Laurina mutation affected Coffea arabica tree size and shape mainly through internode dwarfism

The two varieties—Bourbon (B) and its natural mutant Bourbon pointu (BP)—of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) differ by an epigenetic, monolocus, and recessive laurina mutation that results in pleiotropic effects, such as tree dwarfism and tree-shape modification. The objective of the study was to search for the origin of the differences in size and shape of the tree both at the macroscopic (length and number of internodes, branching angle) and at the microscopic levels (size and number of cells within the internode pith). At the macroscopic level, the laurina mutation acted only by decreasing the internode size. Neither the angle of branching nor the number of internodes was influenced by the mutation. At the microscopic level, the mutation lowered mainly the number of cells present along the longitudinal axis of the internode, and, at a lesser extent, the cell height. Especially, the internode size decreasing explained both the tree dwarfism and the tree-shape modification. In fact, the laurina mutation strengthened the dwarfism of plagiotropic internodes when compared to that of the orthotropic ones, and such an impact was mainly due to a strong cell number decrease. To summarize, two major pleiotropic effects of the laurina mutation can be explained only by a modification of the trade-off between meresis and auxesis during the internode growth. This opens new perspectives for the characterization of the other effects at the hormonal level, and then, for the identification of the gene at the molecular level.     

Morphological and histological impacts of the laurina mutation on fructification and seed characteristics in Coffea arabica L.

Key message

The comparison between the cultivar Bourbon and its mutant, the Bourbon pointu, of Coffea arabica led to five novel findings on fruit development and three main impacts of the mutation.

Abstract

Coffea arabica ‘Laurina’ (Bourbon pointu) is a natural mutant of Coffea arabica ‘Bourbon’. Relative to the ‘Bourbon’ cultivar, it is characterized by internode dwarfism, a Christmas tree shape, and lower caffeine content. The effects of the laurina mutation on fructification over time, the fruit structure and seed characteristics were studied here. Fruits of ‘Bourbon’ and ‘Bourbon pointu’ were monitored. The trees were grown in the same plot and flowered on the same day. Harvesting was done every 2 weeks from the 6th to the 26th week after flowering. Histological observations were carried out using multiphoton and conventional microscopes. The measurements concerned the fruit, parchment and seed. Five novel findings on fructification development were obtained: (1) a sigmoid model and non-linear regression efficiently described the phenomenon; (2) a precise relationship was defined between the qualitative stages of fructification and quantitative observations, thus revealing key weeks in this process; (3) the parchment had a mesocarpic origin; (4) a meristematic zone was present close to the parchment; and (5) an endocarp with three cell layers was visible in young fruits. Three effects of the laurina mutation were highlighted: (1) fruit growth ended 1 week earlier in ‘Bourbon’, but without difference in fruit length. In contrast, fruits were wider on average in ‘Bourbon’; (2) the parchment of narrow seeds in ‘Bourbon pointu’ was thicker than in other ‘Bourbon pointu’ and ‘Bourbon’ seeds; and (3) the narrow seed frequency in ‘Bourbon pointu’ depended on environmental conditions.     

Comparison between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coffea arabica</Emphasis> L. ‘Laurina’ and <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. arabica</Emphasis> ‘Bourbon’ seedlings grown in daylight or darkness for their polysaccharidic cell wall composition and caffeine and chlorogenic acid contents

Key message

Cell wall polysaccharidic composition changed between cotyledons, hypocotyls and roots. Neither the laurina mutation nor the presence of light had an impact on this composition.

Abstract

Coffea arabica ‘Laurina’, a natural mutant of Coffea arabica ‘Bourbon’ (B), is also known as ‘Bourbon Pointu’ (BP). In seedlings under daylight, the laurina mutation leads to semi-dwarf hypocotyls, but this effect disappears in darkness conditions. The first step of our work was to analyze the impact of the mutation on the monosaccharide cell wall composition in cotyledons, hypocotyls and roots in relation to growth conditions (daylight vs darkness). Secondly, the same type of comparison was carried out for caffeine and chlorogenic acid (CQA) contents. Cell wall polysaccharides (CWP) present in cotyledons, hypocotyls and roots were identified. Neither the laurina mutation nor the growth conditions had an impact on the CWP composition. By contrast, there were marked differences between cotyledons, hypocotyls and roots regarding their CWP composition, CQA and caffeine contents. Lastly, the mutation and the light did not modify the CQA content in the three organs, whereas the mutation, but the light, lowered the caffeine (CAF) content.

