BA and TDZ in the Morphogenesis in Vitro of Passiflora Setacea

Passiflora setacea DC (Passifloraceae) is considered an important species in the genetic breeding of passion fruit. However, its use is limited due to low seed germination. This paper aimed to study the effect of cytokinins 6-benzyladenine (BA) and thidiazuron (TDZ) on the in vitro morphogenesis of P. setacea using three explants: hypocotyl, nodal segment, and root segment. The explants were induced to morphogenesis in MS medium modified and with different concentrations of BA and TDZ. After 55 days, the percentage of calluses and shoots were evaluated, and anatomical characterization was performed. The three explants used in the in vitro morphogenesis of P. setacea showed callus and shoots formation, but in greater numbers in the nodal segments treated with BA. TDZ isolated affected equal to or less than BA on callus and shoots formation for the three explants. Direct and indirect organogenesis was observed in the three types of explants. From the results obtained for plant regeneration via in vitro morphogenesis of P. setacea, it is recommended to use a nodal segment in MSM medium and supplemented with 2.22 μmol L-1 of BA.

Disparities in the body, chest, and wing morphometric among three subspecies of local male chickens for genetic breeding

Local chickens in developing countries, including Indonesia, have great potential to be developed into natural superior breeds to support food security and improve farmer welfare. Meanwhile, the major endemic subspecies found in the Bengkulu province are burgo and kampung chicken, as well as ketarras which are recently bred intensively. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the disparities in the morphometrics of three subspecies of local male chickens specifically on the body weight, length, chest girth and length, as well as wing span. Based on the results, the male burgo chicken morphometrical size was significantly smaller than ketarras, while the ketarras chicken was significantly smaller than kampung (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the average body weights for the burgo, ketarras and kampung chicken were 1.0, 1.2 and 1.9 kg cock-1, respectively, while the average of body length, chest and chest length, as well as wing span were 29.9, 40.0, 47.7 cm cock-1; 26.2, 30.1, 36.3 cm cock-1; 12.6, 17.8, 20.3 cm cock-1, and 34.4, 41.9, 55.9 cm cock-1, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that the burgo and kampung chicken have the smallest and biggest morphometric sizes respectively.

Combined QTL and GWAS Analysis to Identify the Growth-Related Gene in Rhopilema Esculentum with the Help of 2b-RAD Sequencing

R. esculentum is a popular seafood in Asian countries and an economic marine fishery resource in China. However, the high-resolution genetic map and growth-related molecular markers still lack, hindering the process of the genetic breeding of R. esculentum. Therefore, we firstly used the 2b-RAD method to sequence 152 R. esculentum specimens, identified 9100 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and constructed a high-resolution genetic map with a marker interval of 0.58 cM, covering 98.68% of the genome. Then, we separately detected four and three quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with umbrella diameter and body weight based on the linkage map, which is located on linkage group (LG) 4, 13, 14 and 15. Finally, 27 genes were found both associated with umbrella diameter and body weight of R. esculentum by genome-wide association study (GWAS), in which one gene named RE13670 containing calcium-binding EGF-like domain may play an important role in controlling the growth. This study will be beneficial for underlying the growth mechanism of R. esculentum and also provide background knowledge for guiding its genetic breeding.

IDENTIFICATION OF HIGH SEED OIL YIELD AND HIGH OLEIC ACID CONTENT IN BRAZILIAN GERMPLASM OF WINTER SQUASH (Cucurbita moschata D.)

Cucurbita moschata D. seed oil contains approximately 75% unsaturated fatty acids, with high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidant compounds such as vitamin E and carotenoid, constituting a promising food in nutritional terms. Associated to this, the Brazilian germplasm of C. moschata exhibits remarkable variability, representing an important source for the genetic breeding of this vegetable and other cucurbits. In this context, the present study evaluated the productivity and profile of the seed oil of 91 C. moschata accessions from different regions of Brazil and maintained in the Vegetable Germplasm Bank of the Federal University of Viçosa (BGH-UFV). A field experiment was conducted between January and July 2016. The tested C. moschata accessions showed high genetic variability in terms of characteristics related to seed oil productivity (SOP), such as the mass of seeds per fruit and productivity of seeds, providing predicted selection gains of 29.39 g and 0.26 t ha -1 , respectively. Based on the phenotypic and genotypic correlations, greater SOP can be achieved while maintaining high oleic acid content and low linoleic acid content, providing oil of better nutritional and chemical quality. In variability analysis, the accessions were clustered into five groups, which presented different averages for SOP and fatty acid content of seed oil; approach that will guide the use of appropriate germplasm in programs aimed at genetic breeding for SOP and seed oil profile. Per se analysis identified BGH-4610, BGH-5485A, BGH-6590, BGH-5556A, BGH-5472A, and BGH-5544A as the most promising accessions in terms of SOP, with average (m+g) of approximately 0.20 t ha -1 . The most promising accessions for higher oleic acid content of seed oil were BGH-5456A, BGH-3333A, BGH-5361A, BGH-5472A, BGH-5544A, BGH-5453A, and BGH-1749, with average (m+g) of approximately 30%, and almost all of these accessions were also the most promising in terms of lower linoleic acid content of seed oil, with average (m+g) of approximately 45%. Overall, part of the C. moschata accessions evaluated in the present study can serve as a promising resource in genetic breeding programs for SOP and fatty acid profile, aiming at the production of oil with better nutritional and physicochemical quality.

