Paola Bonfante
2018; Wiley; Volume: 220; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Italiano
10.1111/nph.15169
ISSN1469-8137
Tópico(s)Plant tissue culture and regeneration
ResumoNew PhytologistVolume 220, Issue 4 p. 979-981 ProfileFree Access Paola Bonfante First published: 08 November 2018 https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15169AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat What inspired your interest in plant science? My family lived in the countryside in northern Italy: nobody in the family, nor from the village where I lived, was interested in science. Therefore I had no external motivations. Deciding to go to the Lyceum (a high school meant to prepare one for university) in the 1960s was not an easy choice, since every morning I had to travel to Turin (about three hours in total, by bike, train and bus) just to arrive at a very strict and severe ‘Liceo Classico’. The study of Greek and Latin (at the core of the educational approach at that time) was very tough for me. In this Lyceum, sciences were subjects at the margin, but I remember that the life cycle of the ferns was displayed in great detail, with nineteenth-century care by my science teacher. Nevertheless, she was considered by everyone to be a mortal bore – the whole class used to fall asleep – but I found a certain masochistic fun in thinking about ploidy change. They were hard years: on the one hand I suffered a lot, since I felt I was not fully adequate to the required standard, notwithstanding my relatively good scores, on the other hand I learnt the strict discipline required to keep up with the very competitive school curricula. Despite my major interest in art, literature and theatre, I began to read in the newspapers the great news of the discovery of DNA, how this was changing the study of genetics, how in Italy new important laboratories were under construction (the International Laboratory of Genetics and Biophysics (Ligb) created by Adriano Buzzati Traverso): this was one reason why, in the spring of 1966, I choose to enrol in the biology course at the University of Torino. The second reason was that I felt myself prepared to undertake this type of study that I evaluated was simpler than Greek, philosophy or physics. Biology as a discipline, and as part of the University curriculum, was in its infancy in Torino; this was only a few years after its initiation and its format was still basically that of the more traditional natural sciences with a strong descriptive approach. After the Lyceum these studies seemed to me very easy, too easy. My experimental work for the dissertation required for me to graduate was on spermatogenesis in newts(!) and was an in vivo pharmacological study. For me it was very exciting, it was the first opportunity to set up an experiment, and to verify a hypothesis. Certainly I had no specific interest in plant biology at that time. Love for plants came later, but it was love at first sight. Therefore, my path towards science was based on rather weak motivations with uncertain choices, but it turned out the best fit for me. Box After a research period at CNR in the Centre of Soil Mycology, Paola Bonfante took the position of full Professor of Plant Biology at the University of Torino, Italy. The main focus of Paola's scientific activity was the study of the intimate interactions that occur between fungi and plants, as well as between bacteria and fungi, using cellular and molecular approaches. Applying DNA technologies, early in the 1990s, Paola contributed to knowledge of mycorrhizal diversity in both natural and cultivated fields. Paola's work led to the discovery of a group of endobacteria which live inside mycorrhizal fungi: in addition to the description of their biodiversity (the bacteria so far identified belong to Bulkolderia-related Gram negative and to the Mollicutes), the genome sequencing of some of them, as well as extensive transcriptomic data suggest that these endobacteria may modulate some of the functional traits of their fungal hosts. Paola's main scientific missions have been devoted to understanding the cellular and molecular basis of plant–fungal interactions in mycorrhizas, describing the accommodation process activated by the plant in response to the fungal entry using electron and confocal microscopy. She joined international groups involved in the genome sequencing of important mycorrhizal fungi (truffles and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi). More recently, Paola has focussed her efforts on evaluating the fungal impact in natural and agricultural ecosystems, describing the systemic effects of AM fungi on crop plants (rice, tomato, wheat). With the identification of AM fungi as a relevant component of plant microbiota, Paola is currently interested in describing fungal interactions with other microorganisms, and the impact of such complex microbiota on the plant's health. Paola's expertise on cellular and molecular biology of plant–fungal interactions, as well as on dynamics of fungal populations, has resulted in the publication of a large number of original, review and technical papers and multiple international collaborations. She has published more than 283 peer-reviewed papers (listed on the official site of the University Ministry and on the Torino University website http://www.dbios.unito.it/do/docenti.pl/Show?