New hypothesis elucidates self-incompatibility in the olive tree regarding S-alleles dominance relationships as in the sporophytic model

Most olive varieties are not strictly self-incompatible, nevertheless, they request foreign pollen to enhance fruit yield, and consequently orchards should contain pollinisers to ensure fruit set of the main variety. The best way to choose pollinisers is to experiment numerous crosses in a diallel design. Here, the genetic mode of inheritance of SI in the olive is deciphered and it does not correspond to the GSI type, but to the SSI type. It leaves S-allele dominance relationship expression in the male (pollen and pollen tube), but not in the female (stigma and style). Thus, a pair-wise combination of varieties may be inter-compatible in one direction (male to female, or female to male) and inter-incompatible in the other direction. Dominance relationships also explain different levels of self-pollination observed in varieties. Little efficient pollinisers were found and predicted in varieties; nevertheless, some new efficient pair-wise allele combinations are predicted and could be created. This model enables one to forecast compatibility without waiting for several years of yield records and to choose pollinisers in silico.     

Macrophylogenetic analyses of the gain and loss of self-incompatibility in the Asteraceae

The self-incompatibility (SI) status of 571 taxa from the Asteraceae was identified and the taxa were scored as having SI, partial SI or self-compatibility (SC) as their breeding system. A molecular phylogeny of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was constructed for 211 of these taxa. Macrophylogenetic methods were used to test hypotheses concerning the ancestral state of SI in the Asteraceae, the gain and loss of SI, the irreversibility of the loss of SI and the potential for partial SI or SC to be terminal states. The ancestral breeding system in the family could not be resolved. Both maximum likelihood and parsimony analyses indicated that transitions among all breeding system states provide the best fit to the data and that neither partial SI nor SC is a terminal state. Furthermore, the data indicated that the loss of SI is not irreversible, although breeding system evolution has been more dynamic in some clades than in others. These results are discussed within the context of evidence for the gain and loss of SI, the evolutionary role of partial SI and methodological assumptions of tests of breeding system evolution.     

Evidence for ovarian self-incompatibility as a cause of self-sterility in the relictual woody angiosperm,Pseudowintera axillaris (Winteraceae)

Species within the genus Pseudowintera exhibit high rates of self-sterility. Self-sterility in the genus has been previously posited-but not confirmed-to be the result of late-acting ovarian self-incompatibility (OSI) functioning within nucellar tissue of the ovule to prevent self pollen tubes from entering the embryo sac. Structural and functional aspects of pollen-carpel interactions and early seed development following cross- and self-pollination were investigated in P. axillaris to determine the site, timing and possible mechanisms of self-sterility. No significant differences were observed between pollen tube growth, ovule penetration and double fertilization following cross- and self-pollination. Pollen tubes exhibited phasic growth in an extracellular matrix composed of proteins and carbohydrates, as well as arabinogalactans/arabinogalactan proteins. A uniform failure in embryo sac development prior to division of the zygote was apparent within 15 d following double fertilization by self gametes. Results indicate that SI mechanisms in P. axillaris do not prevent double fertilization from occurring. Instead, mechanisms of self-sterility affect post-zygotic development of the embryo sac. Although self-sterility may be attributed to inbreeding depression, given the post-zygotic nature of failure in embryo sac development, the possibility of late-acting OSI is discussed.     

荧光标记在植物花粉管构造及生长特性研究中的应用

花粉(管)构造及花粉管生长特性长期以来一直是人们研究的焦点,近年来,随着生物学和新材料不断发展,新荧光标记技术的运用,植物花粉管生长特性的研究取得巨大进步.本文介绍了花粉管生长特性等研究中用到的主要荧光标记物质,包括:苯胺蓝、Flou-3、罗丹明鬼笔环肽、TUNEL标记以及荧光蛋白等的理化性质、作用原理,并对应用荧光标记探索植物花粉管构造及生长特性的研究进展进行了综述.     

