Article
Plant Sciences
Vaclav Bacovsky, Radim Cegan, Eva Tihlarikova, Vilem Nedela, Vojtech Hudzieczek, Lubomir Smrza, Tomas Janicek, Vladimir Benes, Roman Hobza
Summary: This study identified the regulatory pathways involved in sex-specific flower development in the dioecious plant Silene latifolia. These pathways include previously hypothesized and unknown female-regulator genes, as well as a negative regulator of anther development.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Lynda F. Delph, Keely E. Brown, Luis Diego Rios, John K. Kelly
Summary: Sex-specific selection plays a crucial role in the evolution of sexual dimorphism. This study directly measured selection on Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in a dioecious plant species and found clear evidence for sex-specific selection. The results highlight the importance of sex-specific fitness effects and provide insights into the genetic basis of sexual dimorphism.
Review
Plant Sciences
Chaoqun Shen, Gang Li, Ludovico Dreni, Dabing Zhang
Summary: The carpel is a crucial reproductive organ in flowering plants, playing a key role in ensuring protection, fertilization, and fruit development. Research on the mechanisms of carpel development in grasses is relatively limited but progressing, focusing on aspects such as carpel identity determination, morphogenesis, and floral meristem determinacy. The genetic and molecular aspects of carpel development in grasses are compared and contrasted with the extensively studied model eudicot plant Arabidopsis.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Amelia Corzo Remigio, Philip Nti Nkrumah, Filip Poscic, Mansour Edraki, Alan J. M. Baker, Antony van der Ent
Summary: This study investigated the tolerance and accumulation of Thallium (Tl) in Silene latifolia. The species showed exceptionally high Tl tolerance and a positive growth response to certain Tl concentrations. Tl was mainly localized at the base of the midrib and in the veins of leaves.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maria-Theresa Jessen, Harald Auge, W. Stan Harpole, Yann Hautier, Anu Eskelinen
Summary: Altered climate, nutrient enrichment, and changes in grazing patterns have significant effects on plant performance and traits in temperate grassland systems. The competition for light plays a crucial role in driving plant responses under nutrient enrichment and future climatic conditions. Grazers and light act as important modulators of individual plant performance and traits.
Article
Biology
Jitka Zluvova, Zdenek Kubat, Roman Hobza, Bohuslav Janousek
Summary: The study focuses on a dioecious clade in Silene subgenus Silene and closely related species, and reveals an increase in adaptive evolution in the autosomal and pseudoautosomal parts of the genome on the branch where dioecy originated. This suggests adaptive evolution of genes involved in the adaptation of the autosomal part of the genome to dioecy.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jingjing Yue, Marc Krasovec, Yusuke Kazama, Xingtan Zhang, Wangyang Xie, Shencheng Zhang, Xiuming Xu, Baolin Kan, Ray Ming, Dmitry A. Filatov
Summary: White campion is the first vascular plant where sex chromosomes were discovered. The analysis shows a highly heterogeneous recombination landscape with a reduction in recombination rate on all chromosomes. The non-recombining region on the Y chromosome initially evolved in a small region on the q-arm of the X chromosome and later expanded through linkage with the pericentromeric region.
Article
Biology
Allison Kwok, Marcel E. Dorken
Summary: This study measured sexual selection in two populations of the clonal plant Sagittaria latifolia using parentage analysis and residual regression. The results showed differences in promiscuity between the male and female functions and detected sexual selection in both populations. This study contributes to the understanding of sexual selection in plant populations, including hermaphroditic populations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Homa Papoli Yazdi, Colin Olito, Takeshi Kawakami, Per Unneberg, Mads F. Schou, Schalk W. P. Cloete, Bengt Hansson, Charlie K. Cornwallis
Summary: Sex chromosomes have often evolved with extreme size differences due to degeneration, but in some lineages, ancient sex chromosomes have not degenerated. In ostriches, the W chromosome remains large despite being ancient. By analyzing the ostrich genome, researchers found that recombination rate in the pseudoautosomal region (PAR) is higher than autosomes in females, which slows down degeneration. Genetic variation in the sex-linked region (SLR) is lower than in the PAR, while variation in the PAR is similar to autosomes, suggesting high recombination near the boundaries of the PAR prevents linkage with the SLR. The potential for sexually antagonistic alleles to drive degeneration is limited in ostriches.
