Rosaceae Species Research Articles

Characterization of the MAPK Gene Family and PbrMAPK13 Response to Hormone and Temperature Stresses via Different Expression Pattern in Pyrus ×bretschneideri Pollen

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are universal signal-transduction modules, but the available information is limited in pear (Pyrus). In this study, 87 MAPK genes were identified from five Rosaceae species: chinese white pear (Pyrus ×bretschneideri cv. Dangshansuli), peach (Prunus persica), apple (Malus domestica), strawberry (Fragaria vesca), and plum (Prunus mume), 23 of which came from chinese white pear, designated as PbrMAPK. Based on the phylogenetic analysis and the architectures of conserved protein motifs of these gene sequences, MAPK family genes of five Rosaceae species were classified into two primary types (I and II) or four groups (Classes A–D). We have indicated that both segment and tandem duplications significantly contributed to the expansion of the MAPK family in Rosaceae by analysis of genomic evolution. In chinese white pear pollen, the expression analysis revealed that all PbrMAPKs could respond to temperature stresses (high/low temperature) and phytohormones, except PbrMAPK8 and PbrMAPK19 that displayed lower expressions, which suggested that PbrMAPKs play pivotal roles in signal-transduction pathways. In addition, we determined that PbrMAPK13 is located in the nucleus and plasma membranes. The lengths of pollen tubes became shorter when PbrMAPK13 was silenced by antisense oligonucleotide transfection. Our results provided an evolutionary foundation and functional characterization for MAPK gene families in chinese white pear and other plant species so as to elucidate their biological roles.

A New Species and Two New Synonyms in ChineseRubus(Rosaceae)

Rubus yingjiangensis Huan C. Wang, a new species in Rosaceae from Yunnan, southwest China, is described and illustrated. It resembles R. chaetophorus, but clearly differs from it by lacking glandular hairs, 12–18 cm long leaves cordate-auriculate at the base and abaxially tomentose, with the apex acuminate to long acuminate, hypanthium which is 0.5–0.7 cm in diameter, 0.8–1 cm long sepals, and 0.6–0.8 cm long petals. The names R. mallotifolius and R. sapaensis are treated as taxonomic synonyms of R. nigricaulis, which has almost been overlooked in modern taxonomic literature.

Erwinia amylovora . [Distribution map

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Erwinia amylovora (Burrill) Winslow. Gammaproteobacteria: Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae. Hosts: apple ( Malus domestica ), pear ( Pyrus spp.) and some other species of Rosaceae. Information is given on the geographical distribution in Europe (Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, mainland France, Germany, Greece, Crete, Hungary, Irish Republic, Italy, mainland Italy, Sicily, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Central Russia, Russian Far East, Southern Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, mainland Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Ukraine), Asia (Armenia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey), Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia), North America (Canada, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Mexico, USA, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming), Central America and Caribbean (Bermuda and Guatemala) and Oceania (Australia, Victoria and New Zealand).

Novel Rosaceae plant elicitor peptides as sustainable tools to control Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni in Prunus spp.

Fruit crops are regarded as important health promoters and constitute a major part of global agricultural production, and Rosaceae species are of high economic impact. Their culture is threatened by bacterial diseases, whose control is based on preventative treatments using compounds of limited efficacy and negative environmental impact. One of the most economically relevant examples is the pathogen Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap) affecting Prunus spp. The plant immune response against pathogens can be triggered and amplified by plant elicitor peptides (Peps), perceived by specific receptors (PEPRs). Although they have been described in various angiosperms, scarce information is available on Rosaceae species. Here, we identified the Pep precursor (PROPEP), Pep and PEPR orthologues of 10 Rosaceae species and confirmed the presence of the Pep/PEPR system in this family. We showed the perception and elicitor activity of Rosaceae Peps using the Prunus-Xap pathosystem as proof-of-concept. Treatment with nanomolar doses of Peps induced the corresponding PROPEP and a set of defence-related genes in Prunus leaves, and enhanced resistance against Xap. Peps from the same species had the highest efficiencies. Rosaceae Peps could potentially be used to develop natural, targeted and environmentally friendly strategies to enhance the resistance of Prunus species against biotic attackers.

