1
|
Boucher JJ, Ireland HS, Wang R, David KM, Schaffer RJ. The genetic control of herkogamy. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2024; 51:FP23315. [PMID: 38687848 DOI: 10.1071/fp23315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Herkogamy is the spatial separation of anthers and stigmas within complete flowers, and is a key floral trait that promotes outcrossing in many angiosperms. The degree of separation between pollen-producing anthers and receptive stigmas has been shown to influence rates of self-pollination amongst plants, with a reduction in herkogamy increasing rates of successful selfing in self-compatible species. Self-pollination is becoming a critical issue in horticultural crops grown in environments where biotic pollinators are limited, absent, or difficult to utilise. In these cases, poor pollination results in reduced yield and misshapen fruit. Whilst there is a growing body of work elucidating the genetic basis of floral organ development, the genetic and environmental control points regulating herkogamy are poorly understood. A better understanding of the developmental and regulatory pathways involved in establishing varying degrees of herkogamy is needed to provide insights into the production of flowers more adept at selfing to produce consistent, high-quality fruit. This review presents our current understanding of herkogamy from a genetics and hormonal perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques-Joseph Boucher
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd, 55 Old Mill Road, Motueka 7198, New Zealand; and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Hilary S Ireland
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd, Private Bag 92196, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Ruiling Wang
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd, Private Bag 92196, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Karine M David
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Robert J Schaffer
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd, 55 Old Mill Road, Motueka 7198, New Zealand; and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang J, Shi J, Zeng K, Cai M, Lan X. Transcriptomic landscape of staminate catkins development during overwintering process in Betula platyphylla. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 14:1249122. [PMID: 38259941 PMCID: PMC10801112 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1249122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Betula platyphylla, belonging to the cold-specialized lineage Betulaceae, exhibits a unique reproductive strategy where staminate catkins emerge in the first summer and undergo an overwintering process, culminating in flowering in the following year. However, the underlying regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the male germline development of B. platyphylla in four distinct stages: microsporocytes in Oct. (S1), uninuclear microspores from Dec. (S2) to Mar. of the following year (S3), and bicellular microspores in Apr. (S4). We performed RNA sequencing on mature pollen and the four stages of staminate catkins. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified five highly correlated gene modules with distinct expression profiles. These modules exhibited strong correlations with sugar metabolism, cell cycle, flowering, and cell wall dynamics, highlighting their dynamic roles during male germline developmental stages. During the overwintering process, we observed that the expression of transcription factors such as BpDUO1 and BpAMS at the appropriate developmental stages, suggests their significant roles in male germline development. The expression patterns of BpFLC and BpFT suggest their potential involvement in temperature perception during male reproductive development. These findings offer valuable insights into the reproductive success of plants adapting to cold environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Xingguo Lan
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Xiao Y, Xiao C, He X, Yang X, Tong Z, Wang Z, Sun Z, Qiu W. A Novel Non-Specific Lipid Transfer Protein Gene, CmnsLTP6.9, Enhanced Osmotic and Drought Tolerance by Regulating ROS Scavenging and Remodeling Lipid Profiles in Chinese Chestnut ( Castanea mollissima Blume). PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3916. [PMID: 38005813 PMCID: PMC10675601 DOI: 10.3390/plants12223916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) is an important economic tree owing to its tasty fruit and adaptability to environmental stresses, especially drought. Currently, there is limited information about non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP) genes that respond to abiotic stress in chestnuts. Here, a chestnut nsLTP, named CmnsLTP6.9, was identified and analyzed. The results showed that the CmnsLTP6.9 protein localized in the extracellular matrix had two splicing variants (CmnsLTP6.9L and CmnsLTP6.9S). Compared with CmnsLTP6.9L, CmnsLTP6.9S had an 87 bp deletion in the 5'-terminal. Overexpression of CmnsLTP6.9L in Arabidopsis enhanced tolerance to osmotic and drought stress. Upon exposure to osmotic and drought treatment, CmnsLTP6.9L could increase reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging enzyme activity, alleviating ROS damage. However, CmnsLTP6.9S-overexpressing lines showed no significant differences in phenotype, ROS content, and related enzyme activities compared with the wild type (WT) under osmotic and drought treatment. Moreover, lipid metabolism analysis confirmed that, unlike CmnsLTP6.9S, CmnsLTP6.9L mainly altered and upregulated many fatty acyls and glycerophospholipids, which implied that CmnsLTP6.9L and CmnsLTP6.9S played different roles in lipid transference in the chestnut. Taken together, we analyzed the functions of CmnsLTP6.9L and CmnsLTP6.9S, and demonstrated that CmnsLTP6.9L enhanced drought and osmotic stress tolerance through ROS scavenging and lipid metabolism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Wenming Qiu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Fruit Trees, Institute of Fruit and Tea, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China; (Y.X.); (C.X.); (X.H.); (X.Y.); (Z.T.); (Z.W.); (Z.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Li C, Li Y, Song G, Yang D, Xia Z, Sun C, Zhao Y, Hou M, Zhang M, Qi Z, Wang B, Wang H. Gene expression and expression quantitative trait loci analyses uncover natural variations underlying the improvement of important agronomic traits during modern maize breeding. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 115:772-787. [PMID: 37186341 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major staple crop worldwide, and during modern maize breeding, cultivars with increased tolerance to high-density planting and higher yield per plant have contributed significantly to the increased yield per unit land area. Systematically identifying key agronomic traits and their associated genomic changes during modern maize breeding remains a significant challenge because of the complexity of genetic regulation and the interactions of the various agronomic traits, with most of them being controlled by numerous small-effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Here, we performed phenotypic and gene expression analyses for a set of 137 elite inbred lines of maize from different breeding eras in China. We found four yield-related traits are significantly improved during modern maize breeding. Through gene-clustering analyses, we identified four groups of expressed genes with distinct trends of expression pattern change across the historical breeding eras. In combination with weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we identified several candidate genes regulating various plant architecture- and yield-related agronomic traits, such as ZmARF16, ZmARF34, ZmTCP40, ZmPIN7, ZmPYL10, ZmJMJ10, ZmARF1, ZmSWEET15b, ZmGLN6 and Zm00001d019150. Further, by combining expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) analyses, correlation coefficient analyses and population genetics, we identified a set of candidate genes that might have been under selection and contributed to the genetic improvement of various agronomic traits during modern maize breeding, including a number of known key regulators of plant architecture, flowering time and yield-related traits, such as ZmPIF3.3, ZAG1, ZFL2 and ZmBES1. Lastly, we validated the functional variations in GL15, ZmPHYB2 and ZmPYL10 that influence kernel row number, flowering time, plant height and ear height, respectively. Our results demonstrates the effectiveness of our combined approaches for uncovering key candidate regulatory genes and functional variation underlying the improvement of important agronomic traits during modern maize breeding, and provide a valuable genetic resource for the molecular breeding of maize cultivars with tolerance for high-density planting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Changyu Li
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
- Key Laboratory of Herbage and Endemic Crop Biology, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China
| | - Yaoyao Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Guangshu Song
- Maize Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Gongzhuling, 136100, China
| | - Di Yang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Zhanchao Xia
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Changhe Sun
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yuelei Zhao
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Mei Hou
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Mingyue Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Zhi Qi
- Key Laboratory of Herbage and Endemic Crop Biology, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China
| | - Baobao Wang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
- HainanYazhou Bay Seed Lab, Sanya, 572025, China
| | - Haiyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| |
Collapse
|