scholarly journals Loss of a highly conserved sterile alpha motif domain gene (WEEP) results in pendulous branch growth in peach trees

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (20) ◽  
pp. E4690-E4699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney A. Hollender ◽  
Thierry Pascal ◽  
Amy Tabb ◽  
Toto Hadiarto ◽  
Chinnathambi Srinivasan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prunus Persica ◽  
Genetic Mutation ◽  
Gravity Perception ◽  
Sterile Alpha Motif ◽  
Sterile Alpha Motif Domain ◽  
Sam Domain ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Peach Trees ◽  
Plant Shoots ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

Plant shoots typically grow upward in opposition to the pull of gravity. However, exceptions exist throughout the plant kingdom. Most conspicuous are trees with weeping or pendulous branches. While such trees have long been cultivated and appreciated for their ornamental value, the molecular basis behind the weeping habit is not known. Here, we characterized a weeping tree phenotype in Prunus persica (peach) and identified the underlying genetic mutation using a genomic sequencing approach. Weeping peach tree shoots exhibited a downward elliptical growth pattern and did not exhibit an upward bending in response to 90° reorientation. The causative allele was found to be an uncharacterized gene, Ppa013325, having a 1.8-Kb deletion spanning the 5′ end. This gene, dubbed WEEP, was predominantly expressed in phloem tissues and encodes a highly conserved 129-amino acid protein containing a sterile alpha motif (SAM) domain. Silencing WEEP in the related tree species Prunus domestica (plum) resulted in more outward, downward, and wandering shoot orientations compared to standard trees, supporting a role for WEEP in directing lateral shoot growth in trees. This previously unknown regulator of branch orientation, which may also be a regulator of gravity perception or response, provides insights into our understanding of how tree branches grow in opposition to gravity and could serve as a critical target for manipulating tree architecture for improved tree shape in agricultural and horticulture applications.

Herbicide Effects on Weed Control and Shoot Growth of Young Apple (Malus sylvestris) and Peach (Prunus persica) Trees

1994 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 840-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chester L. Foy ◽  
Susan B. Harrison ◽  
Harold L. Witt
Keyword(s):  
Shoot Growth ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Prunus Persica ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Apple Trees ◽  
Herbicide Treatments ◽  
One Year ◽  
Broadleaf Species ◽  
Old Trees ◽  
Peach Trees

Field experiments were conducted at two locations in Virginia to evaluate the following herbicides: alachlor, diphenamid, diuron, metolachlor, napropamide, norflurazon, oryzalin, oxyfluorfen, paraquat, pendimethalin, and simazine. One experiment involved newly-transplanted apple trees; the others, three in apple and one in peach trees, involved one-year-old trees. Treatments were applied in the spring (mid-April to early-May). Control of annual weed species was excellent with several treatments. A broader spectrum of weeds was controlled in several instances when the preemergence herbicides were used in combinations. Perennial species, particularly broadleaf species and johnsongrass, were released when annual species were suppressed by the herbicides. A rye cover crop in nontreated plots suppressed the growth of weeds. New shoot growth of newly-transplanted apple trees was increased with 3 of 20 herbicide treatments and scion circumference was increased with 11 of 20 herbicide treatments compared to the nontreated control. Growth of one-year-old apple trees was not affected. Scion circumference of one-year-old peach trees was increased with 25 of 33 herbicide treatments.

