无核荔枝胚胎异常发育的研究

 无核荔枝是荔枝中较为珍贵的品种,有丰富的假种皮,种子多退化,属焦核品系。在胚胎发育过程中,小孢子四分体形成后,虽然出现有些小孢子形状不规则,原生质少或无等现象,但也有发育正常的花粉粒。而大孢子在各个发育阶段均会出现各种败育现象,因此无法形成胚,这是产生焦核的主要原因。淀粉粒的积累和分布对胚囊和雄配子体的发育起着重要作用,其分布具有一个动态的变化途径,这与挂绿荔枝有相同之处。     

无核荔枝胚胎异常发育的研究

无核荔枝是荔枝中较为珍贵的品种,有丰富的假种皮,种子多退化,属焦核品系。在胚胎发程中,小孢子四分体形成后,虽然出现有些小孢子形状不规则,原生质少或无等现象,但也有发育正常的花粉粒。而大孢子在各个发育阶段均会出现各种败育现象,因此无法形成胚,这是产生焦核的主要原因。淀粉粒的积累和分布对胚囊和雄配子体的发育起着重要作用,其分布具有一个动态的变化途径,这与挂绿荔枝有相同之处。     

“挂绿”荔枝早期胚的形成及假种皮发育过程的研究

“挂绿”荔枝早期胚的形成及假种皮发育过程的研究陈健辉,杨俊慧,潘坤清（广州师范学院生物系,广州５１０４００）“挂绿”荔枝是荔枝（Ｌｉｔｃｈｌｃｈｉｎｅｎｓｉｓ）的一个品种,按《广东荔枝志》介绍的荔枝品种分类属黑叶类。其果肉（假种皮）肉质爽脆,甜带微香...     

澳洲杨(大戟科)胚珠及其种子附属结构的个体发育研究

以澳洲杨的胚珠及其种子为材料,运用光学显微镜和电镜扫描的方法对其从胚珠发生直到种子成熟的个体发育过程和结构进行观察,同时与鸭脚西番莲的种子附属结构的发育过程进行对比研究。结果表明:(1)澳洲杨的珠孔类型为外珠孔类型,种子附属结构起源于珠孔而非珠柄,其为种阜,而非假种皮。(2)鸭脚西番莲的珠孔类型为内珠孔类型,种子附属结构起源于珠柄,并且最终将珠孔包被,其为真正的假种皮结构。通过种阜与假种皮的不同个体发育过程,建立了大戟科种阜与假种皮的不同发育模式,并对种子附属结构的生物学功能及其暗示的不同植物进化路径进行了讨论。     

依兰(番荔枝科)雌配子体发育研究

荔枝科是被子植物的基部类群之一,依兰属是番荔枝科较为原始的类群,其有性生殖过程,特别是胚胎发生与发育的研究结果,可以补充被子植物胚胎学原始特征的相关基础资料。该研究利用常规石蜡切片技术,对依兰胚珠、大孢子和雌配子体的发生发育过程进行了观察。结果表明:依兰的胚珠为倒生胚珠、厚珠心、三层珠被,第三层珠被(中间珠被)发生在大孢子母细胞时期,于外珠被与内珠被之间、胚珠合点端两侧发生并隆起;雌配子体为蓼型。此外,依兰的个别胚珠中存在双雌配子体现象,且两个雌配子体均由大孢子母细胞发育而来,大小、形状相近,呈线形排列。该研究结果对于揭示原始被子植物胚胎发育特征具有重要意义。     

种皮的附属物有哪些？

种皮的附属物有哪些？张尚智（甘肃省陇西师范学校７４８１００）种皮是种子的外围结构,经由胚珠的珠被发育而来,主要起着保护种子的作用。但在有些植物的种皮上,常常带有一定的附属结构,其生理功能也不尽相同,常见的种皮附属物有以下几种：（１）假种皮是指在种子形...     

兰花蕉的胚胎学研究

兰花蕉（Orchidantha chinensis T.L.Wu）的胚珠倒生,具厚珠心和双珠被。内外珠被形成珠孔。假种皮从外珠被的项端发生。造孢时期,胚珠具有一层周缘细胞。造孢细胞发育成大孢子母细胞,大孢子母细胞减数分裂形成大孢子的线形四分体,少数三分体。合点大孢子具功能。胚囊发育属蓼型。成熟胚囊的合点端狭长,胚珠具有珠心冠原和承珠盘。反足细胞寿命长,胚珠维管束属于合点后多维管束类型。胚乳发育属核型。种子脱落时,胚尚未分化出胚芽和胚根。     

