THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELING

Course objectives

Specific outcomes A) Knowledge and understanding Students who have passed the Plant Biotechnology module - will have acquired in-depth knowledge in the molecular and cellular aspects of the functioning of plant systems, including in this system the complex interactions of plants with the environment and with pathogenic microorganisms. - will have expertise on biotechnological processes for agro-industrial and food production, for the transformation of non-food plant products, for the control of the quality of the environment, for the development, reproduction and genetic improvement of plants B) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding -Ability to apply knowledge for the choice of analytical strategies to study plant metabolism -Ability to apply the knowledge and tools acquired to develop skills in understanding the relationships between structures and functions of the main physiological processes that underlie the life and development of plants and their interaction with the environment. - Ability to apply the basic and experimental knowledge acquired on biotechnological approaches in the production of agro-industrial goods and services using plant systems. C) Autonomy of judgment - ability to autonomously understand and solve scientific problems concerning the physiology of the plant and its interaction with the environment. - Ability to independently evaluate and interpret experimental data for the study of plant physiology and biochemistry. D) Communication skills - Acquisition of adequate terminology in the communication of the contents of the discipline. - Acquisition of skills and tools useful for communication and dissemination of acquired knowledge and results of practical activities carried out during the course of study.- Ability to communicate the skills acquired to operators in the agricultural sector and to managers of public and private sector research organizations. E) Learning ability - Autonomous capacity for in-depth study of basic scientific information and basic technical knowledge in plant physiology and plant biotechnology. - Ability to learn cognitive tools and scientific method typical of the activity of a biologist who works in the field of plant biology and plant biotechnology .- Ability to acquire the tools that favor the constant updating of knowledge on the physiological and molecular mechanisms related to the development of plants and their interaction with the environment.

Channel 1
Mario TAVAZZA Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
Functional peculiarities of the plant cell. Endoplasmic reticulum and its differentiations. The vacuole: structure and functions. Peroxisomes. Glyoxisome, outline of lipid metabolism. β-oxidation, glyoxylate cycle. Protein bodies. Oleosomes. Plastids. Structure and functions. Biogenesis of plastids. The plant cell wall. Composition, structure and function and biogenesis. Biosynthesis of wall components. The plasmodesmata: structure and function. (8 hours) Electrochemical potential and water potential. Components of water potential. Experimental methods for measuring water potential and its components. The movement of water in the plant. Long-distance transport. Root pressure, cohesion-tension model. Soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Water transport from soil to root. Xylem structure. Transport water to the leaves. Transpiration and its regulation. The stomata: structure and mechanisms of control of the opening and closing. (8 hours) Specific transport systems: permeases, channels, proton pumps. Movement and transport of ions. Potential Nerst. Nature of the transmembrane electric potential. Passive transport, facilitated and active. Football partitioning, storage and mobilization systems. Mineral nutrition of plants. Plants and symbiotic fungi: mycorrhizae.Nitrogen metabolism. Nitrogen fixation. Rhizobium-legume symbiosis. Nitrogen assimilation. (8 hours) Photosynthesis. The photosynthetic pigments. Spatial organization and function of photosystems. Transport of electron acceptors and electron donors. Transport of protons and fotofosforilazione. Complex spatial organization of photosynthetic membranes . Photoinhibition. Calvin cycle and its regulation. Photorespiration. Systems for concentrating CO2: C4 plants. Crassulaceae acid metabolism. Biosynthesis of sucrose and starch and regulatory mechanisms.Peculiar features of plant mitochondria. The translocation in the phloem. Anatomy of the phloem. Flow model with pressure. Characteristics of the phloem translocation: report source-shaft. Loading and unloading of the phloem. Distribution of assimilates. (8 hours) The plant hormones. Concept and hormone sensitivity of the tissue. Auxins. Cytokinins. Gibberellins. Abscisic acid. Etilene. Physiological role of plant hormones and their mechanism of action. Photoreceptors. Photomorphogenesis, phototropism flowering and circadian entrainment. Introduction to secondary metabolism. (8 hours) Laboratory: - Isolation and genotyping of Arabidopsis mutants (4 hours) - Visualization of the activity of hormone reporter constructs in Arabidopsis (4 hours) - Use of transcriptomics to study plant responses to stress (4 hours)
Books
Biotecnologie e genomica delle piante. Rosa Rao, Antonietta Leone et al. Idelson-Gnocchi 2014. Biotecnologie sostenibili. Massimo Galbiati et al. Edagricole 2017. Materiale di supporto didattico in https://elearning2.uniroma1.it/course/view.php?id=317
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseFood and Industrial Biotechnology
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year3rd year
  • Semester1st semester
  • SSDBIO/04
  • CFU6