The homologous genes FLORICAULA (FLO) in Antirrhinum and LEAFY (LFY) in Arabidopsis are known to regu- late the initiation of flowering in these two distantly related plant species. These genes are necessary also for ...The homologous genes FLORICAULA (FLO) in Antirrhinum and LEAFY (LFY) in Arabidopsis are known to regu- late the initiation of flowering in these two distantly related plant species. These genes are necessary also for the expression of downstream genes that control floral organ identity. We used Arabidopsis LFY cDNA as a probe to clone and sequence a papaya ortholog of LFY, PFL. It encodes a protein that shares 61% identity with the Arabidopsis LFY gene and 71% identity with the LFY homologs of the two woody tree species: California sycamore (Platanus racemosa) and black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa). Despite the high sequence similarity within two conserved regions, the N-terminal proline-rich motif in papaya PFL differs from other members in the family. This difference may not affect the gene function of papaya PFL, since an equally divergent but a functional LFY ortholog NEEDLY of Pinus radiata has been reported. Genomic and BAC Southern analyses indicated that there is only one copy of PFL in the papaya genome. In situ hybridization experiments demonstrated that PFL is expressed at a relatively low level in leaf primordia, but it is expressed at a high level in the floral meristem. Quantitative PCR analyses revealed that PFL was expressed in flower buds of all three sex types - male, female, and hermaphrodite with marginal difference between hermaphrodite and unisexual flowers. These data suggest that PFL may play a similar role as LFY in flower development and has limited effect on sex differentiation in papaya.展开更多
Population differentiation is a fundamental process of evolution, and many evolutionary studies, such as population genetics, phylogeography and conservation biology, all require the inference of population differenti...Population differentiation is a fundamental process of evolution, and many evolutionary studies, such as population genetics, phylogeography and conservation biology, all require the inference of population differentiation. Recently, there has been a lot of debate over the validity of FST （and its analogue Gsr） as a measure for population genetic differentiation, notably since the proposal of the new index D in 2008. Although several papers reviewed or explored specific features of these statistical measures, a succinct account of this bewildering issue with an overall update appears to be desirable. This is the purpose of the present review. The available statistics generally fall into two categories, represented by Fsv and D, respectively. None of them is perfect in measuring population genetic differentiation. Nevertheless, they each have advantages and are valuable for current re- search. In practice, both indices should be calculated and a comparison of them can generate useful insights into the evolutionary processes that influence population differentiation. FsT （GsT） has some unique irreplaceable characteristics assuring its standing as the default measure for the foreseeable near future. Also, it will continue to serve as the standard for any alternative measures to contrast with. Instead of being anxious about making choice between these indices, one should pay due attention to the equili-brium status and the level of diversity （especially Hs） of the populations, since they largely sway the power of a given statistic to address a specific question. We provide a multi-faceted comparative summary of the various statistics, which can serve as a basic reference for readers to guide their applications [Current Zoology 61 （5）： 886-897, 2015].展开更多
Stamen is a unique plant organ wherein germ cells or microsporocytes that commit to meiosis are initiated from somatic cells during its early developmental process. While genes determining stamen identity are known ac...Stamen is a unique plant organ wherein germ cells or microsporocytes that commit to meiosis are initiated from somatic cells during its early developmental process. While genes determining stamen identity are known according to the ABC model of floral development, little information is available on how these genes affect germ cell initiation. By using the Affymetrix GeneChip Rice Genome Array to assess 51 279 tran- scripts, we established a dynamic gene expression profile （GEP） of the early developmental process of rice （Oryza sativa） stamen. Systematic analysis of the GEP data revealed novel expression patterns of some developmentally important genes including meiosis-, tapetum-, and phytohormone-related genes. Following the finding that a substantial amount of nuclear genes encoding photosynthetic proteins are ex- pressed at the low levels in early rice stamen, through the ChlP-seq analysis we found that a C-class MADS box protein, OsMADS58, binds many nuclear-encoded genes participated in photosystem and light reac- tions and the expression levels of most of them are increased when expression of OsMADS58 is downre- gulated in the osmads58 mutant. Furthermore, more pro-chloroplasts are observed and increased signals of reactive oxygen species are detected in the osmads58 mutant anthers. These findings implicate a novel link between stamen identity determination and hypoxia status establishment.展开更多
