玉米幼苗萎蔫过程中某些理化性质变化的研究

玉米幼苗在暂时性萎蔫期间失水速率相对较慢,可溶性糖,脯氨酸等渗透调度物质的积累较多,ＳＯＤ活性增加,而在永久性萎缩期间失水速率较快,渗透调节物质减少,ＳＯＤ活性下降,在玉米幼苗萎蔫的全过程中,叶绿素,蛋白质含量及ＣＡＴ,ＰＯＤ活性等迅速下降,质膜透性增大,膜脂过氧化加剧。     

Optimum prediction of three-way crosses from single crosses in forage maize (Zea mays L.)

Summary Three-way cross means were predicted with formulae involving linear functions of general (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects estimated from single-cross factorials between genetically divergent populations. Data from an experiment with 66 single-cross and 66 three-way cross forage maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids was used for comparing the prediction formulae. The genotypic correlation (r) between observed and predicted three-way crosses increased with increasing , the weighting factor of SCA effects, for plant height and ear dry matter (DM) content. It displayed slightly convex curves for total and stover DM yield, ear percentage, and metabolizable energy content of stover. For Jenkins' method B, r was considerably less than 1.0 for all traits, indicating the presence of epistasis. The square root of heritability (h) of the predicted means decreased with increasing , the reduction being small with a greater number of test environments. Using the product r·h as a criterion of efficiency, none of the prediction methods was consistently superior and the differences among them were rather small (< 7.5%) for all traits, irrespective of the number of test environments. We recommend evaluating the GCA of a greater number of lines from each parent population in testcrosses with a small number of elite lines from the opposite population. All possible three-way or double crosses between both sets of lines should be predicted by Jenkins's method C. This procedure allows one to select with a higher intensity among the predicted hybrids and thus should increase the genetic gain.Extended version of a paper (Geiger et al. 1986) read at the sixth meeting of the EUCARPIA Section Biometrics in Plant Breeding held at Birmingham, UK, July 28–August 1, 1986     

The role of DNA methylation,nucleosome occupancy and histone modifications in paramutation

Paramutation is the transfer of epigenetic information between alleles that leads to a heritable change in expression of one of these alleles. Paramutation at the tissue‐specifically expressed maize (Zea mays) b1 locus involves the low‐expressing B′ and high‐expressing B‐I allele. Combined in the same nucleus, B′ heritably changes B‐I into B′. A hepta‐repeat located 100‐kb upstream of the b1 coding region is required for paramutation and for high b1 expression. The role of epigenetic modifications in paramutation is currently not well understood. In this study, we show that the B′ hepta‐repeat is DNA‐hypermethylated in all tissues analyzed. Importantly, combining B′ and B‐I in one nucleus results in de novo methylation of the B‐I repeats early in plant development. These findings indicate a role for hepta‐repeat DNA methylation in the establishment and maintenance of the silenced B′ state. In contrast, nucleosome occupancy, H3 acetylation, and H3K9 and H3K27 methylation are mainly involved in tissue‐specific regulation of the hepta‐repeat. Nucleosome depletion and H3 acetylation are tissue‐specifically regulated at the B‐I hepta‐repeat and associated with enhancement of b1 expression. H3K9 and H3K27 methylation are tissue‐specifically localized at the B′ hepta‐repeat and reinforce the silenced B′ chromatin state. The B′ coding region is H3K27 dimethylated in all tissues analyzed, indicating a role in the maintenance of the silenced B′ state. Taken together, these findings provide insight into the mechanisms underlying paramutation and tissue‐specific regulation of b1 at the level of chromatin structure.     

黄土塬区不同品种玉米间作群体生长特征的动态变化

不同玉米品种间作,品种间的竞争对群体结构和产量可能有促进作用.为了明确不同密度下品种间作对不同生育期群体生长特征的影响,以及在不同生育期的变化规律,选用郑单958和沈单16两个不同株型的玉米品种在中、高两种密度条件下进行隔行间作田间试验.研究结果表明:不同密度间作群体叶面积指数(Leaf Area Index,LAI)显著增加,同密度不同品种间作LAI在生育后期显著增加,有利于形成合理的冠层结构以获得更多的光照;中等密度下品种间作单株叶面积较单作显著增加,而高密度间作显著降低了单株叶面积;中等密度下,品种间作地上部干物质积累量显著增加,郑单958尤为突出,但高密度间作时的增加幅度较小,这与高密度下株高、茎粗相对减小有关.品种株高、茎粗随间作密度的增加而有所增加,对间作竞争的响应与品种特性密切相关;在不同生育期,郑单958和沈单16号表现不同的生长规律,前者在整个营养生长过程中对间作竞争的响应明显、持续和稳定,而进入生殖期后,间作的生长优势逐渐消失;后者在营养生长期干物质积累量大,但持续时间较短,表现出较弱的竞争性.品种间作可有效改善群体冠层结构,增加群体物质生产力,更好的为增产鉴定基础.     

