Occurrence of the chromoplast protein ChrA correlates with a fruit-color gene in Capsicum annuum

Plant geneticists have determined that the color of ripe fruits of sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) is determined by four genes: y, c₁, c₂and cl. We have compared the electrophoretic behavior of chromoplast membrane proteins of seven varieties of C. annuum which differ in these genes. ChrA was detected only in the varieties that had a y⁺genotype, and was not affected by variations in the other three genes. The identity of ChrA was verified by probing blots of SDS gels with antiserum to ChrA. The second known chromoplast-specific protein, ChrB, was found to be independent of all four genes. No proteins correlating with c₁, c₂or cl were detected in either one- or two-dimensional gels.     

Terpenoid Metabolism in Plastids : Isolation and Biochemical Characteristics of Capsicum annuum Chromoplasts

A technique for the isolation and the purification of Capsicum annum L. var. Yolo Wonder chromoplasts is described. The degree of purity of the isolated chromoplasts is greatly improved by the absence of MgCl₂ in the extraction medium and in the gradient purification system, as shown by electron micrographs and the near absence of antimycin-insensitive NADH:cytochrome c reductase activity and succinate:cytochrome c reductase activity. Furthermore, phosphatidylserine was absent and the phosphatidylethanolamine content was reduced by a factor of 5 in these preparations, which were active in the synthesis of galactolipids, prenylquinones, and carotenoids.     

Photosynthate translocation in Capsicum annuum

Summary The leaves of Capsicum annuum L. cv. California Wonder function as efficient carbon exporting organs for a large part of their life span. Young and old leaves export the same percentage of fixed carbon (74% within 24 hours) although fixation rates per unit area of young leaves may be three times that of old leaves. A constant feature of translocate distribution is a supply to the roots and to the terminal fruit of the main axis from both the main axis leaves and branch leaves. Carbon supply to branch fruit is flexible in that main axis leaves supply carbon to the very small fruit, but the subtending branch leaves supply more as the fruit grows and the branch node becomes more self-sufficient. Fruit are capable of carbon fixation but translocation to terminal fruit from main axis leaves supplies about 7.5 times as much carbon as direct fixation.     

Chromoplast-Specific Proteins in Capsicum annuum

Chromoplasts are a common differentiation state of plastids in which the photosynthetic apparatus is absent and carotenoids accumulate to high levels. As a first step toward the isolation of chromoplast-specific genes, we have examined plastids of the bell pepper, Capsicum annuum L., for the presence of chromoplast-specific proteins. Intact chromoplasts were isolated from mature fruits of C. annuum var Emerald Giant, Golden Cal Wonder, and DNAP VS-12 by differential centrifugation followed by isopycnic sedimentation in gradients of silica sols. The plastids were then fractionated into soluble and membrane components and the proteins analyzed by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis using isoelectric focusing, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-urea gels. Two polypeptides with M_r of 35,000 and 58,000 accumulate to high levels in membrane fractions of chromoplasts of var Emerald Giant. These polypeptides are either not detectable or barely detectable in chloroplasts from immature fruits. Both polypeptides have been purified to near homogeneity. Yellow chromoplasts from var Golden Cal Wonder and red chromoplasts from var DNAP VS-12 contained the 35-kilodalton polypeptide, but not the 58-kilodalton species.     

Inheritance of a novel flaccid mutant in Capsicum annuum

A mutant that causes a novel flaccidity phenotype in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) was generated by treating seeds with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). Inheritance studies indicated that the mutant was controlled by a single recessive gene. It is proposed that the gene designation representing this mutation be flc (flaccid). The mutation may be useful for investigations of the genetic basis for turgor maintenance and drought stress physiology.     

Terpenoid Metabolism in Plastids : Localization of alpha-Tocopherol Synthesis in Capsicum Chromoplasts

The synthesis of α-tocopherol from 2,3-dimethylphytylquinol and S-adenosyl-l-methionine was achieved using Capsicum annuum fruit chromoplasts. The enzymes involved in the cyclization (2,3-dimethyl-phytylquinol cyclase) and methylation (S-adenosyl methionine:γ-tocopherol methyl-transferase) are both localized in the chromoplast membrane fraction (envelopes and/or a-chlorophyll lamellae), in contrast to the stroma fraction.     

