Editorial： New Opportunities and a New Beginning

As we begin 2005, plant biologists have great opportunities to unlock the secrets of plant life. The realization of the importance of biodiversity and global ecology has promoted increasing efforts in understanding individual, population, and community plant biology. At the same time, the advances in plant molecular biology, genetics,     

Serving Our Science and Community Better

Journal of Systematics and Evolution （JSE） has just debuted with its first issue. While it continues the tradition of its predecessor, Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica （APS）, in publishing papers in taxonomy and systematics, it is also embracing new trends in evolutionary biology to include papers in molecular evolution, evolutionary genomics, evolutionary developmental biology, evolutionary ecology, biogeography, and other related fields. We sincerely hope that this expanded journal scope will serve our science and community better. This journal has a long and rich history, It was established in 1951 by consolidating four journals that were founded by early Chinese botanists and published intermittently from the 1920＇s until the late 1940＇s： Bulletin of the Fan Memorial Institute of Biology, Botanical Series; Contributions from the Institute of Botany, National Academy of Peiping; Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica; and Contributions from the Biological Laboratory of the Science Society of China, Botanical Series. The journal has witnessed the founding and development of modem botany, plant taxonomy, and plant evolutionary biology in China over the last century.     

Journal of Systematics and Evolution: Looking forward

Systematics and evolution are the most comprehensive fields in biological sciences,and unify all areas of biology by providing a conceptual framework for interpreting biological diversity.Journal of Systematics and Evolution (JSE),established in 1951 as Acta Phytotaxonomica,has a long history of publishing papers on plant taxonomy.In 1954 (Vol.3),the journal name was changed to Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica.Half a century later,in 2008,the current name was approved and used and the journal became all-English in 2009,with the expanded scope to include molecular evolution,evolutionary genomics,evolutionary developmental biology,evolutionary ecology,biogeography,and other related fields,beyond the core area of plant taxonomy.     

A Special Issue on Stem Cell Research

Stem cells possess the remarkable ability of extensive self-renewal and differentiation into specific celllineages,and they play essential roles in development and adult tissue homeostasis.Due to their criticalimportance in normal physiology and the promise for use in regenerative medicine to treat a variety ofdiseases,stem cells have attracted extensive research interest in recent years.As China's premium in-ternational journal with a broad scope in cell and molecular biology,Cell Research has witnessed moreand more submissions on stem cell research.Indeed,along with the traditional strengths of the journal inmolecular immunology,cancer biology,and plant molecular physiology,stem cell research has graduallyand naturally evolved into a new growth point of Cell Research.Reflecting the growing interest of bothour readers and authors in this exciting and expanding field,we are pleased to present this Special Issueon Stem Cell Research.     

QTL mapping of economically important traits in Silkworm (Bombyx mori)

The construction of linkage map is both a funda-mental research area and an important aspect of gene analyses in genetics. It provides the guidelines for breeding. A sound linkage map is also necessary for further genetic analysis. In recent years, great and rapid progress has been made in molecular biology, which enables fingerprinting of organisms at the ge-nomic level. Many molecular marker techniques have been well established. Heartening progress has been made in many organisms in the co…     

In Silico Analysis of Crop Science： Report on the First China-UK Workshop on Chips, Computers and Crops

A workshop on ＂Chips, Computers and Crops＂ was held in Hangzhou, China during September 26-27, 2008. The main objective of the workshop was to bring together China and UK scientists from mathematics, bioinformatics and plant molecular biology communities to exchange ideas, enhance awareness of each others＇ fields, explore synergisms and make recommendations on fruitful future directions in crop science. Here we describe the contributions to the workshop, and examine some conceptual issues that lie at the foundations and future of crop systems biology.     

Journal of Integrative Plant Biology

正JIPB reports novel scientific discoveries related to any aspects of plant biology using integrative genetic,genomic,biochemical,molecular and systems biology approaches,and to foster communication and discussion among scientists in different areas of plant and agricultural sciences.JIPB publishes peer-reviewed papers in six categories:commentaries,invited expert reviews,letters to the editor,new resources,new technologies and research articles.     

