Italian Collection Research Articles

Functional Genomics of a Collection of Gammaproteobacteria Isolated from Antarctica.

Antarctica, one of the most extreme environments on Earth, hosts diverse microbial communities. These microbes have evolved and adapted to survive in these hostile conditions, but knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remains limited. The Italian Collection of Antarctic Bacteria (Collezione Italiana Batteri Antartici (CIBAN)), managed by the University of Messina, represents a valuable repository of cold-adapted bacterial strains isolated from various Antarctic environments. In this study, we sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 58 marine Gammaproteobacteria strains from the CIBAN collection, which were isolated during Italian expeditions from 1990 to 2005. By employing genome-scale metrics, we taxonomically characterized these strains and assigned them to four distinct genera: Pseudomonas, Pseudoalteromonas, Shewanella, and Psychrobacter. Genome annotation revealed a previously untapped functional potential, including secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters and antibiotic resistance genes. Phylogenomic analyses provided evolutionary insights, while assessment of cold-shock protein presence shed light on adaptation mechanisms. Our study emphasizes the significance of CIBAN as a resource for understanding Antarctic microbial life and its biotechnological potential. The genomic data unveil new horizons for insight into bacterial existence in Antarctica.

Unnatural and degenerate: Cases of monstrous motherhood in Matteo Bandello’s Novelle (1554) and Geoffrey Fenton’s Tragicall Discourses (1567)

The following article takes into consideration two cases of early modern female ‘monstrosity’ drawn from the Italian collection of Novelle published by Matteo Bandello in 1554. The events recount the stories of two mothers who, seized by ‘unnatural’ folly, kill in cold blood their own offspring. The article tackles the conflicting concepts of normality and malady, putting this ambiguous opposition in relation with the consequent translations of the Novelle in French and in English. The shifts that appear in the translations reveal a deep preoccupation with definitions of malady, be they physical or cultural. Through a close analysis of the original Italian text and its English rendition written by Geoffrey Fenton in 1567, this article sheds light on the troubled relationship of English translators with ‘Italianated’ thus ‘degenerate’ customs, and on their authorial and textual strategies to pre-empt the infectious potential of their Italian sources.

Assessment of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) as recycled aggregate for concrete

A study about the performances of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) sourced from 5 different Italian collection sites is presented to evaluate RAP as aggregate for concrete. Several RAP properties were investigated: physical properties (particles size distribution, water absorption, porosity, wettability), microstructure by microscopy, dimensional stability (drying shrinkage of mortar and concrete with 100% of RAP as aggregates) and durability assessment by freezing-thawing cycles. Several differences between RAP and natural aggregates used for concrete were highlighted. The use of RAP as recycled aggregate for concrete is a promising route, but a complete characterization is needed to ensure concrete performance and durability.

New data in Porotheleaceae and Cyphellaceae: epitypification of Prunulus scabripes Murrill, the status of Mycopan Redhead, Moncalvo & Vilgalys and a new combination in Pleurella Horak emend.

Mycopan is a genus established for Hydropus scabripes by Redhead, Moncalvo & Vilgalys (in Redhead 2013). They considered the genus to be distinct based on morphology and the phylogenetic analysis by Moncalvo et al. (2002) which included a sequence of Hydropus scabripes (AF042635, DAOM 192847) unrelated to the type species of Hydropus (H. fuliginarius). Subsequent sequences of material identified as Hydropus scabripes are not conspecific with the sequence of DAOM 192847. We consider this sequence (obtained from a mycelium culture) to be misidentified. We investigated the true phylogenetic position of authentic Mycopan including genera previously included in Cyphellaceae and Porotheleaceae. Sixteen collections of M. scabripes from Europe and North America were studied on morphological and molecular basis (nrITS and nrLSU sequences). No sequences were obtained from the holotype of Mycopan scabripes, and we designate an epitype to fix the interpretation of this species and the genus Mycopan. Mycopan is maintained as a good genus nested within Cyphellaceae as sister to the mycenoid genus Atheniella. The misidentified Hydropus scabripes AF042635 (DAOM 192847) represents a different species that is closely related to the holotype (and a new Italian collection) of Hebelomina microspora and the monospecific genus Pleurella described from New Zealand. Consequently, Hebelomina microspora is transferred to the emended genus Pleurella, which is sister to Baeospora within the Cyphellaceae. Additionally, based on these phylogenetic results, an updated taxonomic arrangement of Cyphellaceae and Porotheleaceae is proposed, emphasizing once again the polyphyletic nature of Hydropus and Gerronema.

