Massimo Guazzini
Multi-omics data integration to decode the interaction between soil, microbiome and grapevine.
Supervisor: Prof. Fabio Marroni
Vitis vinifera (grapevine), one of the most economically important fruit crops worldwide, shows an interesting relationship with the microbial community: not only several bacteria and fungi have been shown to enhance grapevine health and productivity, but microorganisms are also involved in the fermentation process of wine and have the potential to influence the organoleptic properties of the product. The plant microbiome reflects the one of the soil, whose composition is influenced by the type and physical properties of the soil.
If the microbial community affects phenotypic properties of grapevine, it must also affect gene expression, the means by which phenotype is realized.
Following that, investigating the relationship between soil type, soil microbiome and root transcriptome using the grapevine as model plant could lead to valuable practical application for the viticulturists.
The main goal of the project is to set the ground for addressing this question by comparing the rhizosphere microbiome of grapevine plants grown in different soil types via metagenomic analysis, and integrating this data with transcriptome analysis. Fruthermore, to observe the plant response, the metagenomic analysis will be integrated with transcriptomics analysis of root cells and with phenotypic observations.
In order to increase our understanding of the phenomenon, additional phenotypic data (e.g. ionomics) will be collected and integrated in the analysis.
Biography and Contacts
Massimo Guazzini was born in Pomarance, Italy on 06/03/1992. In 2016 he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Pisa (Unipi) with a final essay focused on autoimmune diseases. In 2020 he obtained his master’s degree in Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Pisa, training in plant molecular biology techniques at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and the University of Cambridge. In 2022 he obtained a II level University Degree in Bioinformatics and Data Sciences at the University of Siena.
In March 2022 In November 2017 he began the doctoral course at the Ph.D. school of “Agricultural Science and Biotechnology” of the University of Udine.