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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2026

Comparative transcriptomics reveals hormone signaling and MADS-box genes in divergent development of inflorescences and tendrils in grapevine lateral shoots.

Hormone signaling and MADS-box genes regulate grapevine tendril and inflorescence growth divergence, offering molecular insights for managing tendril growth. Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) tendrils and inflorescences are homologous organs; however, their divergent development has important agronomic consequences because excessive tendril growth increases vineyard management costs. To explore the regulatory mechanisms, we compared the inflorescence-prone cultivar 'Einset Seedless' (ENT) with the tendril-prone cultivar 'Pinot Noir' (PN) using anatomical observation, transcriptome analysis of specific tendril nodes, and functional characterization of MADS-box genes. ENT exhibited a higher flowering rate at tendril nodes 1-4 than PN. Transcriptome profiling of specific tendril nodes uncovered 549 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) through an intersection/exclusion strategy, with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment indicating that hormone and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling were the primary candidates driving the divergence. To assess the spatiotemporal dynamics of these DEGs, we performed Mfuzz clustering, which revealed that multiple expression trajectories were highly consistent with the flowering gradient across different ENT and PN nodes. Plant hormone signal transduction was the predominantly enriched pathway across all dynamic clusters, highlighting the centrality of phytohormones in this process. Guided by this transcriptional evidence, we measured endogenous zeatin and gibberellin (GA₃) contents in the nodal tissues. Remarkably, the zeatin-to-GA₃ ratio not only paralleled the flowering gradient but also correlated with the cluster expression trajectories, providing physiological evidence for a cytokinin-gibberellin interaction model governing organ divergence. Additionally, we analyzed the differentially expressed transcription factors among the DEGs and identified a MADS-box gene, FRUITFULL-LIKE (VvFUL-L), which was markedly upregulated in PN tendrils. Heterologous overexpression of VvFUL-L in arabidopsis promoted early flowering and reduced inflorescence branching, suggesting its potential role in regulating lateral meristem development and affecting tendril formation. Collectively, these findings establish that Hormone Signaling, particularly cytokinin-GA crosstalk, and MADS-box regulators, such as VvFUL-L, are key regulators of inflorescence versus tendril growth in grapevines, providing a basis for future molecular and breeding studies.

Vitis↗
PubMed1992

Bracteomania, an inflorescence anomaly, is caused by the loss of function of the MADS-box gene squamosa in Antirrhinum majus.

Anomalous flowering of the Antirrhinum majus mutant squamosa (squa) is characterized by excessive formation of bracts and the production of relatively few and often malformed or incomplete flowers. To study the function of squamosa in the commitment of an inflorescence lateral meristem to floral development, the gene was cloned and its genomic structure, a well as that of four mutant alleles, was determined. SQUA is a member of a family of transcription factors which contain the MADS-box, a conserved DNA binding domain. In addition, we analysed the temporal and spatial expression pattern of the squa gene. Low transcriptional activity of squa is detectable in bracts and in the leaves immediately below the inflorescence. High squa transcript levels are seen in the inflorescence lateral meristems as soon as they are formed in the axils of bracts. Squa transcriptional activity persists through later stages of floral morphogenesis, with the exception of stamen differentiation. Although necessary for shaping a normal racemose inflorescence, the squa function is not absolutely essential for flower development. We discuss the function of the gene during flowering, its likely functional redundancy and its possible interaction with other genes participating in the genetic control of flower formation in Antirrhinum.

Alleles↗
PubMed1978

Large-scale purification and subunit structure of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II from cauliflower inflorescence.

DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (nucleosidetriphosphate:RNA nucleotidyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.6) from cauliflower inflorescence (Brassica oleracae, var. botrytis) was highly purified by polyethyleneimine treatment on a large scale. The solubilized enzyme was partially purified by polyethyleneimine fractionation and subjected to chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and phosphocellulose, and subsequently to sedimentation in a glycerol gradient. The specific activity (231 nmol/mg per 10 min) of this enzyme was comparable to that reported for other purified eukaryotic RNA polymerases. Analysis of the purified RNA polymerase II by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions revealed a single band. The subunit composition of the enzyme was analyzed by electrophoresis under denaturing conditions. The RNA polymerase II contained subunits with molecular weights and molar ratios (in parentheses) of 180 000(1), 130 000(2), 48 000(2), 25 000(4), and 19 500(4).

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗
PubMed1992

Distribution of allergens and allergen-coding mRNAs in various tissues of white birch.

