独脚金内酯调控侧枝发育的研究进展

植物通过内源激素或环境信号调控叶腋内腋芽的形成和发育,从而控制其分枝特性。独脚金内酯(strigolactones,SLs),一种产生于植物根部的类胡萝卜素衍生物,具有刺激寄生植物种子的萌发和促进丛枝菌根真菌菌丝分枝的作用,最近的研究表明,它还可以沿茎干向上运输,与生长素和细胞分裂素一起直接或间接抑制植物分枝,目前已经作为一种新的植物激素受到广泛认可。本文综述了独脚金内酯的结构、合成途径和生物活性,以及调控植物分枝的分子机理,并展望了其在抑制杂草或新型除草剂的研发、促进植物和有益真菌的共生,以及调控作物的分枝和株型等方面的应用前景。     

植物茎秆性状形成与发育的分子基础

株型是作物品种改良的重要目标性状,其中茎秆是最重要的株型性状。植物发育分子生物学研究表明,茎秆性状的形成和发育受多个重要基因的严格调控。本文从茎秆的发生、形状和分枝的形成等方面对茎秆发育的分子机理进行概述,以期为植物株型的改良提供理论依据。     

植物茎秆性状形成与发育的分子基础

株型是作物品种改良的重要目标性状, 其中茎秆是最重要的株型性状。植物发育分子生物学研究表明, 茎秆性状的形成和发育受多个重要基因的严格调控。本文从茎秆的发生、形状和分枝的形成等方面对茎秆发育的分子机理进行概述, 以期为植物株型的改良提供理论依据。     

禾本科植物分蘖为茎的分枝研究提供新视角

分蘖(或分枝)是作物产量的一个主要决定因素,受植物激素、自身生长发育和环境等因素的调控。近年报道的单子叶植物新的分蘖(或分枝)基因和调控机制深化了对植物分蘖的认知。对以禾本科植物为代表的单子叶植物的分蘖(或分枝)相关基因和调控机制进行了综述,从激素、基因、转录等几方面比较了单子叶植物分蘖和双子叶植物分枝调控机制的异同,为植物产量形成、适应环境及提高生存竞争能力的研究提供理论依据。     

表观遗传调控植物分枝/分蘖研究进展

分蘖是禾本科植物特有的分枝类型, 是影响作物产量的关键因素之一。分枝/分蘖数由叶腋处侧生分生组织的数量和侧芽的活性共同决定。表观遗传修饰调控植物生长发育的各个方面, 但是如何调控植物的分枝/分蘖数还未见系统报道。该综述归纳了表观遗传调控侧生分生组织的形成和侧芽向外生长两个方面, 并展望了表观遗传在调控植物分枝/分蘖中的研究方向, 以期为通过表观遗传修饰改良作物品种的育种途径提供理论指导。     

WOX转录因子在植物发育中的作用

WOX(WUSCHEL-related homeobox)转录因子与植物发育密切相关,包括植物胚胎发育和体胚发生、花和根发育、愈伤组织的形成和维持,以及干细胞维持等过程。越来越多的研究表明WOX在植物发育过程中扮演着极其重要的角色。WOX调控植物发育的机理研究在促进植物发育以及构建植物良好表型等研究提供了突破口。本文主要对WOX调控植物发育的相关研究进行综述,并结合表观遗传学调控,探讨了WOX调控植物发育的过程,以期为WOX转录因子调控植物的作用机制提供启示。     

植物茎分枝的分子调控

植物茎分枝结构决定了不同植物的不同形态结构.本文从腋生分生组织的发生、腋芽的生长两个方面综述了近年来植物分枝发生发育相关的分子机理研究及其进展.发现在不同植物中腋分生组织形成的基本机制是相似的,LS（lateral suppressor）及其同源基因在不同植物中都参与腋生分生组织的形成,而BL(blind)及其同源基因也参与调控腋生分生组织的形成.腋生分生组织的形成可能也是受激素调控的.目前,对腋芽生长的分子调控机制的认识主要集中于生长素通过二级信使的作用调控腋芽的生长.而生长素调控腋芽生长的机制已经较为清楚的有两条途径：一是生长素通过抑制细胞分裂素合成来调控腋芽的生长;另一途径是一种类胡萝卜素衍生的信号物质参与生长素的运输调控(MAX途径)来调控腋芽的生长.最新研究表明,TB1的拟南芥同源基因在MAX途径的下游负调控腋芽的生长.此外,增强表达OsNAC2也促进腋芽的生长.     

