无融合生殖与柑橘多胚现象的研究进展

植物无融合生殖是指植物的胚珠组织不经历正常的减数分裂和受精作用,而直接进行胚发育形成种子的无性生殖方式。无融合生殖植物完全继承了母体的全部基因型,因而具有独特研究与育种意义。芸香科柑橘属植物具有独特的多胚现象,其珠心组织能够发育成不定胚(称为珠心胚)进行无融合生殖。文中介绍了柑橘类植物的珠心胚生殖现象、细胞学和遗传学研究进展。珠心胚现象虽然对柑橘杂交后代获得有较大影响,但在生产上可产生性状整齐一致的后代,可以培育无病毒苗木。     

被子植物胚乳自主发生的分子机理研究进展

双受精是被子植物的一个有效的进化策略,增加了胚和种苗成活的机会,其中胚乳在胚以及种子发育中至关重要。然而极少数进行无融合生殖的被子植物,它们的胚乳可以在假受精或不受精的情况下克服基因组印记效应的影响且正常发育。拟南芥胚乳自主发生突变体及相关基因的克隆,使人们可以研究和比较自然和突变植物胚乳自主发生的分子机制。本文着重介绍基因组印记对有性生殖和无融合生殖植物胚乳发育的影响,分析和讨论近年来发现的有关胚乳自主发生的基因（如MEA,FIS2,FIE,MSI1和PHE1）及其可能的作用机理。     

植物无融合生殖的筛选和鉴定研究进展

植物无融合生殖具有复杂的发育过程,与细胞学、遗传学、生物化学和分子生物学等相关的各种技术均被应用于植物无融合生殖的筛选和鉴定.本文结合新近发表的研究文献,介绍了常规的植物无融合生殖筛选和鉴定技术的新应用,评介了流式细胞种子筛选技术、胚珠整体透明技术、外源标记基因转入法等植物无融合生殖筛选和鉴定的新技术,并对各种筛选和鉴定技术的优势和不足进行了评述.     

无融合生殖甜菜M14的GISH和BAC-FISH研究

无融合生殖是指不经减数分裂和受精作用而产生胚的一种无性繁殖, 因此是胚的克隆, 母系繁殖. 甜菜单体附加系M14是通过二倍体栽培甜菜(Beta vulgaris)和四倍体白花甜菜(B. corolliflora)种间杂交、进而回交, 选育出的具有无融合生殖特性的甜菜品系. 我们利用GISH技术进一步分析了无融合生殖甜菜M14中的染色体情况, 在不封阻的情况下, 附加的外源染色体清晰可见, 这说明栽培甜菜与白花甜菜基因组间种属特异序列的差异明显. 利用无融合生殖甜菜M14和有性生殖栽培甜菜的花期mRNA对白花甜菜第9号染色体的BAC芯片进行了差异杂交分析, 发现2个BAC克隆16-M11, 26-L15含有M14花期特异表达的基因. 选用这2个BAC克隆作为探针, 对具有无融合生殖甜菜M14进行荧光原位杂交, 供试探针均被定位于附加的白花甜菜第9号染色体长臂末端, 呈半合子状态. 本研究BAC芯片的杂交结果结合两种生殖途径中胚和胚乳发育表达方式的保守性可推断, 甜菜中有性生殖和无融合生殖可能共享某些调节因子的相关路径, 正是白花甜菜第9号染色体上的特异基因才使甜菜M14中无融合生殖特性得以表达.     

两对互补的显性基因控制着柑桔属和枳属的无融合生殖

无融合生殖具有重要的学术价值和应用价值。这种生殖方式普遍存在于 柑桔属及其近缘属植物中,对母本分别为单胚（即有性生殖）的宽皮柑桔品种克力迈丁和韦尔金,父本分别为多胚（即无融合生殖）的甜橙品种锦橙,新会橙,桃叶橙和哈姆林的杂种F1代群体总计8个杂交组合的229个开花结果后代,进行了胚性分离的调查,发现F1代中既有有性生殖,也有无融合生殖,有性生殖与无融合生殖的分离比例,在韦尔金后代中接近1：2,而在克力迈丁后代中接近1：1。根据该结果,结合前人的研究资料,提出在柑桔属和枳属或者还包括其他柑桔近缘属中,无融合生殖受到位于细胞核的两对互补的显性基因A1和A2的调控,且其中一对基因,设为A1表现显性纯合致死效应,两对基因的分离重组符合孟德尔的分离定律和自由组合定律,按该模式可以较为合理地解释已有的大部分常规杂交资料。     