Article
Ecology
Laura Moquet, Anne-Laure Jacquemart, Mathilde Dufay, Isabelle De Cauwer
Summary: The study found that flower number dimorphism negatively affected the number of visits on female plants and flowers, but did not impact the number of pollen grains deposited per stigma. Meanwhile, flower size dimorphism had no effect on visitation patterns and pollen transfer.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Deborah Charlesworth
Summary: A recent study suggests that the flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea has a primed autosome that can evolve into a sex chromosome. However, this chromosome may function as a balanced-lethal system, shedding light on these puzzling systems.
Review
Plant Sciences
Juan Ramos-Pulido, Stefan de Folter
Summary: The success of angiosperms, the most successful group of land plants, is mainly attributed to the gynoecium, the innermost whorl of the flower. In Arabidopsis, the gynoecium is formed by two fused carpels, and a quasi-meristem called the carpel margin meristem plays a crucial role in its development. The study of gynoecium development, which is important for the production of seeds and fruits, has been a significant task for the scientific community. This review presents recent advances in Arabidopsis gynoecium patterning and highlights unanswered questions.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
J. Irepan Reyes-Olalde, Mitsuhiro Aida, Stefan de Folter
Summary: The appearance of the flower is a significant event in the evolutionary history of plants, with the gynoecium being a key organ that provides adaptive advantages. The gynoecium protects and facilitates fertilization of the ovules, which develop into seeds. In many species, the gynoecium itself becomes the fruit, aiding in seed dispersal. Despite recent advances in understanding the genetic regulatory network of gynoecium development, questions remain about the conservation of molecular mechanisms across different taxa and the origin of gynoecium diversification.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Xiujuan Yang, Matthew R. Tucker
Summary: The plant ovule is a crucial organ that directly leads to seed formation, with its number and flower fertility being significant factors influencing yield. Studies have shown challenges in increasing one without compromising the other. Recent findings highlight regulatory pathways in Arabidopsis and cereal crops that could help overcome this yield constraint by targeting hormones and transcriptional regulators in the optimization of reproductive traits.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Patricia Ballester, Maria A. Martinez-Godoy, Miguel Ezquerro, Marisa Navarrete-Gomez, Marina Trigueros, Manuel Rodriguez-Concepcion, Cristina Ferrandiz
Summary: The stigma, an essential tissue for pollination in angiosperms, involves multiple transcription factors in Arabidopsis thaliana. The NGATHA (NGA) and HECATE (HEC) transcription factors interact physically in the apical gynoecium and are crucial for stigma differentiation through upregulating other key genes. This study suggests a nonhierarchical regulatory scenario in which the combinatorial action of different transcription factors provides precise temporal and spatial specificity for developmental outputs.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hiroki Ishikawa, Mana Yasuzawa, Nana Koike, Alvin Sanjaya, Shota Moriyama, Aya Nishizawa, Kanae Matsuoka, Shun Sasaki, Yusuke Kazama, Yoriko Hayashi, Tomoko Abe, Makoto T. Fujiwara, Ryuuichi D. Itoh
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hiroshi Tojo, Aki Nakamura, Ali Ferjani, Yusuke Kazama, Tomoko Abe, Hidetoshi Iida
Summary: This study reports a method for screening mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with root penetration defects, isolating five mutants named creep1 to creep5 and observing their phenotypes. The mutants exhibited different behaviors in root skewing when growing along impenetrable surfaces, showing the potential of the method to isolate mutants for investigating root mechanical behavior regulation in various plant species.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ryuuichi D. Itoh, Kohdai P. Nakajima, Shun Sasaki, Hiroki Ishikawa, Yusuke Kazama, Tomoko Abe, Makoto T. Fujiwara
Summary: Stromules are dynamic membrane-bound tubular structures emanating from plastids in green plants, with potential physiological and developmental roles in stress responses and plant development. A mutant, suba1, with abnormal stromule formation in non-mesophyll tissues was characterized, revealing altered plastid morphology, impaired chloroplast pigmentation, and aberrant lipid droplet accumulation. The mutated gene, TGD5, is involved in ER-to-plastid lipid trafficking, suggesting distinct mechanisms maintaining plastid morphology between mesophyll and non-mesophyll plastids.