Application of proteomics in the study of tumor metastasis

Tumor metastasis is the dominant cause of death in cancer patients. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying tumor metastasis are still elusive.The identification of protein molecules with their expressions correlated to the metastatic process would help to understand the metastatic mechanisms and thus facilitate the development of strategies for the therapeutic interventions and clinical management of cancer. Proteomics is a systematic research approach aiming to provide the global characterization of protein expression and function under given conditions. Proteomic technology has been widely used in biomarker discovery and pathogenetic studies including tumor metastasis. This article provides a brief review of the application of proteomics in identifying molecular factors in tumor metastasis process. The combination of proteomics with other experimental approaches in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular genetics and chemistry, together with the development of new technologies and improvements in existing methodologies will continue to extend its application in studying cancer metastasis.     

Electron Tomography in Plant Cell Biology

This review focuses on the contribution of electron tomography-based techniques to our understanding of cellular processes in plant cells. Electron microscopy techniques have evolved to provide better three-dimensional resolution and improved preservation of the subcellular components. In particular, the combination of cryofixation/freeze substitution and electron tomography have allowed plant cell biologists to image organelles and macromolecular complexes in their native cellular context with unprecedented three-dimensional resolution （4-7 nm）. Until now, electron tomography has been applied in plant cell biology for the study of cytokinesis, Golgi structure and trafficking, formation of plant endosome/prevacuolar compartments, and organization of photosynthetic membranes. We discuss in this review the new insights that these tomographic studies have brought to the plant biology field.     

Sexual Plant Reproduction： a Fertile and Flourishing Field

Since the very beginning of plant science, sexual plant reproduction （SPR） has proved an attractive and enduring topic for generations of botanists. With the rapid development of modern technology, a significant acceleration has occurred in our understanding on the developmental mechanisms of plant reproductive processes, particularly the evolution of double fertilisation, signalling in pollen tube orientation, molecular characterisation of plant gametes, maternal to zygotic transitions and parental gene involvement in early embryogenesis. This is reflected not only by several recent high-ranking research papers, but also by the frequent conferences and workshops on these topics. These include the 2008 XXth International Congress on SPR in Brasilia and ＂Frontiers in SPR Ⅲ＂ in Tucson, as well as ＂Cell- Cell Communication in Plant Reproduction＂ held in 2009 in Bath. The continuing efforts from around the world indicate that SPR is still a fertile and flourishing field, with great expectations for the coming decade.     

水稻花发育的分子生物学研究进展

水稻是世界上最重要的粮食作为之一,也是单子叶植物发育生物学研究较理想的模式植物。水稻花器官还是粮食赖以形成的基础。对水稻花发育的研究已开始成为植物分子遗传学的一个新的焦点。近年来有关水稻花发育基因调控的研究已取得了长足的进展,本文从水稻花的诱导、花分生组织的形成和花器官的发育三个方面综述近年来国内外的研究进展。 Abstract:Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is not only one of the most important food crops in the world,but also a model plant for study of molecular developmental biology in monocots.In addition,the rice floral organs provide the basis for grain formation.Study of rice floral development has become a new focus of plant molecular genetics.Recently,notable progress has been made in study of gene regulation in rice floral development.In the review,genetic and molecular mechanisms of floral induction,floral meristem formation,and floral organ development in rice are summarized.     

Recycling Isolation of Plant DNA,A Novel Method

DNA is one of the most basic and essential genetic materials in the field of molecular biology.To date,isolation of sufficient and good-quality DNA is still a challenge for many plant species,though various DNA extraction methods have been published.In the present paper,a recycling DNA extraction method was proposed.The key step of this method was that a single plant tissue sample was recycled for DNA extraction for up to four times,and correspondingly four DNA precipitations(termed as the 1st,2nd,3rd and 4th DNA sample, respectively) were conducted.This recycling step was integrated into the conventional CTAB DNA extraction method to establish a recycling CTAB method.This modified CTAB method was tested in eight plant species,wheat,sorghum,barley,corn,rice,Brachypodium distachyon,Miscanthus sinensis and tung tree.The results showed that high-yield and good-quality DNA samples could be obtained by using this new method in all the eight plant species.The DNA samples were good templates for PCR amplification of both ISSR and SSR markers.The recycling method can be used in multiple plant species and can be integrated with multiple conventional DNA isolation methods,and thus is an effective and universal DNA isolation method.     

