Identification and functional analysis of PCNA1 and PCNA-like1 genes of Phaseolus coccineus

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is an essential factor in DNA replication and in many other processes in eukaryotic cells. Genetic analysis of Phaseolus coccineus showed the presence of at least two PCNA-like genes in the runner bean genome. Two PCNA genes have previously been found in a few plant species including Arabidopsis, tobacco, and maize. In these species, genes were nearly identical. Two cDNAs of P. coccineus PCNA (PcPCNA1 and PcPCNA-like1) have been identified that differ distinctly from each other. Interestingly, both the genetic organization of PcPCNA1 and PcPCNA-like1 genes and their expression patterns were similar, but these were the only similarities between these genes and their products. The identity between PcPCNA1 and PcPCNA-like1 at the amino acid level was only 54%, with PcPCNA-like1 lacking motifs that are crucial for the activity typical of PCNA. Consequently, these two proteins showed different properties. PcPCNA1 behaved like a typical PCNA protein: it formed a homotrimer and stimulated the activity of human DNA polymerase delta. In addition, PcPCNA1 interacted with a p21 peptide and was recognized by an anti-human PCNA monoclonal antibody PC10. By contrast, PcPCNA-like1 was detected as a monomer and was unable to stimulate the DNA polymerase delta activity. PcPCNA-like1 also could not interact with p21 and was not recognized by the PC10 antibody. Our results suggest that PcPCNA-like1 either is unable to function alone and therefore might be a component of the heterotrimeric PCNA ring or may have other, yet unknown functions. Alternatively, the PcPCNA-like1 gene may represent a pseudogene

Impact of Chromosomal Rearrangements on the Interpretation of Lupin Karyotype Evolution

Plant genome evolution can be very complex and challenging to describe, even within a genus. Mechanisms that underlie genome variation are complex and can include whole-genome duplications, gene duplication and/or loss, and, importantly, multiple chromosomal rearrangements. Lupins (Lupinus) diverged from other legumes approximately 60 mya. In contrast to New World lupins, Old World lupins show high variability not only for chromosome numbers (2n = 32–52), but also for the basic chromosome number (x = 5–9, 13) and genome size. The evolutionary basis that underlies the karyotype evolution in lupins remains unknown, as it has so far been impossible to identify individual chromosomes. To shed light on chromosome changes and evolution, we used comparative chromosome mapping among 11 Old World lupins, with Lupinus angustifolius as the reference species. We applied set of L. angustifolius-derived bacterial artificial chromosome clones for fluorescence in situ hybridization. We demonstrate that chromosome variations in the species analyzed might have arisen from multiple changes in chromosome structure and number. We hypothesize about lupin karyotype evolution through polyploidy and subsequent aneuploidy. Additionally, we have established a cytogenomic map of L. angustifolius along with chromosome markers that can be used for related species to further improve comparative studies of crops and wild lupins

A First Glimpse of Wild Lupin Karyotype Variation As Revealed by Comparative Cytogenetic Mapping

Insight into plant genomes at the cytomolecular level provides useful information about their karyotype structure, enabling inferences about taxonomic relationships and evolutionary origins. The Old World lupins (OWL) demonstrate a high level of genomic diversification involving variation in chromosome numbers (2n = 32-52), basic chromosome numbers (x = 5-7, 9, 13) and in nuclear genome size (2C DNA = 0.97-2.68 pg). Lupins comprise both crop and wild species and provide an intriguing system to study karyotype evolution. In order to investigate lupin chromosome structure, heterologous FISH was used. Sixteen BACs that had been generated as chromosome markers for the reference species, Lupinus angustifolius, were used to identify chromosomes in the wild species and explore karyotype variation. While all “single-locus” in L. angustifolius, in the wild lupins these clones proved to be “single-locus,” “single-locus” with additional signals, “repetitive” or had no detectable BAC-FISH signal. The diverse distribution of the clones in the targeted genomes suggests a complex evolution history, which possibly involved multiple chromosomal changes such as fusions/fissions and repetitive sequence amplification. Twelve BACs were sequenced and we found numerous transposable elements including DNA transposons as well as LTR and non-LTR retrotransposons with varying quantity and composition among the different lupin species. However, at this preliminary stage, no correlation was observed between the pattern of BAC-FISH signals and the repeat content in particular BACs. Here, we describe the first BAC-based chromosome-specific markers for the wild species: L. cosentinii, L. cryptanthus, L. pilosus, L. micranthus and one New World lupin, L. multiflorus. These BACs could constitute the basis for an assignment of the chromosomal and genetic maps of other lupins, e.g., L. albus and L. luteus. Moreover, we identified karyotype variation that helps illustrate the relationships between the lupins and the extensive cytological diversity within this group. In this study we premise that lupin genomes underwent at least two rounds of fusion and fission events resulting in the reduction in chromosome number from 2n = 52 through 2n = 40 to 2n = 32, followed by chromosome number increment to 2n = 42