Detection of Proteins Possibly Involved in Self-Incompatibility Response in Distylous Buckwheat

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is a heterostylous plant displaying heteromorphic sporophytic self-incompatibility (SI). In order to detect proteins involved in SI, pistils from both long and short styles were isolated and then selfed or cross-pollinated. One-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that short pistils 2 h after selfing contained an unique 50 kDa protein. In the two-dimensional electrophoresis two distinct groups of proteins possibly involved in SI response were detected in the short, and one in the long pistils. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

SRK-SCR转基因拟南芥自交不亲和性的研究进展

十字花科植物自交不亲和性（SI）受墨位点（S-locus）编码的sRK和sCR控制,它们分别是柱头和花粉中的sI特异识别因子。野生型拟南芥不具有sI,而近来通过转基因手段将外源艘K—scR基因转入野生型拟南芥可以使其表现sI,由此建立了一个可用于十字花科sI研究的新型模式植物。本文综述了利用这种转基因拟南芥在SI机制及进化方面取得的进展,包括sI新基因的挖掘、候选基因功能分析和拟南芥生殖模式的转变等。     

Changes in glycosphingolipids during pollination in Oenothera missouriensis

The results of an analysis of the glycosphingolipids in the pollen and in the style of Oenothera missouriensis show that these membranous lipids ar     

Integrating population demography, genetics and self-incompatibility in a viability assessment of the Wee Jasper Grevillea (Grevillea iaspicula McGill., Proteaceae)

Grevillea iaspicula is an endangered shrub known from only eight small populations (<250 individuals) in south-eastern Australia. The species is threatened by combined ecological and genetic factors, e.g. land conversion, weed invasion, low recruitment and low gene flow among populations. The populations also show large variance in male fitness and limited mate availability which are thought to arise as a consequence of gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI). This study has used an individual-based, spatially explicit simulation model to explore the interaction between GSI and mate limitation in this species, as well as its effect on long-term population viability. The model was parameterised with demographic and genetic data obtained from 2 years of population monitoring. Simulation results identified extremely low establishment rates as the most critical factor currently influencing the persistence of G. iaspicula populations and indicated that the extant populations are at serious risk of extinction in the near future unless this is altered by, at very least, an order of magnitude higher. SI was shown to affect the magnitude of variation in establishment but this effect was masked when establishment was critically low. Disassortative mating, owing to low allelic richness at the S-locus, had the negative demographic effect of restricting mating to relatively few compatible plants. Restricted mate availability imposed additional limitations to the viability of populations but, given a 20-fold increase in establishment rate, population fluctuations stabilised. The long-term viability of G. iaspicula is bleak without artificial augmentation of the populations but management planning must also consider genetic processes, including SI, to ensure such strategies optimise the benefits gained.     

Post-pollination Events in Species of Chorisia (Bombacaceae) and Tabebuia (Bignoniaceae) with Late-acting Self-incompatibility

The neotropical trees Chorisia chodatii, C. speciosa, Tabebuia caraiba and T. ochracea show late-acting self-incompatibility. Accumulated ovule penetrations following self-pollinations were similar to those in crosses. During the six to eight day period following pollination, in both selfed and crossed ovules, a resting zygote with initial development of the endosperm was formed. Up until the time of rejection of the selfed flowers, no cytological malfunctions were evident in the selfed ovules.     

Carbon dioxide blocks the stigma callose response following incompatible pollinations in Brassica

Abstract. Carbon dioxide is known to overcome sporophytic self-incompatibility in Brassica. Elevated CO₂ (30 mmol CO₂ mol^-1 air), supplied via a flowthrough gas system, was shown to block the formation of rejection callose in the surface stigmatic papillae of Brassica campestris var. T15 following self-pollination. Possible mechanisms by which CO₂ may affect callose formation are discussed.     

