CsAP3: A Cucumber Homolog to Arabidopsis APETALA3 with Novel Characteristics.

In our previous efforts to understand the regulatory mechanisms of cucumber unisexual flower development, we observed a stamen-specific down-regulation of the ethylene receptor CsETR1 in stage 6 female flowers of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). This down-regulation is correlated with the primordial anther-specific DNA damage that characterizes inappropriate stamen development in cucumber female flowers. To understand how CsETR1 is down regulated in the stamen, we characterized a cucumber MADS box gene homologous to Arabidopsis AP3, CsAP3. We demonstrated that CsAP3 is functionally equivalent to the Arabidopsis B-class MADS gene AP3. However, three novel characteristics of CsAP3 were found. These include firstly, binding and activating CsETR1 promoter in vitro and in vivo; secondly, containing a GV repeat in its C-terminus, which is conserved in cucurbits and required for the transcription activation; and thirdly, decreased expression as the node number increases, which is similar to that found for CsETR1. These findings revealed not only the conserved function of CsAP3 as a B-class floral identity gene, but also its unique functions in regulation of female flower development in cucumber.

A protocol of homozygous haploid callus induction from endosperm of Taxus chinensis Rehd. var. mairei.

Obtainment and characterization of the novel endosperm callus of Taxus chinensis Rehd. var. mairei are valuable for haploid breeding, genome, and functional genome in Taxus. Callus was obtained by hydropriming with sterile water for 3 days and suitable medium composition. The highest callus induction (70.89 %) and lower browning ratio (7.95 %) were obtained from Gamborg (B5) medium supplemented with 30 g l(-1) of sucrose, 2.5 mg l(-1) of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic (2,4-D), 0.5 mg l(-1) of 6-benzylademine (6-BA) and 7 g l(-1) of agar under dark conditions. The auxin of 2,4-D had a better efficiency of callus induction than naphthylacetic acid, and over 1 mg l(-1) of 6-BA was inhibitory to the callogensis of endosperm. The endosperm callus was haploid which was detectable by the flow cytometry. The genome block of homozygosity of callus was homozygous which was indicated by PCR-based SNP marks. The homozygous haploid of endosperm callus in vitro culture may be useful tools for taxoid-metabolism of gene engineering and bio-fermentation engineering.

Characterization and expression profiling of cucumber kinesin genes during early fruit development: revealing the roles of kinesins in exponential cell production and enlargement in cucumber fruit.

Rapid cell division and expansion in early fruit development are important phases for cucumber fruit yield and quality. Kinesin proteins are microtubule-based motors responsible for modulating cell division and enlargement. In this work, the candidate kinesin genes involved in rapid cell division and expansion during cucumber fruit development were investigated. The morphological and cellular changes during early fruit development were compared in four cucumber genotypes with varied fruit size. The correlation between the expression profiles of cucumber kinesin genes and cellular changes in fruit was investigated. Finally, the biochemical characteristics and subcellular localizations of three candidate kinesins were studied. The results clarified the morphological and cellular changes during early cucumber fruit development. This study found that CsKF2-CsKF6 were positively correlated with rapid cell production; CsKF1 and CsKF7 showed a strongly positive correlation with rapid cell expansion. The results also indicated that CsKF1 localized to the plasma membrane of fast-expanding fruit cells, that CsKF2 might play a role in fruit chloroplast division, and that CsKF3 is involved in the function or formation of phragmoplasts in fruit telophase cells. The results strongly suggest that specific fruit-enriched kinesins are specialized in their functions in rapid cell division and expansion during cucumber fruit development.

Construction of a high density integrated genetic map for cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

The high-density consensus map was constructed based on the GY14 × PI 183967 map from an inter-subspecific cross and the extended S94 × S06 map from an intra-subspecific cross. The consensus map was composed of 1,369 loci, including 1,152 SSR loci, 192 SRAP loci, 21 SCAR loci and one STS locus as well as three gene loci of fruit external quality traits in seven chromosomes, and spanned 700.5 cM, of which 682.7 cM (97.5%) were covered by SSR markers. The average genetic distance and physical interval between loci were 0.51 cM and ~268 kbp, respectively. Additionally, the physical position of the sequence-associated markers aligned along the assembled cucumber genome sequence established a relationship between genetic maps and cucumber genome sequence and to a great extent validated the order of markers in individual maps and consensus map. This consensus map with a high marker density and well-ordered markers is a saturated and reliable linkage map for genetic analysis of cucumber or the Cucurbitaceae family of plants.