Phylogenetic reappraisal and epitypification of Laccaria macrocystidiata (Hydnangiaceae, Basidiomycota)

Laccaria macrocystidiata, a marasmioid species, originally described as Laccaria affinis f. macrocystidiata from Central Italy, was synonymised with the North American taxon Laccaria laccata var. pallidifolia, but only on a morphological basis. In this paper, the independent position of L. macrocystidiata from L. laccata var. pallidifolia and other species of Laccaria is pointed out on the basis of ITS-LSU phylogenetic analyses. According to our results, Laccaria macrocystidiata var. longispinosa is considered a synonym of Laccaria macrocystidiata. Laccaria macrocystidiata holotype consists of only one basidioma in poor condition; thus, a new epitype from an Italian collection was designated.

Neotropical mammals in natural history collections and research in Rome, Italy

The occurrence and the history of Neotropical mammal specimens in the collections of naturalistic museums in Rome, Italy, and their scientific utilization is here reviewed. These specimens belong to several scientific expeditions made after the discovery of the new Continent. The oldest specimens date back to the famous Museum of Athanasius Kircher at the Collegio Romano (1651) and to the Museo Zoologico della Università di Roma that was established inside the University of the Pontificial State (Archigymnasium) (1823). Many of these early specimens are now lost due to the complex history of Roman scientific museology, but some specimens are now available mainly in two institutions, the Museo Civico di Zoologia (established in 1932) and the Museo di Anatomia Comparata “Battista Grassi” of “Sapienza” University of Rome (1935). Among the numerous specimens, is noteworthy the presence of a hairy long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus pilosus, the first record in an Italian zoological collection and the 26th known specimen of this species in world museums. More recently, some Roman researchers have maintained a scientific interest for Neotropical mammals, including primates, with collaboration with South American mammalogists. A greater historical knowledge of scientific activities concerning the work of Italians researchers on Neotropical biodiversity should be pursued.

A Florentine merchant’s visit to Canterbury Cathedral in 1444

ABSTRACT The article presents a hitherto unpublished text in Italian narrating a voyage to England and Flanders on board a galley undertaken in November 1444 by the Florentine merchant Mariano Ughi, which forms part of a quadernetto or ledger currently in an Italian private collection. The ledger is divided into two parts: the first contains accounts and information on Ughi’s business activity and network of contacts among the Florentine community of traders and bankers. The second, a diary, describes the towns and cities, monuments and pilgrimage sites he visited during the various stopovers. The core of the diary is dedicated to Ughi’s visit to the shrine of St Thomas Becket, in Christ Church Cathedral at Canterbury, with a detailed account which significantly contributes to our knowledge of the church and shrine in the mid fifteenth century, while revealing at the same time the pious practices of a contemporary merchant.

A stochastic risk-averse framework for blood donation appointment scheduling under uncertain donor arrivals

Blood is a key resource in all health care systems, usually drawn from voluntary donors. We focus on the operations management in blood collection centers, which is a key step to guarantee an adequate blood supply and a good quality of service to donors, by addressing the so-called Blood Donation Appointment Scheduling problem. Its goal is to employ appointment scheduling to balance the production of blood units between days, in order to provide a reasonably constant supply to transfusion centers and hospitals, and reduce non-alignments between physicians' working times and donor arrivals at the collection center. We consider a two-phase solution framework taken from the literature, in which a deterministic linear programming model preallocates time slots to different blood types and a prioritization policy assigns the preallocated slots to the donors when they make a reservation. However, the problem is stochastic in nature and requires consideration of the uncertain arrivals of non-booked donors. In this work, to include the uncertain arrivals, we propose three stochastic counterparts of the preallocation model based on a risk-neutral objective and two risk-averse objectives, respectively, where the Conditional Value-at-Risk is considered as the risk measure in the last two methods. The resulting stochastic frameworks have been tested considering the historical data of one of the largest Italian collection centers, the Milan Department of the "Associazione Volontari Italiani Sangue" (AVIS). Results show the effectiveness of the stochastic models, especially the mean-risk one, and the need to include the uncertainty of arrivals in order to better balance the production of blood units.