     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">compact shoot and leafy head 1</Emphasis>, a mutation affects leaf initiation and developmental transition in rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.)

The shoot apical meristem (SAM) produces lateral organs in a regular spacing (phyllotaxy) and at a regular interval (phyllochron) during the vegetative phase. In a Dissociation (Ds) insertion rice population, we identified a mutant, compact shoot and leafy head 1 (csl1), which produced massive number of leaves (∼70) during the vegetative phase. In csl1, the transition from the vegetative to the reproductive phase was delayed by about 2 months under long-day conditions. With a reduced leaf size and severe dwarfism, csl1 failed to produce a normal panicle after the transition to reproductive growth. Instead, it produced a leafy panicle, in which all primary rachis-branches were converted to vegetative shoots. Phenotypically csl1 resembled pla mutants in short plastochron but was more severe in the conversion of the reproductive organs to vegetative organs. In addition, neither the expression nor the coding region of PLA1 or PLA2 was affected in csl1. csl1 is most likely a dominant mutation because no mutant segregant was observed in progeny of 67 siblings of the csl1 mutant. CSL1 may represent a novel gene, which functions downstream of PLA1 and/or PLA2, or alternatively functions in a separate pathway, involved in the regulation of leaf initiation and developmental transition via plant hormones or other mobile signals.     

Arabidopsis inflorescence architecture requires the activities of KNOX-BELL homeodomain heterodimers

In flowering plants, post-embryonic development is mediated by the activity of shoot and root apical meristems. Shoot architecture results from activity of the shoot apical meristem (SAM), which initiates primordia, including leaves, internodes and axillary meristems, repetitively from its flanks. Axillary meristems can develop into secondary shoots or flowers. In Arabidopsis, two paralogous BEL1-like (BELL) homeobox genes, PENNYWISE (PNY) and POUND-FOOLISH (PNF), expressed in the SAM, encode DNA-binding proteins that are essential for specifying floral primordia and establishing early internode patterning events during inflorescence development. Biochemical studies show that PNY associates with the knotted1-like homeobox (KNOX) proteins, SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM) and BREVIPEDICELLUS (BP). PNY-BP heterodimers are essential for establishing early internode patterning events, while PNY-STM heterodimers are critical for SAM function. In this report, we examined the role of PNY, PNF and STM during development. First, we show that PNF interacts with STM and BP indicating that PNY and PNF are redundant functioning proteins. Inflorescence development, but not vegetative development, is sensitive to the dosage levels of PNY, PNF and STM. Characterization of stm-10, a weak allele in the Columbia ecotype, indicates that STM is also involved in floral specification and internode development. Our examination of the genetic requirements for PNY, PNF and STM demonstrates that these KNOX–BELL heterodimers control floral specification, internode patterning and the maintenance of boundaries between initiating floral primordia and the inflorescence meristem.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available to authorised users in the online version of this article at .     

Morphological variation in leaf shape in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ainsliaea apiculata</Emphasis> with special reference to the endemic characters of populations on Yakushima Island,Japan

We analyzed leaf shape variations in Ainsliaea apiculata Sch. Bip. to evaluate the uniqueness of morphological characters in populations on Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Leaf size and shape from populations on Yakushima Island (n = 300) were compared with those from populations in other areas of Japan (n = 300). A considerable amount of variation occurred in leaf size in A. apiculata populations both on Yakushima Island and elsewhere, but clear discontinuities in leaf size were not detected. Some variants previously thought to be endemic to Yakushima Island, i.e., A. apiculata var. acerifolia and A. apiculata var. rotundifolia, were also found in other locations in Japan. Moreover, these leaf types were found to be continuous with the typical leaf shape of A. apiculata var. apiculata via various intermediate types, suggesting the need for future revision of these taxa. Based on these results, we reevaluated the uniqueness of the Yakushima populations of A. apiculata in terms of leaf variation. The uniqueness of the Yakushima populations was defined by a more diverse leaf shape than found in populations from other areas.     