Proline accumulation and related gene expression during spring regrowth in three rosaceae species

Proline (Pro), one of amino acids, not only acts as an osmoprotectant but also is involved in plant developmental processes. We previously revealed that Pro levels increased in peach (Prunus persica) shoots during dehardening in response to warmer temperatures during spring or in controlled laboratory conditions. Our subsequent work suggested that such Pro accumulation is associated with the resumption of growth in eco-dormant shoots and mediated via the ornithine pathway in peach. The present study was conducted to explore whether the aforementioned Pro accumulation response also occurs in other species of the Rosaceae family. Our data indicate that the Pro content of peach and plum (P. salicina) shoots increased during the spring regrowth and were highly similar between these two related species. Whereas the ornithine-δ-aminotransferase (OAT) gene expression dynamics in peach were correlated with Pro accumulation pattern and with pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase (P5CR) gene expression, OAT expression was not correlated with the Pro content in plum. For apple (Malus domestica), while the absolute amounts of Pro content differed from those of the two Prunus species, this species accumulated Pro during the spring warming/regrowth. These results suggest that Pro accumulation in response to higher temperatures during the spring regrowth is a more general phenomenon across Rosaceae fruit trees, and although peach shoots may accumulate Pro via the ornithine pathway during spring regrowth, there was no evidence for this in plum and apple.

Polymorphism of the rps16 gene intron in Malus Mill. and related Rosaceae Juss. species

The intron of the chloroplast rps16 gene encoding ribosomal protein 16S belongs to group II introns, which have the capacity to self-splice. The sequence of this intron may be quite polymorphic and is widely used for molecular-genetic studies of different plant families. But regions of the intron important for splicing and organization of the pre-mRNA secondary structure in Rosaceae species including the genus Malus have not yet been described. The aim of the work was to characterize the nucleotide sequences of the rps16 gene intron, to study their polymorphism and to identify the individual structural elements of the intron determining the correct splicing of the rps16 gene in Malus species and related Rosaceae species. Nucleotide sequences of the rps16 chloroplast gene group II intron from 32 Malus species and 17 related Rosaceae species were amplified, sequenced and their polymorphism was analyzed. The rps16 intron sequence in the genus Malus appeared to be very conservative (1.5 %), as well as in Prunus species, the level of the rps16 intron polymorphism was slightly higher (2.25 %). In the studied sequences the boundaries of the six functional domains typical of group II introns and IBS/EBS binding sites were identified. Variability of all the domains and inter-domain regions was studied. Domains V and VI were the most conservative, which may be due to their role in the positioning of the pre-mRNA structures and formation of the catalytically active secondary structure. Thus, polymorphism of the rps16 gene intron was for the first time studied in Malus species and related Rosaceae species. The boundaries of all six functional domains typical of group II introns and IBS/EBS binding sites were identified. The most conservative were domains V and VI.

Long Term Monitoring of Rosa arabica Populations as a Threatened Species in South Sinai, Egypt

Rosa arabica is a threatened species of the family Rosaceae, endemic to Mount Catherine region in the South Sinai, Egypt. The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of the R. arabica populations after a conservation program that has been started eighteen years ago. Fencing of the target species was applied in three main locations in Saint Katherine protectorate; Kahf El-Ghola, Wadi El-Arbaen and Shaq Mussa. Soil analysis and seed bank content were assessed for the three localities. Evaluation of the obtained results showed that R. arabica has negatively reacted to the fencing in enclosures of Kahf El-Ghola and Shaq Mussa, while the enclosure in Wadi El-Arbaen showed a significant increase in plant growth and cover. The soil seed bank of Rosa arabica reflected a reluctant of seed germination and no emergence of Rosa seedlings were observed, however, other important species (including endemic sp.) which was not in the standing vegetation were recorded. Thymus decussatus, Capparis sinaica, Mentha longifolia, Peganum harmala, Pulicaria crispa, Teucrium polium, and Verbascum sinaiticum, are examples of the emerged species out of the soil seed bank.