The distribution of allergenic proteins was investigated in various tissues of white birch, Betula verrucosa (pollen, leaves and male inflorescences containing immature pollen). In addition, callus and suspension culture cells were investigated for expression of IgE-binding proteins. Furthermore, RNA was extracted from all these tissues and subjected to in vitro translation in a cell-free wheat germ system. Bet v I, the major birch pollen allergen, could be extracted easily from pollen, and in low amounts from callus and leaves. No Bet v I could be extracted from immature male inflorescences. Minor allergens were expressed in high concentrations in pollen and in low concentrations in immature male inflorescences. No minor allergens could be detected in callus and leaves. In contrast to these observations, RNA from all the tissues as well as from callus could be translated in vitro into Bet v I as well as into minor allergens, in particular birch profilin (Bet v II), an important minor allergen. These data suggest that IgE-binding proteins of B. verrucosa, especially Bet v I, under certain circumstances can readily be synthesized in tissues other than pollen. This concept is corroborated by the recent observation that Bet v I reveals high homology with disease resistance response gene products from other plants, suggesting a similar function of Bet v I for the birch.

Allergens↗
PubMed1992

LEAFY controls floral meristem identity in Arabidopsis.

The first step in flower development is the generation of a floral meristem by the inflorescence meristem. We have analyzed how this process is affected by mutant alleles of the Arabidopsis gene LEAFY. We show that LEAFY interacts with another floral control gene, APETALA1, to promote the transition from inflorescence to floral meristem. We have cloned the LEAFY gene, and, consistent with the mutant phenotype, we find that LEAFY RNA is expressed strongly in young flower primordia. LEAFY expression procedes expression of the homeotic genes AGAMOUS and APETALA3, which specify organ identify within the flower. Furthermore, we demonstrate that LEAFY is the Arabidopsis homolog of the FLORICAULA gene, which controls floral meristem identity in the distantly related species Antirrhinum majus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2026

Heat stress in cereal crops: reproductive development and grain filling.

Increasingly frequent extreme heat events threaten cereal production and food security under a changing climate. The reproductive-to-grain formation continuum of cereals is particularly vulnerable to elevated temperatures, as heat stress disrupts developmental processes from inflorescence formation and fertilization to grain filling and quality establishment. These disruptions reduce reproductive success, impair yield formation, and compromise grain quality. A comprehensive understanding of the developmental, physiological, molecular, and genetic basis of cereal heat tolerance is therefore essential for developing climate-adapted crops. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding heat stress during cereal reproduction and grain filling across major cereal crops. We first discuss how heat stress affects sequential developmental processes, including inflorescence development, gametophyte development, flowering and pollination, fertilization, and grain filling. We then integrate emerging evidence on cross-cutting mechanisms that connect stage-specific heat responses, focusing on hormonal and redox homeostasis, carbohydrate metabolism and source-sink coordination, proteostasis and endomembrane organization, and genome stability and multilayered gene regulation. Finally, we summarize the genetic basis of cereal heat tolerance by highlighting genetic determinants, favorable alleles, and their potential applications in breeding. We further discuss current bottlenecks and future opportunities for breeding heat-tolerant cereals.

Cereals↗
PubMed2026

Spatial inheritance patterns across maize ears are associated with alleles that reduce pollen fitness.

Often, more pollen grains land on recipient flowers than there are ovules to fertilize. Consequently, the haploid male gametophyte engages in post-pollination competition, one way that pollen genotype can influence inheritance. The maize (Zea mays subsp. mays L.) inflorescence (ear), with its elongated stigma and style structures (silks), has a conspicuous spatial heterogeneity, with longer silks at the base of the ear than at the apex. To evaluate the hypothesis that alleles with reduced pollen fitness influence the spatial distribution of progeny genotypes along the ear, we developed an updated phenotyping platform that maps fluorescently marked mutant (Ds-GFP) kernel phenotypes on the ear via an implementation of the Faster R-CNN machine vision model (EarVision.v2) and a statistical pipeline that evaluates the relationship between kernel position and transmission ratio (EarScape). Our dataset (1384 ears) represents 58 Ds-GFP insertion alleles. None of the 48 alleles with Mendelian inheritance showed any significant spatial trend. In contrast, 50% of alleles with a pollen-specific transmission defect (5/10) exhibited significant spatial effects. An insertional mutant of the gene encoding a putative actin-binding protein, base-to-apex gradient1* (bag1*), is associated with decreased mutant transmission at the ear base relative to the apex. Surprisingly, a mutant allele of another pollen-expressed gene (Zm00001eb236740) generates the opposite trend, decreased mutant transmission toward the ear apex; and two mutant alleles of the sperm cell attachment factor gamete expressed2 (gex2) can produce ears with transmission highest at both base and apex. We conclude that pollen fitness mutants cause unexpectedly diverse spatial patterns of progeny genotypes.