Comparative morphology of populations of Monstera Adans. (Araceae) from natural forest fragments in Northeast Brazil using elliptic Fourier Analysis of leaf outlines

Summary  A comparative study of the leaf outline morphometrics of Monstera adansonii var. klotzschiana, M. adansonii var. laniata and M. praetermissa was carried out. The study focused on populations in isolated montane humid (brejo) forests of Ceará state in Northeast Brazil and compared them with populations from Amazonia and the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Digitised outlines were prepared from a total of 1,695 field-collected leaf images from 20 populations, and elliptic Fourier analysis was used to generate matrices of coefficients, from which six shape variables (principal components) were extracted using Principal Components Analysis. Intra-population variability and inter-population differences were analysed with multivariate distance methods. Separate analyses were carried out for each of three leaf size classes (juvenile, submature, mature) because of the strong heteroblasty typical of this genus. Juvenile leaves were the least variable size class within populations of M. adansonii var. klotzschiana. The shape variables expressed very similar types of variation in all three size classes. The Ceará brejo populations of M. adansonii var. klotzschiana showed significant differences between mature leaf outlines in all pairwise comparisons; the Pacatuba population was the most distinct. The Ceará populations did not cluster together exclusively. In all three size classes, populations clustered together into their taxonomic groups, most clearly so in mature leaves. No correlation between morphological and geographic distance matrices was found, nor between morphological and molecular distance. The study showed that leaf outline shape is a practicable and useful quantitative trait for studying morphological variability at species, varietal and population levels. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Intracellular expression of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin improves S-adenosylmethionine production in a recombinant Pichia pastoris

To develop an efficient way to produce S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), methionine adenosyltransferase gene (mat) from Streptomyces spectabilis and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin gene (vgb) were coexpressed intracellularly in Pichia pastoris, both under control of methanol-inducible promoter. Expression of mat in P. pastoris resulted in about 27 times higher specific activity of methionine adenosyltransferase (SMAT) and about 19 times higher SAM production relative to their respective control, suggesting that overexpression of mat could be used as an efficient method for constructing SAM-accumulating strain. Under induction concentration of 0.8 and 2.4% methanol, coexpression of vgb improved, though to different extent, cell growth, SAM production, and respiratory rate. However, the effects of VHb on SAM content (specific yield of SAM production) and SMAT seemed to be methanol concentration-dependent. When cells were induced with 0.8% methanol, no significant effects of VHb expression on SAM content and specific SMAT could be detected. When the cells were induced with 2.4% methanol, vgb expression increased SAM content significantly and depressed SMAT remarkably. We suggested that under our experimental scheme, the presence of VHb might improve ATP synthesis rate and thus improve cell growth and SAM production in the recombinant P. pastoris.     

Orbicules and the ektexine are homologous sporopollenin concretions inSpermatophyta

During microsporogenesis sporopollenin becomes accumulated independently by the only two sporopollenin-producing cell types in the higher plants—the anther tapetum and the microspores—not only within the exine, but also within the orbicules. In Spermatophytes usually only a single orbicule type is found, but sometimes, e.g., inEuphorbia palustris, two different types exist within a single species. Very interestingly, most orbicules are strikingly similar in their structure, sculpture, shape and dimension to the respective ektexine: e.g., smooth sporopollenin globules are found near the totally smooth exines ofEupomatia laurina andPentaphragma sinense respectively, while inDelonix elata andEuphorbia palustris the orbicules often look like some incomplete tectum pieces. All these parallelisms can be attributed to the homologous and therefore highly similar genetic information to form sporopollenin in the sporogeneous tissue and the anther tapetum. The orbicules should be seen neither as sporopollenin storage, as sporopollenin transfer vehicle, nor as sporopollenin surplus.     