拟南芥株型突变体zpr1的性状特征与基因鉴定分析

对本研究室经T-DNA插入法获得的拟南芥株型突变株系——隐性突变体zpr1植株进行植物学性状调查和遗传分析,并对该突变基因进行鉴定、表达定位和调控元件分析。结果显示:(1)性状分析表明,与野生型拟南芥Ws-2相比,突变体zpr1的茎生叶分枝数量增加,茎生叶分枝发生于拟南芥顶端花序部位;野生型拟南芥茎生叶为披针形,而突变体zpr1没有出现分枝的茎生叶呈倒卵形,出现分枝的茎生叶呈披针型;突变体zpr1的主花序高度、株高、分枝高度和分枝长度都高于野生型,且分枝数多于野生型。(2)利用质粒挽救和反向PCR法(IPCR)确定了ZPR1基因突变发生位置是该基因起始密码子上游426bp处,证明T-DNA插入破坏了ZPR1基因的启动子区域,导致该基因在拟南芥内不能正常表达。(3)基因转录调控区域的顺式作用元件分析发现在ZPR1基因的转录调控区有多个与植物激素相关的调控元件,还有与光周期调节相关的调控元件。(4)亚细胞定位发现,ZPR1基因在所有细胞中的细胞膜中表达,而在部分细胞的细胞膜、细胞质和细胞核中均有表达。研究表明,ZPR1基因的表达对植物株型发育有重要的调控作用,该基因的表达水平受植物激素和光照的调节,最终导致了植物株型的变化。     

BRC1/TB1基因调控植物分枝的研究进展

植物分枝是决定其形态建成的重要因素,是由叶腋内的腋芽发育成枝条的过程,该过程受光照、营养及内源激素等多种因素的调控。近年来的研究发现,TCP(TEOSINTE BRANCHED1,CYCLOIDEA,PCF)转录因子家族成员BRC1/TB1可响应并整合多种信号来调控植物的分枝。该文总结了BRC1/TB1对光照、营养及不同激素的响应特征,及其在调控植物分枝过程中发挥的核心作用等研究成果,并重点对BRC1/TB1基因上下游调控网络的相关研究进行综述,且对未来的研究方向进行了展望,旨在为后续分枝调控方面的研究提供信息,也为今后创制符合人们期望的优良种质提供参考依据。     

植物MYB转录因子在花药发育中的调控作用

MYB转录因子作为最大的转录因子家族之一,参与植物的生长发育、胁迫反应、产物代谢等过程,在植物花的发育特别是花药发育过程中发挥着重要的调控作用。花药的发育在植物繁殖后代中起关键作用,文中就MYB转录因子在花药绒毡层发育、花药开裂、花粉发育、糖类物质和激素途径等方面对花药发育过程中的调控作用进行总结,以期为植物花药发育调控机制及调控网络的深入研究提供可行的参考。     

Development and structure of trichotomous branching in Edgeworthia chrysantha (Thymelaeaceae)

We studied the development and structure of the unusual trichotomous branching of Edgeworthia chrysantha. Three "branch primordia" are formed sequentially on the shoot apex of a main axis and develop into trichotomous branching. The branch primordia are clearly distinguishable from the typical axillary buds of other angiosperms; they develop much more rapidly than axillary buds, and the borders between the branch primordia and shoot apex of the main axis are anatomically unclear. Furthermore, at a later stage, leaves subtending the branch primordia produce typical axillary buds. These results suggest that the trichotomous branching in this species involves the division of the shoot apical meristem. Expression analysis of genes involved in branching or maintenance of the shoot apical meristem in this species should clarify the control mechanism of this novel branching pattern in angiosperms. We also observed the phyllotactic patterns in trichotomous branching and have related these patterns to the shoot system as a whole.     

Micrografting techniques for testing long-distance signalling in Arabidopsis

Grafting in species other than Arabidopsis has generated persuasive evidence for long-distance signals involved in many plant processes, including regulation of flowering time and shoot branching. Hitherto, such approaches in Arabidopsis have been hampered by the lack of suitable grafting techniques. Here, a range of micrografting methods for young Arabidopsis seedlings are described. The simplest configuration was a single-hypocotyl graft, constructed with or without a supporting collar, allowing tests of root-shoot communication. More complex two-shoot grafts were also constructed, enabling tests of shoot-shoot communication. Integrity of grafts and absence of adventitious roots on scions were assessed using plants constitutively expressing a GUS gene as one graft partner. Using the max1 (more axillary growth) and max3 increased branching mutants, it was shown that a wild-type (WT) rootstock was able to inhibit rosette branching of mutant shoots. In two-shoot grafts with max1 and WT shoots on a max1 rootstock, the mutant shoot branched profusely, but the WT one did not. In two-shoot grafts with max1 and WT shoots on a WT rootstock, neither shoot exhibited increased branching. The results mirror those previously demonstrated in equivalent grafting experiments with the ramosus mutants in pea, and are consistent with the concept that a branching signal is capable of moving from root to shoot, but not from shoot to shoot. These grafting procedures will be valuable for revealing genes associated with many other long-distance signalling pathways, including flowering, systemic resistance and abiotic stress responses.     