Zea mays↗
PubMed1975

Fine structure of the spermatheca of the mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor L.).

The spermatheca of the female mealworm beetle is an inflorescence of branching cuticular ducts which is connected to the bursa copulatrix via a cuticular neck surrounded by a muscular coat. The infolded bursal cuticle consists of a distinct outer epicuticle, inner epicuticle, procuticle, and a subcuticular zone; the latter is rich in mucopolysaccharides. The cuticle of the neck lacks a distinct procuticle. The cuticle of the spermatheca itself is mostly inner epicuticle with two thin underlying lamellae of procuticle. The cells of the bursa are loosely coupled to the procuticle, whereas cuticular projections bind the epithelia of the "neck" and the spermatheca proper to the underlying epithelia. The apical plasma membranes of the spermathecal epithelium are sinuous and much infolded; we believe that this epithelium controls the micro-environment within the cuticular ducts.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

A Golgi and electron microscopic study of a dysplastic gangliocytoma of the cerebellum.

The fine structure of a dysplastic gangliocytoma of the cerebellum is studied by means of the Golgi method and electron microscopic examination. Thick proximally unbranched dendrites with terminal arborizations and varicose inflorescences in the form of a basket are stained with the Golgi method. Axons are always descendant to the inner myelinated layer of the redistributed cerebellar cortex, while ascendant collaterals are observed at the level of the outer myelinated layer. Clear and dense-core vesicles and synapses are common in the cellular profiles under electron microscopic examination. From these data and because of the lack of putative connections through the white matter, an organized, self-regulated, catecholamine-mediated complex may be postulated.

Axons↗
PubMed1992

The maryland mammoth allele and rooting both perturb the fate of florally determined apices in Nicotiana tabacum.

The stability of the florally determined state in terminal and axillary buds of two tobacco cultivars was studied. We used Hicks and Hicks Maryland Mammoth, near-isogenic cultivars of Nicotiana tabacum differing at the recessive maryland mammoth locus which confers short-day behavior. The experimental design consisted of growing plants in short-day conditions and subjecting them to three bioassays in long-day conditions: in vitro culture of apices consisting of meristems and three to four leaf primordia; rooting of buds consisting of meristems and 8 to 12 leaves, leaf primordia, and internodes; and release from apical dominance of axillary buds in situ. Cultured terminal and axillary apices expressed floral determination, indicating that meristems can be florally determined. Two lines of evidence indicate that rooting destabilizes an already acquired florally determined state: cultured apices from both axillary and terminal buds produced fewer nodes after excision than homologous buds which were rooted; and a lower percentage of rooted axillary buds from Hicks Maryland Mammoth plants expressed floral determination than did homologous axillary buds grown out in situ in noninductive conditions. Rooted buds from the two genotypes expressed floral determination at different frequencies, but produced abnormal inflorescences at similar frequencies, indicating that roots and the maryland mammoth allele influence common as well as unique processes associated with floral determination.

Alleles↗
PubMed1992

Synergistic effect between tannic acid and X-rays detected by the Tradescantia-micronucleus assay.

Tannic acid (TA), a complex mixture of polyphenolics, exhibited synergism with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO), methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and cis-platinum (cis-DDP) in a recent study on w/w+ somatic mutation in the eye pigment of Drosophila, although several studies indicated that tannic acid is an antimutagen in cultured mammalian cells. The goal of this study was to determine the genotoxicity of tannic acid alone and its possible synergistic effect with X-rays using the Tradescantia-micronucleus (Trad-MCN) bioassay. Plant cuttings were irradiated with 35 R of X-rays (80 kV, 5 mA) and followed by a series of increasing dosages (0.1, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.50 mM) of TA treatment (24 h) and in some cases TA treatment was followed by X-irradiation. Inflorescences were fixed after a 24-h recovery period and slides were prepared for scoring MCN frequencies. Four series of experiments were conducted and the results of Trad-MCN tests on X-rays alone yielded an average of 47.5 MCN/100 tetrads (SE = 6.08), and 1.0 mM TA alone yielded an average of 8.95 MCN/100 tetrads (SE = 0.1), while the combined treatments (35 R X-rays plus 1.0 mM TA) yielded an average of 126.95 MCM/100 tetrads (SE = 13.69). The MCN frequency of the negative control was around 4.6 MCN/100 tetrads (SE = 0.75). This kind of synergism was exhibited through all the increasing dosages around 1.0 mM or higher. The synergistic effect of these two agents remained at the same level when TA was followed by X-irradiation. When a 12-h repairing period was allowed after X-irradiation in the combined treatment, the MCN frequency was similar to that of the X-ray treatment alone. The synergistic effect in the cases where the TA exposure was given immediately after X-irradiation could be attributed to the inhibitory action of TA on the DNA repair process.