黄土丘陵沟壑区潜在抗侵蚀植物分析

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 黄土丘陵沟壑区潜在抗侵蚀植物分析 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201510072015 作者: 作者单位: 中国科学院水利部水土保持研究所,西北农林科技大学,西北农林科技大学 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金面上资助项目（41371280，41030532） Potential erosion-resistant species analysis in the hill-gully region of the Loess Plateau Author: Affiliation: Institute of Soil and Water Conservasion, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources,Northwest A&F university, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:基于对黄土丘陵沟壑区延河流域多年（2003-2014年）植被调查资料的整理分析，根据抗侵蚀植物定义及Braun-Blanquet植物社会学方法，筛选该区潜在的抗侵蚀植物，阐明不同抗侵蚀植物的分布特征及其生存繁衍能力。结果表明：1）共筛选出潜在的抗侵蚀植物42种，分属18科33属，禾本科、豆科、菊科、蔷薇科物种最多，占总物种数的66%。2）42种植物中85%的物种生活型为高位芽、地上芽和地面芽植物，76%的物种生长型为灌木/小灌木和多年生草本，78%的物种水分生态类型为旱生和中生；结合该流域的气候条件及42种植物的分布范围，可将其分成广幅种、中幅种、窄幅种3种类型。3）55%的物种最大盖度超过50%，可成为群落的建群种或单优种；其它最大盖度小于50%的物种多成为群落的共优种，这些物种具有较高的盖度和地上生物量，表明植物能适应该区侵蚀环境且长势较好。4）42种植物几乎都具有土壤种子库和幼苗库，60%的物种具有植冠种子库；除一年生植物，其他植物均可进行营养繁殖，表明潜在的抗侵蚀植物均能维持自身的生存繁衍。5）42种植物中有13种为主杆型植物，其较大的冠幅能够保护基部土壤；8种疏丛型植物具较强的保护土体和拦截沉积物能力；6种聚丛型和7种簇丛型植物能有效拦截沉积物。总之，只占研究区记录的总物种数13%的潜在抗侵蚀植物具有种子库和幼苗库，多年生植物以营养生殖为主，能维持自身的生存繁衍；由于植冠对其下土壤的保护和植物基部茎对沉积物的拦截，在植物基部能形成土堆，可有效控制土壤侵蚀。 Abstract:The Loess Plateau is well known for its severe soil erosion. Soil erosion severely interferes with the process of plant development and succession. However, plants do survive in this region of very serious soil erosion. These individuals can overcome stress and disturbance due to soil erosion through various breeding strategies, as well as through morphological and physiological compensation. Therefore, a plant is considered erosion-resistant when it not only has survived and adapted to the soil erosion environment, but it can also protect and improve the soil, prevent further soil erosion, regenerate itself, and maintain the plant community's stability and sustainable development. This study was based on several years (2003-2014) of vegetation survey data of the Yan river basin in the hill-gully region of the Loess Plateau. The research objective was to select potential erosion-resistant species, and subsequently illustrate their distribution characteristics and their survival and propagation ability. The definition of erosion-resistant species and Braun-Blanquet phytosociology methods were used to select potential erosion-resistant species. The main results were as follows:1) A total of 42 potential erosion-resistant species were selected, which belong to 18 families and 33 genera. Gramineae, Leguminosae, Compositae, and Rosaceae species accounted for 66% of the total potential erosion-resistant species. 2) Phanerophyte, chamaephytes, and hemicryptophytes were the main plant life forms, and they accounted for 85% of the total erosion-resistant species. Shrubs or small shrubs, and perennial herbs were the main plant growth forms, and they accounted for 76% of the total erosion-resistant species. Xerophyte and mesophyte plants were the main plant water ecological types, accounting for 78% of the total erosion-resistant species. Furthermore, combined with the climatic conditions of study area, the 42 potential erosion-resistant species could be divided into three types:eurytopic species, medium amplitude species, and stenotic species. 3) Overall, 55% of the species were erosion-resistant, having a maximum cover over 50%, and could be the structural or single dominant species in a community. Maximum cover of the other species was less than 50%, and these species usually were the co-dominant species. All potential erosion-resistant species had a high cover and aboveground biomass, indicating that these species could adapt to different erosion environments and grow adequately. 4) Almost all 42 potential erosion-resistant species had a soil seed bank and seedling emergence, and 60% erosion-resistant species had canopy seed bank. Except for annual plants, allspecies were able to reproduce asexually. This result indicated that the potential erosion-resistant species could maintain their own survival and reproduction. 5) From the 42 potential erosion-resistant species, 13 had a basal stem-shoot architecture, with a large crown that can protect the base soil. Furthermore, eight species have an expanding shoot architecture, which display a strong ability to protect the soil and intercept sediments. In addition, six species have dense shoot architecture, and seven have a tussock-forming shoot architecture. Both types can effectively intercept sediments. In conclusion, the potential erosion-resistant species, which only occupied 13% of the total species recorded, had a seed and seedling bank. Furthermore, the perennial plants mainly employed vegetative reproduction, and could maintain their own survival and reproduction. Because the plant crowns can protect the soil surface and plant base stems can intercept sediments, a mound can be formed in the plant base, which will effectively control soil erosion. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