侧柏雌球果及其胚珠的发育

观察了侧柏（Ｐｌａｔｙｃｌａｄｕｓ ｏｒｉｅｎｔａｌｉｓ（Ｌ．）Ｆｒａｎｃｅ）胚珠的发育过程及后期球果苞片的结构变化。在北京,雌球果原基７月分化。通常一个球果有４对苞片,中部两对可育,靠球果顶端一对各产生一枚胚珠,其下一对各两枚。胚珠的发育顺序是向顶的,下部可育苞片腑部的两枚胚珠源于同一原基。胚珠原基分化成珠心和珠被,在发育过程中,珠被逐渐包围珠心,最后形成２烧瓶状的胚珠。１１月至次年１月,球果处     

穗花杉的胚珠结构与雌、雄配子体的发育

穗花杉胚珠结构最显著的特点之一是,珠心顶部有一比较发达的贮粉室。珠孔道的闭塞主要是由珠被中层区细胞形成的;珠被维管束8—14个。假种皮中具14—17个粘液分泌道。小孢子囊远轴着生,起源于皮下细胞。在小孢子母细胞分裂前后,绒毡层出现局部异常膨大现象。成熟花粉由两个细胞组成。雌配子体游离核经8次分裂产生256个核后形成胞壁。颈卵器单个,顶生。从胚珠结构和雌雄配子体发育来看,穗花杉属在红豆杉科中可能居于最原始的位置;而且它与三尖杉属有许多共同之处。     

小草蔻胚珠及雌配子体发育的研究

小草蔻（Alpinia henryi K.Schum）胚胎倒生,厚珠心,双珠被。内珠被独自成珠孔。造孢细胞,大孢子母细胞和四体时期,周缘细胞仅1层。四分体线形,少数三分体。合点在孢子具功能。成熟胚珠具有珠心冠原和承珠盘结构。胚囊发育属蓼型。成熟胚整,合点端狭长,形成盲囊。反足核不能构成细胞,是短命的。膜质假种皮的原基从外珠被和珠柄发生。     

重楼属两种植物种子及其附属结构的发育

重楼属两种植物(五指莲Paris axialis和滇重楼Paris polyphylla var.yunnanensis)种子发育的过程基本一致。双受精发生于授粉后10—15天。胚乳为沼生目型。种子发育延续的时间约为150—170天。胚胎发育终止于球形或稍有分化的阶段。种子具二层种皮。 二种重楼种子成熟时的外部形态显著不同。五指莲Paris axialis的种子呈浅棕黄色,长椭圆形,部分为绿白色海绵质假种皮所包裹。假种皮由珠柄发育而来,呈楔形。滇重楼Parispolyphylla var.yunnanensis的种子鲜红色,不规则圆形,外种皮肉质多浆。无假种皮。珠柄橙黄色,短而纤细。     

The Ovule Structure and Development of Male and Female Gametophytes in Araentotaxus

The ovules of Amentotaxus are 2–2.5 cm in length and about 1.3 cm in width. Aril, which contains about 14—17 secretory canals in transection, is com- posed of parenchyma. The vascular bundles are absent in aril. The integument is com- posed of ceils of outer, middle, and inner regions. The middle region of the integument is about 10 cells in thickness. The Integuments are basally parenchymatous before pollination and then the cells become elongating and thickenning in middle region after pollination. Finally the micropylar canal is forced to be closed. In addition, there are 8–14 vascular bundles with centripetal xylem arranged in a ring in integument. One of the most remarkable feature of the ovule is that there is a pollen chamber formed at the top of nucellus before pollination. At this time because epidermis of nucellus does not disintegrate, the pollen chamber looks like conical in longitudinal section. After pollination the pollen chamber was becoming closed due to elongation and thickenning of cells in the middle region of integument. At the base of ovule there are 4–5 pairs of bracts which contain a larger secretory cavity and a centripetal xylem in a vascular bundle. It is interesting that wax layer of 30–40 μm thick is covered on the surface of integument, aril and bract. Usually 3–4 microsporangia which are hypodermal in origin, occur in abaxial side of a microsporophyll. In some cases the tapetum is partly enlarging and extruding into the developing tetrahedral tetrads. The mature pollen comprises an antheridial initial and a tube cell. About 20 pollen grains may germinate in the same ovule. The megaspore divide successively 8 times to produce 256 nuclei and then cell wall formation takes place. The female gametophyte is about 830–908 μm in length and 500 μm in width. The archegonia are single, terminal, and 6–7 in number. The mature archgonium, with ventral canal nucleus, is about 430 μm in length and 80–108 μm in width. The female gametophyte is often growing against the upper part of the nuceilus and makes the cells of the latter gradually to be disintegrated. The ovule construction of Amentotaxus is in some degree similar to that of Ginkgo in having a comparatively well developed pollen chamber. The mature pollen of Amentotaxus, which is similar to that of Cephalotaxus is composed of 2-cells. In sum, Amentotaxus perhaps is the most primitive genus in Taxaceae and it is closely related to Cephalotaxus.     

