Something on the Side: Axillary Meristems and Plant Development

Axillary meristems allow the production of secondary growth axes in the shoot systems of plants. As such they make a large contribution to the plastic developmental potential of plants, allowing them to alter their architecture to suit the prevailing environment conditions. This review focuses on the formation and activity of axillary meristems, across several model species. Current topics and problems in the field are discussed.     

Effect of Rhizobium Sp. Inoculation on N2-Fixing and Photosynthetic Activities of Two Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] Genotypes

Time course of symbiotic N₂-fixing and photosynthetic activities during vegetative growth from 30 d after plantation until pod set was measured in the CB5 and 7964 cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] genotypes of contrasting senescence traits. At emergence, seedlings were inoculated with a "non-cowpea miscellany" Rhizobium strain generally used to inoculate Cicer arietinum. Maximum N₂-fixing activity occurred in inoculated CB5 and 7964 plants about 54 and 68 d after plantation, respectively. A similar temporal shift of maximum was found for net photosynthetic rate (P _N), confirming a good coordination between the two processes. A higher P _N was found from the first measurements in inoculated plants of both genotypes as compared with uninoculated plants. Apparently, the maximum activity of both N₂-fixation and P _N was timed to occur at a particular stage of plant ontogeny correlating the high N supply with the high N demand by the plant. Rhizobium inoculation did not significantly affect partitioning coefficients of biomass to various plant organs but extended leaf longevity by about 10 d in the CB5 genotype, retarding thus the monocarpic senescence. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Plant Architecture of Rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis>)

Plant architecture, a collection of the important agronomic traits that determine grain production in rice, is mainly affected by factors including tillering, plant height and panicle morphology. Recently, significant progress has been made in isolating and collecting of mutants that are defective in rice plant architecture. Although our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control rice tillering, panicle development and plant height are still limited, new findings have begun to emerge. This review, therefore, summarizes the recent progress in exploring the mechanisms that control rice plant architecture.     

Evolutionary senescence in plants

Senescence is a decline in age-specific survival and reproduction with advancing age. Studies of evolutionary plant senescence are designed to explain this decline in life history components within the context of natural selection. A review of studies of plant demography reveals senescent declines in both annual and perennial plants, but also suggests that there are some plant species which may not be expected to show senescence. Thus, future comparative studies of closely related species, with and without senescence, should be possible. The assumptions of the major evolutionary theories of senescence are evaluated for their validity with respect to plants. Different plant species violate one or more of the assumptions of the theories, yet the consequences of violating these assumptions have never been investigated. Whereas, to date, evolutionary senescence has been studied only indirectly in plants, it is concluded that plants provide good experimental systems for clarifying our understanding of senescence in natural populations.     

CENTRORADIALIS maintains shoot meristem indeterminacy by antagonizing THORN IDENTITY1 in Citrus

1. Download : Download high-res image (124KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

表观遗传调控植物分枝/分蘖研究进展

分蘖是禾本科植物特有的分枝类型, 是影响作物产量的关键因素之一。分枝/分蘖数由叶腋处侧生分生组织的数量和侧芽的活性共同决定。表观遗传修饰调控植物生长发育的各个方面, 但是如何调控植物的分枝/分蘖数还未见系统报道。该综述归纳了表观遗传调控侧生分生组织的形成和侧芽向外生长两个方面, 并展望了表观遗传在调控植物分枝/分蘖中的研究方向, 以期为通过表观遗传修饰改良作物品种的育种途径提供理论指导。     

The Problem of Stem Cells in Plants

The uppermost cells of the root and shoot apical meristems are considered as stem cells. They are similar, in many features, to the stem cells of animals. But, unlike animals, the stem cells can repeatedly arise in plants during morphogenesis and regeneration or in tissue culture from actively dividing or differentiated cells. When the stem cells are removed, they can be repeatedly restored from the actively dividing cells. The maintenance of the population of stem cells is determined by interaction between the stem cells and actively dividing cells located below according to the feedback principle. The protein synthesized in the stem cells determines how the lower located cells affect the stem cells. Specificity of stem cell identification in plants is discussed.     

植物茎秆性状形成与发育的分子基础

株型是作物品种改良的重要目标性状,其中茎秆是最重要的株型性状。植物发育分子生物学研究表明,茎秆性状的形成和发育受多个重要基因的严格调控。本文从茎秆的发生、形状和分枝的形成等方面对茎秆发育的分子机理进行概述,以期为植物株型的改良提供理论依据。     

地质时期植物生活型重建及古植物群落恢复

介绍了重建地质时期植物生活型及恢复古植物群落的原理和方法, 阐述了地质时期植物的形态、结构和功能与古生态环境的相互关系。     

抗坏血酸对植物生长发育的作用及其缺失突变体的研究进展

抗坏血酸（ascorbic acid,AsA）是植物组织内广泛存在的高丰度小分子物质。近年的研究表明它可能通过复杂的信号转导网络来调节植物生长、诱导开花以及延缓衰老。本文介绍了AsA对植物生长发育的作用及其缺失突变体的研究进展,为深入利用AsA缺失突变体来发掘AsA新的生物学功能提供参考。     

Nuclear and cytoplasmic stay-green mutations of soybean alter the loss of leaf soluble proteins during senescence

In soybean ( Glycine max [L.] Merr.) the homozygous combination of the recessive alleles dI and d2 (i.e., dldld2d2 ) at two different nuclear loci or the cytoplasmic gene cytG inhibit chlorophyll degradation during senescence; i.e. their leaves are green when they are shed. The main objectives of the present work were: (J) to determine whether these stay-green genes also interfere with the loss of the bulk of leaf soluble proteins and ribulose bisphospnate carboxylase/oxygensase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1.39) during senescence and (2) to relate this to alterations in leaf proteolytic activity. Leaves of the normal. Yellowing cvs Clark and Harosoy lost about 90% of their soluble proteins before abscission. The abscising leaves of these cultivars contained no detectable Rubisco. By contrast, protein degradation was significantly less in leaves of near-isogenic lines of Clark and Harosoy carrying dIdId2d2 , with or without G (a dominant nuclear gene in a third locus causing green seed coats). These leaves still retained 50% of the soluble protein and large amounts of both subunits of Rubisco at the time of abscission. Alone, neither dl nor d2 had any effect. The cytoplasmic gene cytG slowed the loss of Rubisco. although eventually when leaves were shed they contained as little Rubisco as Clark. Despite inhibition (i.e. dIdId2d2 and GGdIdId2d2 ) or retardation (i.e. cytG ) of protein loss, these mutant genotypes did not differ from Clark in the breakdown of endogenous Rubisco by leaf extracts (autodigestion). The wild-type alleles in the dI and d2 loci may control a central regulatory process of the senescence syndrome.