The sweet cherry (Prunus avium) FLOWERING LOCUS T gene is expressed during floral bud determination and can promote flowering in a winter-annual Arabidopsis accession.

FT gene is expressed in leaves and buds and is involved in floral meristem determination and bud development in sweet cherry. In woody fruit perennial trees, floral determination, dormancy and bloom, depends on perception of different environmental and endogenous cues which converge to a systemic signaling gene known as FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT). In long-day flowering plants, FT is expressed in the leaves on long days. The protein travels through the phloem to the shoot apical meristem, where it induces flower determination. In perennial plants, meristem determination and flowering are separated by a dormancy period. Meristem determination takes place in summer, but flowering occurs only after a dormancy period and cold accumulation during winter. The roles of FT are not completely clear in meristem determination, dormancy release, and flowering in perennial plants. We cloned FT from sweet cherry (Prunus avium) and analyzed its expression pattern in leaves and floral buds during spring and summer. Phylogenetic analysis shows high identity of the FT cloned sequence with orthologous genes from other Rosaceae species. Our results show that FT is expressed in both leaves and floral buds and increases when the daylight reached 12h. The peak in FT expression was coincident with floral meristem identity genes expression and morphological changes typical of floral meristem determination. The Edi-0 Arabidopsis ecotype, which requires vernalization to flower, was transformed with a construct for overexpression of PavFT. These transgenic plants showed an early-flowering phenotype without cold treatment. Our results suggest that FT is involved in floral meristem determination and bud development in sweet cherry. Moreover, we show that FT is expressed in both leaves and floral buds in this species, in contrast to annual plants.

Gene Flow Results in High Genetic Similarity between Sibiraea (Rosaceae) Species in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Studying closely related species and divergent populations provides insight into the process of speciation. Previous studies showed that the Sibiraea complex's evolutionary history on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) was confusing and could not be distinguishable on the molecular level. In this study, the genetic structure and gene flow of Sibiraea laevigata and Sibiraea angustata on the QTP was examined across 45 populations using 8 microsatellite loci. Microsatellites revealed high genetic diversity in Sibiraea populations. Most of the variance was detected within populations (87.45%) rather than between species (4.39%). We found no significant correlations between genetic and geographical distances among populations. Bayesian cluster analysis grouped all individuals in the sympatric area of Sibiraea into one cluster and other individuals of S. angustata into another. Divergence history analysis based on the approximate Bayesian computation method indicated that the populations of S. angustata at the sympatric area derived from the admixture of the 2 species. The assignment test assigned all individuals to populations of their own species rather than its congeneric species. Consistently, intraspecies were detected rather than interspecies first-generation migrants. The bidirectional gene flow in long-term patterns between the 2 species was asymmetric, with more from S. angustata to S. laevigata. In conclusion, the Sibiraea complex was distinguishable on the molecular level using microsatellite loci. We found that the high genetic similarity of the complex resulted from huge bidirectional gene flow, especially on the sympatric area where population admixtures occurred. This study sheds light on speciation with gene flow in the QTP.

Systematic Analysis of the 4-Coumarate:Coenzyme A Ligase (4CL) Related Genes and Expression Profiling during Fruit Development in the Chinese Pear.

In plants, 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligases (4CLs), comprising some of the adenylate-forming enzymes, are key enzymes involved in regulating lignin metabolism and the biosynthesis of flavonoids and other secondary metabolites. Although several 4CL-related proteins were shown to play roles in secondary metabolism, no comprehensive study on 4CL-related genes in the pear and other Rosaceae species has been reported. In this study, we identified 4CL-related genes in the apple, peach, yangmei, and pear genomes using DNATOOLS software and inferred their evolutionary relationships using phylogenetic analysis, collinearity analysis, conserved motif analysis, and structure analysis. A total of 149 4CL-related genes in four Rosaceous species (pear, apple, peach, and yangmei) were identified, with 30 members in the pear. We explored the functions of several 4CL and acyl-coenzyme A synthetase (ACS) genes during the development of pear fruit by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We found that duplication events had occurred in the 30 4CL-related genes in the pear. These duplicated 4CL-related genes are distributed unevenly across all pear chromosomes except chromosomes 4, 8, 11, and 12. The results of this study provide a basis for further investigation of both the functions and evolutionary history of 4CL-related genes.