Why do lower order branches show greater shoot growth than higher order branches? Considering space availability as a factor affecting shoot growth

Many woody plants show hierarchical shoot growth: annual shoot length decreased with increasing branching order. We hypothesize that plants showing hierarchical shoot growth improve the efficiency in terms of space acquisition and use per invested shoot length. This hypothesis was tested by using a simple geometric simulation model of branch development. In this study, the effective shoot length (EL), the shoot length produced within a growth season without any overlap from other shoots, was used as the index of space availability. We compared EL among shoots on different branching orders of a “simulated” branch system. The EL decreased with an increasing branching order. The results suggested that space availability decreased with increasing branching orders. The results also showed that simulated plants with the hierarchical shoot growth showed higher efficiency in terms of space acquisition per investment than those with the non-hierarchical shoot growth. We concluded that the difference in space availability between the branching orders could be an important ultimate factor causing hierarchical shoot growth.     

Effects of endogenous hormones on variation of shoot branching in a variety of non-heading Chinese cabbage and related gene expression

Shoot branching (tillering) primarily determines plant shoot architecture and has been studied in many plants. Shoot branching is an important trait in non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis Makino). The B. rapa ssp. chinensis var. multiceps exhibits unique and multiple shoot branching characteristics. Here, we analyzed the variation in shoot branching between ‘Maertou,’ with multiple shoot branching, and ‘Suzhouqing,’ a common variety. The levels of endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), zeatin riboside and active gibberellins in the shoot meristem tissues of the two cultivars were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay during the vegetative growth stage. High levels of IAA maintained axillary bud dormancy and repressed axillary bud outgrowth allowing shoot branching to form in the vegetative stage in ‘Suzhouqing.’ In contrast, low levels of IAA did not inhibit axillary buds in ‘Maertou,’ while a high level of cytokinin promoted axillary bud growth and branch shoot development. Exogenous hormone (rac-GR24 and 6-benzylaminopurine) treatment showed that ‘Maertou’ was relatively sensitive to cytokinin, because the fold changes of cytokinin-responsive genes in ‘Maertou’ were significantly more frequent than those in ‘Suzhouqing’. Cytokinin was the direct regulator for axillary bud growth of ‘Maertou’. Compared with ‘Suzhouqing’, ‘Maertou’ was sensitive to cytokinin and this weakened the strigolactone–cytokinin branching pathway.     

Shoot branching

The mature form of a plant shoot system is an expression of several genetically controlled traits, many of which are also environmentally regulated. A major component of this architectural variation is the degree of shoot branching. Recent results indicate conserved mechanisms for shoot branch development across the monocots and eudicots. The existence of a novel long-range branch-inhibiting signal has been inferred from studies of branching mutants in pea and Arabidopsis.     

The role of AUX1 gene and auxin content to the branching phenotype of Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.)

The objectives of this research were to identify auxin gene, AUX1, and to determine the plant auxin content and their role in conferring branching on Kenaf. PCR analysis using AUX1 primer capable to amplify the DNA of non branching (KR11) and branching kenaf mutant, resulting in 800 bp PCR product. The sequence of the PCR product showed high degree of homology with the sequence of AUX1 gene of other plants in the NCBI GenBank database, confirming kenaf possession of the gene AUX1. However, some variation on the DNA sequence was found between branching and non branching phenotype indicated allele differences of the same gene which were responsible for the variation in the type of branching. Identification of auxin content in the roots, apical shoot, and axillary branches using spectrophotometry method showed that the branching plant has higher auxin content in the apical shoot compared to the content in the branches. This indicate that AUX1 controls the formation of branches by controlling either the content of auxin in the apical shoot and branches, or the ratio of auxin content in the shoot and branches.     

木本植物的构型及其在植物生态学研究的进展

一般认为 ,木本植物的植株结构由枝系和根系两个亚系统构成[5,3 8] 。其地上部分的枝或茎的顶端分生组织和侧生分生组织通过不断重复的、持续的活动产生新的分枝 ,构成了复杂的枝系结构和多样的形态特征。传统的植物学研究中曾以树木的形态特征作为植物形态学、分类学和植被类型划分的依据。由于植物种群生态学中构件理论的提出[6,4 1] ,人们已经意识到植物体的各构件单元之间的关系和等级结构 ,认为木本植物地上部分存在着两种尺度的整合 ,即各构件单元在枝条水平上的整合以及各枝条构成的冠幅复合体[1,2 1] 。植物体不同的枝系特征以及枝…