Apomixis in plants: structural and functional aspects of diplospory inPoa nemoralis andP. palustris

Summary Data on structural and functional aspects of mitotic diplospory and later stages of apomictic seed formation are reported forPoa palustris andP. nemoralis. In this study, the plant material of two Russian populations ofP. nemoralis andP. palustris were used for transmission electron microscope observations. Seed formation was investigated by phase contrast microscopy in two populations ofP. nemoralis collected in The Netherlands. The processes of transformation of the megasporocytes to the megaspore mother cells of diplosporous embryo sacs, and thereafter to one- and two-nucleate diplosporous embryo sacs (Antennaria type) were characterized by an increase of cell size, structural and functional reorganization of the nucleus, nucleolus, and cytoplasm, and cell isolation as a result of thickening of the cell wall. These were accompanied by an increase in the cell metabolic activity inferred from visual evidence of the activation of nucleus, nucleolus, endoplasmic reticulum, dictyosomes, mitochondria, and from the appearance of a dense population of ribosomes and polysomes. The diplosporous embryo sac of the Antennaria type was characteristic for bothP. nemoralis andP. palustris. No signs of the presence of synaptonemal complexes were observed during the process of diplosporous-embryo-sac megaspore mother cell differentiation and division. About 90–95% of the diploid egg cells of diplosporous embryo sacs were able to produce apomictic embryos. These embryos developed before anthesis. However, many of them degenerated at the globular stage because of lack of endosperm. The ultrastructural events occurring during the process of diplospory of apomictic species, and meiosis and megagametogenesis of sexually reproduced plants are discussed.Abbreviations DMC megaspore mother cell of diplosporous embryo sac - TEM transmission electron microscopy - ER endoplasmic reticulum     

单子叶植物无融合生殖的研究进展

植物的无融合生殖是指不经过雌雄配子融合而产生种子的一种特殊生殖方式。由于利用无融合生殖途径可以固定杂种优势 ,从而改良现有植物的育种策略 ,因此对无融合生殖的研究已成为生物学科的新生长点。本文主要从无融合生殖的概念和类型 ,无融合生殖在单子叶植物中的分布 ,无融合生殖的胚胎学 ,分子生物学和遗传学机制及创造新的无融合生殖种质资源的方法等 6方面对单子叶植物的无融合生殖的研究进展进行了综述 ,并提出了今后开展无融合生殖研究的思路和设想     

赤苎无融合生殖细胞胚胎学研究

对赤苎(Boehmeria silvestrii (Pamp.)W.T.Wang)细胞胚胎学研究表明,其生殖模式属无融合生殖的二倍体孢子生殖(diplospory),但其未减数胚囊的发育途径不同于已报道的类型。大孢子母细胞的减数分裂I在到达终变期时停滞,染色体呈单价体状态并维持较长的时间。在尚未到达以核膜、核仁消失,纺锤体出现为特征的中期I前,大孢子母细胞由终变期直接“跳”入间期,从而始终保持了二倍体水平。减数分裂Ⅱ正常进行并产生二倍体二分孢子。珠孔端孢子退化,合点端孢子经3次分裂形成包括1个卵细胞、2个助细胞、2个极核和3个反足细胞的八核胚囊。胚和胚乳分别起源于卵和次生核未受精的自发分裂。胚乳属核型,其发育早于胚。     

Gene expression in diplosporous and sexual Eragrostis curvula genotypes with differing ploidy levels

The molecular nature of gene expression during the initiation and progress of diplosporous apomixis is still unknown. Moreover, the basis of the close correlation between diplospory and polyploidy is not clarified yet. A comparative expression analysis was performed based on expressed sequence tags (ESTs) sequencing and differential display in an Eragrostis curvula diplosporous tetraploid genotype (T, 4x apo), a sexual diploid derivative obtained from tissue culture (D, 2x sex) and an artificial sexual tetraploid obtained from the diploid seeds after colchicine treatment (C, 4x sex). From a total of 8,884 unigenes sequenced from inflorescence-derived libraries, 112 (1.26%) showed significant differential expression in individuals with different ploidy level and/or variable reproductive mode. Independent comparisons between plants with different reproductive mode (same ploidy) or different ploidy level (same reproductive mode) allowed the identification of genes modulated in response to diplosporous development or polyploidization, respectively. Surprisingly, a group of genes (Group 3) were differentially expressed or silenced only in the 4x sex plant, presenting similar levels of expression in the 4x apo and the 2x sex genotypes. A group of randomly selected differential genes was validated by QR-PCR. Differential display analysis showed that in general the 4x apo and 4x sex expression profiles were more related and different from the 2x sex one, but confirmed the existence of Group 3-type genes, in both inflorescences and leaves. The possible biological significance for the occurrence of this particular group of genes is discussed. In silico mapping onto the rice genome was used to identify candidates mapping to the region syntenic to the diplospory locus. Gerardo D. L. Cervigni, Norma Paniego and Silvina Pessino contributed equally to the work.     

