QTLs involved in the restriction of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) long-distance movement in pepper

Partial restriction of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) long-distance movement originating from the Capsicum annuum inbred line ’Vania’ was assessed in a doubled-haploid progeny using two screening methods: the first allowed one to assess the resistance of adult plants decapitated above the fourth leaf and inoculated on the third leaf using a common CMV strain, and the second allowed one to assess CMV resistance to long-distance movement on seedlings inoculated using an atypical CMV strain. For both resistance tests, the behavior of the F₁ hybrid between ’Vania’ and the susceptible line ’H3’ indicated that partial resistance is inherited as a dominant trait. Phenotypic data from the two screening methods were correlated but the one performed on seedlings was much more severe. A subset of 184 molecular markers well-distributed over the pepper genome was selected for QTL mapping using the composite interval mapping (CIM) method. A total of seven genomic regions, including one major effect and several minor effect QTLs, were shown to be associated with partial restriction of CMV long-distance movement. These results are compared with those already obtained in pepper and also in other solanaceous crops, potato and tomato. Received: 22 March 2001 / Accepted: 9 July 2001     

3.0 T磁共振T2×mapping成像技术定量评估膝关节骨性关节炎的临床价值及与WOMAC评分的相关性分析

摘要 目的：研究3.0 T磁共振T2×mapping成像技术定量评估膝关节骨性关节炎（OA）的临床价值及与西安大略和麦克马斯特大学骨关节炎指数（WOMAC）评分的相关性。方法：将我院于2017年4月～2019年12月期间收治的膝关节OA患者80例纳入研究。根据K-L分级标准将膝关节OA患者分成轻度组（K-L分级为Ⅰ～Ⅱ级）32例,重度组（K-L分级为Ⅲ～Ⅴ级）48例。另取同期于我院进行体检的健康者30例作为对照组。所有受试者均接受3.0 T磁共振T2×mapping扫描,比较各组膝关节不同部位软骨T2值、WOMAC评分以及血清炎症因子水平,以Pearson相关性分析膝关节OA患者膝关节不同部位软骨T2值和WOMAC评分的关系。结果：重度组膝关节不同部位软骨T2值均高于轻度组以及对照组,且轻度组膝关节不同部位软骨T2值均高于对照组（均P＜0.05）。重度组各项WOMAC评分及总分均高于轻度组以及对照组,且轻度组各项WOMAC评分及总分均高于对照组（均P＜0.05）。经Pearson相关性分析发现：膝关节OA患者膝关节不同部位软骨T2值和各项WOMAC评分及总分均呈正相关（均P＜0.05）。重度组血清白介素-1β（IL-1β）、白介素-18（IL-18）、肿瘤坏死因子α（TNF-α）均高于轻度组以及对照组,且轻度组血清IL-1β、IL-18、TNF-α均高于对照组（均P＜0.05）。结论：3.0 T磁共振T2×mapping成像技术定量评估膝关节OA的临床价值较高,且患者膝关节不同部位软骨T2值与WOMAC评分密切相关。     

Quantitative genetics of growth and development in Populus. I. A three-generation comparison of tree architecture during the first 2 years of growth

One approach to gain an insight into the genetics of tree architecture is to make use of morphologically divergent parents and study their segregating progeny in the F₂ and backcross (B₁) generations. This approach was chosen in the present study in which material of a three-generation pedigree growing side by side in a replicated plantation, was analyzed. The pedigree included Populus trichocarpa (T) and P. deltoides (D) parents, their F₁ and F₂ hybrids and their B₁ hybrids to the D parent. The trees were grown in the environment of the T parent and measured for the first 2 years of growth. Nine quantitative traits were studied at the stem, branch and leaf levels of tree architecture, in which the original parents differed. Strong F₁ hybrid vigor relative to the better parent (T) was expressed in growth and its components. Most quantitative traits in the F₂ and B₁ hybrids were intermediate between the T and D parents but displayed a wide range of variation due to segregation. The results from the analysis of variance indicated that all morphometric traits were significantly different among F₂ and B₁ clones, but the B₁ hybrids were more sensitive to replicates than the F₂. Broad-sense heritabilities (H ²) based on clonal means ranged from moderately high to high (0.50–0.90) for the traits studied, with H ² values varying over age. The H ² estimates reflected greater environmental noise in the B₁ than in the F₂, presumably due to the greater proportion of maladaptive D alleles in those hybrids. In both families, sylleptic branch number and length, and leaf size on the terminal, showed strong genetic correlations with stem growth. The large divergence between the two original parents in the traits studied, combined with the high chromosome number in Populus (2n=38), makes this pedigree well suited for the estimation of the number of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) underlying quantitative variation by Wright's biometric method (1968). Variation in several traits was found to be under the control of surprisingly few major QTLs: 3–4 in 2nd-year height and diameter growth, a single QTL in stem diameter/height ratio.     

