Low temperature storage and in vitro germination of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) pollen

Due to the protogynous dichogamy of cherimoya and to the absence of proper pollinating vectors, hand-pollination with fresh pollen is a common practice for cherimoya commercial production. In order to optimize the process of hand-pollination, in this work we have studied the conservation of cherimoya pollen at −20, −80 and −196 °C for up to 3 months. In vitro pollen germination of fresh pollen was 57.1% and it was progressively reduced with conservation time at the three temperatures studied reaching a minimum after 3 months of storage of 10.4%, 14.2% and 13.6% at −20, −80 and −196 °C, respectively. Differences in germination among temperatures were only significant during the first 2 weeks of storage. Field pollinations with pollen stored for up to 3 months at the three temperatures show no yield differences compared to pollinations performed with fresh pollen. The results indicate that pollen collected and stored at sub-zero temperatures at the beginning of the cherimoya blooming season can be used along the whole blooming season avoiding the need of collecting fresh pollen daily.     

Pollen grains of heat tolerant tomato cultivars retain higher carbohydrate concentration under heat stress conditions

Exposure to high temperatures (heat stress) causes reduced yield in tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum), mainly by affecting male gametophyte development. Two experiments were conducted where several tomato cultivars were grown under heat stress, in growth chambers (day/night temperatures of 31/25 °C) or in greenhouses (day/night temperatures of 32/26 °C), or under control (day/night temperatures of 28/22 °C) conditions. In heat-sensitive cultivars, heat stress caused a reduction in the number of pollen grains, impaired their viability and germinability, caused reduced fruit set and markedly reduced the numbers of seeds per fruit. In the heat-tolerant cultivars, however, the number and quality of pollen grains, the number of fruits and the number of seeds per fruit were less affected by high temperatures. In all the heat-sensitive cultivars, the heat-stress conditions caused a marked reduction in starch concentration in the developing pollen grains at 3 days before anthesis, and a parallel decrease in the total soluble sugar concentration in the mature pollen, whereas in the four heat-tolerant cultivars tested, starch accumulation at 3 days before anthesis and soluble sugar concentration at anthesis were not affected by heat stress. These results indicate that the carbohydrate content of developing and mature tomato pollen grains may be an important factor in determining pollen quality, and suggest that heat-tolerant cultivars have a mechanism for maintaining the appropriate carbohydrate content under heat stress.     

杏(Prunus armeniaca)自交不亲和强度及其授粉受精相关特性

为了解杏自交不亲和性强度与授粉受精相关特性的关系,以自交亲和(Self-compatibility:SC)品种凯特(Prunus armeniaca L．cv．Katy)和自交不亲和(Self-incompatibility:SI)品种新世纪(P.armeniaca L.cv．Xinshiji)及凯特×新世纪杂种群体为试材,荧光显微镜观察自交亲和与自交不亲和杏花粉管生长动态。结果表明,授粉后初期,自交亲和性与自交不亲和性的杏花粉都能正常萌发、生长,但是在花粉管生长延伸到花柱1／2以后,自交亲和性的花粉管能顺利进入子房,而自交不亲和性的花粉管多数顶端膨大呈球形,停止向下生长,只有极个别能正常生长到达子房;杂种后代的可溶性蛋白含量和RNA酶比活力,与亲本相比无明显的趋中变异表现,而且在自交亲和与自交不亲和杏之间无显著性差异。     

Extinction risk of wood-living model species in forest landscapes as related to forest history and conservation strategy

