Functional characterisation of the APOSPORY-locus of Hypericum perforatum L.

配子体无融合是没有减数分裂重组和减少的种子形成（无减数分裂：无孢子或双孢子），没有受精（孤雌生殖）。对无融合生殖的分子认识是植物发育生物学研究的核心问题，也是植物育种研究的优先目标之一。圣约翰草（Hypericum perforatum L.）是一种兼性无融合植物，代表了一种独特的无融合研究新实验体系。我们已经分离和预表征了一个被指定为HAPPY位点（Hypericum APOSPORY）的基因组区域，该区域与无融合的一个组成部分APOSPORY严格共分离。该位点包括一个编码ARIADNE型RING finger蛋白的基因，该蛋白参与泛素介导的蛋白降解等调节过程。孢子特异性等位基因的编码区扭曲，呈单形。本项目将结合BAC克隆、标记鉴定和遗传转化等分子技术，对peforatum Hypericum HAPPY基因座进行详细的结构和功能表征，并在Hypericum属其他无融合和非无融合物种中重建该区域的进化史。

Gametophytic apomixis is seed formation without meiotic recombination and reduction (apomeiosis: apospory or diplospory) and without fertilization (parthenogenesis). A molecular understanding of apomictic reproduction is an exiting central problem of plant developmental biology as well as a priority goal of plant breeding aiming at the fixation of hybrid effects. St. John´s wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) is a facultative apomict and represents an unique new experimental system for apomixis research. We have isolated and pre-characterised a genomic region designated as HAPPY locus (Hypericum APOSPORY) strictly co-segregating with apospory, a component of apomixis. The locus includes a gene which encodes a RING finger protein of the ARIADNE type, known to be involved in regulatory processes like the ubiquitin mediated protein degradation. The coding region of the apospory specific allele is distorted and occurs in simplex. Combining molecular techniques such as BAC cloning, marker identification and genetic transformation, the proposed project aims to a detailed structural and functional characterisation of the HAPPY locus in Hypericum peforatum and the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of this region in other apomictic and non-apomictic species in the genus Hypericum.