Contribution of genetics and genomics to seagrass biology and conservation

Genetic diversity is one of three forms of biodiversity recognized by the IUCN as deserving conservation along with species and ecosystems. Seagrasses provide all three levels in one. This review addresses the latest advances in our understanding of seagrass population genetics and genomics within the wider context of ecology and conservation. Case studies are used from the most widely studied, northern hemisphere species Zostera marina, Z. noltii, Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa.

We begin with an analysis of the factors that have shaped population structure across a range of spatial and temporal scales including basin-level phylogeography, landscape-scale connectivity studies, and finally, local-scale analyses at the meadow level—including the effects of diversity, clonality and mating system. Genetic diversity and clonal architecture of seagrass meadows differ within and among species at virtually all scales studied. Recent experimental studies that have manipulated seagrass genetic biodiversity indicate that genotypic diversity matters in an immediate ecological context, and enhances population growth, resistance and resilience to perturbation, with positive effects on abundance and diversity of the larger community. In terms of the longer term, evolutionary consequences of genetic/genotypic diversity in seagrass beds, our knowledge remains meagre. It is here that the new tools of ecogenomics will assist in unravelling the genetic basis for adaptation to both biotic and abiotic change. Gene expression studies will further assist in the assessment of physiological performance which may provide an early warning system under complex disturbance regimes that seagrasses are at or near their tolerance thresholds.

At the most fundamental level, ecological interactions of seagrasses with their environment depends on the genetic architecture and response diversity underlying critical traits. Hence, given the rapid progress in data acquisition and analysis, we predict an increasing role of genetic and genomic tools for seagrass ecology and conservation.     

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci from an EST library of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and cross‐species amplification

In the present study, we report 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci developed from a cDNA library from the turbot, Scophthalmus maximus. Observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.20 to 1.00 and from 0.18 to 0.78, respectively. No significant linkage disequilibrium between pairs of loci was found, but two loci significantly deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction. Cross‐species amplifications of these microsatellites in five additional fish species revealed between five and 11 positive amplifications and between zero and four polymorphic loci per species.     

Genes expression analyses of sea-island cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) during fiber development

Sea-island cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) is one of the most valuable cotton species due to its silkiness, luster, long staples, and high strength, but its fiber development mechanism has not been surveyed comprehensively. We constructed a normalized fiber cDNA library (from −2 to 25 dpa) of G. barbadense cv. Pima 3-79 (the genetic standard line) by saturation hybridization with genomic DNA. We screened Pima 3-79 fiber RNA from five developmental stages using a cDNA array including 9,126 plasmids randomly selected from the library, and we selected and sequenced 929 clones that had different signal intensities between any two stages. The 887 high-quality expressed sequence tags obtained were assembled into 645 consensus sequences (582 singletons and 63 contigs), of which 455 were assigned to functional categories using gene ontology. Almost 50% of binned genes belonged to metabolism functional categories. Based on subarray analysis of the 887 high-quality expressed sequence tags with 0-, 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-dpa RNA of Pima 3-79 fibers and a mixture of RNA of nonfiber tissues, seven types of expression profiles were elucidated. Furthermore our results showed that phytohormones may play an important role in the fiber development. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The Absence of TIR-Type Resistance Gene Analogues in the Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Genome

The majority of known plant resistance genes encode proteins with conserved nucleotide-binding sites and leucine-rich repeats (NBS-LRR). Degenerate primers based on conserved NBS-LRR motifs were used to amplify analogues of resistance genes from the dicot sugar beet. Along with a cDNA library screen, the PCR screen identified 27 genomic and 12 expressed NBS-LRR RGAs (nlRGAs) sugar beet clones. The clones were classified into three subfamilies based on nucleotide sequence identity. Sequence analyses suggested that point mutations, such as nucleotide substitutions and insertion/deletions, are probably the primary source of diversity of sugar beet nlRGAs. A phylogenetic analysis revealed an ancestral relationship among sugar beet nlRGAs and resistance genes from various angiosperm species. One group appeared to share the same common ancestor as Prf, Rx, RPP8, and Mi, whereas the second group originated from the ancestral gene from which 12C1, Xa1, and Cre3 arose. The predicted protein products of the nlRGAs isolated in this study are all members of the non-TIR-type resistance gene subfamily and share strong sequence and structural similarities with non-TIR-type resistance proteins. No representatives of the TIR-type RGAs were detected either by PCR amplification using TIR type-specific primers or by in silico screening of more than 16,000 sugar beet ESTs. These findings suggest that TIR type of RGAs is absent from the sugar beet genome. The possible evolutionary loss of TIR type RGAs in the sugar beet is discussed. These authors (Yanyan Tian, Longjiang Fan) contributed equally to this work.     

中华蜜蜂工蜂cDNA文库的构建及ESTs测序分析

【目的】为了解中华蜜蜂Apis cerana cerana工蜂的抗逆性,构建了中华蜜蜂工蜂的cDNA文库,并对文库质量进行分析。【方法】本研究利用SMART技术构建了中华蜜蜂工蜂的全长cDNA文库。【结果】文库库容为3.6×106 cfu/m L,文库重组率为97%,插入片段长度多数分布在1 000 bp左右。挑取cDNA克隆进行EST测序,共进行了306个成功反应,软件拼接共得到234个单基因簇(Unigene),其中包括207个单拷贝(Singletons)序列及27个重叠群(Contigs)。使用Blastx将这些序列同Gen Bank等数据库进行查询、比对和注释,结果显示141条序列有相关同源性,其他序列没有明显的同源性,这也为我们发现新功能基因提供了可靠依据。【结论】此文库的构建在中华蜜蜂功能基因的分离、克隆、筛选以及基因功能研究等方面具有重要作用。