文摘The homologous genes FLORICAULA (FLO) in Antirrhinum and LEAFY (LFY) in Arabidopsis are known to regu- late the initiation of flowering in these two distantly related plant species. These genes are necessary also for the expression of downstream genes that control floral organ identity. We used Arabidopsis LFY cDNA as a probe to clone and sequence a papaya ortholog of LFY, PFL. It encodes a protein that shares 61% identity with the Arabidopsis LFY gene and 71% identity with the LFY homologs of the two woody tree species: California sycamore (Platanus racemosa) and black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa). Despite the high sequence similarity within two conserved regions, the N-terminal proline-rich motif in papaya PFL differs from other members in the family. This difference may not affect the gene function of papaya PFL, since an equally divergent but a functional LFY ortholog NEEDLY of Pinus radiata has been reported. Genomic and BAC Southern analyses indicated that there is only one copy of PFL in the papaya genome. In situ hybridization experiments demonstrated that PFL is expressed at a relatively low level in leaf primordia, but it is expressed at a high level in the floral meristem. Quantitative PCR analyses revealed that PFL was expressed in flower buds of all three sex types - male, female, and hermaphrodite with marginal difference between hermaphrodite and unisexual flowers. These data suggest that PFL may play a similar role as LFY in flower development and has limited effect on sex differentiation in papaya.
文摘Population differentiation is a fundamental process of evolution, and many evolutionary studies, such as population genetics, phylogeography and conservation biology, all require the inference of population differentiation. Recently, there has been a lot of debate over the validity of FST （and its analogue Gsr） as a measure for population genetic differentiation, notably since the proposal of the new index D in 2008. Although several papers reviewed or explored specific features of these statistical measures, a succinct account of this bewildering issue with an overall update appears to be desirable. This is the purpose of the present review. The available statistics generally fall into two categories, represented by Fsv and D, respectively. None of them is perfect in measuring population genetic differentiation. Nevertheless, they each have advantages and are valuable for current re- search. In practice, both indices should be calculated and a comparison of them can generate useful insights into the evolutionary processes that influence population differentiation. FsT （GsT） has some unique irreplaceable characteristics assuring its standing as the default measure for the foreseeable near future. Also, it will continue to serve as the standard for any alternative measures to contrast with. Instead of being anxious about making choice between these indices, one should pay due attention to the equili-brium status and the level of diversity （especially Hs） of the populations, since they largely sway the power of a given statistic to address a specific question. We provide a multi-faceted comparative summary of the various statistics, which can serve as a basic reference for readers to guide their applications [Current Zoology 61 （5）： 886-897, 2015].
文摘Stamen is a unique plant organ wherein germ cells or microsporocytes that commit to meiosis are initiated from somatic cells during its early developmental process. While genes determining stamen identity are known according to the ABC model of floral development, little information is available on how these genes affect germ cell initiation. By using the Affymetrix GeneChip Rice Genome Array to assess 51 279 tran- scripts, we established a dynamic gene expression profile （GEP） of the early developmental process of rice （Oryza sativa） stamen. Systematic analysis of the GEP data revealed novel expression patterns of some developmentally important genes including meiosis-, tapetum-, and phytohormone-related genes. Following the finding that a substantial amount of nuclear genes encoding photosynthetic proteins are ex- pressed at the low levels in early rice stamen, through the ChlP-seq analysis we found that a C-class MADS box protein, OsMADS58, binds many nuclear-encoded genes participated in photosystem and light reac- tions and the expression levels of most of them are increased when expression of OsMADS58 is downre- gulated in the osmads58 mutant. Furthermore, more pro-chloroplasts are observed and increased signals of reactive oxygen species are detected in the osmads58 mutant anthers. These findings implicate a novel link between stamen identity determination and hypoxia status establishment.