Article
Plant Sciences
Alvin Sanjaya, Yusuke Kazama, Kotaro Ishii, Ryohsuke Muramatsu, Kengo Kanamaru, Sumie Ohbu, Tomoko Abe, Makoto T. Fujiwara
Summary: Argon-ion beam mutagenesis induced a pale green mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, named Ar50-33-pg1, with significant shrinkage of mesophyll chloroplasts during the chlorotic process. Genetic analysis revealed a large deletion in chromosome V, including the EGY1 gene, which was found to be responsible for the pale phenotype. Ultrastructural analysis showed disassembled chloroplasts in Ar50-33-pg1 and egy1, indicating the crucial role of EGY1 in chloroplast maintenance.
Article
Plant Sciences
Vuong Quoc Nhat, Yusuke Kazama, Kotaro Ishii, Sumie Ohbu, Hisato Kunitake, Tomoko Abe, Tomonari Hirano
Summary: This study identified the role of MED16 in regulating flower and seed sizes by analyzing the ohb1 mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana. Results showed that MED16 and MED25 shared part of the regulatory pathways for petal size, while genetically independent pathways led to cell size restrictions in floral organs not related to the MED complex. The study also revealed that MED16 was involved in seed size regulation, with the size-regulation pathways differing between floral organs and seeds.
Article
Plant Sciences
Alvin Sanjaya, Ryohsuke Muramatsu, Shiho Sato, Mao Suzuki, Shun Sasaki, Hiroki Ishikawa, Yuki Fujii, Makoto Asano, Ryuuichi D. Itoh, Kengo Kanamaru, Sumie Ohbu, Tomoko Abe, Yusuke Kazama, Makoto T. Fujiwara
Summary: The EGY1 gene encodes a protease involved in chloroplast development in leaf mesophyll cells but is also crucial for chloroplast differentiation in the leaf epidermis, particularly in guard cells. This study revealed that EGY1 mutants showed severe chlorophyll deficiency in both epidermal cell types and exhibited permanent defects in chloroplast formation, highlighting the importance of EGY1 in chloroplast formation and differentiation in leaf tissues.
Article
Cell Biology
Taiki Kobayashi, Masako Takahashi, Ryo Nishijima, Ryuji Sugiyama, Kotaro Ishii, Shigeyuki Kawano, Yusuke Kazama
Summary: This study focused on the optimal timing of root tip sampling for preparing chromosome specimens of the dioecious plant Silene latifolia. The number of mitotic cells peaked 54 hours after germination treatment, indicating the importance of timing in obtaining suitable chromosome specimens. Ice-cold treatment for 8, 16, and 32 hours was used as a chromosome condensation method, with 16 hours producing suitable chromosome specimens showing satellite ends and 32 hours producing well-condensed specimens suitable for counting chromosome numbers.
Article
Cell Biology
Tsuyoshi Takeshita, Kaori Takita, Kotaro Ishii, Yusuke Kazama, Tomoko Abe, Shigeyuki Kawano
Summary: A unique screening method was devised to isolate robust strains of Haemato-coccus pluvialis resistant to environmental stress by irradiating them with heavy-ion beams. Mutants exhibited higher survival rates and stress resistance compared to wild-type strains under severe environmental stress conditions. Strains with excellent carotenoid production showed greater robustness, indicating potential for applications in mutation breeding.
