Alessandro Puca

Dr. Alessandro Puca

DAGRI - Plant pathology and Entomology section, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Tuscany, Italy
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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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21 April 2023 in Journal of Fungi
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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Samuele MorettiSamuele Moretti
Samuele Moretti
Mary-Lorène GODDARDMary-Lorène GODDARD
Mary-Lorène GODDARD
Alessandro PucaAlessandro Puca
Alessandro Puca
Jacques LaleveeJacques Lalevee
Jacques Lalevee
SMStefano Di Marco
Stefano Di Marco
SFSibylle FARINE
Sibylle FARINE
Fomitiporia mediterranea (Fmed) is the primary Basidiomycota species causing white rot in European vineyards affected by the Esca complex of diseases (ECD). In the last few years, an increasing number of studies have highlighted the importance of reconsidering the role of Fmed in ECD etiology, justifying an increase in research interest related to Fmed’s biomolecular pathogenetic mechanisms. In the context of the current re-evaluation of the binary distinction (brown vs. white rot) between biomolecular decay pathways induced by Basidiomycota species, our research aims to investigate the potential for non-enzymatic mechanisms adopted by Fmed, which is typically described as a white rot fungus. Our results demonstrate how, in liquid culture reproducing nutrient restriction conditions often found in wood, Fmed can produce low molecular weight compounds, the hallmark of the non-enzymatic “chelator-mediated Fenton” (CMF) reaction, originally described for brown rot fungi. CMF reactions can redox cycle with ferric iron, generating hydrogen peroxide and ferrous iron, necessary reactants leading to hydroxyl radical (•OH) production. These observations led to the conclusion that a non-enzymatic radical-generating CMF-like mechanism may be utilized by Fmed, potentially together with an enzymatic pool, to contribute to degrading wood constituents; moreover, indicating significant variability between strains.