Asymmetric expression of homoeologous genes contributes to dietary adaption of an allodiploid hybrid fish derived from Megalobrama amblycephala (♀) × Culter alburnus (♂)

Background Hybridization, which can quickly merge two or more divergent genomes and form new allopolyploids, is an important technique in fish genetic breeding. However, the merged subgenomes must adjust and coexist with one another in a single nucleus, which may cause subgenome interaction and dominance at the gene expression level and has been observed in some allopolyploid plants. In our previous studies, newly formed allodiploid hybrid fish derived from herbivorous Megalobrama amblycephala (♀) × carnivorous Culter alburnus (♂) had herbivorous characteristic. It is thus interesting to further characterize whether the subgenome interaction and dominance derive dietary adaptation of this hybrid fish. Results Differential expression, homoeolog expression silencing and bias were investigated in the hybrid fish after 70 days of adaptation to carnivorous and herbivorous diets. A total of 2.65 × 108 clean reads (74.06 Gb) from the liver and intestinal transcriptomes were mapped to the two parent genomes based on specific SNPs. A total of 2538 and 4385 differentially expressed homoeologous genes (DEHs) were identified in the liver and intestinal tissues between the two groups of fish, respectively, and these DEHs were highly enriched in fat digestion and carbon metabolism, amino acid metabolism and steroid biosynthesis. Furthermore, subgenome dominance were observed in tissues, with paternal subgenome was more dominant than maternal subgenome. Moreover, subgenome expression dominance controlled functional pathways in metabolism, disease, cellular processes, environment and genetic information processing during the two dietary adaptation processes. In addition, few but sturdy villi in the intestine, significant fat accumulation and a higher concentration of malondialdehyde in the liver were observed in fish fed carnivorous diet compared with fish fed herbivorous diet. Conclusions Our results indicated that diet drives phenotypic and genetic variation, and the asymmetric expression of homoeologous genes (including differential expression, expression silencing and bias) may play key roles in dietary adaptation of hybrid fish. Subgenome expression dominance may contribute to uncovering the mechanistic basis of heterosis and also provide perspectives for fish genetic breeding and application.

The Distribution of Minerals in Crucial Plant Parts of Various Elderberry (Sambucus spp.) Interspecific Hybrids

In view of growing requirements of the food industry regarding elderberries (genus Sambucus), a need to increase their productivity and improve their chemical composition has emerged. With this purpose in mind, numerous elderberry interspecific hybrids have been created. In the present work, the content of minerals in their crucial plant parts was studied. It was also investigated whether superior genotypes regarding the mineral composition of berries and inflorescences could be predicted at early stages of plant development. The results showed that elderberry leaves contained the highest amounts of Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, and Sr, while K and P were predominant in fruit stalks. Fe and Al prevailed in roots and Cu in bark. Although berries showed lower mineral content compared to other plant parts, their mineral content is not negligible and could be comparable to other commonly consumed berries. Genotypes with a favorable mineral content of inflorescences and berries could be predicted on the basis of known mineral composition of their shoots and leaves. The study also indicates that S. nigra genotypes and the majority of interspecific hybrids analyzed are suitable for further genetic breeding or cultivation.

Bulked segregant analysis reveals candidate genes responsible for dwarf formation in woody oilseed crop castor bean

Plant dwarfism is a desirable agronomic trait in non-timber trees, but little is known about the physiological and molecular mechanism underlying dwarfism in woody plants. Castor bean (Ricinus communis) is a typical woody oilseed crop. We performed cytological observations within xylem, phloem and cambia tissues, revealing that divergent cell growth in all tissues might play a role in the dwarf phenotype in cultivated castor bean. Based on bulked segregant analyses for a F2 population generated from the crossing of a tall and a dwarf accession, we identified two QTLs associated with plant height, covering 325 candidate genes. One of these, Rc5NG4-1 encoding a putative IAA transport protein localized in the tonoplast was functionally characterized. A non-synonymous SNP (altering the amino acid sequence from Y to C at position 218) differentiated the tall and dwarf plants and we confirmed, through heterologous yeast transformation, that the IAA uptake capacities of Rc5NG4-1Y and Rc5NG4-1C were significantly different. This study provides insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms of dwarfing in woody non-timber economically important plants, with potential to aid in the genetic breeding of castor bean and other related crops.