Article
Cell Biology
Kasumi Hashimoto, Yusuke Kazama, Hiroyuki Ichida, Tomoko Abe, Koji Murai
Summary: In this study, the gene WWDR1 responsible for the extra early-flowering trait in the mutant exe4 was identified through whole-genome sequencing and PCR analysis. WWDR1 is a homolog of Arabidopsis genes LWD1 and LWD2, which play a key role in circadian clock regulation. The deletion of WWDR1 in the exe4 mutant leads to the extra-early flowering phenotype.
Article
Cell Biology
Ayaka Matsuta, Takahiro Mayuzumi, Hajime Katano, Masanori Hatashita, Keiichi Takagi, Yoriko Hayashi, Tomoko Abe, Koji Murai, Yusuke Kazama
Summary: The study showed that high-LET heavy-ion beam irradiation is effective in inducing mutations in the M-1 generation of inbred ornamental plants, with different LET values having varied mutation induction effects.
Article
Cell Biology
Wataru Aonuma, Hiroki Kawamoto, Yusuke Kazama, Kotaro Ishii, Tomoko Abe, Shigeyuki Kawano
Summary: The study investigates the evolution of dioecy from hermaphroditism as a mechanism to avoid self-pollination, finding deviations in trade-off relationships in hermaphroditic mutants of Silene latifolia, potentially leading to the promotion of dioecy from the ancestral state. Additionally, comparisons with the flower characteristics of the naturally hermaphroditic plant Silene viscosa raise questions about the functions possessed by the presumed ancestral state of the hermaphroditic mutant S. latifolia, which shows signs of protogyny and approaching herkogamy.
Article
Cell Biology
Tomonari Hirano, Yusuke Kazama, Hisato Kunitake, Tomoko Abe
Summary: Heavy-ion beams have been used as an effective mutagen in plants, and their mutagenic effects are characterized by the linear energy transfer (LET) value. These effects can be observed in plant survival, mutation frequency, and mutation spectrum. When integrating the results, factors such as plant materials, developmental processes, and heredity of induced mutations need to be considered.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yusuke Kazama, Moe Kitoh, Taiki Kobayashi, Kotaro Ishii, Marc Krasovec, Yasuo Yasui, Tomoko Abe, Shigeyuki Kawano, Dmitry A. Filatov
Summary: This study investigates the evolution of separate sexes in plants and identifies a putative sex-determining gene in Silene latifolia. The study suggests that male and female development in S. latifolia is controlled by the WUSCHEL-CLAVATA feedback loop, with X-linked and Y-linked genes playing distinct roles. The findings provide insights into the evolution of dioecy and the genetic mechanisms underlying sex determination in plants.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Junpei Ueda, Yusuke Kazama, Tomoko Abe, Koji Murai
Summary: The late-heading 1 (lh1) mutant, generated by heavy-ion beam irradiation, partially suppresses the early-flowering phenotype of KU104-2. Under field conditions, lh1 plants head about one week later than KU104-2 and show no other significant differences in agricultural traits. Analysis of plant development in a growth chamber reveals that lh1 mutants exhibit a late-flowering phenotype under short-day conditions, associated with down-regulation of the flowering promoter gene VRN1 in the late vegetative phase.
Article
Horticulture
Ryo Nishijima, Alvin Sanjaya, Harue Shinoyama, Yusuke Kazama
Summary: This study investigated the touch stimulus response in flower buds of Dianthus hybrida. The RNA-seq analysis revealed the upregulation and downregulation of certain genes upon touch treatment. Genes encoding protein kinases were significantly abundant among the upregulated genes, suggesting the importance of protein phosphorylation in touch stimulus response. The findings also showed that phosphorelay signaling is a common mechanism for touch stimulus response in both flowers and leaves, although with different players.