Dead wood is a critical resource for biodiversity in boreal forests. We analysed the persistence of five model species inhabiting dead wood. By parameterising a metapopulation model (the incidence function model), the model species were all assigned characteristics that makes it likely that they have disappeared from some (20%) forest landscapes with a long history of forest management. In the metapopulation model, a forest stand (5 ha) was regarded as a habitat patch. The amount of habitat in each patch was obtained from models of dead wood dynamics of Norway spruce in central Sweden. Dead wood generated by altered management over the entire landscape was found to be less efficient in reducing extinction risks in comparison to the same amount of dead wood generated by protecting reserves. Because generation of dead wood by altered management is often less expensive than setting aside reserves, it is difficult to determine which conservation measure is most cost-efficient. In a landscape subjected to forestry for the first time, it was better to preserve a few large reserves than many small ones. However, in a managed, highly fragmented forest landscape it was better to set aside many small reserves. The reason for this was that small plots with high habitat quality could be selected, while large reserves originally contained habitats both of high and low quality, and the rate of habitat quality increase was low. A strategy for biodiversity conservation in a managed forest landscape should include information about the history of the landscape, the current amount and spatial distribution of forest habitats, and the potential for rapid restoration of forest habitats, both on managed and unmanaged forest land.     

果梅花不同发育阶段花粉原位萌发及花粉管生长特性

为探明自花、异花花粉在果梅花的不同发育阶段原位萌发及生长的特性,以细叶青果梅为材料,取开花前6、4、2d、开花当天和花后2d的花(花蕾),分别于自花、异花授粉(莺宿)后12、24、48、72、96h切取花柱,用FAA固定液处理,荧光染色后压片观察。结果表明,自花花粉在柱头上的萌发率略低于异花(开花前4d存在显著差异),开花前6、4d极显著低于其他各阶段,花蕾越幼小花粉萌发越差,开花当天花粉萌发率超过80%;开花前4d之前的花柱内异花花粉管数量显著低于开花前2d及之后各期的,果梅开花前4d以前的花发育不充分;开花后2d生长到花柱基部的异花花粉管数量较多,属于有效授粉期。果梅在开花前4d开始具备抑制自花花粉管生长的能力,并且随着花的发育逐渐增强,开花当天最强,开花后开始减弱。果梅自交授粉期以开花前2～3d为宜。     

Comparison of S-RNase,RNase T1, T2, and A effects on growth inhibition and RNA degradation of in vitro-cultured pear pollen

To obtain the basic information on fruit set regulation, effects of several RNases including S-RNase on pollen tube growth and RNA degradation in the tube were studied in the pear. Purified S-RNase from the Japanese pear ‘Kosui’ (S₄S₅) predominantly inhibited the growth of ‘Kosui’ pollen tubes (self) in vitro at 0.28 unit μL⁻¹, but it inhibited ‘Chojuro’ (S₂S₃) pollen (cross) only slightly. The same unit of RNase T₁ (EC 3.1.27.3) clearly inhibited the pollen tube growth, but the action was significantly weaker than that of the S-RNase against the self-pollen. Inhibitory effect of RNase T₂ (EC 3.1.27.1) and RNase A (EC 3.1.27.5) was only slight. The proteins other than the S-RNase extracted from pear style did not have any inhibitory action, though they possessed RNase activity 3.8 times higher than S-RNase. Thus, RNases tested here could not substitute for the S-RNase in specific inhibition against the self-pollen tube growth. Total RNA degradation by each RNase occurred in the pollen tubes as following order; S-RNase (self) ≥T₁ > T₂ ≥ A > S-RNase (cross). Degradation degree of 28S and 18S rRNA was as follows; S-RNase (self) > A > T₁ > T₂ > S-RNase (cross). The degradation of 5.8S and 5S rRNA was; S-RNase (self) > S-RNase (cross) > A > T₂ > T_1. The degree of rRNA degradation was, thus, not always in parallel with the degree of pollen growth inhibition. The S-RNase may degrade not only rRNA but also mRNA essential for pollen tube growth, and may be specifically adapted to inhibit the growth of self-pollen tubes. Therefore, controlling S-RNase amount in the style will produce self-thinning cultivars efficiently, which are unnecessary not only for hand-pollination but fruit-thinning practices in the pear. Practically, cultivar with weak self-incompatibility and small amount of S-RNase, such as ‘Okusankichi’, may be an expecting candidate for breeding self-thinning cultivars.     