单瓣与重瓣垂丝海棠花器官形态发育比较观察

为探究垂丝海棠重瓣花成花原因,该研究以单瓣垂丝海棠和重瓣垂丝海棠为实验材料,应用体式显微镜和扫描电镜观察垂丝海棠单瓣、重瓣品种花器官分化过程;解剖观察重瓣垂丝海棠大蕾期的花与盛开的花,统计其花器官的形态与数目;应用R语言对重瓣垂丝海棠的花瓣数目与其余各轮花器官数目进行相关性分析。结果显示：(1)单瓣和重瓣垂丝海棠的花器官分化均分为萼片原基分化期、花瓣原基分化期、雄蕊原基分化期、雌蕊原基分化期,且各轮花器官按照向心顺序依次分化发育。(2)在花瓣原基分化期,单瓣垂丝海棠仅分化出一轮(5枚)均匀分布于两枚萼片交汇处的花瓣原基,而重瓣垂丝海棠分化出两轮分布散列的花瓣原基,第一轮为5~7枚,第二轮为7~10枚。(3)在重瓣垂丝海棠各轮花器官中存在较多萼片瓣化、雄蕊瓣化、雌雄蕊异常发育的情况。(4)重瓣垂丝海棠各轮花器官数目间相关性分析结果显示,其花瓣数目与雄蕊数目以及瓣化中的雄蕊数目间存在明显的正相关关系,该现象与常规雄蕊瓣化植物表现的雄蕊数目减少、花瓣数目增多的现象不同。研究表明,重瓣垂丝海棠花瓣数目的增多并不完全依赖于雄蕊变瓣,暗示垂丝海棠重瓣花成花原因的多元性与复杂性。     

Developmental morphology of branching flowers in Nymphaea prolifera

Nymphaea and Nuphar (Nymphaeaceae) share an extra-axillary mode of floral inception in the shoot apical meristem (SAM). Some leaf sites along the ontogenetic spiral are occupied by floral primordia lacking a subtending bract. This pattern of flower initiation in leaf sites is repeated inside branching flowers of Nymphaea prolifera (Central and South America). Instead of fertile flowers this species usually produces sterile tuberiferous flowers that act as vegetative propagules. N. prolifera changes the meristem identity from reproductive to vegetative or vice versa repeatedly. Each branching flower first produces some perianth-like leaves, then it switches back to the vegetative meristem identity of the SAM with the formation of foliage leaves and another set of branching flowers. This process is repeated up to three times giving rise to more than 100 vegetative propagules. The developmental morphology of the branching flowers of N. prolifera is described using both microtome sections and scanning electron microscopy.     

Phenotypical and structural characterization of the Arabidopsis mutant involved in shoot apical meristem

An Arabidopsis mutant induced by T-DNA insertion was studied with respect to its phenotype, microstructure of shoot apical meristem (SAM) and histochemical localization of the GUS gene in comparison with the wild type. Phenotypical observation found that the mutant exhibited a dwarf phenotype with smaller organs (such as smaller leaves, shorter petioles), and slower development and flowering time compared to the wild type. Optical microscopic analysis of the mutant showed that it had a smaller and more flattened SAM, with reduced cell layers and a shortened distance between two leaf primordia compared with the wild type. In addition, analysis of the histo-chemical localization of the GUS gene revealed that it was specifically expressed in the SAM and the vascular tissue of the mutant, which suggests that the gene trapped by T-DNA may function, in the SAM, and T-DNA insertion could influence the functional activity of the related gene in the mutant, leading to alterations in the SAM and a series of phenotypes in the mutant. __________ Translated from Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica, 2007, 27(2): 228–232 [译自: 西北植物学报]     

The shoot apical meristem of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis; Arecaceae): developmental progression and dynamics

Background and Aims

Oil palm, an unbranched perennial monocotyledon, possesses a single shoot apical meristem (SAM), which is responsible for the initiation of the entire above-ground structure of the plant. To compare the palm SAM structure with those of other monocots and to study variations in its structure throughout the life of the plant, its organization was characterized from the embryonic stage to that of the reproductive plant.

Methods

SAM structure was studied by a combination of stained histological sections, light and confocal microscopy, and serial section-based three-dimensional reconstructions.

