Dissertation Research: Molecular Systematics, Floral Evolution, and Developmental Genetics in Basal Angiosperms

佛罗里达大学的道格拉斯·索尔蒂斯博士和华盛顿州立大学的迈克尔·扎尼斯先生获得了一项资助，用于研究控制“原始”开花植物花发育的基因。关于高等开花植物拟南芥(水芹)和金鱼草(金鱼草)低级发育的遗传学已知很多。相比之下，人们对原始开花植物的花发育遗传学知之甚少。索尔蒂斯博士和扎尼斯先生正在专注于从两种原始开花植物中分离和鉴定MADS-box基因，这是一个发育调控基因家族，它们是纳帕尔(睡莲家族的成员)和八角(八角家族的成员)。他们开发了一种从Nuphar和八角花中提取RNA的方法，并正在使用简并聚合酶链式反应(PCR)来扩增和获得MADS-box基因的DNA序列。比较了从Nuphar和Illicium分离的MADS-box基因与从其他开花植物分离的MADS-box基因的亲缘关系。最后，Soltis博士和Zanis先生正在使用RT-PCR来描述表达MADS-box基因的花组织的特征。了解原始开花植物，如莲花和八角花中参与花发育的基因是至关重要的，因为它们可能为早期被子植物的花提供洞察力。此外，阐明这些关键开花植物的花发育遗传学不仅有助于回答有关花的起源和多样性的问题，而且还将提供将已知的模式开花植物系统(如金鱼草和拟南芥)与其他开花植物联系起来的机会，从而提供更全面的花发育图景。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Douglas Soltis of University of Florida and Mr.Michael Zanis of Washington State University to investigate the genes governing flowerdevelopment in "primitive" flowering plants. Much is known about the genetics offlower development in the higher flowering plants, Arabidopsis (thale cress) andAntirrhinum (snapdragon). In contrast, little is known about the genetics of flowerdevelopment in primitive flowering plants. Dr. Soltis and Mr. Zanis are focusing onisolating and characterizing MADS-box genes, a family of development regulatory genes,from two primitive flowering plants, Nuphar (a member of the waterlily family) andIllicium (a member of the star anise family). They have developed a method forextracting RNA from Nuphar and Illicium flowers, and are using degenerate polymerasechain raction (PCR) to amplify and obtain DNA sequences of MADS-box genes. Therelationships of the MADS-box genes isolated from Nuphar and Illicium are compared toMADS-box genes isolated from other flowering plants. Lastly, using RT-PCR Dr. Soltisand Mr. Zanis are characterizing the floral tissues in which the MADS-box genes areexpressed.Understanding the genes involved in flower development in primitive floweringplants, such as Nuphar and Illicium, is critical because of the insights they may provideinto the early angiosperm flower. Moreover, elucidating the genetics of floraldevelopment in these key flowering plants not only will help to answer questionsregarding the origin and diversification of the flower, but will also provide theopportunity to link what is known about model flowering plant systems, such asAntirrhinum and Arabidopsis, with other flowering plants, providing a morecomprehensive picture of floral development.