The Collaboration Between Art History and Genetics – An Unlikely Marriage of Disciplines

Our fruits, vegetables, and cereal crops stem from a wild ancestor and have undergone major changes through millennia of domestication and selection. There are various ways to reveal plant diversity over time, and one of these is through the combination of art history and genetics (also known as #ArtGenetics). Here, we discuss this approach from the art historian’s point of view and flag the advantages and caveats of such an approach. We also advocate for the development of an integrated, global art database to facilitate such analyses.

Photosynthates Predominantly Symplasmic Phloem Unloading Maintained the Efficient Biomass Accumulation in Storage Root of Cassava (Manihot Esculenta Crantz)

Background: It is well known that cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) high efficient accumulates starch in its storage root underground, but how the photosynthates transported from leaves to the phloem, especially unloaded into the parenchymal cell of storage root remains unclear.Methods: Here, we investigated the phloem unloading pattern of sucrose and its impact to the development of storage root in cassava through microstructural and physiological analyses, trace of carboxyfluorescein (CF) and Isotope C14. Identification of expression profiling of the genes involved in symplasmic and apoplasmic transport and their correlation with storage root yield in population by enzymatic activity, western blotting analysis and Transcriptome Sequencing.Results: The carbohydrates are transported mainly as form of sucrose with above 54.6% measured with stem phloem instantly. The sucrose was predominantly symplasmic unloading from phloem into storage root, but there was a shift from apoplasmic to symplasmic unloading accompanied by the onset of root swelling. Microstructure statistics revealed the plasmodesmata enriched among sieve, companion and parenchyma cells in the developing storage root of cultivated variety but not in a wild ancestor. Tracing test with CF verified exist of coplastid channel and [14C]Suc demonstrated that the sucrose marked could rapid diffusion into root parenchyma cells from phloem cells. The higher expression of genes and proteins for SuSys in storage root at middle and late stage but not in early stage of storage root, primary fibrous root and second fibrous root, and the inversely expressed pattern of SUTs, CWI and SAI in these corresponding organs supported that there are a symplasmic sucrose unloading pathway. The transcriptomic pattern of genes involved in symplasmic unloading and their significantly positive correction with starch yielding in population level confirmed it is vital important that the symplasmic sucrose transport in developing storage root of cassava. Conclusions: In the study, we uncovered a predominantly symplasmic phloem unloading pattern of sucrose in the storage root of cassava. And this advantage is essential to efficient starch accumulation for sucrose transports between a high yield variety to low yield wild ancestor.

The origin of cultivated buckwheat in Mankang district of the Sanjiang area of Eastern Tibet and its diffusion to India and the Himalayan hills / Izvor gojene ajde na območju distrikta Mankang območja Sanjiang Vzhodnega Tibeta in razširitev v Indijo ...

Natural populations of the wild ancestor of cultivated common buckwheat were searched and collected, starting from its discovery in1990 and finishing the collections in 2005. Among the collections, the samples Zhuka, Xihe from Mankang district of Tibet are most closely related to cultivated common buckwheat. On the other hand, cultivated populations of common buckwheat in Zhouba, Zhubalong both from Mankang district are most closely related with the wild ancestor of common buckwheat. This leads to the hypothesis on the origin of cultivated buckwheat in Mankang district in the Sanjiang area. The diffusion route from the original birthplace to India and the Himalayan hills is proposed. Several characteristics of Indian and Himalayan common buckwheat are discussed. A main conclusion of the discussion is that European buckwheat is not of Indian origin nor of the Himalayan origin. It probably came from the northern China through the Silk Road. Key words: buckwheat, wild ancestor, origin, diffusion, India, Himalaya, short day plant Izvleček Iskali in zbirali so naravne populacije divjega prednika gojene navadne ajde, začeli so leta 1990 in zaključili 2005. Med zbranimi vzorci je bil vzorec Zhuka, Xihe iz Mankanga, Tibet, najbolj soroden gojeni navadni ajdi. Po drugi strani, vzorca gojenih ajd iz Zhouba in Zhubalonga, oboje iz Mankanga, so najbolj sorodni divjemu predniku navadne ajde. Na osnovi tega lahko oblikujemo hipotezo o izvoru gojene ajde v Mankangu na območju Sanjianga. Pot širjenja od prvotnega izvora v Indijo in na območja gorovja Himalaje je predlagana v tej razpravi. Avtor opisuje lastnosti navadne ajde v Indiji in na območju Himalaje. Glavni zaključek je, da ajda v Evropi ne izvira iz Indije ali z območja Himalaje. Verjetno je v Evropo prišla iz Severne Kitajske po Svilni poti. Ključne besede: ajda, divji prednik, izvor, razširjanje, Indija, Himalaja, rastlina kratkega dne

Genome-wide identification, characterisation and functional evaluation of WRKY genes in the sweet potato wild ancestor Ipomoea trifida (H.B.K.) G. Don. under abiotic stresses

Background WRKY DNA-binding protein (WRKY) is a large gene family involved in plant responses and adaptation to salt, drought, cold and heat stresses. Sweet potato from the genus Ipomoea is a staple food crop, but the WRKY genes in Ipomoea species remain unknown to date. Hence, we carried out a genome-wide analysis of WRKYs in Ipomoea trifida (H.B.K.) G. Don., the wild ancestor of sweet potato. Results A total of 83 WRKY genes encoding 96 proteins were identified in I. trifida, and their gene distribution, duplication, structure, phylogeny and expression patterns were studied. ItfWRKYs were distributed on 15 chromosomes of I. trifida. Gene duplication analysis showed that segmental duplication played an important role in the WRKY gene family expansion in I. trifida. Gene structure analysis showed that the intron-exon model of the ItfWRKY gene was highly conserved. Meanwhile, the ItfWRKYs were divided into five groups (I, IIa + IIb, IIc, IId + IIe and III) on the basis of the phylogenetic analysis on I. trifida and Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY proteins. In addition, gene expression profiles confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that ItfWRKYs were highly up-regulated or down-regulated under salt, drought, cold and heat stress conditions, implying that these genes play important roles in response and adaptation to abiotic stresses. Conclusions In summary, genome-wide identification, gene structure, phylogeny and expression analysis of WRKY gene in I. trifida provide basic information for further functional studies of ItfWRKYs and for the molecular breeding of sweet potato.