Research Groups

Bacteriology and Plant Bacteriology

Group Leader

Research Interests and Description
Group Members

Vittorio Venturi

International Centre for Genetic Engineering
and Biotechnology
Padriciano 99
34012 Trieste, Italy

E-mail: venturi@icgeb.org
Office tel: +39-040-375719
Lab tel: +39-040-3757317
Office fax: +39-040-226555

Education

University of Edinburgh, UK, BSc (Hons in Molecular Biology) in Biological Sciences, 1988
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, PhD, 1994

Career History

Since March 1997, Group Leader of the Bacteriology Group of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy.
1995-1997, Postdoc at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
1990-1995, PhD Student at the Department of Molecular Genetics of the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
1989-1990, EU fellow at the International Centre for Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Medical Faculty of the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Brussels, Belgium.

Teaching Activity

Organizer of five International Course/Workshops in the field of Bacterial Genetics and Bacterial Gene Expression.
Lecturer in Italian National and International PhD courses.

Scientific Activity

Research interests focus on intercellular communication (quorum sensing) in rice associated Gram-negative bacteria. Several bacterial pathogens and beneficial bacteria live in close association with rice and use quorum sensing in order to colonize the rice plant. Current research involves the following projects: (i) cell-density dependent regulation via N-acyl-homoserine lactone quorum sensing in plant associated Pseudomonas, Burkholderia and Xanthomonas; (ii) identification of quorum sensing targets and their role in plant colonization, and (iii) devising strategies to control bacterial rice diseases through quorum sensing interference and use of biocontrol bacteria.

Published 70 papers in international peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Subramoni, S., Venturi, V. 2009. LuxR-family 'solos': bachelor sensors/regulators of signalling molecules. Microbiology 155, 1377-1385 PubMed link

Subramoni, S., Suarez-Moreno, Z.S.,  Venturi, V. 2009. Lipases as pathogenicity factors of plant pathogens. Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology. K.N. Timmis. Heidelberg, Springer-Verlag. Volume 4 Consequences of Microbial Interactions with Hydrocarbons, Oils and Lipids, 3269-3277

Ferluga, S., Steindler, L. Venturi, V. 2008. N-acyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing in Gram-negative rhizobacteria. Secondary Metabolites in Soil Ecology. P. Karlovsky. Heidelberg, Germany, Springer. 14, 69-92

Ahmadian, G., Degrassi, G., Venturi, V., Zeigler, D. R., Soudi, M. Zanguinejad, P. 2007. Bacillus pumilus SG2 isolated from saline conditions produces and secretes two chitinases. J Appl Microbiol 103, 1081-1089

Degrassi, G., Devescovi, G., Solis, R. Steindler, L., Venturi, V. 2007. Oryza sativa rice plants contain molecules which activate different quourm sensing N-acyl homoserine lactone biosensors and are sensitive to the specific AiiA lactonase. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 269, 213-200

Devescovi, G., Bigirimana, J., Degrassi, G., Cabrio, L., LiPuma, J., Kim, J., Hwang, I. and Venturi, V. 2007. Involvement of a quorum sensing regulated lipase secreted by a clinical isolate of Burkholderia glumae in severe disease symptoms in rice. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73, 4950-4958

Ferluga, S., Bigirimana, J., Höfte, M., Venturi, V. 2007. A LuxR homologue of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae is required for optimal rice virulence. Mol. Plant Pathol. 8, 529-538

Gonzalez, C. F., Venturi, V. Engledow, A. S. 2007. The Phytopathogenic Burkholderia. Burkholderia: Molecular Microbiology and Genomics. T. Coeyne and P. Vandamme. Norfolk, U.K., Horizon Bioscience: 153-176

Licciardello, G., Bertani, I., Steindler, L., Bella, P., Venturi, V., Catara, V. 2007. Pseudomonas corrugata contains a conserved N-acyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing system; its role in tomato pathogenicity and tobacco hypersensitivity response. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 61, 222-234

Massa, C., Degrassi, G., Devescovi, G., Venturi, V. Lamba, D. 2007. Isolation, heterologous expression and characterization of an endo-polygalacturonase produced by the phytopathogen Burkholderia cepacia. Protein Expr Purif 54, 300-308

Rampioni, G., Polticelli F., Bertani, I., Righetti, K., Venturi, V., Zennaro, E., Leoni, L. 2007. The Pseudomonas quorum sensing regulator RsaL belongs to the tetra-helical superclass of H-T-H proteins. J. Bacteriol. 189, 1922-1930

Rampioni, G., Schuster, M., Greenberg, E. P., Bertani, I., Grasso, M., Venturi, V., Zennaro, E. Leoni, L. 2007. RsaL provides quorum sensing homeostasis and functions as a global regulator of gene expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Mol Microbiol 66, 1557-1565

Steindler, L., Venturi, V. 2007. Detection of quorum-sensing N-acyl homoserine lactone signal molecules by bacterial biosensors. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 266, 1-9

Devescovi, G., Venturi, V. 2006. The Burkholderia cepacia rpoE gene is not involved in exopolysaccharide production and onion pathogenicity. Can. J. Microbiol. 52, 260-265

Rampioni, G., Bertani, I., Zennaro, E., Polticelli, F., Venturi, V., Leoni, L. 2006. The quorum-sensing negative regulator RsaL of Pseudomonas aeruginosa binds to the lasI promoter. J. Bacteriol. 188, 815-819.

Solis, R., Bertani, I., Degrassi, G., Devescovi, G., Venturi, V. 2006. Involvement of quorum sensing and RpoS in rice seedling blight caused by Burkholderia plantarii. FEMS Microbial. Lett. 259, 106-112

Venturi, V. 2006. Regulation of quorum sensing in Pseudomonas. FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 30, 274-291

Kojic, M., Jovcic, B., Odreman, F., Vindigni, A., Venturi, V. 2005. Novel target genes of PsrA transcriptional regulator of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 246, 175-181

Bertani, I.,  Venturi, V. 2004. Regulation of the N-acyl homoserine lactone-dependent quorum sensing system in rhizosphere Pseudomonas putida WCS358 and cross-talk with the stationary phase RpoS sigma factor and global regulator GacA. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70, 5493-5502

Sevo, M., Buratti, E., Venturi, V. 2004. Ribosomal protein S1 specifically binds to the 5' untranslated region of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa stationary-phase sigma factor rpoS mRNA in the logarithmic phase of growth. J Bacteriol 186, 4903-4909

Venturi, V., Friscina, A., Bertani, I., Devescovi, G., Aguilar, C. 2004. Quorum sensing in the Burkholderia cepacia complex. Res Microbiol 155, 238-244

Venturi, V., Venuti, C., Devescovi G., Lucchese C., Friscina A., Degrassi G., Aguilar C., Mazzucchi U. 2004. The plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora produces acyl-homoserine lactone signal molecules in vitro and in planta. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 241, 179-183

Aguilar, C., Friscina, A., Devescovi, G., Kojic, M., Venturi, V. 2003. Identification of quorum sensing regulated genes of Burkholderia cepacia. J. Bacteriol. 185, 6456-6462

Venturi, V. 2003. Control of rpoS transcription in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas: why so different? Mol Microbiol 49, 1-9

Kojic, M., Aguilar, C., Venturi, V. 2002. TetR family member psrA directly binds the Pseudomonas rpoS and psrA promoters. J Bacteriol 184, 2324-2330