Informationen und Berichte

„Zweisprachigkeit als Herausforderung und Chance“. VII. Internationale Konferenz des Germanistischen Instituts Opole in Kamień Śląski/Groß Stein, 18.-20.9.2011 Internationale Tagung „Wortsemantik im Spannungsfeld zwischen Säkularisierung und (Re)Sakralisierung der öffentlichen Diskurse – Deutsch, Polnisch, Slowakisch, Tschechisch“. Berlin, 4.-7.10.2011 „200 Jahre Breslauer Germanistik“. Internationaler Jubiläumskongress. Wrocław, 17.11.-19.11.2011 „Neue Stimmen aus Österreich. Prosa, Lyrik und Drama seit den 1990er Jahren“. Poznań, 22.-23.3.2012 „Omnia vincit labor? Narrative der Arbeit und Arbeitskulturen in medialer Reflexion“. Internationale Tagung. Leipzig, 30.5-1.6.2012 „Günter Grass. Werk und Rezeption“. Internationale Sommerwerkstatt. Gdańsk, 27.6.-1.7.2012 &nbsp

Rezensionen

DETERING, HEINRICH / HOFFMANN, TORSTEN / PASEWALCK, SILKE / PORMEISTER, EVE (eds.) (2011): Nationalepen zwischen Fakten und Fiktionen. Beiträge zum komparatistischen Symposium 6. bis 8. Mai 2010 Tartu. Tartu: Tartu University Press (=Humaniora: Germanistica 5). 321 S. KRYSZTOFIAK, MARIA (2011): Translatologiczna teoria i praktyka przekładu artystycznego. [Die translatologische Theorie und Praxis der künstlerischen Übersetzung]. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM. 244 S. RÖSCH, GERTRUD MARIA (ed.) (2011): Fakten und Fiktionen. Werklexikon der deutschsprachigen Schlüsselliteratur 1900-2010. 1. ‒ Andres bis Loest. Stuttgart: Hiersemann (=Hiersemanns bibliographische Handbücher 21,1). 405 S. RYBSKA, AGNIESZKA MAGDALENA (2011): Deutsche Kriminalgeschichten von 1780 bis 1820 als Anfänge der Kriminalliteratur. Frankfurt (M.)/Berlin/Bern u. a.: Peter Lang Verlag (=Studien zur Germanistik, Skandinavistik und Übersetzungskultur 1). 116 S. SZCZEPANIAK, MONIKA (2011): Militärische Männlichkeiten in Deutschland und Österreich im Umfeld des Großen Krieges. Konstruktionen und Dekonstruktionen. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann. 274 S. HYVÄRINEN, IRMA / LIIMATAINEN, ANNIKKI (eds.) (2011): Beiträge zur pragmatischen Phraseologie. Frankfurt (M.)/Berlin/Bern u. a.: Peter Lang Verlag (=Finnische Beiträge zur Germanistik 25). 225 S. SOPATA, ALDONA (2009): Erwerbstheoretische und glottodidaktische Aspekte des frühen Zweitspracherwerbs. Sprachentwicklung der Kinder im natürlichen und schulischen Kontext. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM. 462 S. ZIELIŃSKI, LECH / LUDWIG, KLAUS-DIETER / LIPCZUK, RYSZARD (eds.) (2011): Deutsche und polnische Lexikographie nach 1945 im Spannungsfeld der Kulturgeschichte. Frankfurt (M.)/Berlin/Bern u. a.: Peter Lang Verlag (=Danziger Beiträge zur Germanistik 35). 306 S

Aligning a New Reference Genetic Map of Lupinus angustifolius with the Genome Sequence of the Model Legume, Lotus japonicus

We have developed a dense reference genetic map of Lupinus angustifolius (2n = 40) based on a set of 106 publicly available recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between domesticated and wild parental lines. The map comprised 1090 loci in 20 linkage groups and three small clusters, drawing together data from several previous mapping publications plus almost 200 new markers, of which 63 were gene-based markers. A total of 171 mainly gene-based, sequence-tagged site loci served as bridging points for comparing the Lu. angustifolius genome with the genome sequence of the model legume, Lotus japonicus via BLASTn homology searching. Comparative analysis indicated that the genomes of Lu. angustifolius and Lo. japonicus are highly diverged structurally but with significant regions of conserved synteny including the region of the Lu. angustifolius genome containing the pod-shatter resistance gene, lentus. We discuss the potential of synteny analysis for identifying candidate genes for domestication traits in Lu. angustifolius and in improving our understanding of Fabaceae genome evolution

The First Genetic and Comparative Map of White Lupin (Lupinus albus L.): Identification of QTLs for Anthracnose Resistance and Flowering Time, and a Locus for Alkaloid Content

We report the first genetic linkage map of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.). An F8 recombinant inbred line population developed from Kiev mutant × P27174 was mapped with 220 amplified fragment length polymorphism and 105 gene-based markers. The genetic map consists of 28 main linkage groups (LGs) that varied in length from 22.7 cM to 246.5 cM and spanned a total length of 2951 cM. There were seven additional pairs and 15 unlinked markers, and 12.8% of markers showed segregation distortion at P < 0.05. Syntenic relationships between Medicago truncatula and L. albus were complex. Forty-five orthologous markers that mapped between M. truncatula and L. albus identified 17 small syntenic blocks, and each M. truncatula chromosome aligned to between one and six syntenic blocks in L. albus. Genetic mapping of three important traits: anthracnose resistance, flowering time, and alkaloid content allowed loci governing these traits to be defined. Two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with significant effects were identified for anthracnose resistance on LG4 and LG17, and two QTLs were detected for flowering time on the top of LG1 and LG3. Alkaloid content was mapped as a Mendelian trait to LG11