Cytological and molecular observations on Solanum phureja-induced dihaploid potatoes

Summary Seventeen potato dihaploids, produced by pollinating the tetraploid (2n = 48) cv Pentland Crown with pollen from Solanum phureja (2n = 24) dihaploid inducer clones, were studied. Since dihaploids are thought to develop parthenogenetically from unfertilized ovules they were expected to be euploid (2n = 24), but somatic chromosome counts showed that 15 of the 17 dihaploids were aneusomatic. Ten of the clones were predominantly diploid (2n = 24) with a proportion of hyperploid cells that contained 25 or 26 chromosomes. Five of the dihaploids contained variable numbers of triploid cells (2n = 36). RFLP analysis was used to determine whether the additional chromosomes were from S. phureja or S. tuberosum. Unique hybridizing fragments present in S. phureja but not in Pentland Crown were identified. These S. phureja-specific restriction fragments were present in some of the dihaploid offspring of Pentland Crown. Of the 5 clones that contained triploid cells 4 had S. phureja type banding. Four of the 10 aneusomatic clones that contained hyperploid cells had the unique S. phureja hybridizing fragments. We propose that ovules of Pentland Crown were fertilized by pollen from S. phureja and that the aneusomatic clones were derived from triploid zygotes from which some of the S. phureja chromosomes were eliminated. We consider that this is an additional mechanism of dihaploid formation in potato.     

Teratogenic effects of parthenogenetic cells from LTXBO mice,a strain which develops ovarian teratomas at high frequency

Summary LTXBO mice develop ovarian teratomas at high frequency. The phenotype of tumour tissues is unusual in that most contain trophoblast elements. Since the tumours are derived from parthenogenetically activated oocytes, they would not be expected to produce trophoblast. The developmental potential of parthenogenetic cells from these mice was tested in aggregation chimeras. No contribution to trophoblast tissues was observed. However, a high incidence of morphological abnormalities was seen, suggesting that the parthenogenetic cells exerted a teratogenic effect.     

向日葵离体孤雌生殖的超微结构研究

本文是研究未受精胚珠培养诱导的孤雌生殖过程超微结构变化的首次报道。向日葵(Heliaanthus annuus L.)的卵细胞在离体条件下被激活,发生细胞核移位、极性丧失、细胞器增多并转变成活动状态、液泡化程度增大、合点端形成细胞壁等一系列变化,预示即将启动孤雌生殖。孤雌生殖的原胚具有若干显著特征,如极性颠倒、有自体吞噬活动、壁的自由生长、游离核分裂等。对这些现象作了初步的讨论。     

Speciation in the Artemia genus: Mitochondrial DNA analysis of bisexual and parthenogenetic brine shrimps

From the cloned mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) isolated from two bisexual species, one Mediterranean, Artemia salina, and one American, Artemia franciscana, and two parthenogenetic (diploid and tetraploid) strains of Artemia parthenogenetica collected in Spain, physical maps have been constructed and compared. They are extremely different among themselves, much more than the differences between Drosophila melanogaster and D. yakuba and in the same range of different mammalian species such as mouse/rat or man/cow. The nucleotide sequences of two regions of mtDNA encoding parts of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb) genes have been determined in the two bisexual species and the two parthenogenetic strains. Comparisons of these sequences have revealed a high degree of divergence at the nucleotide level, averaging more than 15%, in agreement with the differences found in the physical maps. The majority of the nucleotide changes are silent and there is a strong bias toward transitions, with the CT substitutions being highly predominant. The evolutionary distance between the two Artemia parthenogenetica is high and there is no clear relationship with any of the bisexual species, including the one present nowadays in Spain. Using a combination of molecular (mtDNA) and morphological markers it is possible to conclude that all of these Artemia isolates should be actually considered as belonging to different species, even the two Artemia parthenogenetica diploidica and tetraploidica.On sabbatical leave from Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madridearly Italian artemiologists to designate the Medi-Beatriz Batuecas died in an accident during the Christmas holy days of 1988 after she had initiated this workCorrespondence to: R. Garesse     