Li~+、肌醇与Ca~(2+)对苹果、梨、山楂花粉萌发和花粉管生长的影响

观测了苹果（金冠）、梨（鸭梨）、山植（面值）的花粉萌发和花粉管生长情况,结果表明,Li2SO4的浓度越高、处理时间越早,花粉萌发和花粉管生长的抑制程度越大,Ca2+和肌醇可不同程度地逆转上述效应。因此认为,细胞内一定量的肌醇和Ca2+是果树花粉萌发和花粉管生长所必需的,并对维持正常的肌醇磷脂代谢是至关重要的。     

外源多胺对苹果花粉管伸长及胚珠寿命的影响

研究了多胺对苹果花粉管伸长及胚珠寿命的影响。结果表明,多胺能促进花粉管伸长,延缓胚珠衰老;多胺浓度以１×１０－５ｍｏｌ／Ｌ较１×１０－３ｍｏｌ／Ｌ效果为好。     

Repressive effect of miRNA-363 via SOX4 on human osteosarcoma cell growth and apoptosis

AIM: To detect the expression of miRNA-363 and SOX4 in osteosarcoma tissues and to investigate the effect of miRNA-363 on the viability and apoptosis of human osteosarcoma cell line MG-63.METHODS: Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression level and the relationship of miRNA-363 and SOX4 mRNA in the osteosarcoma tissues and the corresponding paratumorous tissues collected from 63 patients. The expression levels of miRNA-363 and SOX4 in osteosarcoma cell line MG-63 after transfected with miRNA-363 mimics were measured. The cell viability was measured by CCK-8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to monitor the changes of cell cycle and apoptosis. The changes of SOX4 and miRNA-363 expression levels in the MG-63 cells after transfection with SOX4 siRNA or pcDNA/SOX4 was detect by real-time PCR.RESULTS: The expressed level of miRNA-363 was lower, and the expression level of SOX4 was higher in the osteosarcoma tissues than those in the adjacent normal tissues. A significantly negative correlation between the expression levels of miRNA-363 and SOX4 was observed. The expression of miRNA-363 in the MG-63 cells after transfection with miRNA-363 mimics was significantly up-regulated, while the expression of SOX4 in the MG-63 cells was significantly down-regulated, with significant difference as compared with the cells transfected with miRNA-NC and control cells. The viability of MG-63 cells was inhibited, the cell cycle was arrested in G₀/G₁ phase, and the cell apoptosis was increased by transfection with miRNA-363 mimics. The relative protein expression levels of SOX4 in SOX4 siRNA group and pcNDA/SOX4 group were significantly different from those in negative control group, but the relative expression levels of miRNA-363 had no significant difference. Over-expression of SOX4 restored the viability of the MG-63 cells reduced by miR-363.CONCLUSION: The expression level of miRNA-363 is low in human osteosarcoma tissue. miRNA-363 may inhibits the viability of osteosarcoma cell line MG-63 and promotes cell apoptosis in vitro via inhibiting the SOX4 expression.     

Number of Pollen Grains in Rice Cultivars with Different Cool-Weather Resistance at the Young Microspore Stage

Abstract

The difference in the number of pollen grains may be the primary factor determining the resistance to cool weather at the young microspore stage in rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars. To confirm this hypothesis, we compared the number of pollen grains among the cultivars or lines with various cool-weather resistance. The cultivars or lines used in the experiments were mainly released or grown in the Tohoku district (the northern part of the mainland of Japan). The number of pollen grains showed high correlation with the degree of cool-weather resistance, but considerably varied with the cultivar or line, even in the group having the same cool-weather resistance. Each group with different cool-weather resistance was divided into two subgroups, implying the existence of another genetic factor determining the resistance. The number of pollen grains in the plants cooled at the young microspore stage showed higher correlation with the degree of the cool-weather resistance than that in the control plants without exposure to low temperature. The correlation between the pollen number and spikelet sterility was also analyzed using the data of Satake and Shibata (1992, Jpn. J. Crop Sci. 61 :454–462), who primarily used the cultivars in Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan). The results were basically the same as those obtained in the present experiments. These results confirmed the hypothesis that the variation in the number of pollen grains is a primary factor of the resistance to cool weather at the booting stage in the cultivars in the northern part of Japan. The results also suggested the existence of another genetic factor determining the resistance.