1636-P: Transient Neonatal Diabetes: Clinical Differences between Patients Bearing KATP Mutations and 6q24 Defects May Guide Genetic Screening

Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM) is a subtype of neonatal diabetes (diagnosis: ≤ 180 days of life) characterized by remission within months from onset. TNDM is almost invariably associated with mutations in genes encoding the two subunits of ATP-dependent potassium channel (KATP), ABCC8 and KCNJ11, or with defects in chromosome 6. We reviewed genetic data, family history and clinical features including age at diabetes onset, mode of diabetes presentation, birth weight, type of diabetes treatment, time to remission, and diabetes therapy at relapse in 23 patients with TNDM of the Italian collection. Italian data set of TNDM patients included 8 cases with ABCC8 mutation, 8 cases with KCNJ11 mutation and 7 patients with 6q24 defects. Ten patients with KATP/TNDM (62%) had a parent with diabetes or IFG/IGT who carried the mutation. In contrast, none of the parents of patients with 6q24/TNDM showed glucose derangement. Age at diabetes onset did not exceed 5 weeks from birth in patients with 6q24 defects, and ranged from 1 to 34 weeks in patients with KATP mutations. Seven patients with KATP/TNDM presented with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA); in contrast, three other patients entered into remission without any pharmacological treatment. No patients with 6q24/TNDM had DKA. Age at remission was higher for probands with KATP/TNDM than those with 6q24/TNDM (median 28.5 vs. 8 weeks, respectively, p=0.0023), along with time to remission (20.5 vs. 6 weeks, p=0.0056). Four patients with TNDM who had relapse of diabetes were treated with sulfonylureas (SU), and one with insulin (refusal of SU). Conclusions: TNDM patients with positive family history for diabetes, onset of diabetes beyond 6 weeks from birth and long time to remission should be screened for mutations in KATP genes first. Remission without therapy observed in 3 cases with KATP/TNDM suggests that in parents with diabetes onset in adolescence, mild TNDM could have been overlooked. Disclosure F. Barbetti: Consultant; Self; Amring. R. Bonfanti: Advisory Panel; Self; Abbott, Medtronic, Roche Diabetes Care. I. Rabbone: None. P. Reinstadler: None. C. Bizzarri: None. D. Iafusco: None.

Results of the Italian infection-Carbapenem Resistance Evaluation Surveillance Trial (iCREST-IT): activity of ceftazidime/avibactam against Enterobacterales isolated from urine

To assess the in vitro antibacterial activity of ceftazidime/avibactam against a recent Italian collection of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) isolated from urine specimens. Consecutive Gram-negative isolates from urine specimens, collected from inpatients in five Italian hospitals during the period October 2016 to February 2017, were screened for CRE phenotype using chromogenic selective medium and identified using MALDI-TOF MS. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by reference broth microdilution (BMD) and, for ceftazidime/avibactam, also by Etest® CZA. Results were interpreted according to the EUCAST breakpoints. All confirmed CRE were subjected to real-time PCR targeting blaKPC-type, blaVIM-type, blaNDM-type and blaOXA-48-type carbapenemase genes. Non-MBL-producing isolates resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam were subjected to WGS and their resistome and clonality were analysed. Overall, 318 non-replicate presumptive CRE were collected following screening of 9405 isolates of Enterobacterales (3.4%) on chromogenic selective medium. Molecular analysis revealed that 216 isolates were positive for a carbapenemase gene (of which 92.1%, 2.8%, 1.4% and 1.4% were positive for blaKPC-type, blaOXA-48-type, blaNDM-type and blaVIM-type, respectively). Against the confirmed carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), ceftazidime/avibactam was the most active compound, followed by colistin (susceptibility rates 91.6% and 69.4%, respectively). Compared with BMD, Etest® for ceftazidime/avibactam yielded consistent results (100% category agreement). All class B β-lactamase producers were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam, while OXA-48 and KPC producers were susceptible, with the exception of seven KPC-producing isolates (4.2%). The latter exhibited an MIC of 16 to >32 mg/L, belonged to ST512, produced KPC-3 and showed alterations in the OmpK35 and Ompk36 porins. Ceftazidime/avibactam showed potent in vitro activity against a recent Italian collection of CPE from urine.

