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Review
. 2019 Jan 10;8(1):18.
doi: 10.3390/plants8010018.

Plant Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology: Following Mariotti's Steps

Angelo De Paolis  1 , Giovanna Frugis  2 , Donato Giannino  3 , Maria Adelaide Iannelli  4 , Giovanni Mele  5 , Eddo Rugini  6 , Cristian Silvestri  7 , Francesca Sparvoli  8 , Giulio Testone  9 , Maria Luisa Mauro  10 , Chiara Nicolodi  11 , Sofia Caretto  12
Affiliations
Review

Plant Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology: Following Mariotti's Steps

Angelo De Paolis et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

This review is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Domenico Mariotti, who significantly contributed to establishing the Italian research community in Agricultural Genetics and carried out the first experiments of Agrobacterium-mediated plant genetic transformation and regeneration in Italy during the 1980s. Following his scientific interests as guiding principles, this review summarizes the recent advances obtained in plant biotechnology and fundamental research aiming to: (i) Exploit in vitro plant cell and tissue cultures to induce genetic variability and to produce useful metabolites; (ii) gain new insights into the biochemical function of Agrobacterium rhizogenes rol genes and their application to metabolite production, fruit tree transformation, and reverse genetics; (iii) improve genetic transformation in legume species, most of them recalcitrant to regeneration; (iv) untangle the potential of KNOTTED1-like homeobox (KNOX) transcription factors in plant morphogenesis as key regulators of hormonal homeostasis; and (v) elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the transition from juvenility to the adult phase in Prunus tree species.

Keywords: Agrobacterium rhizogenes; KNOX transcription factors; Plant in vitro cultures; genetic transformation; hairy roots; plant development; recalcitrant species; rol genes; somatic cell selection; tree phase change.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Outline of the main fields explored in this review following Mariotti’s scientific interests. His research spanned from basic research to applied biotechnology, foreseeing the great potential of in vitro cell and tissue culture for plant transformation and crop genetic improvement. All photographs in the figure have been taken by the authors of the paper.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic framework for the production of bioactive compounds by plant cell cultures.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A simplified view of the involvement of A. rhizogenes rol genes and plant class 1 KNOX transcription factors in hormonal homeostasis in the root (left panel) or shoot (right panel) apical meristem. (a) rolA, rolB, and rolC may control hairy roots formation and their indefinite growth by hijacking some as-of-yet unknown components of the gibberellin (GA), auxin (IAA), and cytokinin (CK) metabolism, respectively; (b) class 1 KNOX control boundaries between undifferentiated cells and differentiating organs through the regulation of hormone metabolism and signaling. KNOX expression in the shoot apical meristem establishes a regime of high CK, low GA, and a gradient of auxin and brassinosteroids (BR) to keep the indeterminacy of the SAM and setting boundaries for proper organ separation during plant development.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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