PHYLLOTAXIS AND VASCULAR ORGANIZATION OF THE CARPELS IN MICHELIA FUSCATA

Tucker , Shirley C. (U. Minnesota, Minneapolis.) Phyllotaxis and vascular organization of the carpels in Michelia fuscata. Amer. Jour. Bot. 48(1): 60–71. Illus. 1961.—Phyllotaxis pattern and vascular organization are closely related in the floral receptacle of Michelia fuscata (Magnoliaceae). The carpels arise in a spiral or helix. They are initiated alternately along each of 7, 8 or 10 helical parastichies according to a complex repetitive sequence. The pattern of the dorsal carpellary trace fusions is orderly for each of the 10 flowers investigated. The dorsal carpellary traces in each parastichy diverge from the same vascular sympodium. Among flowers one finds differing numbers of parastichies, differing angles of divergence, and varying sequences of parastichies which reflect the order of carpel initiation. The angle of divergence, although consistent for any 1 parastichy in a flower, can vary greatly between parastichies. The nature and importance of the organizers which determine appendage position at the apical meristem are considered. Changes in apical size, configuration, and activity are shown to be related to phyllotaxis.     

CHROMOSOME COUNTS,CYTOLOGY, AND REPRODUCTION IN THE CACTACEAE

Chromosome counts and observations of reproduction for 55 taxa of Cactaceae indicate that polyploidy is correlated with self-fertility, adventive embryony, profuse branching, and vegetative reproduction. Six genera (Blossfeldia. Cleistocactus, Frailea, Pelecyphora, Rebutia, and Strombocactus) and 35 species or varieties are reported here for the first time. Preliminary observations of pachytene and diplotene indicate that these stages may be more useful in chromosome recognition than mitotic stages. Secondary association at metaphase I and II is interpreted as a retention of homologue association at interphase I and II (interkinesis). During meiosis of certain species, Feulgen negative bodies are present. The production of an abnormal premeiotic division is suggested as a mechanism for polyploid origin.     

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PHYLOGENETIC AND ONTOGENETIC VARIABILITY OF SHOOT APICAL MERISTEMS IN THE CACTACEAE

The sizes, shapes and zonations of the shoot apical meristems of 22 species of cacti were examined. This family was chosen because of its great diversity of habits; the more primitive members are nonsucculent. leafy trees and more advanced members are highly specialized “leaf-less” stem-succulents. By combining these measurements with those already in the literature, a sample of almost 70 species was obtained. Apical meristems range in size from only 80 μm in diam in some species to as much as 1.500 μm in diam in others. The shape ranges from being flat to almost hemispherical. Despite the great range in size and shape of the apical meristems, or the range in the morphologies of the leaves and stems which are produced by the meristems. all apices had the usual zonation: tunica, central mother cells, peripheral zone, and pith-rib meristem. The sizes of each of the zones. expressed either as the number of cells per zone or expressed as a percentage of the whole apex. were highly variable. The variation in apical dimensions and zone sizes occurred both phylogenetically and ontogenetically. and this has been interpreted to indicate that the morphogenetic mechanisms which control apical size and zonation are easily modified, both during the development of individual plants and during the evolution of new species.     

THE INITIATION AND ELONGATION OF RHIZOID CLUSTERS IN CAULERPA PROLIFERA

Under improved environmental conditions the average rate of elongation of the rhizoid cluster was 5.2 mm/day in the first 3 days. The rate decreases thereafter and is close to zero around 5–6 days after initiation. The elongation, like that of the rhizome, is chiefly by means of “tip-growth.” The presumptive site of the initiation is 1.3–1.7 mm from the rhizome tip. Under present experimental environment, the presumptive time of the initiation was mainly at 1 to 3 hr after the beginning of the light period. Initiation in the dark period was less frequent, and little or no initiation in the middle and later parts of the light period was observed. The average plastochron of the cluster was 0.91 day. The rate of elongation of the rhizoid cluster was less variable than that of the rhizome. Hence, the slope of calculated regression line from the plot, the cluster length vs. its distance from the rhizome tip, is steeper when the rhizome grows slower (4.9–5.8 mm/day) and less steep when the rhizome grows faster (7.3–8.9 mm/day). In spite of some variation in the slope of the regression line, the intersection between the line and X-axis remains about the same. The application of information on the presumptive site and presumptive time of the rhizoid cluster initiation to a developmental study of micro-events taking place prior to the morphological differentiation is proposed.     

