Anatomical Investigation of Abscissed Avocado Flowers and Fruitlets

The anatomy of abscissed avocado fruitlets of the Hass varietywas compared with that of actively growing control fruitletsto investigate the reason for abscission. Control fruitletshad a small embryo (4–14 cells) and numerous endospermcells by seven days after pollination. Cotyledon developmenthad commenced by 21 days and a root/shoot axis was present at28 days. Over 90 per cent of the fruitlets which abscissed during thefirst week after the end of flowering were unfertilized and18 per cent were abnormal. By the fourth week after the endof flowering all abscissed fruitlets were fertilized and noneabnormal. Abnormalities included ovaries with more than oneembryosac or ovule, with an immature embryo-sac, with an ovulein an abnormal position or with a deficiency in ovule structure.In a few fertilized abscissed fruitlets either the embryo orendosperm had ceased development first. In the majority of casesembryo and endosperm were anatomically normal. The majorityof fertilized abscissed fruitlets had reached a stage correspondingto 14 days after pollination of the control tree. Degenerationwas often observed in both unfertilized and fertilized abscissedfruitlets. It is suggested that this degeneration occurred inthe period between the cessation of development and abscissionof the fruit. This period was approximately one week. The proportion of abnormal ovaries was too low to significantlyaffect yields, and sufficient flowers had been fertilized togive an adequate crop. No anatomical reason for the high rateof fruitlet abscission was observed. Persea americana Mill, avocado, abscission, embryo-sac, embryo, endosperm     

Gametogenesis and Embryogeny of Tamarix ericoides Rottl

1. The haploid chromosome number in Tamarix ericoides Rottl., reportedfor the first time, is twelve.
2. The archesporial cell is single,rarely double.
3. There is no tetrad formation, division of themegaspore mother-cell;instead, a four nucleate embryo-sac results.
4. The nuclei are originally arranged in a cruciform type, butlater form a I+3 arrangement.
5. As a result of the third division,the embryo-sac is again four-nucleate,with two haploid nucleiat the micropylar end and two triploidnuclei at the chalazalend.
6. The cells of the embryo-sac are formed at the end ofthe fourthdivision, the embryo-sac thus representing the sixteennucleatecondition.
7. The development of the embryo-sac of Tamarixericoides conformsto the Fritillaria-type.
8. The endospermis free nuclear, and the embryo is characteristicin developinga massive suspensor and a large pad of cellulartissue fromthe proximal cell.
9. Double embryo-sacs and the occurrence ofpolyembryony are reportedfor the first time in the family.

     

Embryology ofCymbidium sinense:the Microtubule Organization of Early Embryos

InCymbidium sinense, the pattern of embryo development is unusualin that oblique cell divisions result in the formation of severalsuspensor cells prior to the development of the embryo proper.Characteristic changes in microtubular distribution can be foundwithin the zygote and the proembryo during their development.After fertilization, the ellipsoid-shaped zygote has randomlydistributed microtubules within its cytoplasm. As the zygotetakes on a more rounded appearance, microtubules organize intoa dense meshwork. Furthermore, microtubule bundles appear atthe chalazal region of the cell prior to the first mitotic divisionof the zygote. At the preprophase stage of mitosis, a preprophaseband of microtubules appears in the cytoplasm of the zygote.The zygote divides obliquely and unequally and gives rise toan apical cell and a slightly larger basal cell. Many randomly-alignedmicrotubules can be found in the cortex of the basal cell. Theincrease in the abundance of microtubules coincides with theisotropic expansion of the basal cell. The early division ofthe basal cell and subsequent division of the apical cell resultsin the formation of a four-celled embryo, of which three cellsnear the micropylar pole develop as suspensor cells. In thesuspensor cells, the microtubules tend to orient in the samedirection as the long axis of the cell. In addition, prominentmicrotubules can also be found near the adjoining cell wallsof the four-celled embryo. The terminal cell is highly cytoplasmicwith abundant microtubules within the cell. Subsequent divisionsof the terminal cell give rise to additional suspensor cellsand the embryo proper. In the mature embryo, five suspensorcells are usually present; one eventually grows through themicropyle of the inner integument and four grow towards thechalazal pole. The cortical microtubules of suspensor cellsredistribute from a longitudinal to a transverse direction asthey grow towards their respective poles.Copyright 1998 Annalsof Botany Company Embryogenesis, endosperm, microtubules, preprophase band, suspensor cells,Cymbidium sinense(Andr.) Willd.     