Regulation of Actin Dynamics in Pollen Tubes： Control of Actin Polymer Level

Actin cytoskeleton undergoes rapid reorganization in response to internal and external cues. How the dynamics of actin cytoskeleton are regulated, and how its dynamics relate to its function are fundamental questions in plant cell biology. The pollen tube is a well characterized actin-based cell morphogenesis in plants. One of the striking features of actin cytoskeleton characterized in the pollen tube is its surprisingly low level of actin polymer. This special phenomenon might relate to the function of actin cytoskeleton in pollen tubes. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying this special phenomenon requires careful analysis of actin-binding proteins that modulate actin dynamics directly. Recent biochemical and biophysical analyses of several highly conserved plant actin-binding proteins reveal unusual and unexpected properties, which emphasizes the importance of carefully analyzing their action mechanism and cellular activity. In this review, we highlight an actin monomer sequestering protein, a barbed end capping protein and an F-actin severing and dynamizing protein in plant. We propose that these proteins function in harmony to regulate actin dynamics and maintain the low level of actin polymer in pollen tubes.     

植物碱性亮氨酸拉链(bZIP)蛋白的研究进展(二)———DNA结合特性、基因表达、功能及应用

植物碱性亮氨酸拉链(bZIP)蛋白在高等植物基因表达与调控中起重要作用。本文介绍了植物bZIP蛋白与DNA结合特性,探讨了它们的基因表达和功能,综述了它们在分子生物学和基因工程研究中的应用。 Abstract:Plant basic leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins play an important role in the expression and regulation of higher plant genes.The DNA-binding properties of plant bZIP protein are introduced first in this article.Then their expression and function are discussed.Finally,their application to the studies of molecular biology and genetic engineering is reviewed.     

Molecular Characterization of Plant Prevacuolar and Endosomal Compartments

Prevacuolar compartments （PVCs） and endosomal compartments are membrane-bound organelles mediating protein traffic to vacuoles in the secretory and endocytic pathways of plant cells. Over the years, great progress has been made towards our understanding in these two compartments in plant cells. In this review, we will summarize our contributions toward the identification and characterization of plant prevacuolar and endosomal compartments. Our studies will serve as important steps in future molecular characterization of PVC biogenesis and PVC-mediated protein traffickinq in plant cells.     

Functional genomics of wood quality and properties

Genomics promises to enrich the investigations of biology and biochemistry. Current advancements in genomics have major implications for genetic improvement in animals, plants, and microorganisms, and for our understanding of cell growth, development, differentiation, and communication. Significant progress has been made in the understanding of plant genomics in recent years, and the area continues to     

Journal of Genetics and Genomics （Formerly Acta Genetica Sinica）

In order to further promote the international scientific communication of genetics and genomics research, the journal name of Acta Genetica Sinica will be changed to Journal of Genetics and Genomics （JGG） from the year 2007. The aim and scope of the Journal are continuously interested in publishing primarily research papers and topic reviews in the fields of genetics, genomics, molecular biology, developmental biology, bioinformatics, and evolution.     

Journal of Genetics and Genomics （Formerly Acta Genetica）

In order to further promote the international scientific communication of genetics and genomics research, the joumal name of Acra Genetica Sinica will be changed to Journal of Genetics and Genomics （JGG） from the year 2007. The aim and scope of the Journal are continuously interested in publishing primarily research papers and topic reviews in the fields of genetics, genomics, molecular biology,developmental biology, bioinformatics, and evolution.