辣椒资源及其加工利用

综述了辣椒的起源、传播、栽培种分类、生产和加工利用的概况,介绍了辣椒的化学组成、辣椒红色素和辣椒碱的药理作用及其开发利用价值。     

An SSR-based linkage map of Capsicum annuum

There are five cultivated species of pepper, of which Capsicum annuum is the most widely cultivated as a vegetable or spice and the main experimental material of most pepper breeding programs. However, the number of simple sequence-repeat (SSR) markers known for C. annuum is limited. To develop SSR markers for Capsicum species, we constructed four SSR-enriched libraries from the genomic DNA of C.␣annuum, sequenced 1873 clones, and isolated 626 unique SSR clones. A higher percentage of these SSR markers were taken from dinucleotide motif libraries than from trinucleotide motif libraries. Primer pairs for the 626 SSR clones were synthesized and tested for polymorphisms; 594 amplified products were detected with the expected size. However, only 153 products were polymorphic between the parents of our mapping population. Using 106 highly reproducible pairs from the primer pairs, we constructed a linkage map of C. annuum in an intraspecific doubled haploid population (n=117) that contains nine previously reported SSRs as well as AFLP, CAPS, and RAPD markers and the trait of fruit pungency. The map contains 374 markers, including 106 new SSR markers distributed across all 13 linkage groups, and covers 1042 cM. The polymorphism information content (PIC) of these new SSR markers was calculated using 14 lines of Capsicum species. The average number of alleles per locus was 2.9 and the average PIC value was 0.46, even within C. annuum. The SSR markers developed in this study will be useful for mapping and marker-assisted selection in pepper breeding, and the linkage map provides a reference genetic map for Capsicum species.     

Plant regeneration from protoplasts of Capsicum annuum

Leaf protoplasts were isolated from axenic shoot cultures of four varieties of Capsicum annuum (Americano, Dulce Italiano Florida Gynat and Nigrum) and a wild species C. chinense. Protoplasts of both species, cultured in KM8P medium and using agarose bead culture, entered division with the exception of the variety Nigrum. Cell colonies formed callus in agar-solified MS medium supplemented with zeatin and for C. annuum v. Dulce Italiano shoots were regenerated when protoplast-derived calli were transferred to MS medium with 6-BAP. Excised shoots were rooted on MS medium which lacked phytohormones.Abbreviations 6-BAP 6-benzylamino purine - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) - KM8P Kao and Michayluk (1975) - SDS sodium dodecyl sulphate     

辣椒蚜虫种类的调查

蚜虫属同翅目蚜虫总科,是重要的作物害虫。调查海南辣椒植株的蚜虫种类,采集蚜虫标本。将上述活体蚜虫分别接种在室内盆栽辣椒植株上饲养、繁殖,并观察记录各龄期蚜虫的形态特征。经室内观察测定,鉴定出三种蚜虫：棉蚜[Aphis gossypii(Glover)]、桃蚜[Myzus persicae(Sulzer)]和萝卜蚜[Lipaphis erysimi(Kaltenbach)]。     

生物技术在辣椒育种研究上的应用

综述了国内外组织及器官培养、分子标记和基因工程三大生物技术在辣椒育种的研究与利用，并进行了展望。     

Photoinactivation of photosystem II in leaves of Capsicum annuum

Leaf discs of Capsicum annuum L. were illuminated in air enriched with 1% CO₂ in the absence or presence of lincomycin, an inhibitor of chloroplast-encoded protein synthesis. The loss of functional photosystem (PS) II complexes with increase in cumulative light dose (photon exposure), assessed by the O₂ yield per single-turnover flash, was greater in leaves of plants grown in low light than those in high light; it was also exacerbated in the presence of lincomycin. A single exponential decay can describe the relationship between the loss of functional PSII and increase in cumulative photon exposure. From this relationship we obtained both the maximum quantum yield of photoinactivation of PSII at limiting photon exposures and the coefficient k, interpreted as the probability of photoinactivation of PSII per unit photon exposure. Parallel measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence after light treatment showed that 1/F_o−1/F_m was linearly correlated with the functionality of PSII, where F_o and F_m are the chlorophyll fluorescence yields corresponding to open and closed PSII reaction centers, respectively. Using 1/F_o−1/F_m as a convenient indicator of PSII functionality, it was found that PSII is present in excess; only after the loss of about 40% functional PSII complexes did PSII begin to limit photosynthetic capacity in capsicum leaves.     

Structure of a functional geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase gene from Capsicum annuum

A geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (GGPPS) gene from Capsicum annuum (bell pepper) was cloned. The nucleotide sequence shows that this gene, like the capsanthin/capsorubin gene but unlike the phytoene synthase gene from C. annuum, is not interrupted by an intron. Southern blot analysis of C. annuum genomic DNA suggests the presence of a single gene highly similar to the cDNA and also of additional related sequences. The present data suggest that this cloned gene is functional.     