白毛新木姜子[Neolitsea aurata var.glauca]胚胎学研究

应用光学显微镜对白毛新木姜子的胚胎学特征进行了研究,首次在非寄生性樟科植物中发现了细胞型胚乳。对樟科8属进行了胚胎学特征的比较。花药四室,药室壁的发育属于"基本型",周原质团型绒毡层。小孢子母细胞连续型分裂。等四面体型四分体。二细胞成熟花粉,无孔沟。雌孢原多个,一般仅一个能继续发育。蓼型胚囊。助细胞具丝状器。反足细胞宿存。大孢子母细胞和合子具极性。宿存的一个助细胞具有吸器功能。细胞型胚乳,胚胎发育属于柳叶菜型的三叶变型。种皮源于外珠被,内表皮细胞壁螺旋状加厚。胚胎学特征表明,新木姜子属与木姜子属有密切的亲缘关系。较多的双胚囊异常现象,支持樟科与Monimiaceae具有紧密关系的推测。胚胎学特征不支持将无根藤属独立为科的观点。     

白毛新木姜子[Neolitsea aurata var. glauca]胚胎学研究

应用光学显微镜对白毛新木姜子的胚胎学特征进行了研究,首次在非寄生性樟科植物中发现了细胞型胚乳。对樟科8属进行了胚胎学特征的比较。花药四室,药室壁的发育属于“基本型”,周原质团型绒毡层。小孢子母细胞连续型分裂。等四面体型四分体。二细胞成熟花粉,无孔沟。雌孢原多个,一般仅一个能继续发育。蓼型胚囊。助细胞具丝状器。反足细胞宿存。大孢子母细胞和合子具极性。宿存的一个助细胞具有吸器功能。细胞型胚乳,胚胎发育属于柳叶菜型的三叶变型。种皮源于外珠被,内表皮细胞壁螺旋状加厚。胚胎学特征表明,新木姜子属与木姜子属有密切的亲缘关系。较多的双胚囊异常现象,支持樟科与Monimiaceae具有紧密关系的推测。胚胎学特征不支持将无根藤属独立为科的观点。     

毛竹实时荧光定量PCR内参基因的筛选及成花基因PheTFL1表达分析

通过qRT-PCR对毛竹相关成花基因PheTFL1的表达进行研究,为毛竹开花机理的研究提供理论依据.从毛竹UBC18、PP2A和EF1α等9个候选内参基因中筛选出在叶、幼嫩花序、花序轴、枝、竹青等11个组织器官中都稳定表达的PP2A用于毛竹PheTFL1基因qRT-PCR结果的校正.结果显示:PheTFL1基因在开花竹叶、枝和竹青中低丰度表达,与未开花竹差异不显著,但在花和花序轴中高丰度表达;在实生苗叶和根中高丰度表达,在实生苗茎中低丰度表达.PheTFL1基因在具有分生能力的幼嫩组织中高丰度表达,说明其不仅参与花发育的调控,还参与了分生组织生长的调控.     

无距虾脊兰胚珠发育及种子形成研究

采用石蜡切片、半薄切片、扫描电镜技术对无距虾脊兰不同时期的子房(蒴果)进行研究.结果表明:(1)无距虾脊兰授粉后19d,胎座上分化出上万个胚珠原基,这些胚珠原基由1列细胞外包1层表皮细胞构成,其中胚珠原基内部顶端的细胞分化为孢原细胞,授粉后45 d,孢原细胞发育分化为大孢子母细胞.(2)无距虾脊兰成熟胚珠为倒生胚珠,双珠被,薄珠心,胚囊发育为蓼型,且胚珠的发育即便在同一个果实内也是不同步的.(3)受精后合子经过一次不均衡横裂形成基细胞和顶细胞;基细胞不参与胚体构成,分化为单细胞的胚柄,最后退化消失;顶细胞经多次分裂形成原球胚,胚胎发育类型为石竹型.(4)成熟种子呈纺锤形,由球形胚和内外双层种皮构成,双层种皮分别由内外珠被发育而来.     

