Antonello Costa

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Education and Training

• Dec 1997: Permanent position as Researcher at the Research Institute for Vegetable and Ornamental Plant Breeding (now IBBR) of the National Research Council of Italy
• Dec 1994-Dec 1997: Research at the Researche Center of Vegetable Plant Breeding, Portici, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Art. 23 of D.P.R. 12.2.91, n.171
• May 1996: Stage at the Biochemistry Institute, Biological Research Centre of National Academy of Science", Szeged, Ungheria
• Gen 1990-Dec 1991: CNR Fellowship at the Researche Center of Vegetable Plant Breeding, Portici and at the Laboratory of Plant Hardiness", University of Minnesota, USA (from November 1990 to November 1991)
• Nov 1987: Graduated in Agricultural Sciences at the University of Naples

Main Research Interests

Experience on the applications of biotecnologies to plant breeding of vegetable crops. Activity focused on the isolation, characterization and transfer of genes involved in the plant stress response and on the functional genomics approaches for a global plant gene expression analysis in response to environmental stimuli. In particulary, the activity is been and is focused on:

• tolerance mechanisms in water stressed potato plants: role of stability of cell membranes
• isolation, characterization and transfer of genes involved in the plant stress response, using different technologies.
• a large number of plant genes, involved in plant stress response/adaptation, have been identified thus far on the basis of their changed regulation.
• functional characterization of genes, previously isolated in response to abiotic stresses, by different approachs with different level of stress tolerance
• molecular and phenotipical characterization of arabidopsis mutants and sovraexpression genotypes for genes of interest.

Recent publications

De PalmaM., GrilloS., MassarelliI., CostaA., BaloghG., VighL., Leone A.(2008) Regulation of desaturase gene expression, changes in membrane lipid composition and freezing tolerance in potato plants. Molecular Breeding 21: 15-26

Ambrosone A., Costa A., Frusciante L., Monti L., Leone A., Grillo S. (2008) Unravelling the molecular cues of plant adaptation or survival to water deficit. Options Méditerranéennes 84: 85-91. Irrigation in Mediterranean Agriculture: challenges and innovation for the next decades

Costa A., Di Giacomo M., Massarelli I., De Palma M., Leone A., Grillo S. (2010) Isolation, characterization and expression of an elongation factor 1a gene in potato (Solanum tuberosum) cell cultures. Plant Biosystems 144: 618-625

Ambrosone A., Costa A., Martinelli M., Massarelli I., De Simone V., Grillo S., Leone A. (2011) Differential gene regulation in potato cells and plants upon abrupt or gradual exposure to water stress. Acta Physiol Plant 33: 1157-1171

Ambrosone A., Costa A., Leone A., Grillo S. (2012) Beyond transcription: RNA-binding proteins as emerging regulators of plant response to environmental constraints. Plant Science 182: 12-18, DOI 10.1016/j.plantsci.2011.02.004

Ambrosone A., Di Giacomo M., Leone A., Grillo S., Costa A. (2013) Identification of early induced genes upon water deficit in potato cell cultures by cDNA-AFLP. Journal of Plant Research 126: 169-178

Selected Publications

(full list available at CNR People)

Smart selection of soil microbes for resilient and sustainable viticulture

Borghi M, Pacifico D, Crucitti D, Squartini A, Berger M, Gamboni M, Carimi F, Lehad A, Costa A, Gallusci P, Fernie A, Zottini M

Year: 2024

DRT111/SFPS splicing factor controls ABA sensitivity during seed development and germination

Punzo P, Ruggiero A, Possenti M, Perrella G, Nurcato R, Costa A, Morelli G, Grillo S, Batelli G

Year: 2020

TOMRES: identifying tomato varieties with higher resource use efficiency

Ruggiero A, Cirillo V, Batelli G, Van Oosten MJ, Costa A, Grillo S, Maggio A

Year: 2019

Salinity and ABA seed responses in pepper: expression and interaction of ABA core signaling components

Ruggiero A, Landi S, Punzo P, Possenti M, Van Oosten MJ, Costa A, Morelli G, Maggio A, Grillo S, Batelli G

Year: 2019

Genetic buffering of cyclic AMP in Arabidopsis thaliana compromises the plant immune response triggered by an avirulent strain of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato

Sabetta W, Vandelle E, Locato V, Costa A, Cimini S, Bittencourt Moura A, Luoni L, Graf A, Viggiano L, De Gara L, Bellin D, Blanco E, Pinto MC

