![](/events_files/884/23CONF-Toxins Webinar-2023-02-09-Banner-Hero-V2.jpg?1725147797)
Toxins Webinar | Biological Activities and Potential Applications of Phytotoxins
9 Feb 2023, 10:00 (CET)
Fungal Pathogens, Secondary Metabolites, Phytotoxins, Biological Activities, Biopesticides
Welcome from the Chair
5th Toxins Webinar
Biological Activities and Potential Applications of Phytotoxins
Phytotoxins are specialized metabolites, also known as secondary metabolites, produced by different organisms which are toxic for plants. They belong to several classes of natural compounds and are frequently produced as a mixture of low molecular weight metabolites. Phytotoxins produced by phytopathogenic microorganisms play an important role in plant-pathogen interactions and in the disease induction on host plants while plant-produced phytotoxins, including allelochemicals, seems to be involved in plant/plant interactions. Rarely, the phytotoxins are host-specific but frequently they possess several biological activities when tested at different concentrations. In fact, some of these compounds were already proposed for the development of biopesticides, cosmetics or drugs.
In this webinar, we will present some examples of phytotoxins which could be used as potential bioherbicides and of bioactive phytotoxins produced by pathogenic fungi of agrarian and forest plants. Furthermore, the allelopathic activity of some metabolites against parasitic weeds will be also presented as well as some examples of their hemi-synthesis and structure activity relationship studies.
Date: 9 February 2023
Time: 10:00 am CET | 4:00 am EST | 5:00 pm CST Asia
Webinar ID: 871 9573 7956
Webinar Secretariat: toxins.webinar@mdpi.com
Chair
![](/events_files/884/committee/cfc7b782285c9fbf7422591f794f3532.jpeg?1725147797)
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Dr. Marco Masi is a researcher (RtdB) of Organic Chemistry at University of Naples Federico II (UNINA). In 2013 he received a PhD in Agrobiology and Agrochemistry at the same University and he performed 6 months of his research activity at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, USA. Successively, he was awarded a one-year post-doctoral position at Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA and one-year at UNINA. Then, he worked for three years as researcher at Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency, BBCA, Rome, Italy. In 2018 he was awarded a post-doctoral position as principal investigator of a project STAR at UNINA. He has acquired over 15 years of experience mainly in organic chemistry, spectroscopy and hemisynthesis of bioactive metabolites (phytotoxins, antibiotics, fungicides, and herbicides) produced by fungi, bacteria and plants. Dr. Masi has established national and international collaboration with Research Centres and Universities and has participated to several scientific international and national research projects admitted at financing based on competitive calls that provide peer review. He has been supervisor of MSc and PhD students in Chemistry and Biology. Dr. Marco Masi is co-author of more than 180 articles published in International Journals indexed in the Scopus and ISI WEB databases; the H-index is 25 and has over 2300 citations on Scopus and /or ISI-WEB of Science. He is co-author of several communications at national and international congresses. He is member of the Italian Chemical Society (SCI).
Invited Speakers
![](/events_files/884/committee/9fb28af07cd1bde37f5f9e6ede69b314.jpeg?1725147797)
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Associate Professor of organic chemistry since October 1, 2018. He has acquired over 20 years of experience mainly in organic chemistry, spectroscopy and hemisynthesis of bioactive metabolites (phytotoxins, plant growth regulators, antibiotics, mycotoxins, fungicides, phytoalexins, elicitors, herbicides, proteins and polysaccharides) produced by phytopathogenic and antagonistic fungi and bacteria and plants. In particular, the stereo structural determination and hemi synthesis of bioactive metabolites and studies on structure-activity relationships and on their action mode, have been carried out by using advanced spectroscopic and chemical methods. He has got the eligibility for full professorship in organic chemistry, sector Organic Chemistry - 03/C1, session 2022. He is co-author of more than 200 scientific publications in the international journals and 70 communications at national and international congresses. h index 37. Citations 4500. Dr. Cimmino has established national and international collaboration with Research Centres and Universities and has participated to several scientific international (European) and national (Italian and Spanish) research projects admitted at financing on the basis of competitive calls that provide peer review. He has been supervisor of MSc and PhD students and speakers at national and international conferences.