Light Microscope Study of Pollen Tube Growth, Fertilization and Early Embryo and Endosperm Development in the Avocado Varieties Fuerte and Hass

Pollen tube growth, fertilization and early embryo and endospermdevelopment were studied using light microscopy in the avocadovarieties Fuerte and Hass. The ovule was penetrated by a pollen tube by 24 h after pollination.On reaching the ovary, the pollen tube grew along the surfaceof the inner ovary wall. It then grew around the funicle, throughthe micropyle in the inner integument and between the papillatecells at the apex of the nucellus. It entered the embryo sacvia a synergid. Sperm nuclei were present in the embryo sacat 48 h after pollination and fusion of the polar and spermnuclei took place before fusion of the egg and sperm. The endospermnucleus was the first to divide and cell wall formation occurredfollowing division. The first division of the zygote occurredat 5 or 6 days after pollination. In the variety Fuerte less than 20 per cent of the 1- and 2-day-oldembryo sacs had been penetrated by a pollen tube although tubeswere often observed in the integument or nucellus. In the varietyHass over 60 per cent of the embryo sacs were penetrated. Inwas concluded that low yields of the variety Fuerte may be partlyattributable to the failure of the pollen tube to penetratethe embryo sac. Persea americana Mill, avocado, pollen tube, fertilization, embryo, endosperm     

An Ultrastructural Study of The Embryo/Endosperm Interface in the Developing Seeds of Solanum nigrum L. Zygote to Mid Torpedo Stage

The early developmental sequences in the formation of the Zoneof Separation and Secretion in a hexaploid species of Solanumnigrum L. are described. Ultrastructural changes which occurredduring the development of the embryo/endosperm interface couldbe related to the different stages in the embryo's development.The first step was the completion of the cell wall around thechalazal end of the zygote; a thin wall was formed along theendosperm cell(s) abutting the zygote. From the mature zygotestage to the quadrant stage, minute plasmalemma invaginationsoccurred along the endosperm wall facing the zygote. These invaginationsenlarged, and from the mid-globular stage onwards became filledwith a fine fibrillar material; this material accumulated betweenthe endosperm cell wall and the plasmalemma before being releasedinto the developing periembryonic and intercellular spaces tobecome the extracellular matrix. Cell wall development in theendosperm cells abutting the embryo followed an unusual path.During the quadrant stage, whilst the outer embryo wall increasedin thickness due to vesicle fusion, the endosperm cell wallfacing the embryo showed a loosening of the wall fibrils aswell as partial separation of these same endosperm cells fromeach other. From the early-globular stage, the endosperm cellwalls opposite the embryo became electron-translucent, disappearinginto the extracellular matrix. Enzymic secretions by the embryomay account for the alteration in the abutting endosperm cellwalls. Enzymic activity may also explain the development ofa homogenous electron-opaque layer over the outer embryo wallas well as the differences in the width of the fibrillar layerwhich accumulated around the cotyledons as the embryo grew throughthe Zone of Separation and Secretion. The potential roles ofthe extracellular matrix are briefly discussed. Solanum nigrum L.; embryo/endosperm interface; Zone of Separation and Secretion; embryo development; cellular endosperm     

单叶蔓荆(唇形科)的横生胚珠和葱型胚囊

利用常规石蜡制片技术研究了单叶蔓荆胚珠和胚囊的发育以丰富牡荆亚科的胚胎学资料。单叶蔓荆的胚珠横生、单珠被、薄珠心、具珠被绒毡层、珠孔狭长。胚囊发育类型为葱型,可能由蓼型胚囊演变而来。葱型胚囊在牡荆亚科及整个唇形科属首次报道。     

Comparative ovule and megagametophyte development in Hydatellaceae and water lilies reveal a mosaic of features among the earliest angiosperms