Genetic analysis of two tomato mutants affected in the regulation of iron metabolism

Iron is one of the most important micronutrients for plants. Like other organisms, plants have developed active mechanisms for the acquisition of sufficient iron from the soil. Nevertheless, very little is known about the genetic mechanisms that control the active uptake. In tomato, two spontaneously derived mutants are available, which are defective in key steps that control this process. The recessive mutationchloronerva (chln) affects a gene which controls the synthesis of the non-protein amino acid nicotianamine (NA), a key component in the iron physiology of plants. The root system of the recessive mutantfer is unable to induce any of the characteristic responses to iron deficiency and iron uptake is thus completely blocked. We present a characterization of the double mutant, showing that thefer gene is epistatic over thechln gene and thus very likely to be one of the major genetic elements controlling iron physiology in tomato. In order to gain access to these two genes at the molecular level, both mutants were precisely mapped onto the high density RFLP map of tomato. Thechln gene is located on chromosome 1 and thefer gene is on chromosome 6 of tomato. Using this high-resolution map, a chromosome walk has been started to isolate thefer gene by map-based cloning. The isolation of thefer gene will provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of iron uptake control in plants.     

Diversity and inheritance of inter-simple sequence repeat polymorphisms in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and sugi (Cryptomeria japonica)

We studied inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) polymorphism and inheritance in Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] and sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) megagametophytes using primers that anneal to simple repeats of various lengths, sequences, and non-repetitive motifs at the 5 and 3 ends. Products were visualized on agarose gels with ethidium bromide staining. More than 60% of the 96 primers tested gave interpretable banding patterns in both Douglas-fir and sugi, and the useful primers were in complete agreement among species. Dinucleotide repeat primers were the majority of those tested, and gave all of the useful banding patterns. The 24 best primers were used for segregation studies, yielding a total of 77 loci distributed among two Douglas-fir families and one sugi family. Approximately 90% of the 24 primers showed polymorphism within at least one of the three families. The average number of variable loci per primer was 1.6. Primers based on (AG) _n repeats gave the largest number of polymorphic loci; 16 primer-family combinations yielded 24 segregating loci. However, primer based on (GT) _n repeats gave the most loci per primer studied (mean of 2.0). All markers displayed apparent dominance (band presence vs absence), and all but three segregation ratios (4%) fit Mendelian expectations: Because they employ longer primers than do RAPDs, have a high degree of polymorphism, conform well to Mendelian expectations, and do not require use of acrylamide gels for analysis, ISSRs may be useful markers for PCR-based genome maps and population studies of conifers.Paper 3082 of the Forest Research Laboratory, Oregon State University     

Development and Application of Microsatellites in Candidate Genes Related to Wood Properties in the Chinese White Poplar (Populus tomentosa Carr.)

Gene-derived simple sequence repeats (genic SSRs), also known as functional markers, are often preferred over random genomic markers because they represent variation in gene coding and/or regulatory regions. We characterized 544 genic SSR loci derived from 138 candidate genes involved in wood formation, distributed throughout the genome of Populus tomentosa, a key ecological and cultivated wood production species. Of these SSRs, three-quarters were located in the promoter or intron regions, and dinucleotide (59.7%) and trinucleotide repeat motifs (26.5%) predominated. By screening 15 wild P. tomentosa ecotypes, we identified 188 polymorphic genic SSRs with 861 alleles, 2–7 alleles for each marker. Transferability analysis of 30 random genic SSRs, testing whether these SSRs work in 26 genotypes of five genus Populus sections (outgroup, Salix matsudana), showed that 72% of the SSRs could be amplified in Turanga and 100% could be amplified in Leuce. Based on genotyping of these 26 genotypes, a neighbour-joining analysis showed the expected six phylogenetic groupings. In silico analysis of SSR variation in 220 sequences that are homologous between P. tomentosa and Populus trichocarpa suggested that genic SSR variations between relatives were predominantly affected by repeat motif variations or flanking sequence mutations. Inheritance tests and single-marker associations demonstrated the power of genic SSRs in family-based linkage mapping and candidate gene-based association studies, as well as marker-assisted selection and comparative genomic studies of P. tomentosa and related species.     