FOLIAR INITIATION AND THE FATE OF THE DWARF-SHOOT APEX IN PINUS MONOPHYLLA

The dwarf-shoot apex of Pinus monophylla has a cytohistological zonation typical of pines. Cataphylls are initiated by this apex both before and after the dormant winter period. The needle is initiated in the spring of the same season in which it matures. The cytological details of cataphyll initiation are identical to that of needle initiation; however, the two primordia can be distinguished very early on the basis of their shape and direction of growth. After needle initiation the stem apex becomes inactive, is crowded to one side, and eventually disappears as the base of the needle enlarges. The results of the present work are discussed in relation to earlier conflicting interpretations regarding needle initiation and the subsequent existence of the dwarf-shoot apex of P. monophylla.     

ORGAN INITIATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNISEXUAL FLOWERS IN THE TASSEL AND EAR OF ZEA MAYS

The development of the unisexual male and female flowers of Zea mays from bisexual initials in both tassels and ears has been reinvestigated with SEM and TEM. The early stages of spikelet branch primordia, spikelet initiation, and early flower development are similar in both flowers, though differences in rates of growth of glumes, lemmas, and palea were detected. In both tassel and ear flowers, a pair of stamens arises opposite the lemmas and a third stamen initiates later at right angles to the first pair but from a point on the meristem below its insertion. Gynoecia develop on both tassel and ear flowers first as a ridge which overgrows the apical meristem giving rise to the stylar canal and the elongate silk. Male flowers arise in the tassel through selective vacuolation and abortion of the cells of the early gynoecium. The single female flower in each ear spikelet arises through the vacuolation and abortion of stamens in the upper flower and the repression of growth of and the eventual regression of the lower flower in each spikelet. The significance of these selective organ abortions for practical applications is discussed.     

MORPHOGENESIS OF THE STAMENLESS-2 MUTANT IN TOMATO. I. COMPARATIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE FLOWERS AND ONTOGENY OF STAMENS IN THE NORMAL AND MUTANT PLANTS

The single gene recessive mutant stamenless-2 (sl₂/sl₂) differs phenotypically from the normal (+/+) only in the stamen structure. Stamens of the mutant plants were laterally free, twisted, shorter, paler in color, possessed abnormal pollen, and bore naked external ovules (E.O.) on the adaxial surface near the junction of anther and filament. Mutant plants grown in the field during summer produced flowers in which a number of carpel-like organs (‘carpelloid stamens‘) with few or no E.O. replaced the stamens. On the other hand, plants grown in the greenhouse during winter possessed flowers with greater number of yellow and pubescent stamens and many E.O. Study of stamen ontogeny revealed that at initiation (up to 100 μ in length) stamen primordia of normal and mutant plants resembled each other. Thereafter the development of stamens in the two genotypes could be distinguished.     

INITIATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SHOOT-BUDS FROM PROTONEMATA IN THE MOSS PHYSCOMITRIUM TURBINATUM

Moss protonemata of Physcomitrium turbinatum were grown on mineral nutrient agar in culture tubes under various controlled conditions. By use of the described system individual cells of the protonema were discernible in situ and buds could be detected at the one-cell stage (initiation) and observed throughout their development. Buds normally arose by differentiation of a lateral filament near the apex of a growing caulonemal (heterotrichous) strand. Other modes of origin were erratic. From various other observations we conclude that the most pertinent morphological assays in studies of bud differentiation are growth of single caulonemal strands and the time they require to initiate a bud. A time course for bud development from the one-cell stage through the stage of leaf expansion is presented. At 26 C, 2 days elapse between these stages. From the time course, the time of bud initiation could be estimated with a probable accuracy of ±2 hr with only daily observations.     

