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Legume species are a major source of protein for both human and animal nutrition. Proteins from legumes possess the highest sustainability because, among other reasons, legume plants have positive impact on soil fertility due to their ability to fix nitrogen via rhizobial symbioses. Medicago truncatula was chosen as a model for legumes because it is diploid, with a relatively small genome (450-550 Mb), self-fertile, relatively easy to transform, and it has a short generation time. In the last years several mutant collections became available in both Europe and USA, based on different strategies: chemical mutagenesis (TILLING); deletion mutagenesis (fast-neutron bombardment and -rays); insertional mutagenesis (transposons such as Tnt1) (Porceddu et al, 2008; Tadege et al., 2009, Rogers et al., 2009 ). Part of these collections were produced in Italy and used for isolating mutants of interest related to traits of practical relevance, in particular a key gene involved in saponin biosynthesis was identified. The possibility to speed up knowledge of the genetic control of traits of agronomic interest and translate such knowledge to crop legumes via different means will be discussed. Porceddu A, Panara F, Calderini O, Molinari L, Taviani P, Lanfaloni L, Scotti C, Carelli M, Scaramelli L, Bruschi G, Cosson V, Ratet P, de Larembergue H, Duc G, Piano E, Arcioni S (2008) An Italian functional genomic resource for Medicago truncatula BMC Res Notes 1:129. Rogers C, Wen J, Chen R, Oldroyd G Deletion-based reverse genetics in Medicago truncatula Plant Physiol. 2009 151(3):1077-86. Tadege M, Wang TL,Wen J, Ratet P, Mysore KS (2009) Mutagenesis and beyond! Tools for understanding legume biology. Plant Physiol. 151(3):978-84.

Con l’insilamento si valorizza la produzione proteica dell’intera pianta e, con l’anticipo della raccolta, si consente un avvicendamento più stretto con le altre colture. Di contro vi è la difficoltà di ottenere insilati a prevalente fermentazione lattica a cui si può ovviare aumentando la sostanza secca dell’erba e/o inoculando batteri omolattici.

The present study examined the effect on quality caused by esca in both grape clusters and wines. In the last year (2000) of an eight-year survey of esca foliar symptoms, the vines of two cv. Trebbiano d’Abruzzo vineyards fell at the moment of grape clusters sampling, into 3 groups: 1. vines with esca symptoms; 2. vines that happened to be asymptomatic but that were known to be diseased because they had show leaf symptoms in at least one other survey year and 3. healthy vines. In a third vineyard, in the same growing area, grape clusters were sampled from vines with trunk renewal that had been restored and from unrenewed vines that had never shown esca leaf symptoms and were consequently presumed to be healthy. Preliminary results on grape clusters in the first two vineyards showed differences in composition between symptomatic vines on the one hand, and asymptomatic/diseased vines and healthy vines on the other, with symptomatic vines having lower levels of reducing sugars and a higher nitrogen concentration. As a result the alcohol content of wines from symptomatic vines was about 1% v:v lower than that of wines from the other two groups of vines. Grape clusters and wines from diseased/asymptomatic vines and healthy vines did not differ in the compositional parameters used in the test except for total polyphenols which gave contrasting data among the first two vineyards. In grape clusters and wines from the third vineyard the preliminary results likewise revealed no difference between vines with trunk renewal and unrenewed healthy vines. This finding would seem to corroborate the practice of trunk renewal as a means of restoring both vines and the quality of grape clusters. Research is continuing to evaluate the reliability of these results.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, one of the most prevalent liver disorders in Western countries, is characterized by hepatic accumulation of triglycerides. Bile acids have long been known to affect triglyceride homeostasis through a not completely understood mechanism. Aim: To analyse the effects of two different manipulations of bile acid circulation on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Methods: Two animal models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease were developed by either feeding rats with a choline deficient or with a high fat diet. After 4 weeks, rats were randomized to undergo either bile duct ligation, sham operation or cholic acid administration. Results: During cholestasis there was an increased CYP7A1 expression, the rate limiting enzyme in bile acid synthesis, and a reduction of hepatic concentration of oxysterols, ligands of the liver X receptors. Target genes of the liver X receptors, involved in fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis, were down-regulated in association with decreased hepatic triglyceride content and improvement of fatty liver. Administration of cholic acid, ligand of farnesoid X receptor, also had a beneficial effect on fatty liver in rats on choline deficient diet. Conclusion: These results indicate that pharmacological approaches increasing the expression of CYP7A1 or stimulating farnesoid X receptor pathway could represent a promising treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. © 2012 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l

Background. Artificial nutrition is frequently associated with hepatobiliary complications, probably due to the inherent derangement of the gastrointestinal tract physiology. Alterations of hepatic lipid metabolism are likely to be involved. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of artificial nutrition on bile acid production, a key event in cholesterol homeostasis, in humans. Patients and Methods. Eleven patients receiving artificial nutrition, either parenteral nutrition (PN; n = 6) or enteral nutrition (EN; n = 5) with no previous history of liver disease, underwent analysis of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylation rates in vivo, a measure of bile acid formation, by isotope release analysis after intravenous injection of [7α-3H]cholesterol. The results were compared with those obtained in a population of 16 age-matched control subjects. Results. Hydroxylation rates were lower in patients with artificial nutrition (PN: 94 ± 13 mg/d; EN: 230 ± 39 mg/d, mean ± SEM) when compared with controls (385 ± 47 mg/d) (P