侵染辣椒的烟草蚀纹病毒的鉴定

1990年在杨陵从表现花叶畸形的辣椒上分离到H90－2分离物。汁液磨擦接种6科17种植物,病毒可侵染2科8种植物,在白肋烟、三生烟上出现坏死蚀纹,在辣椒、心叶烟、曼陀罗上出现花叶畸形,在苋色藜上出现局部枯斑。该分离物的致死温度为50－55℃,稀释限点10^-3-3×10^-3,体外保毒期3－5天,桃蚜可传毒。病毒粒体为线状,稍弯曲,长720－750nm,宽13nm,与烟草蚀纹病毒的抗血清有明显的阳性反应。根据这些特性,经初步鉴定该病毒属于马铃薯Y病毒组的烟草蚀纹病毒（TEV）。     

甜椒细胞质小分子量热激蛋白基因(CaHSP18)的cDNA克隆与表达

用RT-PCR和RACE-PCR技术,从热激处理的甜椒叶片总RNA中扩增出了细胞质小分子量热激蛋白(sHSP)全长779 bp的cDNA基因序列,包含一个480 bp开放阅读框,编码159个氨基酸.Southern杂交结果表明在甜椒基因组中有该基因的小的多基因家族.Northern结果显示该基因在甜椒根、茎、叶中的表达受热激和低温的诱导.原核表达分析表明该基因在高温以及低温条件下可以提高大肠杆菌的生存能力.     

辣椒抗病基因工程研究进展(综述)

辣椒易发生由细菌、真菌和病毒等引致的病害,基因工程技术为辣椒抗病育种开辟了新途径。本文就晚近以离体再生植株和转基因技术等为基础的辣椒抗病基因工程研究进展进行综述。     

Verticillium Wilt of Pepper (Capsicum annuum) in Morocco

Pepper crops in Morocco formerly thought to be free from attack by Verticillium were found to be susceptible to this pathogen. Verticillium wilt of pepper was observed in plots where the crop was cultivated in rotation with tomatoes. Strains of Verticillium isolated from pepper possessed different morphological and pathogenic characteristics.     

Capsicum Yellows – A Disease Induced by a Luteovirus in Glasshouse Peppers (Capsicum annuum) in Australia

Abstract Glasshouse production of capsicums in the Sunraysia district of NSW and Victoria is severely limited by infection with a range of viruses. Aphid transmission tests, electron microscopy and serological assays have shown that one of the viruses involved is a luteovirus – the frst record of a naturally occurring luteovirus in glasshouse capsicum. The relationship of this virus to other luteoviruses known to infect solanaceous hosts is examined, and data presented to show that it is most probably a capsicum strain of potato leafroll virus.     

New Insights into Capsicum spp Relatedness and the Diversification Process of Capsicum annuum in Spain

The successful exploitation of germplasm banks, harbouring plant genetic resources indispensable for plant breeding, will depend on our ability to characterize their genetic diversity. The Vegetable Germplasm Bank of Zaragoza (BGHZ) (Spain) holds an important Capsicum annuum collection, where most of the Spanish pepper variability is represented, as well as several accessions of other domesticated and non-domesticated Capsicum spp from all over the five continents. In the present work, a total of 51 C. annuum landraces (mainly from Spain) and 51 accessions from nine Capsicum species maintained at the BGHZ were evaluated using 39 microsatellite (SSR) markers spanning the whole genome. The 39 polymorphic markers allowed the detection of 381 alleles, with an average of 9.8 alleles per locus. A sizeable proportion of alleles (41.2%) were recorded as specific alleles and the majority of these were present at very low frequencies (rare alleles). Multivariate and model-based analyses partitioned the collection in seven clusters comprising the ten different Capsicum spp analysed: C. annuum, C. chinense, C. frutescens, C. pubescens, C. bacatum, C. chacoense and C. eximium. The data clearly showed the close relationships between C. chinense and C. frutescens. C. cardenasii and C. eximium were indistinguishable as a single, morphologically variable species. Moreover, C. chacoense was placed between C. baccatum and C. pubescens complexes. The C. annuum group was structured into three main clusters, mostly according to the pepper fruit shape, size and potential pungency. Results suggest that the diversification of C. annuum in Spain may occur from a rather limited gene pool, still represented by few landraces with ancestral traits. This ancient population would suffer from local selection at the distinct geographical regions of Spain, giving way to pungent and elongated fruited peppers in the South and Center, while sweet blocky and triangular types in Northern Spain.     

Daily changes in nitrate uptake and metabolism in Capsicum annuum

The diurnal pattern of nitrate uptake by Capsicum annuum L. cv. California Wonder in a constant environment is described by a Fourier harmonic, with the maximum uptake in the middle of the photoperiod and the minimum in the middle of the dark period. Comparison of the uptake pattern with that of nitrate reductase (EC 1.6.6.1.) activity suggests against a direct control of one process by the other. This was confirmed by the observation that the pattern of nitrate reductase activity was not altered by restricting nitrate uptake to one hour per day. Translocation of ¹⁵N from the roots is much greater in the lightperiod than in the dark period. Reduction of ¹⁵N in the leaves occurs in the lightperiod but very little is reduced in the dark period. Amino acid levels showed marked daily fluctuations but in the roots neither amino acids, sucrose, fructose, glucose nor malate showed fluctuations. The amino acid composition of roots and leaves differed: glutamine+glutamate were relatively more important in leaves than in roots whereas alanine was a more important constituent of roots than of leaves.Abbreviation NR nitrate reductase