Prof. Domenico Lafiandra 

Our Research Unit (RU) is composed by University Professors in Agricultural Genetics and Plant Physiology, by a lab technician and PhD students in Agro-Industrial Biotechnologies. The RU components are part of the Department of Agrobiology and Agrochemistry of Tuscia University. The department includes both members of the Agriculture Faculty and Science Faculty.

Our Research Unit (RU) has a multi-year experience, documented by numerous scientific publications on national and international journals, on the study of wheat storage proteins and their coding genes. Our studies have contributed to the knowledge of the relationship existing between the structure of particular gluten subunits and their function, as well as their molecular organisation in the glutenin polymer that represents one of the forms in which storage proteins are accumulated.

The unit is also involved in researches aiming to manipulate starch composition using natural mutants not expressing proteins involved in amylose or amylopectine synthesis. The RU lab is equipped to perform genetic, molecular, and biochemical analyses of plant proteins and starch (one and two-dimensional electrophoresis instruments; HPLC; spectrophotometer; image analyser; PCR; chemical and microbiological hoods; growth and storage chambers, greenhouses, experimental fields), RVA (rapid visco analyser). Because it is a University structure, the research work is performed also with the collaboration of students and research fellows.

Website: http://www.unitus.it/