Early performance of micropropagated trees of several Malus and Prunus cultivars on their own roots

1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 847-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. Quamme ◽  
R. T. Brownlee
Keyword(s):  
Sweet Cherry ◽  
Prunus Persica ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Sour Cherry ◽  
Titratable Acidity ◽  
Soluble Solids ◽  
Flesh Firmness ◽  
Golden Delicious ◽  
Early Performance ◽  
Peach Trees

Early performance (6–8 yr) of Macspur McIntosh, Golden Delicious, and Spartan apple (Malus domestica Borkh.); Fairhaven peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.]; Montmorency sour cherry (P. cerasus L.); and Lambert sweet cherry (P. avium L.) trees, tissue cultured (TC) on their own roots, was compared with that of the same cultivars budded on commercially used rootstocks. TC trees of all apple cultivars were similar in size to trees budded on Antonovka seedling or M.4 and exceeded the size of trees budded on M.26. They were delayed in flowering and in cropping compared with trees budded on M.26 and M.4. No difference in titratable acidity, soluble solids, flesh firmness, weight, flavor, and color between fruit from TC trees and from trees on M.4 and Antonovka seedlings was detected in 1 yr of measurement. However, fruit from TC Golden Delicious was more russeted and fruit from TC Spartan had more soluble solids. The difference in fruit appearance between TC and budded trees may result from a root-stock effect or a difference in budwood source, because Spartan fruit from trees on M.4 was more russeted than Spartan fruit from TC trees, but was not different from Spartan fruit from trees on Antonovka seedling. Trees of Macspur McIntosh on TC M.26 and on stool-layered M.26 were similar in size and yield efficiency. TC Fairhaven was larger in size than Fairhaven on Siberian C seedling, but was less yield efficient. No difference in fruit size, flesh firmness, or color was detected between fruit harvested from peach trees on the different roots. Montmorency and Lambert TC and on F12/1 were similar in tree size, respectively, but Montmorency and Lambert TC were more yield efficient than on F12/1. Fruit of TC Lambert was lighter in color and had higher titratable acidity than that of Lambert on F12/1, perhaps a result of earlier fruit maturity. Key words: Apple, peach, sweet cherry, sour cherry, self-rooted, rootstocks

scholarly journals Characterization of the Gallate Dioxygenase Gene: Three Distinct Ring Cleavage Dioxygenases Are Involved in Syringate Degradation by Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (15) ◽  
pp. 5067-5074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Kasai ◽  
Eiji Masai ◽  
Keisuke Miyauchi ◽  
Yoshihiro Katayama ◽  
Masao Fukuda
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Terminal Region ◽  
Ring Cleavage ◽  
Sphingomonas Paucimobilis ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Demethylation Pathway ◽  
Dioxygenase Gene ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

ABSTRACT Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6 converts vanillate and syringate to protocatechuate (PCA) and 3-O-methylgallate (3MGA) in reactions with the tetrahydrofolate-dependent O-demethylases LigM and DesA, respectively. PCA is further degraded via the PCA 4,5-cleavage pathway, whereas 3MGA is metabolized via three distinct pathways in which PCA 4,5-dioxygenase (LigAB), 3MGA 3,4-dioxygenase (DesZ), and 3MGA O-demethylase (LigM) are involved. In the 3MGA O-demethylation pathway, LigM converts 3MGA to gallate, and the resulting gallate appears to be degraded by a dioxygenase other than LigAB or DesZ. Here, we isolated the gallate dioxygenase gene, desB, which encodes a 418-amino-acid protein with a molecular mass of 46,843 Da. The amino acid sequences of the N-terminal region (residues 1 to 285) and the C-terminal region (residues 286 to 418) of DesB exhibited ca. 40% and 27% identity with the sequences of the PCA 4,5-dioxygenase β and α subunits, respectively. DesB produced in Escherichia coli was purified and was estimated to be a homodimer (86 kDa). DesB specifically attacked gallate to generate 4-oxalomesaconate as the reaction product. The Km for gallate and the V max were determined to be 66.9 ± 9.3 μM and 42.7 ± 2.4 U/mg, respectively. On the basis of the analysis of various SYK-6 mutants lacking the genes involved in syringate degradation, we concluded that (i) all of the three-ring cleavage dioxygenases are involved in syringate catabolism, (ii) the pathway involving LigM and DesB plays an especially important role in the growth of SYK-6 on syringate, and (iii) DesB and LigAB are involved in gallate degradation.

