Plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses Abiotic stresses: drought; salinity; flooding; high and low temperature; oxidative stress; mineral toxicity (es: Al3+). Biotechnological strategies for engineering plants with resistance to drought: discussion of scientific papers. Biotic stresses: Plant defence mechanisms against pathogens; constitutive and induced defenses. Systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Plant immunity. Pathogen perception and signal transduction. Biotechnological strategies for engineering plants with resistance to pathogens (discussion of scientific papers): Plant or exogenous genes with antimicrobial activity or contrasting virulence factors; plant or pathogen genes inducing or reinforcing plant immunity. Transgenic commercial crops resistant to virus and insects. Genetically modified crops: ethical and social issues with particular reference to transgenic crop resistant to pathognes; possible biotechnological approaches to overcome critics. Case study: corn MON810. Environmental changes and crop diseases.
Plant transformation: Agrobacterium, reporter genes; constitutive, tissue-specific, inducible and synthetic promoters. TALEN technology.

-Buchanan, Gruissem, Jones: Biochimica e Biologia molecolare delle piante. Zanichelli
-Altman A. Paul, Hasegawa M. (Editors) Plant Biotechnology and Agriculture: Prospects for the 21st Century. Academic Press Elsevier
-Chrispeels M.J. e Sadava D. E. Genetica, Biotecnologie e Agricoltura Sostenibile, 2005. (traduzione italiana a cura di Sala F. et al.). Casa Editrice Idelson-Gnocchi.
Teaching material supplied by the professor including slides of classes and scientific papers