雾灵山草地早熟禾多胚囊和多胚现象的研究

无融合生殖是指未经精卵融合而产生后代的特殊生殖方式,它可以分为单倍体无融合生殖和二倍体无融合生殖;对于作物改良意义更大的是二倍体无融合生殖。多胚囊和多胚现象SHI是无融合生殖的表现形式。本文运用石蜡切片法、子房整体透明法研究了雾灵山草地早熟禾〖WTBX〗（Poa pratensis〖WTBZ〗 L.）多胚囊和多胚现象。结果表明,（1）草地早熟禾多胚囊来源有两种：一是来自大孢子母细胞,二是来自珠心细胞;（2）草地早熟禾多胚来源有四个：其一是有性生殖胚,其二是孤雌生殖胚,其三是无配子生殖胚,其四是珠心胚。     

新疆2个主栽早实核桃品种无融合生殖及胚细胞发育研究

以新疆‘新新2’、‘温185’2个主栽早实核桃品种为材料,通过对雌花采取套硫酸纸袋、聚乙烯醇封柱头、切柱头等3种无融合生殖处理,以自然授粉为对照,观察分析了无融合生殖胚乳和胚发育过程,结果显示:(1)‘新新2’的自然座果率比‘温185’要高,但其无融合生殖率却略低于‘温185’。(2)无融合生殖形成的果实较正常自然生长形成的果实略小。(3)2个核桃品种胚囊均属蓼型,历经10d左右发育成熟。(4)2个品种无融合生殖胚均由卵细胞分裂发育而来,经原胚期、球形期、心形期、鱼雷形期、成熟期发育完成,历经10d左右,属孤雌生殖类型。(5)2个核桃品种均属核型胚乳,8d左右形成胚乳细胞。     

植物无融合生殖研究新进展

无融合生殖是指不经过雌雄配子融合而产生种子的一种特殊生殖方式,能使基因型的杂合性得以保持,从而可以固定杂种优势,对作物育种具有极其重要的意义。目前大量的研究都在设法将无融合生殖作为一种重要的植物育种手段。本文对近几年来无融合生殖新种质资源的发现、主要研究方法、遗传机制和相关基因等方面的最新进展作了介绍,并对无融合生殖研究中存在的问题和发展前景作了讨论。     

单子叶植物无融合生殖的研究进展

植物的无融合生殖是指不经过雌雄配子融合而产生种子的一种特殊生殖方式。由于利用无融合生殖途径可以固定杂种优势,从而改良现有植物的育种策略,因此对无融合生殖的研究已成为生物学科的新生长点。本文主要从无融合生殖的概念和类型,无融合生殖在单子叶植物中的分布,无融合生殖的胚胎学,分子生物学和遗传学机制及创造新的无融合生殖种质资源的方法等6方面对单子叶植物的无融合生殖的研究进展进行了综述,并提出了今后开展无融合生殖研究的思路和设想。     

单子叶植物无融合生殖的研究进展

植物的无融合生殖是指不经过雌雄配子融合而产生种子的一种特殊生殖方式。由于利用无融合生殖途径可以固定杂种优势 ,从而改良现有植物的育种策略 ,因此对无融合生殖的研究已成为生物学科的新生长点。本文主要从无融合生殖的概念和类型 ,无融合生殖在单子叶植物中的分布 ,无融合生殖的胚胎学 ,分子生物学和遗传学机制及创造新的无融合生殖种质资源的方法等 6方面对单子叶植物的无融合生殖的研究进展进行了综述 ,并提出了今后开展无融合生殖研究的思路和设想     

Sexual and apomictic reproduction in Hieracium subgenus pilosella are closely interrelated developmental pathways

Seed formation in flowering plants requires meiosis of the megaspore mother cell (MMC) inside the ovule, selection of a megaspore that undergoes mitosis to form an embryo sac, and double fertilization to initiate embryo and endosperm formation. During apomixis, or asexual seed formation, in Hieracium ovules, a somatic aposporous initial (AI) cell divides to form a structurally variable aposporous embryo sac and embryo. This entire process, including endosperm development, is fertilization independent. Introduction of reproductive tissue marker genes into sexual and apomictic Hieracium showed that AI cells do not express a MMC marker. Spatial and temporal gene expression patterns of other introduced genes were conserved commencing with the first nuclear division of the AI cell in apomicts and the mitotic initiation of embryo sac formation in sexual plants. Conservation in expression patterns also occurred during embryo and endosperm development, indicating that sexuality and apomixis are interrelated pathways that share regulatory components. The induction of a modified sexual reproduction program in AI cells may enable the manifestation of apomixis in HIERACIUM:     

Genetic and epigenetic processes in seed development.

Seed development has emerged as an important area of research in plant development. Recent research has highlighted the divergent reproductive strategies of the male and female genomes and interaction between genetic and epigenetic control mechanisms. Isolation of genes involved in embryo and endosperm development is leading to an understanding of the regulation of these processes at the molecular level. A thorough grasp of these processes will not only illuminate an important area of plant development but will also have an impact on agronomy by helping to facilitate food production. An understanding of seed development is also likely to clarify the molecular mechanisms of apomixis, a fascinating process of asexual seed production present in many plants.     

