Genetic diversity and population structure of Korean wild soybean (Glycine soja Sieb. and Zucc.) inferred from microsatellite markers

Korea is considered one of the centers of genetic diversity for cultivated as well as wild soybeans. Natural habitats of wild soybeans are distributed across the Korean mainland and the islands surrounding the Korean peninsula. In this study, the genetic diversity of 100 mainland Korean wild soybean accessions was evaluated by using 42 simple sequence repeat markers covering 17 soybean chromosomes. All analyzed loci were polymorphic and a total of 114 alleles were found. The observed average genetic diversity was low (0.4). The results showed that the 100 selected accessions did not exactly follow the geographical distribution. These results were further confirmed by the phylogeny inferred from five morphological characteristics (i.e., leaf shape, leaf area, plant shape, seed area, and 100-seed weight). Together, the genetic and morphological evaluations suggested conclusively that the selected population did not follow the geographical distribution pattern. The present study could provide useful information for the ex situ conservation and exploitation of wild soybean accessions in soybean improvement stratagems, and will aid in further understanding about the phylogeography of the species in the Korean center of diversity.     

The strong-migration limit for the genealogical process in geographically structured populations

In this article we assume that the entire population is subdivided into a finite number of panmictic colonies, each of which consists of a respective number of haploid individuals. We also assume that random genetic drift occurs in each colony and migration among colonies, which is independent of time and ergodic. We study the genealogical process of sampled genes from geographically structured populations. We prove that if the actual total population number is replaced by the effective population number, the mean coalescence time converges to that in a panmictic population in the strong migration limit. We also obtain the geographical distribution of the common ancestor.     

浙江丽水木本植物区系的研究

丽水市位于浙江西南部,是浙江木本植物最丰富的地区之一,共有木本植物95科338属1128种。通过对科、属、种的统计分析,该地区木本植物区系基本特征为：（1）植物种类丰富;（2）起源古老、单型属和寡种属较多;（3）各类地理成分复杂,与世界各地有着不同程度的联系,以温带成分为主;（4）区系过渡性明显。     

江西猕猴桃属(Actinidia)植物的分布及其区系特征

通过野外调查和查阅大量标本、文献,对江西猕猴桃属植物的分布和区系特征进行了系统研究。江西省境内分布有猕猴桃属植物20种和11变种(或变型),其中葛枣猕猴桃(Actinidia polygama (Sieb．et Zucc．)Maxim．)、灰毛猕猴桃(A．cinerascens C．F．Liang)、楔叶猕猴桃(A.fasciculoides var. cuneata C.F.Lang)和簇花猕猴桃(A．fasciculoides C．F．Liang)为江西新分布。江西猕猴桃属植物区系特征表现在：(1)种类丰富;(2)特有现象较明显;(3)多型性突出;(4)地理成分复杂,以中国特有分布式样为主;(5)种间、种内分化较强烈;(6)与邻近地区猕猴桃属植物的关系密切。还对江西猕猴桃属植物的分布与自然生境的关系进行了探讨。     

西藏南部定日、聂拉木地区早-中侏罗世有孔虫

记述早、中侏罗世有孔虫13属17种,标本采自西藏南部定日县的卧龙剖面及聂拉木县中尼公路5264km路标处剖面。早侏罗世普普嘎组以产大有孔虫为特征,在卧龙剖面仅有下侏罗统的中、上部,缺失下部地层;中侏罗世聂聂雄拉组以产小有孔虫为特征,基本没有大有孔虫。     

Alteration of Tropomyosin-binding Properties of Tropomodulin-1 Affects Its Capping Ability and Localization in Skeletal Myocytes

Tropomodulin (Tmod) is an actin-capping protein that binds to the two tropomyosins (TM) at the pointed end of the actin filament to prevent further actin polymerization and depolymerization. Therefore, understanding the role of Tmod is very important when studying actin filament dependent processes such as muscle contraction and intracellular transport. The capping ability of Tmod is highly influenced by TM and is 1000-fold greater in the presence of TM. There are four Tmod isoforms (Tmod1–4), three of which, Tmod1, Tmod3, and Tmod4, are expressed in skeletal muscles. The affinity of Tmod1 to skeletal striated TM (stTM) is higher than that of Tmod3 and Tmod4 to stTM. In this study, we tested mutations in the TM-binding sites of Tmod1, using circular dichroism (CD) and prediction analysis (PONDR). The mutations R11K, D12N, and Q144K were chosen because they decreased the affinity of Tmod1 to stTM, making it similar to that of affinity of Tmod3 and Tmod4 to stTM. Significant reduction of inhibition of actin pointed-end polymerization in the presence of stTM was shown for Tmod1 (R11K/D12N/Q144K) as compared with WT Tmod1. When GFP-Tmod1 and mutants were expressed in primary chicken skeletal myocytes, decreased assembly of Tmod1 mutants was revealed. This indicates a direct correlation between TM-binding and the actin-capping abilities of Tmod. Our data confirmed the hypothesis that assembly of Tmod at the pointed-end of the actin filament depends on its TM-binding affinity.     

Micromorphological observations on leaf and pollen of Capparis L. sect. Capparis (Capparaceae)

Sect. Capparis is represented by a single species, Capparis spinosa L., divided into several intraspecific taxa showing plesiomorphic features and disjunct distributions in the Old World. Leaf surface and pollen features were investigated in the whole group by SEM and light microscope observations. The section is characterized by simple hairs, a reticulate to undulate cuticle, anomocytic stomata surrounded by a peristomal rim, and trizonocolporate, prolate pollen grains. The characteristics of the indumentum appear constant, while the studied taxa are fairly differentiated with respect to cuticular patterns and dimensions of the stomata, and show slight differences in pollen size and exine surface. This micromorphological evidence, coupled with other phenotypic features, supports the placement of this section at the base of the genus Capparis in the paleotropical area. Considering the striking geographic disjunction and symplesiomorphies of the group, its biogeographical and systematic aspects are also discussed.