F-box genes: Genome-wide expansion, evolution and their contribution to pollen growth in pear (Pyrus bretschneideri)

F-box gene family, as one of the largest gene families in plants, plays crucial roles in regulating plant development, reproduction, cellular protein degradation and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, comprehensive analysis of the F-box gene family in pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.) and other Rosaceae species has not been reported yet. Herein, we identified a total of 226 full-length F-box genes in pear for the first time. And these genes were further divided into various subgroups based on specific domains and phylogenetic analysis. Intriguingly, we observed that whole-genome duplication and dispersed duplication have a major contribution to F-box family expansion. Furthermore, the dynamic evolution for different modes of gene duplication was dissected. Interestingly, we found that dispersed and tandem duplicate have been evolving at a high rate. In addition, we found that F-box genes exhibited functional specificity based on GO analysis, and most of the F-box genes were significantly enriched in the protein binding (GO: 0005515) term, supporting that F-box genes might play a critical role for gene regulation in pear. Transcriptome and digital expression profiles revealed that F-box genes are involved in the development of multiple pear tissues. Overall, these results will set stage for elaborating the biological role of F-box genes in pear and other plants.

Varijabilnost populacija divlje trešnje (Prunus avium L.) u Srbiji prema morfološkim svojstvima listova

Wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) is the most important European tree species in the family Rosaceae (Russell 2003). It is very valuable forest species that grows in mixed forests in Southern, Central and Western Europe. In the growing stock of Serbia wild cherry falls into the category of species at risk (Banković et al. 2009) to which is not paid enough attention. The researches of population structure and genetic variability at the level of genotypes and/or populations are the basis for the knowledge on the adaptive and genetic potential of wild cherry in some area. The morphological variability of leaves in nine natural populations of wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) in Serbia was studied in this paper. The research material was collected in nine natural populations of wild cherry in Serbia (Figure 1, Slika 1). The leaves from ten trees per population were collected while every tree was presented with 50 healthy and intact leaves. The leaves were collected from borderline trees or trees located in an isolated position usually from the southern exposed part of the crown, from its outer well-lit part. Leaf morphological characteristics were described by descriptive statistical indicators: arithmetic mean (x), standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV). In order to determine the intra-population and inter-population variability the univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. Results obtained by performed statistical analysis of studied morphological characteristics of wild cherry leaves showed that the most variable characteristic is the leaf surface area (LA). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed presence of statistically significant differences between values of the arithmetic means of the studied characteristics on both inter- and intra-population level. Populations varied the most in the petiole length (PL) and the smallest differences were observed in the leaf length (LL). Intra-population variability is greater than inter-population variability. Based on the conducted researches it can be concluded that in the studied wild cherry populations a high rate of variability of the studied leaf morphological characteristics was determined. The obtained results are the basis for the continuation of the research that needs to be conducted in order to provide guidelines and recommendations for the conservation and targeted use of genetic resources of this species in Serbia and beyond. For a complete knowledge on the variability of wild cherry in a part of the natural area the research should be expanded by the use of molecular markers.

Cullin1-P is an Essential Component of Non-Self Recognition System in Self-Incompatibility in Petunia.