龙眼果实采后果肉自溶过程中细胞壁组分及其降解酶活性的变化

在(10±1)℃下贮藏的‘福眼’龙眼果实果肉自溶指数和自溶程度随着贮藏时间的延长而增加。果肉细胞壁干重、原果胶、纤维素、半纤维素和细胞壁蛋白含量不断减少。果肉果胶酯酶(PE)活性下降;多聚半乳糖醛酸酶(PG)活性在贮藏6～12d以及纤维素酶活性在贮藏0～12d期间均明显增强,到第12天达到活性高峰,之后下降。但在贮藏0～24d期间,PE、PG和纤维素酶仍然保持较高活性,贮藏24d之后快速下降。β-半乳糖苷酶活性在贮藏0～24d期间略有下降,而在贮藏24d后,活性增强,尤其是贮藏30d后,活性急剧升高。     

Gone and ovule ontogeny in Phyllocladus (Podocarpaceae)

TOMLINSON, P. B., TAKASO, T. & RATTENBURY, J. A., 1989. Cone and ovule ontogeny in Phyllocladus (Podocarpaceae). Cones are borne directly on phylloclades, usually in the position of basal segments or as segment appendages. Each cone consists of a series of spirally arranged bracts, of which the middle bracts each subtend a single, sessile ovule. There is no ovuliferous scale. Ovules arise as ovoid outgrowths; integument development involves periclinal divisions of hypodermal cells with the integument becoming bilobed and extended laterally. The mature ovule is flask-shaped. The integument includes an extensive middle region bounded by an inner and outer epidermis; the outer hypodermis is differentiated as two contrasted cell layers. An aril differentiates late by periclinal divisions of the outer hypodermal cells at the base of the ovule. The three outermost layers of the integument become differentiated in the mature seed as an epidermis, with thick, cutinized outer tangential walls, an outer hypodermal tanniniferous layer and a sclerotic inner layer. Each ovule is vascularized by two strands that diverge from the axial bundles delimiting the gap left by the departing bract trace.     

EFFECT OF OVULE POSITION ON SEED PRODUCTION,SEED WEIGHT,AND PROGENY PERFORMANCE IN PHASEOLUS COCCINEUS L. (LEGUMINOSAE)

We examined the effect of ovule position within the ovary on the probability of seed maturation, on seed weight, and on progeny performance in the outbreeding legume Phaseolus coccineus. Ovaries of P. coccineus possess six linearly arranged ovules (ovule position one = stylar end). We found that in both 1987 and 1988, ovule position had a significant effect on the probability of seed maturation under field conditions. In 1987, ovule positions one. two, and three had a higher probability of maturing seeds than the three most basal ovule positions. In 1988, the probability of producing a mature seed in ovule position one was more similar to the three most basal ovule positions than to ovule positions two and three. The position of the ovule in the ovary had no significant effect on seed weight in 1987, but it had a significant effect in 1988. Overall, seeds from ovule positions one, two, and three tended to produce heavier seeds than the three most basal ovule positions. The effects of ovule position on progeny performance were determined in a greenhouse and a field study. In the greenhouse study, we found no significant overall effect of the position of the ovule that produced the seed on progeny performance. In the field study, we did find a significant ovule position effect on several measures of reproductive performance as well as an overall effect on reproductive performance. In addition, we found a significant interaction between ovule position and number of seeds per fruit. Progeny from the stylar end of the fruit outperformed the progeny from the peduncular end in fruits containing many seeds, whereas there were no significant differences between progeny produced in the stylar and peduncular ends of fruits containing few seeds. Causes of position effects are unknown but hypotheses abound.     

VASCULAR SUPPLY AND STRUCTURE OF THE OVULE AND ARIL IN PEONY AND OF THE ARIL IN NUTMEG

Camp , Wendell H., and Mary M. Hubbard . (U. Connecticut, Storrs.) Vascular supply and structure of the ovule and aril in peony and of the aril in nutmeg. Amer. Jour. Bot. 50(2): 174–178. Illus. 1963.—Examination of the placental region in the carpel of Paeonia indicates a complexity and super-abundance of vascular supply beyond that usually found in angiosperms and certainly more than is necessary for adequate nutrition and water supply of the ovules. From this it is concluded that the ovules once were borne on a larger and more complex structure than the present carpel. Vascular strands leading to the aril and the hypostase are interpreted as being relictual. The large multifid aril of Myristica has a well-developed vascular system composed of several sizes of branched bundles.     