Year: 2019

The PP2A-interactor TIP41 modulates ABA responses in Arabidopsis thaliana

Punzo P, Ruggiero A, Possenti M, Nurcato R, Costa A, Morelli G, Grillo S, Batelli G

Year: 2018

TOMRES: screening of traditional tomato varieties for water use efficiency and nutrient use efficiency

Ruggiero A, Batelli G, Van Oosten MJ, Costa A, Grillo S, Maggio A

Year: 2018

Molecular mechanisms underlying morpho- physiological adaptation to combined salt/low nutrient stress in tomato

Ruggiero A, Batelli G, Venezia A, Lupini A, Nurcato R, Costa A, Van Oosten MJ, Palombieri S, Vitiello A, Mauceri A, Cammareri M, Abenavoli MR, Grandillo S, Sunseri F, Grillo S

Year: 2018

Chloroplast-to-nucleus communication in response to drought in tomato

Tamburino R, Castiglia D, Sannino L, Guida G, Giorio P, Albrizio R, Grillo MS, Costa A, Scotti N

Year: 2018

Distinct gene networks drive differential response to abrupt or gradual water deficit in potato

Ambrosone A, Batelli G, Bostan H, D’agostino N, Chiusano ML, Perrotta G, Leone A, Grillo S, Costa A

Year: 2017

Living in harsh environments: what we have learnt from comparing plant acclimation versus shock response to osmo-stress

Ambrosone A, Costa A, Grillo S, Leone A

Year: 2017

An integrated study of morphophysiological and molecular responses to combined salt/low nutrient stress of long storage tomato landraces

Ruggiero A, Batelli G, Venezia A, Lupini A, Ruggiero M, Nurcato R, Costa A, Van Oosten MJ, Palombieri S, Vitiello A, Abenavoli MR, Cammareri M, Sunseri F, Grandillo S, Grillo S

Year: 2017

Improving plant water use efficiency through molecular genetics

Ruggiero A, Punzo P, Landi S, Costa A, Van Oosten M, Grillo S

Year: 2017

Chloroplast proteome response to drought stress and recovery in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Tamburino R, Vitale M, Ruggiero A, Sassi M, Sannino L, Arena S, Costa A, Batelli G, Zambrano N, Scaloni A, Grillo S, Scotti N

Year: 2017

Transcriptomic changes drive physiological responses to progressive drought stress and rehydration in tomato

Iovieno P, Punzo P, Guida G, Mistretta C, Van Oosten MJ, Nurcato R, Bostan H, Colantuono C, Costa A, Bagnaresi P, Chiusano ML, Albrizio R, Giorio P, Batelli G, Grillo S

Year: 2016

Identification of pepper ABA core signaling components and their role in seed germination

Ruggiero A, Landi S, Nurcato R, Costa A, Van Oosten M, Grillo S, Batelli G

Year: 2016

Genetics of drought stress tolerance in crop plants

Van Oosten MJ, Costa A, Punzo P, Landi S, Ruggiero A, Batelli G, Grillo S

Year: 2016

The Arabidopsis AtRGGA RNA binding protein regulates tolerance to salt and drought stress.

Ambrosone A, Batelli G, Nurcato R, Aurilia V, Punzo P, Bangarusamy DK, Ruberti I, Sassi M, Leone A, Costa A, Grillo S

Year: 2015

EMS mutagenised population of Eutrema salsugineum: a new tool to discover mechanisms of tolerance to extreme environment

Ruggiero A, Nurcato R, Costa A, Aurilia V, Van Oosten M, De Palma M, Grillo S, Batelli G

Year: 2015

Identification of early induced genes upon water deficit in potato cell cultures by cDNA-AFLP

Ambrosone A, Di Giacomo M, Leone A, Grillo MS, Costa A

Year: 2013

Beyond transcription: RNA-binding proteins as emerging regulators of plant response to environmental constraints

Ambrosone A, Costa A, Leone A, Grillo S

Year: 2012

Differential gene regulation in potato cells and plants upon abrupt or gradual exposure to water stress.

Ambrosone A, Costa A, Martinelli M, Massarelli I, De Simone V, Grillo S, Leone A

Year: 2011

Role of nitric oxide in programmed cell death

Zottini M, Costa A, De Michele R, Lo Schiavo F

Year: 2010

Functional screening of plant stress related cDNAs by random over-expression in Escherichia coli.

Massarelli I; Cioffi R; Batelli G; De Palma M; Costa A; Grillo S; Leone A

Year: 2006