高粱SSA-1无融合生殖胚胎学研究

经常规石蜡切片法,在光学水平观察了高粱（Ｓｏｒｇｈｕｍ ｂｉｃｏｌｏｒ （Ｌ．） Ｍｏｅｎｃｈ） ＳＳＡ－１ 无融合生殖的胚胎发生。高粱ＳＳＡ－１ 的无融合生殖为无孢子生殖和二倍体孢子生殖两种类型。两种生殖类型的单核胚囊经３ 次有丝分裂形成７ 细胞（８ 核）的成熟胚囊,由卵细胞、２ 个助细胞、２ 个极核和３ 个反足细胞组成。反足细胞迅速分裂增殖,形成由２０—３０ 个细胞组成的细胞团。此外,还具有一定频率的无孢子生殖多孢原和多胚囊现象。在未授粉情况下,卵细胞自发分裂形成典型的禾本科类型单子叶胚。经切片统计表明,ＳＳＡ－１ 的无融合生殖频率为４２％ ,证明该系为一兼性无融合生殖系。文中还讨论了ＳＳＡ－１ 无融合生殖过程的特点。     

Apomixis via recombination of genome regions for apomeiosis (diplospory) and parthenogenesis in Erigeron (daisy fleabane, Asteraceae)

Apomixis in daisy fleabanes (Erigeron annuus and E. strigosus) is controlled by two genetically unlinked loci that regulate, independently, the formation of unreduced female gametophytes (apomeiosis, diplospory) and autonomous seed formation (parthenogenesis). In this work, fully apomictic F2s were regenerated by crossing F1s bearing, separately, these two functional regions. Two triploid (3x = 2n = 27) highly diplosporous F1s served as seed parents to an aneuploid (2x + 1 = 2n = 19) meiotic pollen donor bearing four AFLP markers linked to parthenogenetic seed formation but producing only abortive embryos and endosperm. Of 408 hybrids, 21 (5.1%) produced seed. Nine of these putative apomicts were tetraploids (4x), likely combining an unreduced egg from the diplosporous seed parent and a haploid gamete from the pollen parent (3x + x). The other 12 hybrid apomicts were pentaploid, interpreted as arising from the fusion of an unreduced diplosporous egg with an unreduced sperm cell (3x + 2x). Analysis indicated that all but three of the 21 synthetic apomicts recombined markers linked to diplospory and parthenogenesis. In addition, three additional hybrids combined markers linked to the two functional regions but produced only aborted embryos. The apomicts varied in percentage of diplosporous ovules (4.7–95.3% of all ovules produced) and in percentage of ovules that developed into seed (3.8–58.0%). These results support the hypothesis that apomeiosis and autonomous seed formation are genetically distinct, and that the traits can be separated and recombined to create hybrids exhibiting apomixis at near wildtype levels.     

Evolution of gametophytic apomixis in flowering plants: an alternative model from Maloid Rosaceae

Gametophytic apomixis, asexual reproduction involving megagametophytes, occurs in many flowering-plant families and as several variant mechanisms. Developmental destabilization of sexual reproduction as a result of hybridization and/or polyploidy appears to be a general trigger for its evolution, but the evidence is complicated by ploidy-level changes and hybridization occurring with facultative apomixis. The repeated origins of polyploid apomictic complexes in the palaeopolyploid Maloid Rosaceae suggest a new model of evolutionary transitions that may have wider applicability. Two conjectures are fundamental to this model: (1) that as previously suggested by Rutishauser, like many sexual flowering plants the polyploid apomicts require maternal–paternal balance in the second fertilization event that gives rise to the endosperm, and (2) that the observed variation in endosperm ploidy levels relates less to flexibility late in development than to the known variation in developmental origin of the megagametophyte between mechanisms loosely categorized as diplospory and apospory. The model suggests explanations for the relative frequencies of apospory and diplospory, and for the wide but incomplete associations of apospory with a pollination requirement (pseudogamy) and of diplospory with autonomous development of the endosperm. It is suggested that pollination from other taxa may provide some adaptive advantage to pseudogamous apospory. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Embryological Study on Apomixis in a Sorghum Line SSA-1

The Developmental process of apomictic embryo sac and embryo in a sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. ) line SSA-1 was observed under light microscope, using the method of conventional paraffin sectioning. The result showed that the apomictic development conforms apospory and diplospory. The uninucleate embryo sac underwent mitotic divisions for three times to form a seven-celled or eight-nuclei mature embryo sac including an egg, two synergids, two polar nuclei and three antipodals. The antipodals divided and multiplicated to form an antipodal mass. Moreover, aposporous multiarchesporial cells and multiple embryo sacs were infrequently observed. Without pollination, the egg divided autonomously to form a typical graminaceous mature embryo. The authors counted the apomictic sections in the whole sections and the result showed that the frequency of apomixis was 42%, indicating the facultative apomictic property in the line SSA-1. The characteristics of apomictic process in the line SSA-1 is also discussed.     

水稻PDER品系的特点和二倍体孢子生殖胚囊的形成和发育

对水稻（ＯｒｙｚａｓａｔｉｖａＬ．）早发生胚ＰＤＥＲ（ｐｒｅ－ｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｅｄｅｍｂｒｙｏｏｆｒｉｃｅ）品系的特点和细胞胚胎学研究表明,ＰＤＥＲ是二倍体植物２ｎ＝２４,约有５０％胚囊的卵细胞未经受精能自行发育形成胚,成熟种子的萌发和生长速度较常规正常水稻快。ＰＤＥＲ的大孢子母细胞经有丝分裂产生未减数的胚囊,即无融合生殖中的二倍体孢子生殖类型。在胚囊形成和发育过程中有如下几个特点：（１）孢原细胞至大孢子母细胞分裂前的过渡期持续时间较长,孢原细胞和大孢子母细胞的细胞质比周围的珠心细胞质稀淡。（２）大孢子母细胞经二次有丝分裂后形成直线排列的三个细胞（三分体）,珠孔端的两个解体,合点端的一个发育为功能细胞,有少数胚囊的三个细胞全部解体形成败育胚囊。（３）功能细胞经三次连续核分裂形成具八核七个细胞的成熟胚囊,它的结构与常规正常水稻基本相同,但助细胞呈长形而没有回抱着卵细胞。