scholarly journals LASS3 (longevity assurance homologue 3) is a mainly testis-specific (dihydro)ceramide synthase with relatively broad substrate specificity

2006 ◽  
Vol 398 (3) ◽  
pp. 531-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Mizutani ◽  
Akio Kihara ◽  
Yasuyuki Igarashi
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Substrate Specificity ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Fatty Acyl ◽  
Ceramide Synthase ◽  
Broad Substrate Specificity ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

The LASS (longevity assurance homologue) family members are highly conserved from yeasts to mammals. Five mouse and human LASS family members, namely LASS1, LASS2, LASS4, LASS5 and LASS6, have been identified and characterized. In the present study we cloned two transcriptional variants of hitherto-uncharacterized mouse LASS3 cDNA, which encode a 384-amino-acid protein (LASS3) and a 419-amino-acid protein (LASS3-long). In vivo, [3H]dihydrosphingosine labelling and electrospray-ionization MS revealed that overproduction of either LASS3 isoform results in increases in several ceramide species, with some preference toward those having middle- to long-chain-fatty acyl-CoAs. A similar substrate preference was observed in an in vitro (dihydro)ceramide synthase assay. These results indicate that LASS3 possesses (dihydro)ceramide synthesis activity with relatively broad substrate specificity. We also found that, except for a weak display in skin, LASS3 mRNA expression is limited almost solely to testis, implying that LASS3 plays an important role in this gland.

Isolation, DNA sequence, and regulation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene that encodes DNA strand transfer protein alpha

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2576-2582
Author(s):  
A B Clark ◽  
C C Dykstra ◽  
A Sugino
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Intragenic Recombination ◽  
Strand Transfer ◽  
Homologous Pairing ◽  
Spore Viability ◽  
Transfer Protein ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Dna Strand ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

DNA strand transfer protein alpha (STP alpha) from meiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells promotes homologous pairing of DNA without any nucleotide cofactor in the presence of yeast single-stranded DNA binding protein. This gene (DNA strand transferase 1, DST1) encodes a 309-amino-acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 34,800 Da. The STP alpha protein level is constant in both mitotic and meiotic cells, but during meiosis the polypeptide is activated by an unknown mechanism, resulting in a large increase in its specific activity. A dst1::URA3/dst1::URA3 mutant grows normally in mitotic media; however, meiotic cells exhibit a greatly reduced induction of both DNA strand transfer activity and intragenic recombination between his1 heteroalleles. Spore viability is normal. These results suggest that DST1 is required for much of the observed induction of homologous recombination in S. cerevisiae during meiosis but not for normal sporulation.

glsA, a Volvox gene required for asymmetric division and germ cell specification, encodes a chaperone-like protein

Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.M. Miller ◽  
D.L. Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Cell Specification ◽  
Division Plane ◽  
Binding Domains ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Germ Cell Specification ◽  
Asymmetric Divisions ◽  
Dividing Cells ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

The gls genes of Volvox are required for the asymmetric divisions that set apart cells of the germ and somatic lineages during embryogenesis. Here we used transposon tagging to clone glsA, and then showed that it is expressed maximally in asymmetrically dividing embryos, and that it encodes a 748-amino acid protein with two potential protein-binding domains. Site-directed mutagenesis of one of these, the J domain (by which Hsp40-class chaperones bind to and activate specific Hsp70 partners) abolishes the capacity of glsA to rescue mutants. Based on this and other considerations, including the fact that the GlsA protein is associated with the mitotic spindle, we discuss how it might function, in conjunction with an Hsp70-type partner, to shift the division plane in asymmetrically dividing cells.

scholarly journals JAZ repressors of metabolic defense promote growth and reproductive fitness inArabidopsis

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (45) ◽  
pp. E10768-E10777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Guo ◽  
Yuki Yoshida ◽  
Ian T. Major ◽  
Kun Wang ◽  
Koichi Sugimoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Protein Profiling ◽  
Metabolic Effects ◽  
Repressor Proteins ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Jaz Proteins ◽  
Physiological Tasks ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

