PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Mimulus”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Characterisation of an mRNA encoding a metallothionein-like protein that accumulates during ethylene-promoted abscission of Sambucus nigra L. leaflets.

A cDNA encoding a metallothionein-like protein has been isolated from a cDNA library from the abscission zones of ethylene-treated Sambucus nigra leaflets. The precise function of this group of proteins in plants has yet to be confirmed but in animals there is convincing evidence that they bind heavy metals. Several of these proteins have recently been characterised from plants and it has been demonstrated that heavy metals have no stimulatory effect on their expression. In this paper we describe the isolation and characterisation of a metallothionein-like mRNA identified as a consequence of differentially screening a cDNA library for messages up-regulated during abscission. The accumulation of the mRNA occurred in the abscission zone tissue within 18 h of exposure to ethylene while, in contrast, no expression was detectable in adjacent non-abscission-zone tissue. The transcript size of the message was approximately 0.6 kb. Northern analysis revealed that the cDNA insert (JET12) did not hybridise to mRNA from either green or senescing leaflets but a signal was detectable with mRNA extracted from senescent tissue. The size of this hybridising transcript was approximately 0.5 kb. The predicted metallothionein-like protein encoded by JET12 was cysteine-rich (18.4%) and had a molecular weight of approximately 7.5 kDa. Southern analysis of S. nigra genomic DNA showed that the mRNA was encoded by a small gene family. The protein exhibited greatest homology to other metallothioneins belonging to the Type 2 family including those from Mimulus (62%) and Arabidopsis (57%). This homology was greatest around the cysteine-rich amino and carboxy termini.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Disturbance-mediated trophic interactions and plant performance.

Disturbances, such as flooding, play important roles in determining community structure. Most studies of disturbances focus on the direct effects and, hence, the indirect effects of disturbances are poorly understood. Within terrestrial riparian areas, annual flooding leads to differences in the arthropod community as compared to non-flooded areas. In turn, these differences are likely to alter the survival, growth, and reproduction of plant species via an indirect effect of flooding (i.e., changes in herbivory patterns). To test for such effects, an experiment was conducted wherein arthropod predators and herbivores were excluded from plots in flooded and non-flooded areas and the impact on a common riparian plant, Mimulus guttatus was examined. In general, the direct effect of flooding on M. guttatus was positive. The indirect effects, however, significantly decreased plant survival for both years of the experiment, regardless of predator presence, because of an increased exposure to grasshoppers, the most abundant herbivore in the non-flooded sites. Leafhoppers, which were more abundant in the flooded sites, had much weaker and varying effects. During 2000, when the leafhopper herbivory was high, arthropod predators did not significantly reduce damage to plants. In 2001, the mean herbivory damage was lower and predators were able to significantly reduce overall leafhopper damage. The effects of predators on leafhoppers, however, did not increase plant survival, final weight, or the reproduction potential and, thus, did not initiate a species-level trophic cascade. Overall, it was the differences in the herbivore community that led to a significant decrease in plant survival. While flooding certainly alters riparian plant survival through direct abiotic effects, it also indirectly affects riparian plants by changing the arthropod community, in particular herbivores, and hence trophic interactions.

Animals↗

A metallothionein-like gene from maize (Zea mays). Cloning and characterization.

A differentially expressed maize gene has been cloned and sequenced. Transcriptional and translational start sites have been mapped and 2.5 kb of 5' flanking DNA were sequenced. The 8 kDa protein encoded by this gene shows striking similarity to the metallothionein-like proteins recently described in Pisum sativum and Mimulus guttatus. The maize MT-L gene message is very abundant in roots without exposure to high levels of metals, present at lower concentration in leaves and pith, and at very low concentration in seed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Marker-based inferences about epistasis for genes influencing inbreeding depression.

We describe a multilocus, marker-based regression method for inferring interactions between genes controlling inbreeding depression in self-fertile organisms. It is based upon selfing a parent heterozygous for several unlinked codominant markers, then analyzing the fitness of progeny marker genotypes. If loci causing inbreeding depression are linked to marker loci, then viability selection is manifested by distorted segregation of markers, and fecundity selection by dependence of the fecundity character upon the marker genotype. To characterize this selection, fitness is regressed on the proportion of loci homozygous for markers linked to deleterious alleles, and epistasis is detected by nonlinearity of the regression. Alternatively, fitness can be regressed on the proportion of heterozygous loci. Other modes of selection can be incorporated with a bivariate regression involving both homozygote and heterozygote marker genotypes. The advantage of this marker-based approach is that "purging" is minimized and specific chromosomal segments are identified; its disadvantage lies in low statistical power when linkage is not strong and/or the linkage phase between marker and selected loci is uncertain. Using this method in the wildflower Mimulus guttatus, we found predominant multiplicative gene interaction determining fecundity and some negative synergistic (nonmultiplicative) interaction for viability.

Epistasis, Genetic↗

Larval survey of surface water-breeding mosquitoes during irrigation development in the Mahaweli Project, Sri Lanka.