_id=pbonfant#pubblicazioni). At the time of writing her work has been cited over 20 000 according to Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.it/citations?user=WiJOKEQAAAAJ&hl=en). Paola is a long-standing member of the Advisory board of New Phytologist. For more information on Paola, visit http://www.dbios.unito.it/do/docenti.pl/Show?_id=pbonfant;sort=U2;search=;hits=196 ORCID: Paola Bonfante http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3576-8530 Why did you decide to pursue a career in research? After my Master thesis in biology, I had the opportunity to undertake a scholarship that then turned into a period corresponding to a PhD position at a research centre (Centro di Studio sulla Micologia del terreno, in Torino) where mycorrhizas were studied. And from that day, 10 October 1970, mycorrhizas have been a part of my life, and we have never parted. At that time, life in a laboratory was very different from how it is today. In the first months I was alone and independent, free to decide what I wanted to do (and it was not so easy … when I consider my current graduate students, I think how their daily approach to science is different: they are inside a group, and their projects are well defined even if they are used to me saying that I trust them and want them to live …). In those early days, it seemed to me that the study of mycorrhizal fungi was still very descriptive and not hypothesis-driven, unlike the dissertation I had done with newts. Nevertheless, I devoted myself with great energy to the world of mycorrhizas, it was unexplored, fascinating, so much to discover and to do. In Torino there were many people who knew a lot on this subject: Beniamino Peyronel, the father of arbuscular mycorrhizas, with his beautiful drawings dating back to 1922, and his faith was the ‘God of Fungi’; Anna Fontana, whose nickname was Osmunda regalis for her posture and her knowledge; Arturo Ceruti, a great expert in ectomycorrhizal fungi, including truffles; Silvano Scannerini, a brilliant and young researcher, who had just started to investigate plants and mycorrhizal fungi by using electron microscopy. After some months, I had no doubts that Silvano Scannerini should be my supervisor, and I wanted to study mycorrhizas … they were (and still are) a world of wonder for me. What motivates you on a day-to-day basis? I had the luck to begin my career as a scientist at an historical moment when, in Italy, there were no problems in getting a permanent position and sufficient funding was commonly available to each scientist. So I became an independent researcher (1973) and full professor (1985) when I was still relatively young; of course I had to teach a lot and to take on many administrative responsibilities, but taking care of my plant–fungal interactions was still a priority that I could carefully attend to. Before the discovery of PCR, when only a limited number of people acknowledged the biological relevance of mycorrhizas, I had the good fortune to develop in situ approaches, to be in contact with many interesting people working on plant pathogenic interactions, and to develop ideas on the role of chitin (for example speaking with Thomas Boler in Basel, and with talented critical-minded students such as Silvia Perotto and Pietro Spanu, who are now Professors at the University of Torino and at Imperial College London, respectively). When molecular biology approaches became available for mycorrhizal studies, we were ready in Torino to incorporate new experimental tools and to combine our cell biology expertise with molecular techniques, as witnessed by the results obtained by Raffaella Balestrini, Andrea Genre or Luisa Lanfranco in Torino. Working on mycorrhizas makes my heart beat fast now, just as it did 40 years ago. To have (or to select) new students is always an exciting moment, just as it once was. Who do you see as your role model(s)? I cannot identify a single one, but as it is often the case, many people were strong role models in my career as a scientist. Beyond the senior researchers working in the Torino Botanical Garden, who taught me how to love mycorrhizas in the 1970s, other people made me understand that research needed different spaces and visions: Aldo Fasolo taught me that scientific manuscripts reporting our results had to be written in English, and that they had to be submitted to international journals, and that indeed peer review existed! Surprisingly, at that time, plant biologists in Torino published their results in the journal Allionia, published in-house in Italian. Later, in the 1980s, Brigitte Vian in Paris allowed me to discover a world where science lived together with art, literature and music; from Brigitte I learnt difficult and fascinating techniques (how to make the gold complex bound to the enzymes to use in immunogold