THE STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNUSUAL TYPE OF ARTICULATED LATICIFER IN MAMMILLARIA (CACTACEAE)

Although the laticifers of several species of Mammillaria can technically be classified as being of the articulated type, they differ significantly from all other reported articulated laticifers. They are derived from cells which differentiate only in older tissues, never in meristematic or young regions. The development involves the complete lysis of masses of cells, not just the perforation or resorption of the end walls in a single file of cells. At maturity, the laticifer lumen is lined with a one-to-several layered epithelium which may be quite thick. The laticifers increase in diameter with age, apparently by the lysis of the inner epithelial cells. Laticifers occur in the pith, cortex and tubercles of the vegetative body but were not observed in the roots, flower parts or in seedlings up to eight months old. Seven species were studied, all of which have “milky sap.” and the laticifers of each were virtually identical to the laticifers of the others.     

THE PENETRATION OF REOVIRUS RNA AND INITIATION OF ITS GENETIC FUNCTION IN L-STRAIN FIBROBLASTS

Reovirus type 3 is phagocytized by L cells and rapidly sequestered inside lysosomes. Hydrolases within these organelles are capable of stripping the viral coat proteins, but they fail to degrade the double-stranded RNA genome. These observations support the view that sojourn of reovirus in lysosomes, when the lytic enzymes uncoat its genome, is an obligatory step in the sequence of infection. Although the mechanism for transferring the uncoated RNA out of lysosomes remains to be elucidated, evidence is presented suggesting that progeny genomes are bound to site(s) possessing the fine structure of viral inclusions or factories. It appears that both the synthesis of single- and double-stranded viral RNA and the morphogenesis of progeny virus particles occur in such factories.     

NUCLEOCYTOPLASMIC RATIO REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INITIATION OF DNA REPLICATION AND FISSION IN TETRAHYMENA

Hydroxyurea (10 mM) arrests the exponential growth of Tetrahymena by blocking DNA replication during S-phase. After removal of the hydroxyurea (HU), they have a long recovery period during which they are active in DNA synthesis. ³H-TdR uptake showed that on completion of the recovery period, the cells divide (recovery division) and enter a cell cycle which lacks G₁. The frequency, size and DNA content of the extranuclear chromatin bodies (ECB) formed at this division are all markedly increased (2–4) over the corresponding values obtained from exponential growth phase controls. Microspectrophotometric analysis of macronuclear DNA content (N) coupled with the cytoplasmic dry mass (C) values suggest that specific N to C ratios (N/C) are required for the initiation of DNA replication and fission: during a normal (exponential growth) cell cycle, both N and C double, but asynchronously, so that the N/C of both post-fission-daughter cells and pre-fission cells is identical (standardized to N/C = 1) but late G₁ cells have a low N/C. During a 10 hr exposure to HU, the N remains essentially the same whereas the C increases. When the HU is removed, the N increases by 4× and the C continues to increase until just prior to recovery division when it also reaches a value 4× that of the original daughter cells. Thus, the N/C = 1 is re-established. The enlarged ECB formed during recovery division may function to lower the N/C in the daughter cells, which in turn may in some way stimulate immediate DNA replication, thus eliminating G₁. The elimination of G₁ (and shortening in a few subsequent cell cycles) allows less time for cytoplasmic growth and results in the return of the cells to the generation time and the N and C values observed prior to the HU treatment.     

LEAF INITIATION RATES AND VOLUME GROWTH RATES IN THE SHOOT APEX OF CHRYSANTHEMUM

The leaf initiation rate and apical volume growth rate of lateral shoots of Chrysanthemum morifolium ‘Improved Albatross III’ were determined for plants growing under controlled environment conditions. After removal of the terminal bud, the top two lateral buds produced leaves at a rate of 1.4 to 1.6 leaves/day for the first 9 or 10 days. At about the 10th day there appeared to be an abrupt shift to a lower initiation rate of 0.7 to 0.8 leaves/day. Defoliation by periodic removal of leaves larger than 1 cm caused a statistically significant increase in initiation rate, but not to as high a rate as that of the first 10 days of bud growth. Volume growth rates of the apical region were determined from transverse sections of five apices, according to the method of Richards (1951). The apical region was found to have a radial expansion rate of 0.1623/plastochron and a vertical expansion rate of 0.0494/plastochron. The volume growth rate was calculated to be 0.3740/plastochron and the volume doubling time to be 1.85 plastochrons or 56 to 63 hr.     