Fumonisin intake of the German consumer

In order to calculate the dietary fumonisin intake of the German consumer, a large survey was carried out on a variety of potentially contaminated products in the period between December 1998 and July 2001. A total of 1960 food samples comprising all known relevant groups of products were analysed for fumonisins. Furthermore, 272 of these samples were also analysed for hydrolysed fumonisins (HFB). For routine analysis enzyme immunoassay was used, confirmatory and control analyses were performed using HPLC-FLD after precolumn derivatisation, or by LC-MS/MS. Daily intake of fumonisins was calculated by combining fumonisin contamination data obtained in this study with available food consumption data for Germany. In a “mean case” scenario, median fumonisin levels in foods and mean food intake values were used. To generate a “bad case” scenario, the 90^th percentile of fumonisin levels in foods and mean food intake values were combined. The overall daily fumonisin intake by the German consumer was 1.1 μg in the “mean case” scenario, and 21 μg in the “bad case” scenario. It was concluded that in general there is no increased risk for the German consumer in aspects of exceeding the recommended tolerable daily intake of fumonisins (2 μg/kg body weight). However, certain products (and certain brands of products) were repeatedly found to contain elevated fumonisin levels, which in a “worst case” scenario (“high” food intake of maize-based products) could pose a potential risk for the consumer, in particular concerning foods for infants and young children. High fumonisin levels were found in infant foods in 1999, but contamination levels decreased strongly in the following years. HFBs (mostly HFB₁) were frequently found in processed cereals such as corn flakes, but in relatively low concentrations. According to our findings, the new European Union maximum levels for fumonisins are suitable to eliminate peak contamination levels of fumonisins in foods, but would lead to a regular excess of the TDI for infants and young children if these maximum levels would indeed be exhausted. Financial support: This work was financially supported by the German Federal Ministry for Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, research grant 415-6080-1/60 (BMG alt).     

Independent Molecular Basis of Convergent Highland Adaptation in Maize

Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar traits in different species or lineages of the same species; this often is a result of adaptation to similar environments, a process referred to as convergent adaptation. We investigate here the molecular basis of convergent adaptation in maize to highland climates in Mesoamerica and South America, using genome-wide SNP data. Taking advantage of archaeological data on the arrival of maize to the highlands, we infer demographic models for both populations, identifying evidence of a strong bottleneck and rapid expansion in South America. We use these models to then identify loci showing an excess of differentiation as a means of identifying putative targets of natural selection and compare our results to expectations from recently developed theory on convergent adaptation. Consistent with predictions across a wide parameter space, we see limited evidence for convergent evolution at the nucleotide level in spite of strong similarities in overall phenotypes. Instead, we show that selection appears to have predominantly acted on standing genetic variation and that introgression from wild teosinte populations appears to have played a role in highland adaptation in Mexican maize.     

Genetic analysis of mutations that alter cell fates in maize leaves: Dominant Liguleless mutations

The three major components of the maize leaf are the blade, the sheath, and at their junction, the ligular region. Each exhibits specific cell types and organization. Four dominant Liguleless (Lg) mutations (Lg3-O, Lg4-O, Lg*347, and Lg*9167) in at least three different genes cause a similar morphological phenotype in leaves, although each mutation affects a distinct domain of the blade. Mutant leaves display regions of altered cell fate in the blade, occompanied by elimination of ligule and auricle at their wild-type positions and development of ligule and auricle in the blade at the borders of the altered regions. The affected blade cells are transformed into sheath-like cells, as determined by morphological and genetic tests. Lg4-O expressivity is highly dependent on genetic background. For example, two different backgrounds may specify converse patterns of phenotypic expression. Lg4-O expressivity is also affected by the heterochronic mutation Teopod2 (Tp2). Gene dosage experiments indicate that Lg4-O is a neomorph. Interactions between recessive lg mutations (which eliminate ligular structures) and the dominant Lg mutations suggest that the lg⁺ genes act after the Lg mutations. Lg3-O and Lg4-O act semidominantly, and interact with each other and with other mutations in the Knotted1 (Kn1)-like family (a family in which dominant mutant alleles cause blade to sheath transformation phenotypes). These interactions suggest that the above Kn1-like mutations may function similarly in the leaf. We discuss the similarities between the Lg mutations and the other mutations of the Kn1-like family, which led us to postulate that lg3 and lg4 are members of a growing family of kn1-like (knox) homeobox genes that are identified by dominant mutant alleles causing leaf transformation phenotypes. We also propose that certain key characteristics of this family of dominant neomorphic mutations are important for generating meaningful morphological changes during evolution. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.