Stylar glycoproteins bind to S-RNase in vitro

S-RNases determine the specificity of S-specific pollen rejection in self-incompatible plants of the Solanaceae, Rosaceae, and Scrophulariaceae. They are also implicated in at least two distinct types of unilateral interspecific incompatibility in Nicotiana. However, S-RNase itself is not sufficient for most types of pollen rejection, and evidence for its direct interaction with pollen tubes is limited. Thus, non-S-RNase factors also are required for pollen rejection. As one approach to identifying such factors, we tested whether SC10-RNase from Nicotiana alata would bind to other stylar proteins in vitro. SC10-RNase was immobilized on Affi-gel, and binding proteins were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. In addition to SC10-RNase and a small protein similar to lily chemocyanin, the most prominent binding proteins include NaTTS, 120K, and NaPELPIII, these latter three being arabinogalactan proteins previously shown to interact directly with pollen tubes. We also show that SC10-RNase and these glycoproteins migrate as a complex in a native PAGE system. Our hypothesis is that S-RNase forms a complex with these glycoproteins in the stylar ECM, that the glycoproteins interact directly with the pollen tubes and thus that the initial interaction between the pollen tube and S-RNase is indirect.     

The RHV region of S-RNase in the European pear (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrus communis</Emphasis>) is not required for the determination of specific pollen rejection

In the gametophytic self-incompatibility system, growth of self-pollen tubes in the style is inhibited in a haplotype-specific manner by S-RNase. The mechanism by which S-RNase confers its specificity is unknown. However, a hypervariable region (RHV in Rosaceae and HVa-HVb in Solanaceae) that differs among the many cloned S-RNase alleles has been proposed to be involved in conferring the S-haplotype specificity of the S-RNase. Region swapping experiments between S-RNases and crystallography of the enzyme support this assumption. However, the deduced amino acid sequences of Sn-RNase and Si-RNase alleles from the European pear (Pyrus communis) were recently found to have an identical RHV. In the present study it is shown that Sn-RNase does not prevent fertilization by Si-pollen haplotype, thus presenting a case in which RHV is not required for the determination of specific pollen rejection by S-RNase, and implying that other regions in the enzyme may be sufficient for this specificity.     

Patterns of variation within self-incompatibility loci

Diverse self-incompatibility (SI) mechanisms permit flowering plants to inhibit fertilization by pollen that express specificities in common with the pistil. Characteristic of at least two model systems is greatly reduced recombination across large genomic tracts surrounding the S-locus, which regulates SI. In three angiosperm families, including the Solanaceae, the gene that controls the expression of gametophytic SI in the pistil encodes a ribonuclease (S-RNase). The gene that controls pollen SI expression is currently unknown, although several candidates have recently been proposed. Although each candidate shows a high level of polymorphism and complete allelic disequilibrium with the S-RNase gene, such properties may merely reflect tight linkage to the S-locus, irrespective of any functional role in SI. We analyzed the magnitude and nature of nucleotide variation, with the objective of distinguishing likely candidates for regulators of SI from other genes embedded in the S-locus region. We studied the S-RNase gene of the Solanaceae and 48A, a candidate for the pollen gene in this system, and we also conducted a parallel analysis of the regulators of sporophytic SI in Brassica, a system in which both the pistil and pollen genes are known. Although the pattern of variation shown by the pollen gene of the Brassica system is consistent with its role as a determinant of pollen specificity, that of 48A departs from expectation. Our analysis further suggests that recombination between 48A and S-RNase may have occurred during the interval spanned by the gene genealogy, another indication that 48A may not regulate SI expression in pollen.     