Variability in life history traits of the aphid,Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), from sexual and asexual populations

Many aphid species have shown remarkable adaptability by invading new habitats and agricultural crops, although they are parthenogenetic and might be expected to show limited genetic variation. To determine if the mode of reproduction limits the level of genetic variation in adaptively important traits, we assess variation in 15 life history traits of the pea aphid, Acyrhosiphon pisum (Harris), for five populations sampled along a north-south transect in central North America, and for three traits for three populations from eastern Australia. The traits are developmental times and rates as affected by temperature, body weights as affected by temperature, fecundity, measures of migratory tendency, and photoperiodic responses. The most southerly population from North America is shown to be obligately parthenogenetic, as are the Australian populations, and the four more northerly North American populations are facultatively parthenogenetic with the number of parthenogenetic generations per year increasing from north to south. The broad-sense heritabilities of life history traits varied from 0.36 to 0.71 for nine quantitive traits based on a comparison of within-and between-lineage variances. Using these traits, 7–13 distinct genotypes (i.e. clones) were identified among each of the 18 lines sampled from the North American populations, but the number did not differ significantly among populations. The level of genetic variation differed from trait to trait. For 4 of 12 quantitative traits, the level of variation in the obligately parthenogenetic population from North America was lowest, but significantly lower than all the sexual populations for only 1 trait. The obligately parthenogenetic population had the highest level of genetic variation for two traits, and had intermediate levels for the others. The most northerly population, which was sexual and had relatively few parthenogenetic generations each year, had the lowest level of variation for 5 of 12 traits and the highest level of variation for 2 traits. There was no decline in variability from north to south correlated with the increase in the annual number of parthenogenetic generations. The Australian populations showed no less variation than the North American populations for two of three traits, although the pea aphid was introduced to Australia only 5 years prior to the study, whereas the aphid has been in North America for at least 100 years. The mode of reproduction has not had a substantial impact on the level of genetic variation in life history traits of the pea aphid, but there are population-specific factors that effect the level of variation in certain traits.     

A novel approach to the analysis of the initiation of embryo development in gramineae

An in vivo model system to study the initiation of embryo development is presented. From the so-called Salmon system of wheat (alloplasmic lines with a 1BL-1RS chromosome translocation), three completely isogenic and homozygous lines were produced by selection for uniformity in about 20 selfing/backcross generations as well as between sublines of doubled haploids. The line (aestivum)-Salmon is male fertile and sexual. The lines (caudata)-Salmon and (kotschyi)-Salmon are male sterile and have a parthenogenetic capacity of about 90%. The expression of nuclear-cytoplasmic male sterility is different for the two parthenogenetic lines. The initiation of autonomous embryo development at defined developmental stages of the ovaries and the maximum degree of parthenogenesis are identical in both parthenogenetic lines as proved by the auxin test and progeny analyses. The protein patterns from ovary extracts of the three isogenic lines were identical for more than 200 spots of 2-D polyacrylamide gels, confirming their homogeneity. However, one protein (P 115.1) was found 3 days before and during anthesis only in ovaries of the parthenogenetic lines. It seems to be involved in the initiation of parthenogenesis.     

Tissue specific loss of proliferative capacity of parthenogenetic cells in fetal mouse chimeras

Parthenogenetic cells are lost from fetal chimeras. This may be due to decreased proliferative potential. To address this question, we have made use of combined cell lineage and cell proliferation analysis. Thus, the incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine in S-phase was determined for both parthenogenetic and normal cells in several tissues of fetal day 13 and 17 chimeras. A pronounced reduction of bromodesoxyuridine incorporation by parthenogenetic cells at both developmental stages was only observed in cartilage. In brain, skeletal muscle, heart and intestinal epithelium, this reduction was either less pronounced or observed only at one of the developmental stages analysed. No difference between parthenogenetic and normal cells was observed in epidermis and ganglia. Our results show that a loss of proliferative potential of parthenogenetic cells during fetal development contributes to their rapid elimination in some tissues. The analysis of the fate of parthenogenetic cells in skeletal muscle and cartilage development demonstrated different selection mechanisms in these tissues. In skeletal muscle, parthenogenetic cells were largely excluded from the myogenic lineage proper by early post-midgestation. In primary hyaline cartilage, parthenogenetic cells persisted into adulthood but were lost from cartilages that undergo ossification during late fetal development.     

