The Arabidopsis Italian Mafia Who we are What

The Arabidopsis Italian “Mafia” √Who we are? √What we are doing? √Who is going to pay? And…. . FIRB Arabidopsis an Italian Functional Genomics Program On Arabidopsis

MORELLI G. GROUP. INRAN, ROME Functional analysis of HD-ZIP proteins √ HD-ZIP III family Responsible scientist: Dr. S. BAIMA √ GLABRA 2 (HD-ZIP IV) Responsible scientist: Dr. R. RODRIGUES POUSADA Funding: Ministry of Research grants RUBERTI I. GROUP. CNR, ROME Functional analysis of HD-ZIP proteins √ Functional Genomic analysis of Arabidopsis TFs: REGIA Responsible scientists: Dr. M. CARABELLI, Dr. G. SESSA Funding: EU FP 5 Programme REGIA project EU FP 5 Programme TF-stress project Ministry of Research grants

COSTANTINO GROUP. Dept. Gen. And Mol. Biol. Univ. ROME √ Functional analysis of DOF proteins in A. t. Resp. scientist: Dr. P. VITTORIOSO √ Functional Genomic analysis of Arabidopsis TFs: REGIA Responsible scientist: Dr. P. VITTORIOSO √ rol. D and flower transition Funding: Responsible scientist: Dr. M. TROVATO EU FP 5 Programme REGIA project Ministry of Research grants Institut Pasteur -Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti grant TONELLI GROUP. Dept. Gen. And Microbiol. Univ. MILAN √ Large-scale Exon-trapping System (EXOTIC) Responsible Scientist: Dr. M. GALBIATI √ Functional analysis of MYB & NF-Y TFs in A. t. Resp. scientist: Dr. K. PETRONI Funding: EU FP 5 Programme REGIA project EU FP 5 Programme EXOTIC project Ministry of Research grants

COLOMBO GROUP. Univ. MILAN √ Functional analysis of MADS proteins in A. t. √ Functional Genomic analysis of Arabidopsis TFs: REGIA Funding: EU FP 5 Programme REGIA project Ministry of Research grants ALPI GROUP. Univ. PISA PERATA P. (Uni MO e RE), LORETI E. (CNR) √ Sugar sensing: mechanisms and cross-talk with hormonal signaling MARMIROLI GROUP. Dept. of Environ. Sciences Univ. PARMA MARMIROLI N. , VISIOLI G. , GULLI M. , MAESTRI E. √ Isolation of mutants resistant to heavy metals from T-DNA collections

SOAVE GROUP. Dept. of Biology, Univ. MILAN SOAVE C. , MORANDINI P, MURGIA I. , TARANTINO D. √ Study of proteins that interact with H-ATPases proton pumps. √ Isolation of A. t. mutants altered in the sensitivity to photoinhibition, in the active oxygen scavenging processes, in the sensitivity to UV-B radiation, in the chirality of the primary roots MIGLIACCIO GROUP. Inst. Plant Biochem. & Ecophysiol. , CNR. Monterotondo RM MIGLIACCIO F. , PICONESE S. , FAGGIANO M. , ROSI C. √ Isolation of A. t. mutants affected in the gravitropic response, √ Isolation of A. t. mutants affected in auxin physiology √ Isolation of A. t. mutants affected in the basal process of circumnutation, √Functional Analysis of the At. RHA 1 gene Funding: European Space Agency (ESA) Italian Space Agency (ASI)).

FIRB Arabidopsis From Arabidopsis to Tomato: a scientific network and a technological platform for the functional genomics of plant development The proposal intends to exploit a functional genomics approach to analyse selected regulatory aspects of Arabidopsis and Tomato development through the analysis of the function and interactions of members of different families of regulatory and structural genes.

The proposal will focus on: - vegetative aerial development - reproductive development Transfer to Tomato of results and resources already available to some of the UR allows to consider two applied objectives on………. - plant architecture - nutritional quality

PARTICIPANTS PAOLO COSTANTINO (COORDINATOR) Università "La Sapienza", ROMA FELICE CERVONE Università "La Sapienza", ROMA PATRIZIA ADUCCI Università "Tor Vergata", ROMA IDA RUBERTI CNR, ROMA GIORGIO MORELLI INRAN, ROMA - EUGENIO BENVENUTO - GIOVANNI GIULIANO - MARIO TAVAZZA ENEA, ROMA CHRIS BOWLER Stazione zoologica "A. Dohrn", NAPOLI FRANCESCO CELLINI Metapontum Agrobios, MATERA - CHIARA TONELLI - LUCIA COLOMBO Università di MILANO MAURO CRESTI Università di SIENA

The genes analysed in the proposed research will be: - Dof family (UR Costantino) involved in auxin-dependent meristem formation, in the control of seed germination and in the response to gibberellins and stress - rol family (UR Costantino) that influence meristem formation, floral transition and sexual organ formation - HD-Zip family (UR Ruberti) (UR Morelli) involved in the regulation of primary and secondary meristem activity and in developmental processes as a response to the environment, such as shade-avoidance response - MYB family (UR Tonelli) involved in morphogenesis, stress response and in the biosynthesis of nutritionally relevant polymers - NF-Y family (UR Tonelli) which interact with several families of transcription factors crucial in differentiation and development in eukaryotes

- MADS (UR Colombo) involved in vegeative and reproductive development -HMG and TAF (UR Colombo) important factors in modulating transcription - PHY (UR Bowler) involved in the response to R and FR light - Signalosome assembly (UR Bowler) DET genes - CRY (UR Bowler, UR Benvenuto) involved in the response to blue light - Carotenoid biosynthesis (UR Benvenuto, UR Cellini) important for photosynthetic activities and nutritional quality - PG, PGIP (UR Cervone) involved in the response to pathogens and development - 14. 3. 3 protein class (UR Aducci) involved in cell cycle control and in several signal-transduction pathways

Expected scientific results √ Identification of genes involved in growth and development of the aerial part of the plant in Arabidopsis and Tomato √ Identification of genes involved in reproductive development in Arabidopsis and Tomato √ Identification of genes specifically expressed in the vegetative and floral apical region in Arabidopsis √ Identification of regulatory complexes through analysis of protein interactions by means of : √ Fluorescence Resonance Electronic Transfer (FRET); Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR); 2 -hybrid; FRET 2 -hybrid in plant √ Identification of the function and interactions of members of different regulatory and structural gene families in vegetative and reproductive development

Expected technological results Development and utilisation of the following technologies: √ RNA interference (RNAi) √ Gain of function and negative dominant mutations √ Chemical-gene machine (TILLING) √ DNA microarray and macroarray for RNA profiling in Arabidopsis and Tomato; √ Real-time PCR.

Expected biotechnological results √ Modification of tomato plant architecture √ Modification of the nutritional quality and biofarming in tomato

Expected infrastructural results √ Establishment of the first italian research network on plant functional genomics √ Training of scientific and technical personnel in functional genomics