Identification of QTLs associated with curd architecture in cauliflower.

BACKGROUND: Curd architecture is one of the most important characters determining the curd morphology of cauliflower. However, the genetic mechanism dissection of this complex trait at molecular level is lacking. Genes/QTLs responsible for the morphological differences between present-day loose-curd and compact-curd cauliflower haven't been well revealed. RESULTS: Herein, by using a common compact-curd parent and two loose-curd parents, we developed two double haploid (DH) populations including 122 and 79 lines, respectively. For each population, we decomposed the curd architecture concept into four parameters (basal diameter, stalk length, stalk angle and curd solidity), and collected corresponding phenotypic data for each parameter across two environments. The Kosambi function and composite interval mapping algorithm were conducted to construct the linkage map and analyze the QTLs associated with curd architecture parameters. A total of 20 QTLs were detected with the minimum likelihood of odd (LOD) values ranging from 2.61 to 8.38 and the percentage of the phenotypic variance explained by each QTL (PVE) varying between 7.69 and 25.10%. Of these, two QTLs controlling stalk length (qSL.C6-1, qSL.C6-2) and two QTLs controlling curd solidity (qCS.C6-1 and qCS.C6-2) were steadily expressed in both environments. Further, qSL.C6-1, qSL.C6-2, qCS.C6-1 and qCS.C6-4 fell into the same chromosomal region of the reference genome, indicating that these loci are involved in pleiotropic effects or are tightly linked. CONCLUSION: The current study identified a series of QTLs associated with curd architecture parameters, which might contribute essentially to the formation of present-day loose-curd cauliflower that is widely cultivated in China. These results may pave the way for intensive deciphering the molecular mechanisms of curd development and for marker-assisted selection of curd morphology in cauliflower breeding.

Genome wide analysis of MADS-box gene family in Brassica oleracea reveals conservation and variation in flower development.

BACKGROUND: MADS-box genes play important roles in vegetative growth and reproductive development and are essential for the correct development of plants (particularly inflorescences, flowers, and fruits). However, this gene family has not been identified nor their functions analyzed in Brassica oleracea. RESULTS: In this study, we performed a whole-genome survey of the complete set of MADS-box genes in B. oleracea. In total, 91 MADS-box transcription factors (TFs) were identified and categorized as type I (Mα, Mß, Mγ) and type II (MIKCC, MIKC*) groups according to the phylogeny and gene structure analysis. Among these genes, 59 were randomly distributed on 9 chromosomes, while the other 23 were assigned to 19 scaffolds and 9 genes from NCBI had no location information. Both RNA-sequencing and quantitative real-time-PCR analysis suggested that MIKC genes had more active and complex expression patterns than M type genes and most type II genes showed high flowering-related expression profiles. Additional quantitative real-time-PCR analysis of pedicel and four flower whorls revealed that the structure of the B.oleracea MIKC genes was conserved, but their homologues showed variable expression patterns compared to those in Arabidopsis thaliana. CONCLUSION: This paper gives a detailed overview of the BolMADS genes and their expression patterns. The results obtained in this study provide useful information for understanding the molecular regulation of flower development and further functional characterization of MADS-box genes in B. oleracea.

[Analysis on medication rules of state medical master Yan Zhenghua from prescriptions with citri reticulatae pericarpium based on data mining].

The prescriptions containing pericarpium citri reticulatae that built by Professor. Yan were collected to build a database based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) inheritance assist system. After analyzed by data mining, such as apriori algorithm, the frequency of single medicine, the frequency of drug combination, the association rules between drugs and core drug combinations can be get from the database. Through the analysis of 1 027 prescriptions with pericarpium citri reticulatae, these prescriptions were commonly used to treat stomach aches, cough and other syndromes. The most frequency drug combinations were "Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium-Poria", "Paeoniae Radix Rubra-Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium" and so on. The drug association rules that the confidence was 1 were "Glycyrrhizae Radix ex Rhizoma --> Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium", "Paeoniae Alba Radix-Cyperi Rhizoma --> Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium", "Poria --> Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium", and so on. The drugs in the prescriptions containing pericarpium citri reticulatae that built by Professor Yan mostly had the effects of regulating the flow of Qi and invigorate blood circulation, which reflected the clearly thought when making prescriptions.

[Analysis on medication rules of state medical master yan zhenghua's prescriptions that including Polygoni Multiflori Caulis based on data mining].

The prescriptions including Polygoni Multiflori Caulis that built by Pro. Yan were collected to build a database based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) inheritance assist system. The method of association rules with apriori algorithm was used to achieve frequency of single medicine, frequency of drug combinations, association rules between drugs and core drug combinations. The datamining results indicated that in the prescriptions that including Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, the highest frequency used drugs were parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Ostreae Concha, Ossis Mastodi Fossilia, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix Et Rhizoma, Paeoniae Rubra Radix, and so on. The most frequent drug combinations were "Polygoni Multiflori Caulis-parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen", "Ostreae Concha-Polygoni Multiflori Caulis", and "Polygoni Multiflori Caulis-Ossis Mastodi Fossilia". The drug association rules of confidence coefficient 1 were "Ostreae Concha-->Polygoni Multiflori Caulis", "Poria-->Polygoni Multiflori Caulis", "parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen-->Polygoni Multiflori Caulis", and "Paeoniae Alba Radix-->Polygoni Multiflori Caulis". The core drug combinations in the treatment of insomnia were Ossis Mastodi Fossilia, Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Ostreae Concha, Polygalae Radix, Margaritifera Concha, Poria, and parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen. And the core drug combinations in the treatment of obstruction of Qi in chest were Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix Et Rhizoma, Polygoni Multiflori Caulis, parched Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Trichosanthis Fructus, Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus, and Paeoniae Rubra Radix.

Production and characterization of interspecific somatic hybrids between Brassica oleracea var. botrytis and B. nigra and their progenies for the selection of advanced pre-breeding materials.

Somatic hybridization is a potential method for gene transfer from wild relatives to cultivated crops that can overcome sexual incompatibilities of two distantly related species. In this study, interspecific asymmetric somatic hybrids of Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (cauliflower) and Brassica nigra (black mustard) were obtained by protoplast fusion and their backcrossed (BC(3)) and selfed (S(3)) offspring were analyzed. Cytological analysis showed that the B. nigra chromosomes were successively eliminated in the backcrosses with cauliflower. The fertility of the hybrid progenies was quite different due to the asynchronous and abnormal chromosome behavior of pollen mother cells (PMC) during meiosis. Analysis of sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) showed that all of these hybrids mainly had the DNA banding pattern from the two parents with some alterations. Genetically, the selfed generations were closer to B. nigra, while the backcrossed generations were closer to the cauliflower parent. Analysis of cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPS) and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) showed that all somatic hybrids in this study contained chloroplast (cp) DNA of the donor parent black mustard, while mitochondrial (mt) DNA showed evidence of recombination and variations in the regions analyzed. Furthermore, three BC(3) plants (originated from somatic hybrids 3, 4, 10) with 2-8 B. nigra-derived chromosomes shown by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) displayed a more cauliflower-like morphology and high resistance to black-rot. These plants were obtained as bridge materials for further analysis and breeding.