Structural analysis and identification of cis-elements of rice osRACD gene.

The osRACD gene correlated with fertility transformation in the photoperiod sensitive genic male sterile rice (PGMR), Nongken 58S, encoded a rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica) small GTPase belonging to the Rac/Rho family. Inverse PCR was performed to amplify a fragment about 1.4 kb in 5' upstream region of the osRACD promoter. Deletion mutation and gel mobility shift assay characterized two fragments (-799 to -686 nt, and -686 to -431 nt) in the osRACD promoter that could be involved in its transcriptional regulation. When these two deletion fragments were used as probe respectively, a retarded band appeared in the nuclear extracts of fertile 58S rice under short day (58S-SD). Whereas no retarded band was shown in the nuclear extracts of sterile 58S rice under long day (58S-LD). Competition assay indicated that the factors in the retarded bands binding to these two fragments were the same trans-acting factor (termed rice factor, RF). The binding affinity of RF was affected by phosphorylation and was higher in SD-growth rice than that of LD-growth rice.

Preprophase band loses its function as a cytokinetic apparatus in mitosis of neck canal mother cell.

Preprophase bands in the neck canal mother cell and the central cell of the archegonium of the fern Dryopteris crassirhizoma are observed with immunofluorescence microscopy. No phragmoplast is found during mitosis of the neck canal mother cell; however, the phragmoplast develops very well in the central cell. The neck canal mother cell undergoes karyokinesis but not cytokinesis and finally produces only one binucleate neck canal cell. However, the central cell undergoes cytokinesis and produces an egg cell and a ventral canal cell. These observations suggest that the preprophase band in the neck canal mother cell loses its function as a cytokinetic apparatus and becomes an evolutionary vestige in the development of the archegonium.