna (DiSTA), carries out research on aspects relevant to cereal breeding and genetics (maize, barley and wheat). The research objectives investigated by the group are: genetics of development, dissection of the genetic bases of complex traits of agronomic relevance such as yield, yield components and response to drought stress, genetics of plant and root architecture and root/shoot responses to drought, genetics of resistance to cereal fungal pathogens (leaf rust, powdery mildew, fusarium head blight in wheat) and soil-borne cereal virus. To this end, QTL analysis in various genetic stocks comprising populations of recombinant inbred, introgression lines and near isogenic lines, analysis of genetic diversity at the phenotypic and molecular level (natural variation in germplasm collections), positional cloning of major QTLs and screening of large mutagenised populations are being carried out. The group uses standard and advanced biotechnology and genomics approaches including DNA automated sequencing, real time quantitative and qualitative PCR, microarray expression analysis, TILLING and genetic transformation.
Role:
UNIBO will participate to WP3 where it will carry out the fine and physical mapping and eventually cloning of a major QTL cluster for grain yield and related traits (kernel weight and plant height). For this purpose, UNIBO will also use BAC and physical maps produced in WP1 and 2.
Staff members’ profile:
Roberto Tuberosa, PhD in Plant Breeding (University of Minnesota, USA), Full Professor in Biotechnology applied to plant breeding at theUniversity of Bologna. For the past 15 years, his main research focused in plant biotechnology with particular emphasis on QTL analysis and cloning and molecular profiling in cereals. He is presently involved in 4 international projects, including one as coordinator. He is on the editorial board of Molecular Breeding (Kluwer-Springer Verlag) and Plant Genetic Resources characterization and utilization (CABI Publishing).
Dr. Maria Corinna Sanguineti, PhD in Quantitative Genetics (University of Milan, Italy). She is Associate Professor in Plant Genetics since 1984, at the Faculty of Agricultural Science, University of Bologna. She is currently involved in three international research projects.
Dr. Marco Maccaferri, PhD in Plant Breeding (University of Bologna, Italy). He has a long experience in molecular work and in durum wheat genetic analysis.
References:
- Maccaferri, M., Sanguineti, M.C., Natoli, E., Araus-Ortega, J.L., Ben Salem, M., Bort, J., Chenenaoui, S., Deambrogio, E., Garcia del Moral, L., De Montis, A., El-Ahmed, A., Maalouf, F., Machlab, H., Moragues, M., Motawaj, J., Nachit, M., Nsarellah, N., Ouabbou, H., Royo, C., Tuberosa, R. 2006. A panel of elite accessions of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) suitable for association mapping studies. Plant Genetic Resources 4: 79-85.
- Tuberosa, R., Salvi, S. 2006. Genomics approaches to improve drought tolerance in crops. Trends in Plant Science, 11: 415-412.
- Salvi, S., Tuberosa, R. 2005. To clone or not to clone plant QTLs: present and future challenges. Trends in Plant Science 10: 297-304.
- Quarrie SA, Steed A, Calestani C, Semikhodskii A, Lebreton C, Chinoy C, Steele N, Pljevljakusic D, Waterman E, Weyen J, Schondelmaier J, Habash DZ, Farmer P, Saker L, Clarkson DT, Abugalieva A, Yessimbekova M, Turuspekov Y, Abugalieva S, Tuberosa R, Sanguineti MC, Hollington PA, Aragues R, Royo A, Dodig D. 2005. A high-density genetic map of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from the cross Chinese Spring x SQ1 and its use to compare QTLs for grain yield across a range of environments. Theor Appl Genet 110:865-880.
- Maccaferri, M., Sanguineti, M.C., Tuberosa, R. 2005. Analysis of linkage disequilibrium in a collection of elite durum wheat genotypes. Molecular Breeding 15:
- Maccaferri, M., Sanguineti, M.C., Donini, P., Tuberosa, R. 2003. Microsatellite analysis reveals a progressive widening of the genetic basis in the elite Durum wheat germplasm. Theor Appl Genet, 107: 783-797.
- Ozturk, Z.N., Talamé, V., Michalowski, C.B., Gozukirmizi, N., Tuberosa, R., Bohnert, H.J. 2002. Monitoring large-scale changes in transcript abundance in drought- and salt-stressed barley. Plant Molecular Biology, 48: 551-573.
- Salvi, S., Tuberosa, R., Chiapparino, E., Maccaferri, M., Veillet, S., van Beuningen, L., Isaac, P., Edwards, K., Phillips, R.L., 2002. Toward positional cloning of Vgt1, a QTL controlling the transition from the vegetative to the reproductive phase in maize. Plant molecular biology 48: 601-613.
- Lotti, C., Salvi, S., Pasqualone, A., Tuberosa, R., Blanco, A. 2000. Integration of AFLP markers into and RFLP-based map of Durum wheat. Plant breeding 119: 1-10.
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This project is supported by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme
for Research and Technological Development