Background and Aims: The embryo sac, nucellus and integuments of the early-divergentangiosperms Hydatellaceae and other Nymphaeales are comparedwith those of other seed plants, in order to evaluate the evolutionaryorigin of these characters in the angiosperms. Methods: Using light microscopy, ovule and embryo sac development aredescribed in five (of 12) species of Trithuria, the sole genusof Hydatellaceae, and compared with those of Cabombaceae andNymphaeaceae. Key Results: The ovule of Trithuria is bitegmic and tenuinucellate, ratherthan bitegmic and crassinucellate as in most other Nymphaeales.The seed is operculate and possesses a perisperm that developsprecociously, which are both key features of Nymphaeales. However,in the Indian species T. konkanensis, perisperm is relativelypoorly developed by the time of fertilization. Perisperm cellsin Trithuria become multinucleate during development, a featureobserved also in other Nymphaeales. The outer integument issemi-annular (‘hood-shaped’), as in Cabombaceaeand some Nymphaeaceae, in contrast to the annular (‘cap-shaped’)outer integument of some other Nymphaeaceae (e.g. Barclaya)and Amborella. The megagametophyte in Trithuria is monosporicand four-nucleate; at the two-nucleate stage both nuclei occurin the micropylar domain. Double megagametophytes were frequentlyobserved, probably developed from different megaspores of thesame tetrad. Indirect, but strong evidence is presented forapomictic embryo development in T. filamentosa. Conclusions: Most features of the ovule and embryo sac of Trithuria are consistentwith a close relationship with other Nymphaeales, especiallyCabombaceae. The frequent occurrence of double megagametophytesin the same ovule indicates a high degree of developmental flexibility,and could provide a clue to the evolutionary origin of the Polygonum-typeof angiosperm embryo sac.     

The Nucellus, Embryo Sac, Endosperm, and Embryo of Aesculus and their Interdependence during Growth

Immature fruits of Aesculus yield powerful stimuli to growthand cell division. Therefore, the developing fruit of Aesculuswoerlitzensis Koehne has been investigated from pollinationto maturity. The fluid, or liquid endosperm, which containsthe growth-promoting substances is produced in a large vesiclewhich forms at the chalazal tip of the embryo sac. As the vesiclegrows, it encroaches upon the nucellus and, when the embryodevelops, one of its cotyledons penetrates into the vesicleof the embryo sac where it grows and absorbs the contents. Theembryo, which has only a vestigial suspensor, reaches the vesicleby growing along the neck of the long curved embryo sac. Thecotyledon which first penetrates the vesicle grows into a massivestructure; the other remains small. The tip of the cotyledonseems to function as an absorbing surface, for the endospermwith which it comes into contact disorganizes. Fertilizationand the presence of a viable embryo at the micropylar end ofthe embryo sac therefore sets in train a number of other events.These are the extensive development of the nucellus at the chalazalend of the embryo sac, the swelling of the vesicle and the formationof a free nuclear and some cellular endosperm, and the disorganizationof the nucellus as it is encroached upon by the vesiculate embryosac. Attention is directed to the organization of the nucellusin the vicinity of the embryo sac. Files or richly protoplasmicnucellar cells(hypostase) which converge upon the chalazal tipof the embryo sac suggest a principal route by which the vesiclemay be nourished. Special attention is drawn to the very differentsizes of cells, their nuclei and nucleoli, in the differentparts of the nucellus. The growth and development of the embryohas also been traced from the zygote to the mature seed. Thenutritive role of the veaiculate embryo sac, and the supplyof growthstimulating substances, through the function of a cotyledonas an absorbing organ, are now seen as important features ofthe development of the Aesulus embryo in the ovule. Many outstandingproblems still remain. The sequential events that follow fertilizationin the different interdependent regions (nucellus, embryo sac,cotyledon, &c.) are here described, but not casually explained.     