RFLP mapping of quantitative trait loci controlling abscisic acid concentration in leaves of drought-stressed maize (Zea mays L.)

 Abscisic acid (ABA) concentration in leaves of drought-stressed plants is a quantitatively inherited trait. In order to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling leaf ABA concentration (L-ABA) in maize, leaf samples were collected from 80 F_3:4 families of the cross Os420 (high L-ABA)×IABO78 (low L-ABA) tested under drought conditions in field trials conducted over 2 years. In each year, leaf samples were collected at stem elongation and near anthesis. The genetic map obtained with 106 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) loci covered 1370 cM, which represented approximately 85% of the UMC maize map. Sixteen different QTLs with a LOD>2.0 were revealed in at least one sampling. Across samplings, only four QTLs significantly influenced L-ABA, accounting for 66% of the phenotypic variation and 76% of the genetic variation among families. At these QTLs, the alleles which increased L-ABA were contributed by Os420. The two most important QTLs were mapped on chromosome 2 near csu133 and csu109a. The effects associated with the QTL near csu133 were more pronounced near anthesis. The support intervals of the four primary QTLs for L-ABA did not overlap the presumed map position of mutants impaired in ABA biosynthesis. Received: 27 January 1998 / Accepted: 22 April 1998     

工业生态学研究足迹迁移——基于Citespace II的分析

由于工业发展与环境关系愈发恶化,可持续发展问题日益突出,有必要通过回顾工业生态学研究来寻找理论指导。利用引文空间分析工具Citespace Ⅱ,通过绘制工业生态学知识图谱,以定量与定性结合方法,系统梳理国内外工业生态学研究成果,挖掘工业生态学的知识基础、发展脉络和研究热点。研究发现:工业生态学是一门交叉性学科,涉及环境科学、生态学、管理学和经济学;生态工业园仍为工业发展重要方向,需要结合生态系统理论与工业流程重构对其加以改善;城市、农业、共生成为当前研究热点;生命周期评估、投入产出分析和工业代谢仍为重要分析工具;我国工业生态问题将成为未来关注重点。     

Discovering Candidate Chromosomal Regions Linked to Kernel Size-Related Traits via QTL Mapping and Bulked Sample Analysis in Maize

Kernel size-related traits, including kernel length, kernel width, and kernel thickness, are critical components in determining yield and kernel quality in maize (Zea mays L.). Dissecting the phenotypic characteristics of these traits, and discovering the candidate chromosomal regions for these traits, are of potential importance for maize yield and quality improvement. In this study, a total of 139 F2:3 family lines derived from EHel and B73, a distinct line with extremely low ear height (EHel), was used for phenotyping and QTL mapping of three kernel size-related traits, including 10-kernel length (KL), 10-kernel width (KWid), and 10-kernel thickness (KT). The results showed that only one QTL for KWid, i.e., qKWid9 on Chr9, with a phenotypic variation explained (PVE) of 13.4% was detected between SNPs of AX-86298371 and AX-86298372, while no QTLs were detected for KL and KT across all 10 chromosomes. Four bulked groups of family lines, i.e., Groups I to IV, were constructed with F2:3 family lines according to the phenotypic comparisons of KWid between EHel and B73. Among these four groups, Group I possessed a significantly lower KWid than EHel (P = 0.0455), Group II was similar to EHel (P = 0.34), while both Group III and Group IV were statistically higher than EHel (P < 0.05). Besides, except Group IV exhibited a similar KWid to B73 (P = 0.11), KWid of Groups I to III were statistically lower than B73 (P < 0.00). By comparing the bulked genotypes of the four groups to EHel and B73, a stable chromosomal region on Chr9 between SNPs of AX-86298372 to AX-86263154, entirely covered by qKWid9, was identified to link KWid with the positive allele of increasing phenotypic effect to KWid from B73, similar to that of qKWid9. A large amount of enzyme activity and macromolecule binding-related genes were annotated within this chromosomal region, suggesting qKWid9 as a potential QTL for KWid in maize.