Hydrolyzable Tannins↗
PubMed1992

Application of the Tradescantia micronucleus assay for the genetic evaluation of chemical mixtures in soil and aqueous media.

Genotoxic evaluations of arsenic trioxide, dieldrin, lead tetraacetate and their nine binary and one tertiary mixtures were performed using the Tradescantia micronucleus (Trad-MN) assay. The chemicals or their mixtures were either (1) mixed into soil, and chemical exposure to the target cells was through the roots of intact plants grown in the soil or (2) through plant cuttings in which the inflorescences received treatment by absorption through stem of an aqueous solution of the test chemicals. All three chemicals yielded clastogenic responses when tested in soil medium and only two of these i.e. arsenic trioxide and dieldrin were positive when plant cuttings were exposed to the test chemicals in the aqueous medium. The clastogenicity of the chemical mixtures was modified by the ratio of the individual chemical in a particular mixture and also by the medium in which these mixtures were tested.

Arsenic↗
PubMed1992

Saponins from Verbascum nigrum.

Two triterpene saponins have been isolated from the inflorescences of Verbascum nigrum. Their structures were determined by chemical and spectral methods as 3-O-([alpha-L-rhamnosyl-(1-->4)-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)]-be ta-D-glucopyranosyl]-(1-->2)-beta-fucopyranosyl)-13 beta,28-epoxyolean-11-ene-3 beta,23-diol and 3-O-([alpha-L-rhamnosyl-(1-->4)-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-bet a-D- glucopyranosyl]-(1-->2)-beta-fucopyranosyl)-11-methoxy-olean-12-en e-3 beta,23,28-triol.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Slaked lime and betel nut cancer in Papua New Guinea.

Oral squamous cell cancer is the most common malignant tumour in Papua New Guinea. We have found that oral cancer in this region is concentrated at the corner of the mouth and cheek, by striking contrast with western populations, and corresponds precisely with the site of application of lime in 77% of 169 cases. Powdered slaked lime applied to the chewed Areca nut with Piper betle inflorescence at the corner of the mouth causes the mean pH to rise to 10, at which reactive oxygen species are generated from betel quid ingredients in vitro. Reactive oxygen species, together with sustained lime-induced cell proliferation, suggest a possible mechanism of carcinogenesis for this tumour.

Areca↗
PubMed2026

Deciphering the Protein Phosphorylation Dynamics Triggered by Seconds of Force Stimulation.

Plants perceive mechanical forces through phosphosignaling networks, but their relationship with gravity signaling remains elusive. To dissect gravity force signaling components, we performed SILIA-based phosphoproteomics on Arabidopsis aerial organs subjected to 20-s inversion or 30-s gravistimulation, identifying 2,733 and 2,878 phosphoproteins, respectively. Quantitative analysis revealed 34 significantly regulated phosphoproteins specific to inversion and 52 specific to gravistimulation. Inversion-specific phosphoproteins, associated with the initial calcium code, likely mediate calcium signals through EF-hand proteins, CPK1, and calmodulin-interacting proteins, potentially intersecting with receptor-like kinase-initiated MAPK cascades via RAF15 and MKK1/2 to induce gravitropic responses. Gravistimulation-specific phosphoproteins, linked to the secondary calcium code, function in calcium signaling/homeostasis (ACA8, ZAC, IQD2, ANNAT1), membrane vesicle trafficking (ABCG36, ARF-GAP8), and lipid signaling (PIP5K8/9), supporting auxin transport and stress signal transduction. Immunoblot validation confirmed treatment-associated phosphosites pS108-PATL3 and pS107-TREPH2, along with inversion-specific pS1145-ATEH2, exhibiting stem-specific phosphorylation enhancement and force-discriminatory responses. Functional analysis identified the integrin-like protein GREPH1 as a key gravitropism regulator, with greph1 mutants displaying reduced inflorescence stem gravicurvature. Notably, hyperphosphorylation of pS107-TREPH2 and pS1145-ATEH2 peaked at 20 to 50 s in greph1 mutants but persisted from 20 s to 2 h in WT plants. These findings establish a stem-enriched phosphorylation code for gravity force discrimination, with GREPH1 modulating spatiotemporal phosphoprotein dynamics and shoot gravicurvature, potentially functioning as a receptor reminiscent of sedimenting plastids.

Arabidopsis↗