多花地宝兰胚囊和胚发育的细胞学研究

为探讨多花地宝兰(Geodorum recurvum)胚胎发育的系统分类学意义,采用石蜡制片法对多花地宝兰胚囊和胚的发育进行解剖学观察。结果表明,在开花前,多花地宝兰胚珠原基发育缓慢,开花授粉后胚珠原基快速发育成"树状二杈分枝结构",随后在"分枝结构"末端形成孢原细胞,开始胚囊发育。多花地宝兰的胚囊发育属于单孢蓼型胚囊,胚珠具有双层珠被。孢原细胞形成后,经过细胞膨大延长发育形成胚囊母细胞,胚囊母细胞经过减数分裂形成线性四分体,在珠孔端形成1个功能大孢子,功能大孢子经过3次有丝分裂形成8核胚囊。多花地宝兰的胚发育具有藜型和紫苑型两种方式。双受精完成后,多花地宝兰合子进行一次橫裂后形成基细胞和顶细胞;基细胞经过多次分裂形成细胞团,细胞团中的细胞向不同方向膨大延长形成多个胚柄细胞;顶细胞有两种分裂方式,一种是横裂形成藜型胚,一种是纵裂形成紫苑型胚。因此,推测多花地宝兰在兰科植物系统分类学上属于较为原始种。     

OVULE AND EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT IN DORITIS PULCHERRIMA (ORCHIDACEAE)

The placental ridge began to proliferate 10 days after pollination. Megaspore mother cell underwent meiosis to form two dyads at first division. At 50 days two megaspores and generating dyad were formed by second division. The functional megaspore divided successively three times to form an eight-nucleate embryo sac at 60 days. Double fertilization occurred forming the zygote and endosperm initial cell. However, the endosperm initial cell degenerate soon thereafter. The zygote divided to form a terminal cell, the middle cell and suspensor initial cell at 70 days. The terminal and middle cells successively divided to form a multi-celled embryo up to 120 days after pollination. Histochemical study showed that the stainability of DNA, RNA and total proteins were almost constant during ovule and embryo development. Stainability of total carbohydrates decreased.     

Ultrastructural Changes of the Egg Apparatus Associated with Fertilization and Proembryo Development of Soybean, Glycine max (Fabaceae)

As part of a study involving pod retention in soybean, Glycinemax (L.) Merr., we investigated changes occurring in the eggapparatus of non-abscised flowers from the time immediatelypreceding fertilization through early embryogeny. Prior to theentry of the pollen tube into the embryo sac, one of the synergidsbegins to degenerate as evidenced by increased electron densityand a loss of volume. This cell serves as the site of entryfor the pollen tube. The cytoplasm of the second, or persistentsynergid, remains unaltered until after fertilization. Bothsynergids contain, in addition to a filiform apparatus, a singleunidentified inclusion of flocculent material located in thechalazal portion of each cell. The zygote can be distinguishedfrom the egg by its consistently narrow wall; and it dividesto form a proembryo, a mass of cells not yet differentiatedinto embryo proper and suspensor. The basal cells of the proembryoare more vacuolate than the apical ones, characteristic of thebasal vacuolation of both egg and zygote. Cells of the proembryoare connected to one another via plasmodesmata, and with theexception of the basal-most cell, are isolated symplasticallyfrom the surrounding endosperm. Wall ingrowths frequently occurin certain cells of the proembryo, notably those cells in contactwith the degenerate synergid and embryo sac wall. At a laterstage of ontogeny, by which time the globular embryo properhas become distinct from the suspensor, the wall ingrowths areconcentrated in the suspensor. Glycine max, soybean, embryogeny, synergids     

Cytological study of pollen tube growth and early seed development inPetunia inflata

Pollen tube growth from the stigma into the ovule, and the early fruit and seed development following fertilization were examined using fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy inPetunia inflata. After growing intercellularly in the transmitting tract for 24–36 hr, the pollen tubes emerged into the top part of the ovary cavity and grew along the surface of the septum to reach the ovule. It grew around the furnicle and penetrated the micropyle to enter the embryo sac for fertilization. After fertilization, the endosperm nucleus divided first before the embryo, and the cell wall formation occurred following the division, exhibiting the pattern of cellular type of endosperm development. The first division of the zygote did not occur until 3 days after pollination. At 6 days after pollination, the seeds grew considerably and the endosperm has gone through multiple rounds of cell division. High starch formation in the integument, especially around the embryo sac, was also observed.     

EMBRYOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENDOSPERM HAUSTORIUM OF ARCEUTHOBIUM DOUGLASII

Arceuthobium douglasii develops a dome-like structure, the ovarian papilla, in which 2 megasporocytes are formed. The papilla is not a true ovule, for no integuments are formed, and it is forced aside by the developing endosperm. Megasporocytes are differentiated in the spring, but meiosis does not occur until the following spring. A tetrasporic embryo sac is developed which is 8-nucleate at maturity. Pollination and fertilization occur approximately 13–14 months after initiation of the inflorescence. Only 1 of the 2 embryos develops after fertilization. After fertilization, the embryo sac segregates into 2 parts, one containing the zygote and the disintegrating synergids, the other the primary endosperm nucleus and the degenerating antipodals. This primary endosperm cell elongates toward the base of the ovarian papilla. Cytokinesis then forms an endosperm cell, adjacent to the zygote, and a haustorial cell. The haustorial cell forms several tiers of cells which persist during the development of the embryo and endosperm. The zygote, while still contained within the ovarian papilla, divides, forming a 2-celled sphere. It remains unchanged until after it is conveyed out of the ovarian papilla by the developing endosperm. The development of the embryo and endosperm is arrested in the autumn approximately 3 months after their initiation. They complete their development the following spring and summer.     

彩色马蹄莲大小孢子发生和雌雄配子体发育的研究

选用石蜡切片法观察了彩色马蹄莲品种‘Majestic Red’的大小孢子发生及雌雄配子体发育的过程。研究结果表明：彩色马蹄莲的胚珠为倒生,具双珠被、厚珠心和珠被绒毡层。大孢子母细胞的减数分裂后形成的四分体为直线型或T型排列,合点端的大孢子发育成为功能大孢子,其余3个大孢子则退化,表明胚囊发育方式为单孢子发生的蓼型胚囊。观察到每个雄花花药多数,花粉囊呈蝶形,每侧有2个小孢子囊。花药壁由外到内分别为表皮、药室内壁、中层和绒毡层,其中绒毡层为变形绒毡层类型。在小孢子形成时,胞质分裂属于连续型,小孢子排列成十字形的四分体,成熟花粉则为二胞花粉粒。     

千里光合子胚和胚乳形成及其早期发育的细胞学特征(英文稿)

千里光（Senecio scandens Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don）是传统中草药, 抗菌功效显著。本研究从细胞学角度对千里光合子胚和胚乳的形成与发育进行观察研究。结果显示,结构和功能迥异的基细胞和顶细胞源自细胞质不均一分布的合子所致,推测合子的极性与胚囊的极性和生殖核分裂为“二态”精细胞有关;基细胞在合子胚胎“球型期”末期出现分化,早期胚胎的组织分化始于“三角期”,可辨别的结构差异直到“鱼雷期”才出现。此外,胚乳形成遵循无细胞壁核化模型。本研究对千里光细胞分化、组织分化和结构差异各发育阶段特征的观察结果,不仅可为深入分析胚胎发育过程功能基因的时空表达提供依据,也为相关近缘物种的系统植物学研究提供参考资料。     

千里光合子胚和胚乳形成及其早期发育的细胞学特征（英文）

千里光(Senecio scandens Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don)是传统中草药,抗菌功效显著。本研究从细胞学角度对千里光合子胚和胚乳的形成与发育进行观察研究。结果显示,结构和功能迥异的基细胞和顶细胞源自细胞质不均一分布的合子所致,推测合子的极性与胚囊的极性和生殖核分裂为"二态"精细胞有关;基细胞在合子胚胎"球型期"末期出现分化,早期胚胎的组织分化始于"三角期",可辨别的结构差异直到"鱼雷期"才出现。此外,胚乳形成遵循无细胞壁核化模型。本研究对千里光细胞分化、组织分化和结构差异各发育阶段特征的观察结果,不仅可为深入分析胚胎发育过程功能基因的时空表达提供依据,也为相关近缘物种的系统植物学研究提供参考资料。