Cucurbita maxima Duch. population analysis: relationship between Tunisian and Italian germplasm

ABSTRACT Cucurbita maxima Duch. is one of the most diversified Cucurbita species worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic relationship between and within Tunisian and Italian Cucurbita maxima germplasm collections using morphological and molecular markers. The phenotypic parameters showed a large qualitative variability, primarily according to fruit-related traits, for both collections. The RAPD, ISSR and SRAP molecular marker systems used turned out to be effective in discriminating all the accessions. Among the Tunisian collection, the polymorphic information content (PIC) and genetic diversity (H) values were of 0.461 and 0.50 respectively, with a total of 96% of polymorphism detected. The Italian collection revealed a PIC and H values of 0.454 and 0.50 respectively and 90% of polymorphism. Population structure analysis reflected the geographical origin of the accessions and helped to classify the Tunisian collection into two populations and to group all the Italian accessions into one. The results suggest that the combination of morphological and molecular approaches is a highly reliable technique in studying and evaluating Cucurbita maxima germplasm which represents an important genetic resource to be preserved and used in breeding programs.

A hybrid method for the extraction and classification of product features from user-generated contents

Abstract – The research we present in this paper focuses on the automatic management of the knowledge about experience goods and services and their features, starting from real texts generated online by internet users. The details about an experiment conducted on a dataset of product reviews, on which we tested a set of rule-based and statistical solutions, will be described in the paper. The main goals are the review classification, the extraction of relevant product features and their systematization into product-driven ontologies. Feature extraction is performed through a rule-based strategy grounded on SentIta , an Italian collection of subjective lexical resources. Features and Reviews are classified thanks to a Distributional Semantic algorithm. In the end, we face the problem of the extracted knowledge organization by integrating the subjective information produced by the internet users within a product-driven ontology. The Natural Language Processing (NLP) tool exploited in the work is LG-Starship , a hybrid framework for Italian texts processing based on the Lexicon-Grammar theory.

Spirabat paululum iam. Una nuova congettura per un noto locus desperatus agostiniano

This short article is intended to contribute to the solution of a known locus desperatus of the Augustinian Confessions. The Author proposes that 8, 2, 3 should be read spirabat paululum iam instead of spirabat † popilios iam †. The conjecture is reminiscent of Catil. 61, 4 paululum etian spirans concerning Catilina’s death (Augustine remembers this famous Sallustian locus when he writes civ. 3, 27 vix paululum respirante civitate). Catilina’s death is a metaphor for the fall of Roman paganism, and for Marius Victorinus’s and Augustine's personal lives as well as their conversions. Ruggiero adds further evidence to Manlio Simonetti’s arguments as shown in the «Nota al Testo» (vol. I, 1992, pp. CLXIIICLXVIII) preceding his edition of Confessiones for the Italian collection “Lorenzo Valla”: common mistakes such as popilios iam were already in the edition’s manuscript.

Impact of the pre-collection phase at different intensities of source segregation of bio-waste: An Italian case study

The contribution of the N2O and CH4 emissions generated during pre-collection of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste was investigated for an existing Italian collection district in a life cycle perspective. This district consisted of about 24,000 inhabitants generating 35.6Mg/day of municipal solid waste, of which 7.27Mg/day was the organic fraction. Different source segregation intensities and collection frequencies (day−1) were analyzed. The amount of the organic fraction not segregated at source was assumed to be collected commingled with the residual waste. The main findings showed that the lower was the collection frequency, the lower was the fuel consumption of the collection vehicles. For a source segregation intensity of 0%, the amount of fuel consumed ranged from 3.92L to 1.73L for each Mg of organic fraction as the collection frequency was decreased from 1day−1 to 14day−1, respectively. The maximum fuel consumption for the collection of 1Mg of organic fraction for a source segregation intensity of 50% was from 8.6L/Mg to 2.07L/Mg for a collection frequency of 1day−1 and 14day−1, respectively. On the other hand the lower was the collection frequency, the higher was the amount of greenhouse gas generated during the pre-collection phase. The life cycle analysis showed that these emissions could affect the global warming potential of the scenarios analyzed up to 40%, exceeding the reduction of the emissions due to lower fuel consumption. In any case, as already reported by other authors, the uncertainty analysis confirmed the higher value for the uncertainty associated to the emissions from biological processes compared to those generated by industrial and combustion ones.

Entoloma ochreoprunuloides from Italy, with notes on its geographical distribution and allied species

An Italian collection of E. ochreoprunuloides [≡ E. prunuloides var. obscurum] is described. The specimen was identified by means of morphology, and by the analysis of its nrITS sequence. The European distribution of the species is also discussed. The sequence from a single Italian specimen of E. luteobasis suggests that E. luteobasis and E. ochreoprunuloides may be conspecific.

