National Research Council of Italy

Institute of Biosciences and BioResources

DISBA logo CNR logo

Maria Stefania Grillo

Role: Senior Researcher
Section: Researchers and Technologists
Division: Portici
Tel: (39) 081-2539213
E-mail: stefania.grillo@ibbr.cnr.it

Current appointment: Head of the Portici Division of the IBBR/CNR.

Born: Naples (Italy), September 12 1957
Professional Address: Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, UOS PorticiVia Università 13380055 Portici (Italy)
Job position: Principal Investigator/CNR Senior Researcher

Training and Professional Carreer (2013-1980)

Oct 2013 Head of IBBR UOS Portici
Dic 2002-Nov 2010 Head of IGV UOS Portici
Jan 2002 Senior Scientist of the CNR- Plant Genetics Institute, UOS Portici
Oct 1995- 2000 Contract adjunct Professor at the University of Salerno and at the University of Naples ‘Federico II’
Jul 1991-Nov 1992 Research Fellow at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC, US
June 1990 Visiting Scientist at Purdue University, West Lafayette Indiana, US
1986 Researcher at CNR - Institute of Plant Breeding for Vegetables and Flowers, Portici
March 1982-1984 Research fellow of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei at the University of Naples, Faculty of Agriculture
Jan 1980 Graduated in Biology, magna cum laude, at University of Naples Federico II

Current projects

  • MiUR PON02- /GenoPOM.PRO, Potenziamento della filiera pomodoro attraverso l’uso di piattaforme integrate di post-genomica (2012-2015). Scientific Coordinator of the CNR -DISBA Partner , Member of the Managment commitee of The Project

  • MiUR PON02/GenHORT, Valorizzazione di produzioni ortive campane di eccellenza con strumenti di genomica avanzata (2012-2015). Scientific Coordinator of the CNR -DISBA Partner , Member of the Management commitee of the project

  • MEF-CNR CISIA - Conoscenze Integrate per la Sostenibilità e l’Innovazione del made in Italy Agroalimentare, PI IGV Portici Unit -OR 4.1

  • Regione Campania PSR 2007-2013 Misura 214 Azione f2 “Salvaguardia della biodiversità vegetale della Campania” (SALVE) (2010-2015), Project participant

  • Progetto Fondazione con il Sud “Produzione di dolcificanti ipocalorici da piante mediterranee” (2013-2016), PI IBBR UOS Portici Unit

  • Regione Campania CAMPUS QUARC ”Qualità delle produzioni tipiche campane e il suo territorio: approci innovativi e integrati per rafforzare la competività del sistema agroalimentare” (2013-2015), PI IGV Portici Unit

  • MIUR CLUSTER Tecnologico Nazionale CL.A.N., area applicativa AgriFood, “Nuove tecnologie abilitanti per la food safety e l’integrità delle filiere agro-alimentari in uno scenario globale” (Safe&Smart) (2013-2015), PI IBBR UOS Portici Unit

  • Regione Campania Rete CARINA - Sicurezza, Sostenibilità e Competitività delle produzioni agroalimentari della Campania (2012-2014), Coordinator of CNR DISBA Activities

Recent Scientific Activities

  • Member of the Scientific committee of The Italian Platform ‘Plant for the Future’ (IT-Plant),

  • CNR elected Member of ESF -European Networking Summer School on Plant Genomics and Bioinformatics

  • Member of Management Commitee alla COST Action FA0605 - Signaling control of stress tolerance and production of stress protective compounds in plants (INPAS)

  • Ad Hoc Reviewer for 10 scientific journals

  • Reviewer of national (MIUR, MIPAF, CNR) and international projects ( NSF, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Israel Science and Technology Ministry)

  • Invited speaker and chairperson at international and national congresses

  • Teaching in National (University) and international theretical and pratical courses

  • Advisor and supervisor of national and international undergraduate students, PhD students and Post Doc.

Research Interest

My research group has long experience on the applications of biotechnologies to plant breeding of vegetables crops. Research activities are focused on the identification, characterization and transfer of genes involved in the plant response to environmental stresses. We are using functional genomics approaches in Solanacee and Arabidopsis through large scale transcriptome analyses in response to osmotic and temperature stress, and characterization of crucial gene functions by means of forward and reverse genetics approaches. I am also involved in the development of molecular and biotech tools for the use of plant as biofactories for the production of bio-molecules of industrial value.

Recent Publications

Fasano R, Gonzalez N, Tosco A, Dal Piaz F, Docimo T, Serrano R, Grillo S, Leone A , Inze S 2014. Role of Arabidopsis UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 in Plant Growth Reduction under Osmotic Stress and Low Levels of UV-B. Molecular Plant 7. Pag.773-791 ISSN:1674-2052

Batelli G, Massarelli I, Van Oosten M, Nurcato R, Vannini C, Raimondi G, Leone A, Zhu J-K, Maggio A, Grillo S. 2012 Asg1 is a stress-inducible gene which increases stomatal resistance in salt stressed potato. Journal of Plant Physiology 169, pages 1849-1857. doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2012.07.004.

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

Gargano D, Scotti N, Vezzi A, Bilardi A, Valle G, Grillo S, Cozzolino S, Cardi T. 2012 Genome-wide analysis of plastome sequence variation and development of plastidial CAPS markers in common potato and related Solanum species . Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 59, 419-430, ISSN: 0925-9864

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

Ambrosone A, Costa A, Martinelli R, 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

Iovieno P, Nurcato R, Massarelli I, Leone A, Grillo S. 2010 Production of tomato transgenic plants for the functional analysis of the transcription factor Hsfa2 gene in response to heat stress Minerva Biotech suppl 1 N. 2: 38-39

Giorno F, Wolters-Arts M, Grillo S, Scharf .D, Vriezen WH, Mariani C. 2010 Developmental and heat stress-regulated expression of HsfA2 and small heat shock proteinsin tomato anthers. J Exp Bot;61(2):453-462

Costa A, Di Giacomo M, Massarelli I, De Palma M, Leone A, Grillo S. 2010 Isolation and characterization of a water stress-induced elongation factor 1 alpha from Solanum tuberosum Plant s Biosystems 144 (3): 618-625

Valkov VT, Scotti N, Kahlau S, MacLean D, Grillo S, Gray JC, Bock R, Cardi T 2009 Genome-wide analysis of plastid gene expression in potato leaf chloroplasts and tuber amyloplasts: transcriptional and post-transcriptional control. Plant Physiology 150: 2030-2044

Scotti N, Alagna F, Ferraiolo E, Formisano G, Sannino L, Buonaguro L, De Stradis A, Vitale A, Monti L, Grillo S, Buonaguro FM, Cardi T. 2009 High level expression of the HIV-1 Pr55gag polyprotein in transgenic tobacco chloroplasts. Planta:1109-22.

 

Selected Publications

(full list available at CNR People)

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