London. An international team has identified for the first time all the genes transcribed in the “enhanced” sunflower plant thanks to the symbiosis with a beneficial fungus that favours its growth and development. The research was conducted by geneticists and microbiologists of the University of Pisa, coordinated by Professor Andrea Cavallini and Professor Manuela Giovannetti respectively, and by bioinformatics of the English Research Centre, Rothamsted Research. The study was published in the journal “Scientific Reports” of the publishing group “Nature”.”The sunflower is one of the four most important oil producing plants – the precious sunflower oil – obtained from its seeds and rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E, which is increasingly used in the food industry”, explains Andrea Cavallini. “With this study, we have shown that the expression of some genes, fundamental for the growth and absorption of nutrients of the sunflower, increases as a result of the establishment of symbiosis with a beneficial fungus”. The collaboration between geneticists, microbiologists, and bioinformatics has therefore led to the identification of the “transcriptome”i.e. all the genes expressed in the root of mycorrhizal sunflower, that is when the plant is living in symbiosis with the Rhizoglomus irregulare fungus.””The availability of the enhanced sunflower transcriptome will lead to the selection of plants that are more resistant to environmental stress and to the attack of pathogens to be used in more sustainable and resilient production systems as well as propelling further studies on molecular mechanisms that are at the basis of the increase in nutrient growth and absorption of sunflowers for products for human consumption with high nutritional properties”, concludes Manuela Giovannetti. (9Colonne)