Studies on three rare coprophilous plectomycetes from Italy

The concept of plectomycetes is discussed and their heterogeneity emphasised. Three ascohymenial cleistothecial ascomycetes, collected or isolated from herbivore or omnivore dung in damp chamber cultures, are described. Emericella quadrilineata and Lasiobolidium orbiculoides are discussed and compared morphologically with similar taxa. A key to Lasiobolidium and the related Orbicula is provided. The importance of the second worldwide isolation of Cleistothelebolus nipigonensis and the difficulties of distinguishing it from Pseudeurotium species are stressed. The Italian collection of C. nipigonensis from canid dung is compared with the original strain from wolf, and its epidermoid peridial tissue is regarded as one of the main morphological differentiating features from Pseudeurotium ovale. The morphological characteristics of the monospecific genus Cleistothelebolus are discussed and compared with those of Pseudeurotiaceae and Thelebolaceae, particularly with Pseudeurotium and Thelebolus. ITS and LSU rDNA sequences of the Cleistothelebolus isolate support its placement in Thelebolaceae.

The runaway taxpayer

In order to analyze the determinants of tax evasion, the existing literature on individual tax compliance typically takes a ‘prior-to-audit’ point of view. This paper focuses on a ‘post-audit, post-detection’—so far unexplored—framework, by investigating what happens after tax evasion has been discovered and noncompliant taxpayers are asked to pay their debts. We first develop a two-period dynamic model of individual choice, considering an individual that has been already audited and detected as tax evader, who knows that Tax Authorities are looking for her to cash the due amount. We derive the optimal decision of running away in order to avoid paying the bill, and show that the experience of a prior tax notice reduces the probability to behave as a scofflaw. We then exploit information on ‘post-audit, post-detection’ tax compliance provided by an Italian collection agency for the period 2004–2007 to empirically assess the relationship between prior tax notices and unlawful behavior. The evidence from alternative logit model specifications supports our theoretical prediction: successful tax notices are negatively correlated with the probability of running away.

Molecular typing and epidemiological investigation of clinical populations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using an oligonucleotide-microarray

BackgroundPseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen which has the potential to become extremely harmful in the nosocomial environment, especially for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, who are easily affected by chronic lung infections. For epidemiological purposes, discriminating P.aeruginosa isolates is a critical step, to define distribution of clones among hospital departments, to predict occurring microevolution events and to correlate clones to their source. A collection of 182 P. aeruginosa clinical strains isolated within Italian hospitals from patients with chronic infections, i.e. cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, and with acute infections were genotyped. Molecular typing was performed with the ArrayTube (AT) multimarker microarray (Alere Technologies GmbH, Jena, Germany), a cost-effective, time-saving and standardized method, which addresses genes from both the core and accessory P.aeruginosa genome. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were employed as reference genotyping techniques to estimate the ArrayTube resolution power.Results41 AT-genotypes were identified within our collection, among which 14 were novel and 27 had been previously described in publicly available AT-databases. Almost 30% of the genotypes belonged to a main cluster of clones. 4B9A, EC2A, 3C2A were mostly associated to CF-patients whereas F469, 2C1A, 6C22 to non CF. An investigation on co-infections events revealed that almost 40% of CF patients were colonized by more than one genotype, whereas less than 4% were observed in non CF patients. The presence of the exoU gene correlated with non-CF patients within the intensive care unit (ICU) whereas the pKLC102-like island appeared to be prevalent in the CF centre. The congruence between the ArrayTube typing and PFGE or MLST was 0.077 and 0.559 (Adjusted Rand coefficient), respectively.AT typing of this Italian collection could be easily integrated with the global P. aeruginosa AT-typed population, uncovering that most AT-genotypes identified (> 80%) belonged to two large clonal clusters, and included 12 among the most abundant clones of the global population.ConclusionsThe ArrayTube (AT) multimarker array represented a robust and portable alternative to reference techniques for performing P. aeruginosa molecular typing, and allowed us to draw conclusions especially suitable for epidemiologists on an Italian clinical collection from chronic and acute infections.

First Report of Crown Rot and Root Rot Caused by Cylindrocladium pauciramosum on Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana) in Italy.