Key Results

The oil palm SAM is characterized by two developmental phases: a juvenile phase with a single tunica-corpus structure displaying a gradual increase in size; and a mature phase characterized by a stable size, a modified shape and an established histological zonation pattern. In mature plants, fluctuations in SAM shape and volume occur, mainly as a consequence of changes in the central zone, possibly in relation to leaf initiation.

Conclusions

Development of the oil palm SAM is characterized by a juvenile to mature phase transition accompanied by establishment of a zonal pattern and modified shape. SAM zonation is dynamic during the plastochron period and displays distinct features compared with other monocots.     

Flower structure and development in Tupidanthus calyptratus (Araliaceae): an extreme case of polymery among asterids

Flowers of Tupidanthus show an extreme case of floral polymery among asterids. Floral development and gynoecium structure have been examined. The floral meristem has a complex folded shape. The tiny calyx is initiated as a continuous ring primordium. The corolla is initiated as a lobed ring and develops into a calyptra. All stamen primordia appear simultaneously as a single whorl. The carpels, also in a single whorl, tend to alternate with the stamens. Some Schefflera species related to Tupidanthus are also studied. The flower of Tupidanthus is interpreted as a result of fasciation. Further investigation should determine whether mutation(s) in gene(s) of the CLAVATA family are responsible for the fasciation here. The significance of Tupidanthus for understanding spatial pattern formation in flowers of Araliaceae, and both functional and developmental constraints in angiosperm flowers with a single polymerous carpel whorl are discussed.     

Comparative physiology of burned and unburned Rhus laurina after chaparral wildfire

Summary Laurel Sumac (Rhus laurina) is a dominant member of the coastal chaparral community of southern California that survives periodic burning by wildfires by resprouting from a lignotuber (root crown). We investigated the physiological basis for resprouting by comparing shoot elongation, leaf nitrogen content, tissue water status, leaf conductance to water vapor diffusion, and photosynthetic rates of post-fire R. laurina to those of adjacent unburned shrubs. Resprouts had higher rates of shoot elongation, leaf conductance, and photosynthesis than mature, unburned shrubs. Leaf nitrogen contents were elevated in burned shrubs even though their leaves developed interveinal chlorosis. A comparison of soil water potential to predawn water potential indicated that roots of R. laurina remain active below 2 m during the first summer drought after wildfire. Our results support the hypothesis that lignotubers not only contain dormant buds that develop into aerial shoots after wildfire but they also supply nutrient resources that enhance shoot elongation. Because R. laurina is relatively sensitive to drought, yet very successful in its rapid recovery after fire, maintaining an active root system after shoot removal may be the primary function of the massive lignotuber formed by this species.     

Floral development in Adonideae (Ranunculaceae)

Floral development and floral phyllotaxis in species of Adonis, Callianthemum, and Trollius (Ranunculaceae) were studied with scanning electron microscopy. The floral organs are initiated in spiral sequence and the flowers have spiral phyllotaxis. The sepal primordia are broad, crescent-shaped, and truncate, but those of petals, stamens, and carpels are rather hemispherical. A relatively long plastochron appears to be present between the last sepal and the first petal as compared with the short and equal plastochrones of all subsequent floral organs. Maturation of the stamens within the androecium appears to be centripetal. The carpels have a short ascidiate zone. Placentation is uniformly lateral, even in Adonis and Callianthemum, which have only one fertile ovule per carpel (versus median in other genera of Ranunculoideae with a single fertile ovule). In Adonis and Callianthemum at the tip of the carpel the ventral slit is gaping and the stigma is broadly exposed, whereas in Trollius the stigma is narrower and more pronouncedly decurrent along the ventral slit. The petals in Callianthemum and Trollius are more conspicuously delayed in development than those in Adonis as compared with sepals and stamens. A short carpel stipe is formed early in Callianthemum but later in Adonis and Trollius. In Trollius farreri (commonly having only five carpels in contrast to other species of Trollius) the carpels form a single (spiral) series. Thus floral development is similar in all three genera and, at a lower level, Adonis and Callianthemum are especially close but have different autapomorphies, which reflects the current classification of the genera.     