A novel approach to differentiated embryos in the absence of endosperm

Summary In all of the Poaceae tested (Bromus, Festuca, Hordeum, Lolium, Poa, Triticum) the formation of grains without endosperm was induced from unpollinated ovules by treatment with the following synthetic auxins: DIG; 2,4-D; 2,4,5-T; or CPAA. Cytokinins (BAP, ZTN) as well as adenine or gibberellic acid (GA₃) alone were ineffective. In parthenogenetic lines auxin treatment resulted in grains with mature embryos without endosperm. Differences in embryo differentiation were found, which were dependent on the synthetic auxins used, their concentrations, and the developmental stages of the treated spikes or panicles. Thus, the regulation of embryogenesis by the endosperm can be replaced by exogenous auxin application. The developing proembryos of grasses did not need nutritive support from the endosperm.Auxin treatment to give mature embryos without endosperm enables the screening of apomictic species for sexual plants and sexual species for parthenogenetic individuals. It opens ways for inducing haploid parthenogenesis and improves methods for overcoming interspecific crossing barriers.     

Cytological changes and DNA and protein synthesis in parthenogenetically activated sea urchin eggs

Summary The present study deals with cytological observations, DNA and protein synthesis in artificially activated sea urchin eggs. The eggs were activated by means of Loeb's double treatment with butyric acid and hypertonic sea water. Most of the eggs ofHemicentrotus pulcherrimus divided when the chromosomes duplicated after formation of the first monaster and other eggs divided at a later cell cycle. In the eggs ofTemnopleurus toreumaticus, however, haploid division at the first cell cycle was observed predominantly.Activated eggs that were treated for 25 min with hypertonic sea water showed a marked uptake of³H-thymidine during the two periods of 30–40 min and 90–100 min after the double treatment. These periodic changes in the³H-thymidine uptake paralleled morphological changes within the nucleus. However, these periods of increased uptake were not observed in the eggs treated with hypertonic sea water for 60 min. During exposure to hypertonic sea water, the³H-thymidine-uptake by eggs activated with butyric acid decreased gradually. When the uptake of¹⁴C-valine by eggs was measured, a very low level was seen in unfertilized eggs. The level of uptake increased strikingly when the eggs were activated with butyric acid but was suppressed by the hypertonic treatment. However, removal of the eggs to sea water allowed the uptake to return to the former high level. This pattern suggests that the hypertonic treatment has an inhibitory effect on the synthesis of protein (or enzymes) which obstruct cleavage induction.     

Genetically identical copies of the mulberry silkworm

Summary Genetically identical copies of the silkworm female obtained via ameiotic parthenogenesis are insignificantly depressed by artificial reproduction, and notwithstanding their isogenous pattern, they show the same variability in quantitative characters as in the heterogenous forms.By means of androgenesis, genetically identical copies of strictly homozygous males were obtained; the latter were produced via meiotic parthenogenesis. The androgenetic clones of these males were transformed by backcrosses into homozygous bisexual lines. Viability and cocoon weight in these lines were higher than those in androgenetic clones of similar genotype, but they were far from the norm due to the depressing effect of semilethals left in them in a homozygous state. An extremely low phenotypical variability of quantitative characters is observed in the isogenous hybrids F₁ obtained from crossing two genetically dissimilar strictly homozygous individuals. These hybrids make excellent material for phenogenetical studies. The female and male isogenous clones have an increased combining ability which is acquired in the course of their selection for high disposition towards complete parthenogenesis. For practical purposes it is proposed to take a female and a male which when mated produce a high-quality family and clone them separately, the first via parthenogenesis, the latter via androgenesis. After mating these reproduced bisexual clones, it will be possible to obtain in successive generations a vast number of families repeating the prominent productivity of the initial family.