Plant immune responses mediated by the hormone jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine (JA-Ile) are metabolically costly and often linked to reduced growth. Although it is known that JA-Ile activates defense responses by triggering the degradation of JASMONATE ZIM DOMAIN (JAZ) transcriptional repressor proteins, expansion of theJAZgene family in vascular plants has hampered efforts to understand how this hormone impacts growth and other physiological tasks over the course of ontogeny. Here, we combined mutations within the 13-memberArabidopsis JAZgene family to investigate the effects of chronic JAZ deficiency on growth, defense, and reproductive output. A higher-order mutant (jazdecuple,jazD) defective in 10JAZgenes (JAZ1–7,-9,-10, and-13) exhibited robust resistance to insect herbivores and fungal pathogens, which was accompanied by slow vegetative growth and poor reproductive performance. Metabolic phenotypes ofjazDdiscerned from global transcript and protein profiling were indicative of elevated carbon partitioning to amino acid-, protein-, and endoplasmic reticulum body-based defenses controlled by the JA-Ile and ethylene branches of immunity. Resource allocation to a strong defense sink injazDleaves was associated with increased respiration and hallmarks of carbon starvation but no overt changes in photosynthetic rate. Depletion of the remaining JAZ repressors injazDfurther exaggerated growth stunting, nearly abolished seed production and, under extreme conditions, caused spreading necrotic lesions and tissue death. Our results demonstrate that JAZ proteins promote growth and reproductive success at least in part by preventing catastrophic metabolic effects of an unrestrained immune response.

Immunofluorescent localization of the ubiquitin-activating enzyme, E1, to the nucleus and cytoskeleton

1993 ◽  
Vol 264 (1) ◽  
pp. C93-C102 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Trausch ◽  
S. J. Grenfell ◽  
P. M. Handley-Gearhart ◽  
A. Ciechanover ◽  
A. L. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Eukaryotic Cell ◽  
Nuclear Staining ◽  
Immunofluorescent Localization ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Ubiquitin Conjugation ◽  
Double Label ◽  
Pleiotropic Functions ◽  
Amino Acid Protein

Ubiquitin, a 76-amino acid protein, is covalently attached to abnormal and short-lived proteins, thus marking them for ATP-dependent proteolysis in eukaryotic cells. Ubiquitin is found within the cytoplasm, nucleus, microvilli, autophagic vacuoles, and lysosomes. The ubiquitin-activating enzyme, E1, catalyzes the first step in ubiquitin conjugation. To date, very little is known about the subcellular distribution of this enzyme. We have utilized immunofluorescence and immunoblotting to examine the cellular distribution of E1 in several eukaryotic cell lines, including HeLa, smooth muscle A7r5, choriocarcinoma BeWo, Pt K1, and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) E36. E1 was identified in both cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments in all cell lines examined. However, the relative abundance within these compartments differed markedly between the cell lines. Even within a single cell line, nuclear distribution was not uniform, and certain cells demonstrated an absence of nuclear staining. E1 resides predominantly within the nucleus in BeWo. In contrast, its distribution in CHO and Pt K1 cells is mainly cytoplasmic. Within the cytoplasm, three pools of E1 were identified by double-label immunofluorescence. The first of these colocalized with phalloidin, indicating association of E1 with actin filaments. A second cytoplasmic pool colocalized with tubulin and was predominantly perinuclear in its distribution. The third pool associated with intermediate filaments. This suggests that E1 is associated with all three components of the cytoskeleton. The distribution of E1 was unaltered in a mutant line of CHO E36 designated ts20, in which the E1 can be thermally inactivated. The variable distribution of E1 among cell lines, including its apparent cytoskeletal association, suggests pleiotropic functions of this enzyme and the ubiquitin-conjugating system.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document