Self-incompatibility (SI) in flowering plants is a genetic reproductive barrier to distinguish self- and non-self pollen to promote outbreeding. In Solanaceae, self-pollen is rejected by the ribonucleases expressed in the styles (S-RNases), via its cytotoxic function. On the other side, the male-determinant is the S-locus F-box proteins (SLFs) expressed in pollen. Multiple SLFs collaboratively detoxify non-self S-RNases, therefore, non-self recognition is the mode of self-/non-self discrimination in Solanaceae. It is considered that SLFs function as a substrate-recognition module of the Skp1-Cullin1-F-box (SCF) complex that inactivates non-self S-RNases via their polyubiquitination, which leads to degradation by 26S proteasome. In fact, PhSSK1 (Petunia hybrida SLF-interacting Skp1-like1) was identified as a specific component of SCFSLF and was shown to be essential for detoxification of S-RNase in Petunia However, different molecules are proposed as the candidate Cullin1, another component of SCFSLF, and there is as yet no definite conclusion. Here, we identified five Cullin1s from the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) derived from the male reproductive organ in Petunia Among them, only PhCUL1-P was co-immunoprecipitated with S7-SLF2. In vitro protein-binding assay suggested that PhSSK1 specifically forms a complex with PhCUL1-P in an SLF-dependent manner. Knockdown of PhCUL1-P suppressed fertility of transgenic pollen in cross-compatible pollination in the functional S-RNase-dependent manner. These results suggested that SCFSLF selectively uses PhCUL1-P. Phylogeny of Cullin1s indicates that CUL1-P is recruited into the SI machinery during the evolution of Solanaceae, suggesting that the SI components have evolved differently among species in Solanaceae and Rosaceae, despite both families sharing the S-RNase-based SI.

Ribosome Inactivating Proteins from Rosaceae

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are widespread among higher plants of different taxonomic orders. In this study, we report on the RIP sequences found in the genome/transcriptome of several important Rosaceae species, including many economically important edible fruits such as apple, pear, peach, apricot, and strawberry. All RIP domains from Rosaceae share high sequence similarity with conserved residues in the catalytic site and the carbohydrate binding sites. The genomes of Malus domestica and Pyrus communis contain both type 1 and type 2 RIP sequences, whereas for Prunus mume, Prunus persica, Pyrus bretschneideri, and Pyrus communis a complex set of type 1 RIP sequences was retrieved. Heterologous expression and purification of the type 1 as well as the type 2 RIP from apple allowed to characterize the biological activity of the proteins. Both RIPs from Malus domestica can inhibit protein synthesis. Furthermore, molecular modelling suggests that RIPs from Rosaceae possess three-dimensional structures that are highly similar to the model proteins and can bind to RIP substrates. Screening of the recombinant type 2 RIP from apple on a glycan array revealed that this type 2 RIP interacts with terminal sialic acid residues. Our data suggest that the RIPs from Rosaceae are biologically active proteins.

Insight into anticholinesterase and antioxidant potential of thirty-four Rosaceae samples and phenolic characterization of the active extracts by HPLC

The ethanol (EtOH) extracts of thirty-four taxa from the Amelanchier, Cotoneaster, Pyrus, and Sorbus genera (Rosaceae) have been screened for their inhibitory potential against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) at 200μg/mL as well as their antioxidant activity using metal-chelating capacity, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD) radical scavenging activity at 2000μg/mL using ELISA microtiter assays. Our results indicated that two extracts of Sorbus umbelleta from different localities had 56.20±5.05% (IC50=182.1μg/mL) and 58.18±3.77% (IC50=177.8μg/mL) of inhibition against AChE, while 50.67±0.32% of BChE inhibition (IC50=206.5μg/mL) was caused by the extract of Cotoneaster meyeri. Among the tested extracts, S. subfusca displayed the highest FRAP value (1.618±0.09) and DMPD radical scavenging activity (31.05±0.01%), while the best metal-chelating capacity (27.13±2.01%) was found to belong to the extract of Sorbus kusnetzovii. The EtOH extracts of the active species (e.g. Cotoneaster meyeri, two samples of Sorbus umbelleta, and Sorbus subfusca) in enzyme inhibition assays have also been subjected to HPLC analysis to quantify some selected phenolic acids and flavonoid derivatives. Chlorogenic acid (28.83±0.67–149.10±0.46mg/100g) and rutin (46.08±0.63–109.08±0.07mg/100g) were quantified in all four extracts. Caffeic acid (0.79±0.18mg/100g) was only present in C. meyeri, whereas ferulic acid and apigenin were detected in three extracts in minor amounts. Our findings also pointed out to a marked variation in bioactivity and phytochemistry among the same plant species growing in different places. This is the first anticholinesterase and antioxidant study on most the Rosaceae species studied herein. Among them, Sorbus umbellata appears to be a promising herb due to its noticeable anti-AChE and antioxidant activities.