Differentiation of germinal and somatic cells in Volvox carteri

Volvox carteri is a spherical alga with a complete division of labor between around 2000 biflagellate somatic cells and 16 asexual reproductive cells (gonidia). It provides an attractive system for studying how a molecular genetic program for cell-autonomous differentiation is encoded within the genome. Three types of genes have been identified as key players in germ-soma differentiation: a set of gls genes that act in the embryo to shift cell-division planes, resulting in asymmetric divisions that set apart the large-small sister-cell pairs; a set of lag genes that act in the large gonidial initials to prevent somatic differentiation; and the regA gene, which acts in the small somatic initials to prevent reproductive development. Somatic-cell-specific expression of regA is controlled by intronic enhancer and silencer elements.     

Germ-soma differentiation in volvox.

Volvox carteri is a spherical green alga with a predominantly asexual mode of reproduction and a complete germ-soma division of labor. Its somatic cells are specialized for motility, incapable of dividing, and programmed to die when only a few days old, whereas its gonidia (asexual reproductive cells) are nonmotile, specialized for growth and reproduction, and potentially immortal. When a gonidium is less than 2 days old it divides to produce a juvenile spheroid containing all of the somatic cells and gonidia that will be present in an adult of the next generation. The first visible step in germ-soma differentiation is a set of asymmetric cleavage divisions in the embryo that set apart small somatic initials from their large gonidial-initial sister cells. Three types of genes have been found to play key roles in germ-soma specification. First a set of gls genes act in the embryos to shift cell-division planes, resulting in the asymmetric divisions that set apart the large-small sister-cell pairs. Then a set of lag genes act in the large cells to prevent somatic differentiation, while the regA gene acts in the small cells to prevent reproductive development. An inducible transposon was used to tag and recover some of these and other developmentally important genes. The glsA gene encodes a chaperone-like protein that, like another chaperone that is one of its putative binding partners, is associated with the cell division apparatus, although how this leads to asymmetric division remains to be elucidated. The regA gene encodes a somatic-cell-specific nuclear protein that appears to function by repressing genes required for chloroplast biogenesis, thereby preventing somatic cells from growing enough to reproduce. Somatic-cell-specific expression of regA is controlled by three intronic enhancers.     

Molecular and genetic regulation of apomixis

Apomixis is defined as the asexual plant reproduction through seeds that results in the production of genetically uniform progeny. In fact, apomixis could be considered as a natural way of cloning. Currently there are more than 400 plant species known to use apomixis as a strategy for their propagation. The primary fundamental aspects of apomixis are the bypassing of meiosis and parthenogenetic development of the embryo without fertilization Apomixis attracts special attention because of its potential value for agriculture, as it could be harnessed for plant breeding programs enabling the permanent fixation of heterosis in crop plants. A better understanding of the molecular and genetic regulation of apomixis is important for developmental and evolutionary perspectives but also for implementation of engineering of apomixis traits into agricultural crop plants. Despite apomixis is considered as one of the key technologies for the improving agriculture, it is currently not fully known how the genetic and molecular regulation of this important trait occurs. In this review, an up to date information on the biology of apomixis and the known genes and genetic loci associated with regulation of different components of apomixis is provided.     

Genes involved in Dictyostelium discoideum sexual reproduction

Macrocyst formation in the cellular slime moulds is a sexual process induced under dark and humid conditions. Normal development life cycle in these organisms involves proliferation by cell division and, upon starvation, formation of multicellular aggregates and fruiting bodies, consisting of spores and stalk cells. Macrocyst formation, cell division by binary fission and spore formation are thus three alternative modes of reproduction, for which it is of interest to understand how a choice is made. The genetic basis of asexual development and fruiting body formation is well known, by contrast information on the genetic control of sexual reproduction during macrocyst formation is scarce. In Dictyostelium discoideum, the most widely used species, several cell-surface proteins relevant to sexual cell fusion have been identified using cell fusion-blocking antibodies, but isolation of the relevant genes has been unsuccessful. Analysis of sexually deficient mutants, some of which are normal for asexual development, has shown that sexual reproduction is regulated by both specific genes and genes that are also involved in asexual development. Reverse genetic analysis of 24 genes highly enriched in a gamete-specific subtraction library has revealed four genes involved in the regulation of sexual cell interactions. One of them was found to be a novel regulator of the cAMP signalling pathway specific to sexual development. Studies on the molecular genetic control of the sexual cycle will be reviewed and their contribution to our understanding of the organization and function of the D. discoideum genome as a whole discussed.