FURTHER STUDIES OF THE UNUSUAL TYPE OF LATICIFEROUS CANALS IN MAMMILLARIA (CACTACEAE): STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SEMI-MILKY TYPE

The development and structure of the laticifers in several species of the section Subhydrochylus of the genus Mammillaria (Cactaceae) were examined. These laticifers were found to be similar to those of the section Mammillaria in that both types develop from the complete lysis of several rows of parenchyma cells, and both types consist of long, branching, tubular lumens which are lined by epithelia. The laticifers of the section Subhydrochylus differ from those of the section Mammillaria in that those of the former are more irregular in shape, lumen development, and epithelium form. Also, the Subhydrochylus laticifers occur only as a single ring in the outermost cortex and tubercle bases, whereas those of section Mammillaria can be found in pith, medullary rays, cortex and throughout the tubercles. Because the structure of the laticifers in the section Mammillaria is much more regular and orderly, it is postulated that they are the derived type and that the laticifers of the section Subhydrochylus more closely resemble the ancestral condition. Two species, M. elegans and M. tegelbergiana, were found to be intermediate in nature, having characteristics of both types of laticifer systems. Solista pectinata was found to have laticifers similar to those in section Subhydrochylus.     

THE FUNCTION OF EXTRAFLORAL NECTARIES IN OPUNTIA ACANTHOCARPA (CACTACEAE)

Opuntia acanthocarpa (Cactaceae) possesses extrafloral nectaries embedded in the areoles of new reproductive and vegetative growth. The nectar secreted by these glands attracts ants and is a nutritional food source. Members of one attracted ant species, Crematogaster opuntiae (Myrmicinae), are aggressive and efficient defenders of the plants against cactus-feeding insects. The results of our study are consistent with the ant-guard hypothesis for the role of extrafloral nectaries in O. acanthocarpa. Additionally, individuals of O. acanthocarpa are well protected in comparison with those of O. phaeacantha. The latter generally possess ephemeral extrafloral nectaries and consistently maintain fewer ants.     

'METACHRONOUS' CLEAVAGE AND INITIATION OF GASTRULATION IN AMPHIBIAN EMBRYOS

The cleavage pattern in the egg of Xenopus laevis has been investigated with the aid of time-lapse cinematography. From the 5th cleavage onward, divisions of the surface blastomeres are not synchronous but metachronous. A few blastomeres in a very restricted region which is situated in most cases in the dorsal side of the animal hemisphere, slightly distant from the median line and near the equatorial junction of the animal and vegetal hemispheres, divide before the other blastomeres, and a wave-like propagation of the divisions travels along the surface from that region toward the animal and vegetal poles. The wave-like propagation ends in the vegetal pole region. In the animal hemisphere, this pattern of cleavage is continued until the 13th cleavage and thereafter the divisions of surface blastomeres become asynchronous. In the vegetal pole region, however, the 14th metachronous division of blastomeres is clearly observed in the film. Gastrulation begins after 14 cleavages.     

5'UTR中AUG的分布及其对翻译起始的影响

以细菌和古菌基因组5’UTR序列作为研究对象,分析在5’UTR的3个不同阅读框架中三联体AUG的分布,发现无论是细菌还是古菌基因组都在阅读框1中有非常明显的AUG缺失（depletion）。AUG的缺失表明在起始密码子上游的AUG很可能会对基因的翻译起始产生影响。分析得知：绝大部分的AUG都是以uORF（upstream open readingframe）的形式出现的,uAUG（upstreamAUG）的数量很少,特别是在阅读框1中,而且在细菌基因组的阅读框1中uAUG较多地出现在了含有SD序列的基因上游。比较发现,uAUG引导的序列在同义密码子使用上的偏好性较真正的编码序列差,这可能表明细菌和古菌在同义密码子使用上的偏好性也是决定基因准确地翻译起始的重要因素之一。