labelling, how to apply cryo-ultramicrotomy to mycorrhizal systems). I also learnt that you should not underestimate the challenges of an academic career if you want to be an independent scientist; Lynn Margulis (1938–2011) was an example for me, and it was exciting to interact with her during a NATO workshop organized in Torino on ‘Cell to cell signals’ in 1986. After this workshop, I gave many seminars developed on her seminal book entitled ‘Symbiosis as a source of novelty’. A month ago some colleagues told me that an old interview with Lynn Margulis was retransmitted on the radio, and indeed she was citing my name as an Italian expert of symbiosis! What an honour! What about my role models now? I am looking at talented researchers who do high-level research, but also assume responsibilities to support early researchers in science and the role of policy to fund science: Eva Kondorosi (https://erc.europa.eu/erc_member/eva-kondorosi), and Elena Cattaneo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Cattaneo), to name just two. What are your favourite New Phytologist papers of recent years, and why? I would like to start from afar: my scientific career is intertwined with New Phytologist. One of my first papers on the cytochemical characterization of the interface in arbuscular mycorrhizal roots (Scannerini & Bonfante-Fasolo) was published in New Phytologist in 1979! I still remember how excited I was when I knew that the manuscript had been accepted! I submitted so many manuscripts to New Phytologist when Professor Jack Harley was Editor, and it was much easier at that time (1980s–1990s). I was used to sending him my papers (each simple observation on arbuscular, ericoid or arbutoid mycorrhizas was NEW and worth being described), and considering the long times involved in the 1980s snail-mail, the outcomes used to be notified in a relatively short time, and they were mostly positive. Few changes were required and our researches were accepted and published! Nowadays publishing in New Phytologist is challenging, and this mirrors well how much science has changed: the standard continues to get higher and higher, and New Phytologist is one of the top journals for plant biology. I am very proud to be on the Advisory board and to have had the opportunity to see all New Phytologist's achievements. New Phytologist is not only a scientific journal, but it is a community which identifies the hot topics, organizes meetings and supports young scientists. I like the reviews: the Tansley reviews are so useful, they open your mind and offer new ideas. For example, it was very stimulating to read ‘The “how” and “where” of plant microRNAs’ by Yu et al. (2017), or the review on CRISPR/Cas crops by Scheben et al. (2017). Among the recent research papers, I very much liked Bravo et al. (2017) – I was proud to see that one (the first!) of the papers that has changed our ideas on the lipid pathway in mycorrhizas has been published in New Phytologist. What is your favourite plant, and why? I love many plants: but among all the plants I have mycorrhized, Ginkgo biloba is the most beautiful one. Its leaves and arbuscules are works of art (Fig. 1). Still now, it is one of my favourite trees. As a second, I would mention Lotus japonicus. But I would like to report my preferred mycorrhizal fungus: Gigaspora margarita. Its beautiful structure was published in New Phytologist many years ago (Bonfante et al., 1994), and now I hope soon to decipher its genome. Science is always running, faster than me. Figure 1Open in figure viewerPowerPoint (a) Leaves of Ginkgo biloba in the rain on an autumn day. (b) Arbuscules of Glomus versiforme inside the cortical cells of Ginkgo biloba. Acknowledgements PB would like to thank all the colleagues of the Department, as well as the international mycorrhizal community, for the wonderful interactions over decades. Special thanks to Mara Novero and Massimo Turina in Torino, and to Francis Martin and all my colleagues abroad. References Bonfante P, Balestrini R, Mendgen K. 1994. Storage and secretion processes in the spore of Gigaspora margarita Becker & Hall as revealed by high-pressure freeze substitution. New Phytologist 128: 93– 101. Bravo A, Brands M, Wewer V, Dörmann P, Harrison MJ. 2017. Arbuscular mycorrhiza-specific enzymes FatM and RAM2 fine-tune lipid biosynthesis to promote development of arbuscular mycorrhiza. New Phytologist 214: 1631– 1645. Scannerini S, Bonfante-Fasolo P. 1979. Utrastructural cytochemical demonstration of polysaccharides and proteins within host-arbuscule interfacial matrix in an endomycorrhiza. New Phytologist 83: 87– 94. Scheben A, Wolter F, Batley J, Puchta H, Edwards D. 2017. Towards CRISPR/Cas crops – bringing together genomics and genome editing. New Phytologist 216: 682– 698. Yu Y, Jia T, Chen X. 2017. The ‘how’ and ‘where’ of plant microRNAs. New Phytologist 216: 1002– 1017. Volume220, Issue4Special Issue: Cross-scale integration of mycorrhizal functionDecember 2018Pages 979-981 FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation
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