LIMITS TO REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IN A PARTIALLY SELF-INCOMPATIBLE HERB: FECUNDITY DEPRESSION AT SERIAL LIFE-CYCLE STAGES

Like many angiosperms, Crinum erubescens is partially self-compatible, producing fewer seeds upon selfing than after outcrossing. In this paper we test the relative magnitude of the prefertilization and postfertilization effects of self-incompatibility, inbreeding depression, or both in a natural population of this hermaphroditic tropical herb. We characterize prefertilization effects by examining pollen tube growth, while postfertilization effects are characterized by examination of embryo abortion and seed maturation. Statistical methods are developed to test the magnitude of these effects from one life-cycle stage to the next. We find that although pollen performance in selfed flowers is lower than that in outcrossed flowers, pollen performance is low overall. Postfertilization effects attributable to inbreeding depression account for a larger proportion of the reduction in fecundity in selfed compared to outcrossed flowers. Among naturally pollinated plants, despite ample pollen deposition, the numbers of fruits and seeds set are intermediate to selfed and outcrossed treatments.     

枇杷少核株系花粉管生长差异研究

以‘大五星’枇杷退化种子少核株系‘川农1号’(C1)为试材,以‘大五星’枇杷自花授粉为对照,采用荧光显微技术,对枇杷少核株系自花、异花授粉后花粉管生长情况进行观察。结果表明:(1)C1株系异花授粉后花粉能在柱头上萌发,并伸入中央花柱道,在授粉后48h左右到达花柱基部。(2)C1株系自花授粉后,花粉萌发与花粉管的伸长速度相对于异花授粉滞后,自花授粉后36h大多数花粉管到达花柱的中上部并停止生长,且伴随产生花粉管顶端形态异常、荧光异常明亮等现象,最终只有极少数花粉管能到达花柱基部。研究表明,C1株系为配子体自交不亲和,C1株系的自交不亲和性是引起其少核的重要原因之一。     

Reproductive Biology of the Andean Shrub Discaria nana (Rhamnaceae)

Abstract: The widely-held view that the frequency of self-compatibility increases at higher elevations has been questioned for communities of the southern Andes. The study of pollination biology of obligate outcrossers with wide altitudinal range may provide clues on how plants can remain reproductively successful in increasingly hostile environments without resorting to selfing. I studied the phenology, pollinator assemblages, breeding system and maternal success of the perennial entomophile outcrosser, Discaria nana, across a 1200-m elevation span in the Andes of Mendoza and Neuquén, Argentina (34° - 37°S). D. nana behaved as self-incompatible throughout the studied gradient. At the higher site proportionally fewer flowers were pollinated, stigmatic loads were smaller and number of visitor species was lower than at low altitude; however, natural fruit set was 3.6 times higher and seed set 3.3 times higher. As a non-exclusive explanation, it is proposed that increased maternal success reflected better pollination quality at the higher site, to which several factors seemed to contribute. At higher altitude D. nana a) exhibited mutualisms with a high proportion of the available pollen vectors, b) had a higher rate of specialized pollinators (Lepidoptera, obligate nectar feeders) to unspecialized ones (Diptera, pollen and mixed feeders) in the visitor assemblage which would reduce ineffective (i.e. self) pollination because nectar feeders visited both male and female phase flowers and pollen feeders favoured male phase flowers, c) had an extended floral longevity (especially the female phase), and d) showed an increased floral display (as number of flowers per unit plant area). Differential rewarding through more concentrated nectar may explain the change in assemblage composition. The flowers' reverse herkogamy (i.e. the location of the stigma below the anthers) seemed to enhance the beneficial effects of the abundance of more effective pollinators.     

罂粟科植物自交不亲和反应中信号转导的研究进展

自交不亲和性是植物特异性地识别并拒绝自花或亲缘关系很近的花粉的一种遗传机制,该特异性受S基因座控制.在前人的研究基础上总结了罂粟科植物自交不亲和反应过程中信号转导的研究进展,将参与其信号级联反应的信号分子分为与S-位点连锁(包括花柱S-蛋白和花粉S-受体)和不连锁的信号分子(Ca2+、p26、p68、MAPK、细胞骨架以及PCD),并综述了各个信号分子之间的相互作用.