Plant regeneration from petal protoplast culture ofPetunia hybrida

Morphologically normal plants have been regenerated from petal protoplasts of petunia (Petunia hybrida) flower. Maximum protoplast yields from petal tissues were obtained within 2 days after anthesis. Protoplasts were cultured on modified Murashige and Skoog's medium in which NH₄NO₃ and Fe·EDTA concentrations were reduced to 1/3 (7mM) and 1/10 (10 M), respectively. After plating, protoplasts gradually reduced pigment density, and plastids developed near the nucleus. In premitotic petunia petal cells, the nucleus moved from the periphery to the central region of the cell. The first cell divisions were detected after 6–10 days of culture initiation, and the average division frequency was 15% in the best culture condition. The results indicated that the time of the first cell division and cell division frequency were closely related to flower age after anthesis. More than a hundred plants with morphologically normal shoots and roots have been obtained. Those plants grew vigorously in soil.Abbreviations BA benzylaminopurine - DAPI 4, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole - 2, 4-d dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - Fe·EDTA Fe·ethylenediaminetetraacetate - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - MtSB microtubule stabilizing buffer - NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - PIPES piperazine-N,N-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid) - EGTA ethylene glycol-bis(-aminoethyl ether) N,N,N,N-tetraacetic acid     

Does Ethylene Treatment Mimic the Effects of Pollination on Floral Lifespan and Attractiveness?

In some species pollination may result in rapid changes in perianth colour and form (petal senescence and abscission, flower closure), rendering the flowers less attractive to pollinators. It has been suggested that this effect is mediated by ethylene. Flowers from about 200 species and 50 families were exposed to ethylene (3 ppm for 24 h at 20 degrees C). The effects on petal senescence and abscission have been described previously. Flower closure and perianth colour changes were generally ethylene-sensitive, but responses showed no consistency within families. Several flowers known to respond to pollination by rapid cessation of attractiveness were also exposed to ethylene: this produced the same effect as pollination, both on flower colour and form. Species that respond to pollination by changing flower form or colour were found exclusively in families in which the species are generally ethylene-sensitive (with regard to changes in perianth form and colour). However, several families are generally ethylene-sensitive but contain no species reported to respond to pollination.     

'Living stones' reveal alternative petal identity programs within the core eudicots

Petals, defined as the showy laminar floral organs in the second floral whorl, have been shown to be under similar genetic control in distantly related core eudicot model organisms. On the basis of these findings, it is commonly assumed that the petal identity program regulated by B-class MADS-box gene homologs is invariant across the core eudicot clade. However, the core eudicots, which comprise >70% of angiosperm species, exhibit numerous instances of petal and sepal loss, transference of petal function between floral whorls, and recurrent petal evolution. In the face of these complex patterns of perianth evolution, the concept of a core eudicot petal identity program has not been tested. We therefore examined the petal identity program in the Caryophyllales, a core eudicot clade in which perianth differentiation into sepals and petals has evolved multiple times. Specifically, we analyzed the expression patterns of B- and C-class MADS-box homologs for evidence of a conserved petal identity program between sepal-derived and stamen-derived petaloid organs in the 'living stone' family Aizoaceae. We found that neither sepal-derived nor stamen-derived petaloid organs exhibit gene expression patterns consistent with the core eudicot petal identity program. B-class gene homologs are not expressed during the development of sepal-derived petals and are not implicated in petal identity in stamen-derived petals, as their transient expression coincides with early expression of the C-class homolog. We therefore provide evidence for petal development that is independent of B-class genes and suggest that different genetic control of petal identity has evolved within this lineage of core eudicots. These findings call for a more comprehensive understanding of perianth variation and its genetic causes within the core eudicots--an endeavor that will have broader implications for the interpretation of perianth evolution across angiosperms.     

Evolution of spur-length diversity in Aquilegia petals is achieved solely through cell-shape anisotropy

The role of petal spurs and specialized pollinator interactions has been studied since Darwin. Aquilegia petal spurs exhibit striking size and shape diversity, correlated with specialized pollinators ranging from bees to hawkmoths in a textbook example of adaptive radiation. Despite the evolutionary significance of spur length, remarkably little is known about Aquilegia spur morphogenesis and its evolution. Using experimental measurements, both at tissue and cellular levels, combined with numerical modelling, we have investigated the relative roles of cell divisions and cell shape in determining the morphology of the Aquilegia petal spur. Contrary to decades-old hypotheses implicating a discrete meristematic zone as the driver of spur growth, we find that Aquilegia petal spurs develop via anisotropic cell expansion. Furthermore, changes in cell anisotropy account for 99 per cent of the spur-length variation in the genus, suggesting that the true evolutionary innovation underlying the rapid radiation of Aquilegia was the mechanism of tuning cell shape.     

不同瓣型茉莉水培生根能力及根尖解剖结构比较

对水培条件下单瓣、双瓣和重瓣茉莉(Jasminum sambac Aiton)插穗的生根能力及根尖解剖结构差异进行了观察和比较;在此基础上,分析了茉莉各生根性状及根尖解剖结构特征间的相关性。结果表明:3种瓣型茉莉插穗的生根率均达到100%,但单株生根数和平均根长均有显著差异(P<0.05);其中,双瓣茉莉的单株生根数和平均根长均最大,重瓣茉莉的这2个生根指标均最小。解剖结构观察结果表明:3种瓣型茉莉插穗水培根尖具有细胞质染色较浅、根冠细胞壁较薄和细胞内含物较少等特征;根尖成熟区和伸长区都出现不规则的气腔,类似于水生植物根系通气组织的结构;但不同瓣型茉莉根冠和气腔性状有一定差异。单瓣、双瓣和重瓣茉莉根冠长度分别为550、503和480μm,根冠长/宽比分别为1.52、1.34和1.21,三者间均有显著差异(P<0.05);重瓣茉莉的根冠宽度最大(395μm)且与双瓣和单瓣茉莉差异显著(P<0.05)。单瓣茉莉每根尖气腔数及气腔长度和宽度均最小,与双瓣和重瓣茉莉差异显著(P<0.05);而重瓣茉莉气腔宽度最大、双瓣茉莉气腔长度最大。相关性分析结果表明:水培条件下茉莉插穗的生根能力与根冠和气腔各性状指标的相关性均不显著(P>0.05)。总体上看,水培条件下双瓣茉莉插穗生根能力最强,根尖内气腔数量多且通气组织状结构最为发达,其抗逆性较强与此有关。研究结果揭示:不同瓣型茉莉水培生根能力及根尖解剖结构变化与其对水生环境的适应性有一定关系。