A survey of ground water-breeding mosquitoes was done during 1986-1987 in an area undergoing irrigation development in the Mahaweli Project of Sri Lanka. Forty-nine species were collected during the 12-mo phase of humans settlement and infrastructure construction, and 42 species during the succeeding 12-mo period under irrigated rice culture. Development resulted in the elimination of some preexisting breeding habitats, the modification of others, and the creation of new habits. The overall change from uninhabited forest to settled irrigated rice sharply increased the prevalence of Anopheles annularis van der Wulp, An. peditaeniatus (Leicester), Aedeomyia catasticta Knab, Mimomyia hybrida (Leicester), Mansonia uniformis (Theobald), and Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles. Equally sharp decreases occurred in the prevalence of An. barbirostris van der Wulp, An. barbumbrosus Strickland & Choudhury, Ae, jamesi (Edwards), Ae. vittatus (Bigot), Ae. pseudomediofasciatus (Theobald), Cx. halifaxii Theobald, Cx. malayi (Leicester), Cx. minutissimus (Theobald), Cx. nigropunctatus Edwards, Cx. fuscocephala Theobald, and Cx. mimulus Edwards. Other species that showed smaller positive or negative changes included An. nigerrimus Giles, An. culicifacies Giles, An. jamesii Theobald, An. subpictus Grassi, An. vagus Donitz, An. varuna Iyengar, Mi. chamberlaini (Ludlow), Ma. annulifera (Theobald), Cx. bitaeniorhynchus Giles, Cx. gelidus Theobald, and Cx. pseudovishnui Colless. Irrigation development led to reduced breeding by the majority of species; however, most species that did increase in prevalence were potential vectors of human disease. Components of the irrigation system such as reservoir and canal margins, seepages, and rice fields provided increased breeding sites for some of these species.

Animals↗

Epicuticular flavonoids of some Scrophulariaceae.

Twenty-two species of Scophulariaceae have been found to accumulate flavonoid aglycones externally on their leaves and stems. They belong to the genera Anarrhinum, Antirrhinum, Asarina, Calceolaria, Mimulus, and Odontites. Most of the flavonoids are methylated flavones and flavonols, some with 6-O and/or 8-O-substitution. One of them is the natural isobutyryl ester of a rare flavone.

Flavonoids↗

Disintegration of the scrophulariaceae.

A molecular systematic study of Scrophulariaceae sensu lato using DNA sequences of three plastid genes (rbcL, ndhF, and rps2) revealed at least five distinct monophyletic groups. Thirty-nine genera representing 24 tribes of the Scrophulariaceae s.l. (sensu lato) were analyzed along with representatives of 15 other families of Lamiales. The Scrophulariaceae s.s. (sensu stricto) include part or all of tribes Aptosimeae, Hemimerideae, Leucophylleae, Manuleae, Selagineae, and Verbasceae (= Scrophularieae) and the conventional families Buddlejaceae and Myoporaceae. Veronicaceae includes all or part of tribes Angelonieae, Antirrhineae, Cheloneae, Digitaleae, and Gratioleae and the conventional families Callitrichaceae, Globulariaceae, Hippuridaceae, and Plantaginaceae. The Orobanchaceae include tribes Buchnereae, Rhinantheae, and the conventional Orobanchaceae. All sampled members of Orobanchaceae are parasitic, except Lindenbergia, which is sister to the rest of the family. Family Calceolariaceae Olmstead is newly erected herein to recognize the phylogenetic distinctiveness of tribe Calceolarieae. The Calceolariaceae are close to the base of the Lamiales. The Stilbaceae are expanded by the inclusion of Halleria. Mimulus does not belong in any of these five groups.

Journal Article↗

Fight or flinch?

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Biological Evolution↗

The genetic analysis of family structured inbreeding depression studies.

An important question emerging from theoretical studies of mating system evolution is whether the fitness of a randomly extracted, fully inbred genotype will exceed the mean of outbred individuals. We introduce two statistics (I(1) and I(2)) related to the probability of extracting a high line. I(1) and I(2) can be estimated from the family structured experimental designs typically used to estimate inbreeding depression (ID). Maximum likelihood procedures are developed from an explicit genetic model. These yield parameter estimates and provide the likelihoods necessary to test hypotheses, for example, whether population-level ID is nonzero. Finally, we describe a new publicly available computer program titled 'IDG' (Inbreeding Depression Genetics) to execute these procedures.

Analysis of Variance↗

Functional diversity of plant-pollinator interaction webs enhances the persistence of plant communities.

Pollination is exclusively or mainly animal mediated for 70% to 90% of angiosperm species. Thus, pollinators provide an essential ecosystem service to humankind. However, the impact of human-induced biodiversity loss on the functioning of plant-pollinator interactions has not been tested experimentally. To understand how plant communities respond to diversity changes in their pollinating fauna, we manipulated the functional diversity of both plants and pollinators under natural conditions. Increasing the functional diversity of both plants and pollinators led to the recruitment of more diverse plant communities. After two years the plant communities pollinated by the most functionally diverse pollinator assemblage contained about 50% more plant species than did plant communities pollinated by less-diverse pollinator assemblages. Moreover, the positive effect of functional diversity was explained by a complementarity between functional groups of pollinators and plants. Thus, the functional diversity of pollination networks may be critical to ecosystem sustainability.

Animals↗