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SHOOT GROWTH AND CHANGING PHYLLOTAXY OF RANUNCULUS

Growth of Ranunculus shoots through ontogeny is quantified by techniques utilizing scanning electron microscopy and studies on living plant material. The order of the contact parastichy phyllotaxy in the apical system is related to the relative plastochron rates of growth of the shoot. There is a change in the (2, 3) contact parastichy pattern of vegetative phyllotaxy to a transitional (3, 5) contact pattern which is maintained through sepal production. Formation of a 5(1, 1) whorl of petal primordia establishes a (5, 8) contact pattern with the sepal primordia. Subsequent initiation of stamen primordia, in spiral sequence, results in (5, 8, 13) triple contacts between petal and stamen primordia. The stamen primordia and carpel primordia arrangement is characterized by a (8, 13) contact parastichy pattern of phyllotaxy. Through ontogeny the volume of the shoot apex progressively increases but the shape of the apex, described by a second degree polynomial, remains constant. The plastochron and the relative plastochron rates of radial and vertical displacement of primordia progressively decrease during transition but there is no alteration of the chronological rate of apical expansion. The change in contact parastichy phyllotaxy through ontogeny is interpreted as a change in the relative positions of primordia insertion on the apex resulting from an increase in apical volume and an increased rate of primordia initiation.     

Notes onLaboulbenia coneglanensis (Ascomycetes, Laboulbeniales) in Japan

Laboulbenia coneglanensis isolated from Japanese harpaline carabids is described and photographed. It is compared morphologically withL. flagellata from Japan and Europe, which is similar in appearance. The most important difference between the two species is in antheridial character and host range. Other characters such as coloration, perithecial shape, especially the shape of the perithecial apex, and size of ascospores are also useful for distinction.Laboulbenia ophoni var.dilatata described by Maire (1920) is regarded as a synonym ofL. coneglanensis.     

Evaluation of morphological and molecular variation in Plantago asiatica var. densiuscula, with special reference to the systematic treatment of Plantago asiatica var. yakusimensis

Morphological and molecular variations in Plantago asiatica L. var. densiuscula Pilg. were analyzed to evaluate the genetic basis for recognizing the dwarf variety P. asiatica var. yakusimensis (Masam.) Ohwi. Considerable variation in the leaf size of P. asiatica var. densiuscula was observed, and no morphological discontinuities were found between the dwarf types of P. asiatica var. densiuscula and P. asiatica var. yakusimensis. Morphological analysis of plants grown under standardized conditions revealed that both environmental plasticity and genetic differentiation contributed to the dwarfisms. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the SUC1 locus encoding a sucrose transporter revealed that P. asiatica var. yakusimensis was genetically unique although the differentiation level was low. From the above results, we concluded that P. asiatica var. yakusimensis should be reduced to a form of P. asiatica var. densiuscula. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of the SUC1 genotype suggested multiple origins of dwarves, and possible hypotheses for the origins of dwarves are discussed.     

Comparative floral ontogeny of Maesa (Maesaceae), Aegiceras (Myrsinaceae) and Embelia (Myrsinaceae): taxonomic and phylogenetic implications

The comparative floral ontogeny of five species belonging to the primuloid clade of the Ericales are investigated, viz. Maesa japonica, M. perlarius, Aegiceras corniculatum, Embelia laeta and E. ribes. All five species basically show 2/5-spiral phyllotaxis of the sepal primordia, although with some minor modification (particularly in Embelia, where the flowers are predominantly tetramerous). The phyllotaxis of the common petal-stamen primordia is also 2/5-spiral in the Maesa and Aegiceras species investigated, but appears to be unidirectional in Embelia. All five species develop common petal-stamen primordia in which the resultant petal primordia are larger than the stamen primordia, and in which the stamens develop proximally on the adaxial flank of the common primordia. Growth of the placenta in Maesa and Aegiceras partially embeds the ovules, but in Embelia the ovules are almost fully immersed in placental tissue at maturity. A comprehensive review of all previously published studies of floral ontogeny of primuloid genera is presented, and the phylogenetic significance of the variation between genera is evaluated with reference to recently published cladograms.