Soil Temperature Regulates Fruit Color Change in ‘Algerie’ Loquat: Nutritional and Hormonal Control

In Rosaceae fruit tree species, fruit and roots grow opposite because of carbohydrate competition, and root activity is thus reduced by fruit growth. In agreement with this, for some of these species soil temperature has been suggested as a factor regulating fruit ripening, but the mechanism with which it works remains unknown. In this study, we reduced loquat root activity by lowering soil temperature, expecting faster fruit growth and advanced fruit ripening. Eight 4-year-old ‘Algerie’ loquat trees, budded onto seedling rootstock, and grown outdoors in 39-l plastic containers filled with sandy-loamy soil were used. The roots of four trees were cooled by placing the containers in a cooling compartment (9.5 °C), whereas those of the other four trees were maintained at air temperature (16.5 °C). We measured lateral root primordia emergence, fruit diameter and fruit color development, carbohydrates and nitrogen partitioning, as well as GA, CK, IAA, ABA, and JA content. Lowering soil temperature increased carbohydrate translocation to the fruit and reduced root N uptake and translocation to both the canopy and the fruit. Changes in plant hormones were also caused by reduced soil temperature, and fruit color advanced. Loquat fruit ripened 8–10 days earlier when soil temperature was reduced to 9.5 °C.

Comparative analysis of bioactive phenolic compounds composition from 26 medicinal plants.

Bioactive phenolic compounds are powerful antioxidants in traditionally used medicinal and industrial crop plants and have attracted increased interest in the last years in their application and role in non-destructive methodology for pre-screening analysis of some stress factors. In this study the qualitative target was linked with future possible applications of received data for improving non-destructive methodology as well as for improving existing knowledge regarding antioxidant content in some plant species. Comparative analysis of total phenolics, flavonoid contents, phenolic acid composition, and antioxidant activity in known east central Europe medicinal and industrial crop plants of 26 species of families Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Lamiaceae was done. Among the investigated leaf extracts the highest total phenolic, total flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity have been seen for Stachys byzantine L. (Lamiaceae), Calendula officinalis L. (Asteraceae) and for Potentilla recta L. (Rosaceae). The highest syringic acid content has been found in the leaf extracts of plant family Asteraceae – in the range from 0.782 to 5.078 mg g−1 DW. The representative’s family Rosaceae has a higher content of p-anisic acid in the range 0.334–3.442 mg g−1DW compared to the leaf extracts of families Lamiaceae and Asteraceae. The comparative study showed significant differences of content of phenolic acids in the leaf extracts of different representative’s families Rosaceae, Asteraceae and Lamiaceae. We suggest that the presence of some phenolic acids can be used as a possible marker for family botanical specifications of representative families Asteraceae and Rosaceae. It was supposed that some pharmacological effects can be connected with the analyzed data.

Genome mapping of postzygotic hybrid necrosis in an interspecific pear population.

Deleterious epistatic interactions in plant inter- and intraspecific hybrids can cause a phenomenon known as hybrid necrosis, characterized by a typical seedling phenotype whose main distinguishing features are dwarfism, tissue necrosis and in some cases lethality. Identification of the chromosome regions associated with this type of incompatibility is important not only to increase our understanding of the evolutionary diversification that led to speciation but also for breeding purposes. Development of molecular markers linked to the lethal genes will allow breeders to avoid incompatible inbred combinations that could affect the expression of important agronomic tratis co-segregating with these genes. Although hybrid necrosis has been reported in several plant taxa, including Rosaceae species, this phenomenon has not been described previously in pear. In the interspecific pear population resulting from a cross between PEAR3 (Pyrus bretschneideri × Pyrus communis) and ‘Moonglow’ (P. communis), we observed two types of hybrid necrosis, expressed at different stages of plant development. Using a combination of previously mapped and newly developed genetic markers, we identified three chromosome regions associated with these two types of lethality, which were genetically independent. One type resulted from a negative epistatic interaction between a locus on linkage group 5 (LG5) of PEAR3 and a locus on LG1 of ‘Moonglow’, while the second type was due to a gene that maps to LG2 of PEAR3 and which either acts alone or more probably interacts with another gene of unknown location inherited from ‘Moonglow’.

Breeding, genetics, and genomics of fruit trees.

Breeding, genetics, and genomics of fruit trees.