![](/events_files/884/committee/60e36818fa620941f152c059396a6e49.png?1725147797)
Dr Pierluigi Reveglia completed a Co-tutele PhD in organic chemistry, between Charles Sturt University (Wagga Wagga, Australia) and University of Naples Federico II (Naples, Italy), with a Thesis entitled " Isolation and characterisation of phytotoxins produced by Botryosphaeriaceae and their role in grapevine trunk diseases". Pierluigi was awarded the Higher Degree by Research University Medal in 2019. Following this experience, he became interested in metabolomics and lipidomics. From 2020 to 2021, He worked as Post-Doc at the University of Foggia, Italy, studying lipids factors that could be associated with the hyperphosphorylation of the Tyr-682 residue in the APP in Alzheimer's Disease. Since 2022 he is working as Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Sustainable Agriculture Institute – CSIC, Spain. The main focus of his current research is the study of the secondary metabolites produced by pathogenic fungi associated with legumes applying metabolomics methods.
![](/events_files/884/committee/aec94ce54215938b8c608b2079e67f5a.jpeg?1725147797)
Allelopathy Group, Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Biomolecules (INBIO), University of Cadiz, Spain
PhD in Agricultural Resources with cum laude distinction by the University of Cadiz (Spain), working for the Allelopathy Group headed by Professor Francisco A. Macías. Thesis focused on the design of new synthetic analogues based on natural products of strigolactones for use in new preventive herbicides against parasitic weeds of agronomic interest. Dedicated to research in Chemistry of Natural Products since 2012, especially in the synthesis of natural products and structural derivatives, isolation from natural sources (plants, fungi, lichens and bacteria), structural characterization, and biological assays with plant material. Currently, post-doctoral researcher at the University of Naples Federico II (Italy).
![](/events_files/884/committee/c7d9aa4ff766a10999a4625d3ec1aed7.jpeg?1725147797)
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Dr. Roberta Di Lecce has a research fellowship in chemical and biochemical analysis of soil treated with vermicompost at the Department of Agricultural Sciences of University of Naples Federico II. In 2022 she received a PhD in Chemical Sciences at the Department of Chemical Sciences of University of Naples Federico II with a Thesis entitled “Bioacitve secondary metabolites produced by pathogenic fungi of forest plants”. Dr. Di Lecce performed six months at the Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany, working on the isolation and chemical characterization of secondary metabolites produced by Leontodon tenuiflorus. In 2018 she completed the Master degree in Chemical Sciences with full mark at the University of Naples Federico II with a Thesis entitled “Thermodynamics of the interaction between the G-quadruplex from the KRAS promoter and potential ligands”. In 2014 she completed the Bachelor degree in Chemistry at the same University with a Thesis entitled “Comparison between the stability of glutathione synthetase from Escherichia coli and from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis”. Dr. Roberta Di Lecce participated to 6 national and international congresses and school with posters and oral communications. She is a co-author of 17 publications published in International Journals indexed in the Scopus; the H-index is 6 and has 107 citations on Scopus.
Webinar Content
![](/images/registered_only_default_blur.jpg?version=7bc2037bae16cc86ad6a78f687d9e017)
Program
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in CET |
Dr. Marco Masi Chair Introduction |
10:00 - 10:10 am |
Dr. Alessio Cimmino Microbial and Plant Metabolites as Tools for Legume Crops Protection |
10:10 - 10:40 am |
Dr. Pierluigi Reveglia Investigation on Phytoxins Produced by Botryosphaeriaceae spp. And Phaeoacremonium spp. Involved in Grapevine Trunk Diseases |
10:40 - 11:10 am |
Dr. Jesus Zorrilla Design and Synthesis of Strigolactone Analogues Based on Natural Sesquiterpene Lactones With Stimulating Activity for the Preventive Control of Parasitic Weeds |
11:10 - 11:25 am |
Dr. Roberta Di Lecce Secondary Metabolites From Fungi Pathogens of Forest Trees |
11:25 - 11:40 am |
Q&A Session |
11:40 - 11:55 am |
Closing of Webinar |
11:55 am - 12:00 pm |
Relevant SI
Guest Editor: Dr. Marco Masi
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 April 2023