Reconstructing the deep-branching relationships of the papilionoid legumes

Resolving the phylogenetic relationships of the deep nodes of papilionoid legumes (Papilionoideae) is essential to understanding the evolutionary history and diversification of this economically and ecologically important legume subfamily. The early-branching papilionoids include mostly Neotropical trees traditionally circumscribed in the tribes Sophoreae and Swartzieae. They are more highly diverse in floral morphology than other groups of Papilionoideae. For many years, phylogenetic analyses of the Papilionoideae could not clearly resolve the relation- ships of the early-branching lineages due to limited sampling. In the eight years since the publication of Legumes of the World, we have seen an extraordinary wealth of new molecular data for the study of Papilionoideae phylogeny, enabling increasingly greater resolution and many surprises. This study draws on recent molecular phylogenetic studies and a new comprehensive Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of 668 plastid matK sequences. The present matK phylogeny resolves the deep-branching relationships of the papilionoids with increased support for many clades, and suggests that taxonomic realignments of some genera and of numerous tribes are necessary. The potentially earliest-branching papilionoids fall within an ADA clade, which includes the recircumscribed monophyletic tribes Angylocalyceae, Dipterygeae, and Amburanae. The genera Aldina and Amphimas represent two of the nine main but as yet unresolved lineages comprising the large 50-kb inversion clade. The quinolizidine-alkaloid-accumulating Genistoid s.l. clade is expanded to include Dermatophyllum and a strongly supported and newly circumscribed tribe Ormosieae. Sophoreae and Swartzieae are dramatically reorganized so as to comprise mono-phyletic groups within the Core Genistoid clade and outside the 50-kb inversion clade, respectively. Acosmium is excluded from the Genistoids s.l. and strongly resolved within the newly circumscribed tribe Dalbergieae. By providing a better resolved phylogeny of the earliest-branching papilionoids, this study, in combination with other recent evidence, will lead to a more stable phylogenetic classification of the Papilionoideae.Web of Scienc

Deep expression analysis reveals distinct cold-response strategies in rubber tree (hevea brasiliensis)

Natural rubber, an indispensable commodity used in approximately 40,000 products, is fundamental to the tire industry. The rubber tree species Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex Adr. de Juss.) Muell-Arg., which is native the Amazon rainforest, is the major producer of latex worldwide. Rubber tree breeding is time consuming, expensive and requires large field areas. Thus, genetic studies could optimize field evaluations, thereby reducing the time and area required for these experiments. In this work, transcriptome sequencing was used to identify a full set of transcripts and to evaluate the gene expression involved in the different cold-response strategies of the RRIM600 (cold-resistant) and GT1 (cold-tolerant) genotypes.ResultsWe built a comprehensive transcriptome using multiple database sources, which resulted in 104,738 transcripts clustered in 49,304 genes. The RNA-seq data from the leaf tissues sampled at four different times for each genotype were used to perform a gene-level expression analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified through pairwise comparisons between the two genotypes for each time series of cold treatments.DEG annotation revealed that RRIM600 and GT1 exhibit different chilling tolerance strategies. To cope with cold stress, the RRIM600 clone upregulates genes promoting stomata closure, photosynthesis inhibition and a more efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging system. The transcriptome was also searched for putative molecular markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microsatellites) in each genotype. and a total of 27,111 microsatellites and 202,949 (GT1) and 156,395 (RRIM600) SNPs were identified in GT1 and RRIM600. Furthermore, a search for alternative splicing (AS) events identified a total of 20,279 events.ConclusionsThe elucidation of genes involved in different chilling tolerance strategies associated with molecular markers and information regarding AS events provides a powerful tool for further genetic and genomic analyses of rubber tree breeding20CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP478701/2012–8; 402954/2012Sem informação2007/50392–1; 2012/50491–8; 2014/18755–0; 2015/24346–

Phenotyping pipeline reveals major seedling root growth QTL in hexaploid wheat

Seedling root traits of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have been shown to be important for efficient establishment and linked to mature plant traits such as height and yield. A root phenotyping pipeline, consisting of a germination paper-based screen combined with image segmentation and analysis software, was developed and used to characterize seedling traits in 94 doubled haploid progeny derived from a cross between the winter wheat cultivars Rialto and Savannah. Field experiments were conducted to measure mature plant height, grain yield, and nitrogen (N) uptake in three sites over 2 years. In total, 29 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for seedling root traits were identified. Two QTLs for grain yield and N uptake co-localize with root QTLs on chromosomes 2B and 7D, respectively. Of the 29 root QTLs identified, 11 were found to co-localize on 6D, with four of these achieving highly significant logarithm of odds scores (>20). These results suggest the presence of a major-effect gene regulating seedling root vigour/growth on chromosome 6D

Expression profiling of Castanea genes during resistant and susceptible interactions with the Oomycete pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi reveal possible mechanisms of immunity

The most dangerous pathogen affecting the production of chestnuts is Phytophthora cinnamomi a hemibiotrophic that causes root rot, also known as ink disease. Little information has been acquired in chestnut on the molecular defense strategies against this pathogen. The expression of eight candidate genes potentially involved in the defense to P. cinnamomi was quantified by digital PCR in Castanea genotypes showing different susceptibility to the pathogen. Seven of the eight candidate genes displayed differentially expressed levels depending on genotype and time-point after inoculation. Cast_Gnk2-like revealed to be the most expressed gene across all experiments and the one that best discriminates between susceptible and resistant genotypes. Our data suggest that the pre-formed defenses are crucial for the resistance of C. crenata to P. cinnamomi. A lower and delayed expression of the eight studied genes was found in the susceptible Castanea sativa, which may be related with the establishment and spread of the disease in this species. A working model integrating the obtained results is presentedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A question of fit:cultural and individual differences in interpersonal justice perceptions

This study examined the link between employees’ adult attachment orientations and perceptions of line managers’ interpersonal justice behaviors, and the moderating effect of national culture (collectivism). Participants from countries categorized as low collectivistic (N = 205) and high collectivistic (N = 136) completed an online survey. Attachment anxiety and avoidance were negatively related to interpersonal justice perceptions. Cultural differences did not moderate the effects of avoidance. However, the relationship between attachment anxiety and interpersonal justice was non-significant in the Southern Asia (more collectivistic) cultural cluster. Our findings indicate the importance of ‘fit’ between cultural relational values and individual attachment orientations in shaping interpersonal justice perceptions, and highlight the need for more non-western organizational justice research

Extinction Risk and Diversification Are Linked in a Plant Biodiversity Hotspot

Plant extinction risks in the Cape, South Africa differ from those for vertebrates worldwide, with young and fast-evolving plant lineages marching towards extinction at the fastest rate, but independently of human effects

Regulation of Coronary Blood Flow

The heart is uniquely responsible for providing its own blood supply through the coronary circulation. Regulation of coronary blood flow is quite complex and, after over 100 years of dedicated research, is understood to be dictated through multiple mechanisms that include extravascular compressive forces (tissue pressure), coronary perfusion pressure, myogenic, local metabolic, endothelial as well as neural and hormonal influences. While each of these determinants can have profound influence over myocardial perfusion, largely through effects on end-effector ion channels, these mechanisms collectively modulate coronary vascular resistance and act to ensure that the myocardial requirements for oxygen and substrates are adequately provided by the coronary circulation. The purpose of this series of Comprehensive Physiology is to highlight current knowledge regarding the physiologic regulation of coronary blood flow, with emphasis on functional anatomy and the interplay between the physical and biological determinants of myocardial oxygen delivery. © 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:321-382, 2017