Feijoa sellowiana (O. Berg) O. Berg is native to South America and grown in Italy as an ornamental plant and for its fruit. During 2006, 2007, and 2008, a severe wilting was noticed on ∼ 10,000 potted 6-month to 3-year-old plants obtained from seeds and produced by three commercial nurseries in Catania Province (southern Italy). Wilting was always associated with root rot and brown discoloration at the base of the stem. Leaf spots or stem lesions were not observed. A Cylindrocladium sp. was isolated consistently from the crown, basal stem, and roots of symptomatic plants on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Ten isolates of a Cylindrocladium sp. were obtained from single-spore colonies made from a 14-day-old culture grown on PDA and subsequently subcultured on carnation leaf agar (CLA). Cultures were incubated at 25°C under near-UV light with a 12-h light/dark regimen and examined after 7 days (1). Only fungal structures occurring on the carnation leaf tissue were examined. Isolates were identified based on morphological traits and mating type responses (2,4). Isolates were mated with opposite mating tester strains of C. pauciramosum (DISTEF-G128 [MAT1-1] and DISTEF-G87 [MAT1-2]) and C. scoparium (DISTEF-GCs7 = CBS 120892 [MAT1-1] and DISTEF-GP0 = CBS 119669 [MAT1-2]) selected from an Italian collection. Plates were parafilmed, sealed in plastic bags, incubated in a chamber at 25 ± 1°C with a photoperiod of 16 h of light and 8 h of darkness, and examined weekly until perithecia developed. Successful crosses were determined after 2 months of incubation and were regarded as those isolate combinations that produced perithecia with viable ascospores. Conidia were observed to be 30 to 60 × 3.5 to 5.0 μm while conidiophores mostly had two to three series of branches and stipes terminated in obpyriform to broadly ellipsoidal vesicles, which is characteristic of C. pauciramosum C.L. Schoch and Crous (teleomorph Calonectria pauciramosa C.L. Schoch and Crous). Fertile perithecia containing viable ascospores were similar to Calonectria pauciramosa. They were obtained only from crosses of the examined isolates with mating type testers of C. pauciramosum. Six isolates (when paired with DISTEF-G128) and four isolates (when mated with DISTEF-G87) provided fertile progeny. No perithecia were obtained in pairings of the 10 isolates with tester strains of C. scoparium. One representative isolate was deposited at the Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (DISTEF-AS4 = CBS-120618). Koch's postulates were fulfilled by inoculating 30 6-month-old seedlings of feijoa with a spore suspension (105 conidia per ml) of one isolate of the pathogen (DISTEF-AS4) grown on CLA for 14 days. The same number of seedlings was used as a control. Following inoculation, plants were maintained in a growth chamber at 25 ± 1°C and 90 to 95% relative humidity. Wilting, crown rot, and root rot symptoms identical to those observed in the nurseries appeared within 15 to 50 days. Symptoms were not observed on the control plants. C. pauciramosum was previously reported to cause leaf spots on feijoa (3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of wilting due to crown and root rot caused by C. pauciramosum in this host. The disease is a limiting factor for feijoa cultivation in Sicilian nurseries.

Gene pool variation and phylogenetic relationships of an indigenous northeast Italian grapevine collection revealed by nuclear and chloroplast SSRs

A germplasm safeguard programme was set up with 19 grapevine varieties considered as indigenous to northeastern Italy. To better estimate how genetic structure can be used to obtain a conservation perspective of local varieties, genetic variability was examined at 30 nuclear and 3 chloroplast polymorphic microsatellite loci in the native varieties plus 7 European cultivars taken as reference. The genetic profiles of all the cultivars were searched for possible parentage relationships and several suspected cases of the same variety having different names were investigated. The alleles shared at the loci suggest a parent-offspring relationship between Merlot and Cabernet Franc, 'Gruaja' and 'Negrara Veronese', and Marzemina Nera and Marzemina Bianca. Alleles at the 30 nuclear loci are consistent with Raboso Veronese being the progeny of Marzemina Bianca and Raboso Piave. Chloroplast-specific haplotypes were singled out for the first time in this indigenous germplasm and should be considered typical of the region. It is hypothesized that there are many specific haplotypes for the local varieties due to a past contribution of wild grapevine to the cultivated gene pool. The majority of investigated cultivars were demonstrated to constitute an independent source of genetic variation, and therefore a possible valuable resource of genetic traits for breeders.