Development of the ovule and seed in Costus cuspidatus (N.E.Br.) Maas (Zingiberaceae), with special reference to the formation of the operculum

The ovule primordium of Costus is trizonate and both its integuments are dermally initiated. With other evidence, this strongly suggests that most, if not all, monocotyledons have dermally initiated integuments, indicating a derived status. The mature seed coat of Costus is completely formed by the outer integument and its principal mechanical layer is the endotesta.
The seed of Costus has an aril, an operculum and a micropylar collar. These structures, characteristic of zingiberalean seeds, are each initiated in a different, specific cell layer of the exostome. The aril is completely dermally initiated. The parenchymatic part of the operculum and the micropylar collar are of dual origin, namely dermal at me integumentary region and subdermal at the raphe.     

Gymnosperm B-sister genes may be involved in ovule/seed development and,in some species,in the growth of fleshy fruit-like structures

Background and Aims

The evolution of seeds together with the mechanisms related to their dispersal into the environment represented a turning point in the evolution of plants. Seeds are produced by gymnosperms and angiosperms but only the latter have an ovary to be transformed into a fruit. Yet some gymnosperms produce fleshy structures attractive to animals, thus behaving like fruits from a functional point of view. The aim of this work is to increase our knowledge of possible mechanisms common to the development of both gymnosperm and angiosperm fruits.

Methods

B-sister genes from two gymnosperms (Ginkgo biloba and Taxus baccata) were isolated and studied. The Ginkgo gene was also functionally characterized by ectopically expressing it in tobacco.

Key Results

In Ginkgo the fleshy structure derives from the outer seed integument and the B-sister gene is involved in its growth. In Taxus the fleshy structure is formed de novo as an outgrowth of the ovule peduncle, and the B-sister gene is not involved in this growth. In transgenic tobacco the Ginkgo gene has a positive role in tissue growth and confirms its importance in ovule/seed development.

Conclusions

This study suggests that B-sister genes have a main function in ovule/seed development and a subsidiary role in the formation of fleshy fruit-like structures when the latter have an ovular origin, as occurs in Ginkgo. Thus, the ‘fruit function’ of B-sister genes is quite old, already being present in Gymnosperms as ancient as Ginkgoales, and is also present in Angiosperms where a B-sister gene has been shown to be involved in the formation of the Arabidopsis fruit.     

Differential expression of litchi XET genes in relation to fruit growth

Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) catalyses the transglycosylation of xyloglucan, the major hemicellulose polymer, which has been thought to mediate the cross-linking of cellulose microfibrils in cellular walls and proposed to be involved in the control of cell wall relaxation. To understand the relationship between litchi fruit cracking and gene expression patterns, three XET genes from litchi fruit were identified and then examined for their expression profiles in pericarp and aril tissues at different development stages, using a cracking-resistant cultivar, 'Huaizhi', and a cracking-susceptible cultivar, 'Nuomici'. Three full-length cDNAs of 1267, 1095 and 1156 bp encoding XETs, named LcXET1, LcXET2 and LcXET3, respectively, were isolated from expanding fruit using RT-PCR and RACE-PCR (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) methods. Northern blotting analysis showed that LcXET1 mRNA accumulation occurred much earlier in aril tissues at 59 days after anthesis (DAA) than in pericarp tissues at 73 DAA in 'Nuomici'. However, it appeared at almost the same time (66 DAA) in pericarp and aril tissues in 'Huaizhi', which suggested that differential accumulation of LcXET1 in pericarp and aril tissues in 'Nuomici' and 'Huaizhi' was closely associated with fruit cracking. LcXET2 mRNA accumulation could be detected in pericarp and aril tissues throughout fruit development but exhibited a differential accumulation pattern between pericarp and aril tissues. In the aril of 'Nuomici', intensive signal bands were detectable at 59-73 DAA in rapidly expanding fruits of 'Nuomici' but only weak bands could be found in the pericarp tissues. In contrast, moderate signal bands were detectable both in pericarp and aril tissues of 'Huaizhi' fruits. Furthermore, LcXET3 showed constitutive expression in both pericarp and aril tissues of developing 'Nuomici' and 'Huaizhi' litchi fruit. In addition, differential expression patterns of three XETs genes were observed in different tissues of litchi, with only LcXET1 being fruit-specific. To further address the role of LcXET in fruit cracking, alpha-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) was used to treat 'Nuomoci' to reduce fruit cracking. Enhanced LcXET1 mRNA accumulation appeared in pericarp while LcXET2 and LcXET3 mRNA accumulation enhanced in aril tissues in the NAA-treated fruits. Thus, LcXET1 is more likely to play a role in reducing litchi fruit cracking than LcXET2 and LcXET3.