Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Flowering Tops”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Requirement of the Auxin Polar Transport System in Early Stages of Arabidopsis Floral Bud Formation.

The pin-formed mutant pin 1-1, one of the Arabidopsis flower mutants, has several structural abnormalities in inflorescence axes, flowers, and leaves. In some cases, pin1-1 forms a flower with abnormal structure (wide petals, no stamens, pistil-like structure with no ovules in the ovary) at the top of inflorescence axes. In other cases, no floral buds are formed on the axes. An independently isolated allelic mutant (pin1-2) shows similar phenotypes. These mutant phenotypes are exactly the same in wild-type plants cultured in the presence of chemical compounds known as auxin polar transport inhibitors: 9-hydroxyfluorene-9-carboxylic acid or N-(1-naphthyl)phthalamic acid. We tested the polar transport activity of indole-3-acetic acid and the endogenous amount of free indole-3-acetic acid in the tissue of inflorescence axes of the pin1 mutants and wild type. The polar transport activity in the pin 1-1 mutant and in the pin1-2 mutant was decreased to 14% and 7% of wild type, respectively. These observations strongly suggest that the normal level of polar transport activity in the inflorescence axes is required in early developmental stages of floral bud formation in Arabidopsis and that the primary function of the pin1 gene is auxin polar transport in the inflorescence axis.

Journal Article↗

Endogenous indole-3-acetic Acid in the stem of tobacco in relation to flower neoformation as measured by mass spectroscopic assay.

The contents of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and alkali-labile, conjugated IAA were measured in relation to a ;floral gradient' present in epidermis and subepidermis tissues of flowering plants of Nicotiana tabacum by capillary gas-chromatographic spectrometric analysis by selected ion monitoring (GC-SIM-MS) using 2,4,5,6,7-penta deutero IA ((2)H(5)-IAA) as an internal standard. In floral axes, floral branches and stems with floral branches, free IAA levels (dry weight) were 387, 253, and 417 nanograms, and bound IAA levels were 99, 1089, and 268 nanograms. In vegetative tissue of the first plus second internodes (measured from top), and of the 11th to 13th internodes, free IAA levels were 826 and 500 nanograms, and bound IAA levels were 1421 and 286 nanograms, respectively. Since flower-forming ability of excised cells from the epidermis and subepidermis shows a gradient in an in vitro system, but levels of IAA in these tissues do not, there thus appears to be no correlation between flower-forming ability (in vitro) and endogenous IAA levels (at the time of excision) in tobacco stem tissues.

Journal Article↗

Characterization of a dwarf gene in Brassica rapa, including the identification of a candidate gene.

Dwarf genes have been valuable for improving harvestable yield of several crop plants and may be useful in oilseed Brassica. We evaluated a dwarf gene, dwf2, from Brassica rapa in order to determine its phenotypic effects and genetic characteristics. The dwf2 mutant was insensitive to exogenous GA(3) for both plant height and flowering time, suggesting that it is not a mutation in the gibberellin biosynthesis pathway. The dwarf phenotype was controlled by a semidominant allele at a single locus. Near-isogenic lines that were homozygous or heterozygous for dwf2 had 47.4% or 30.0% reduction in plant height, respectively, compared to the tall wild-type line, and the reduction was due to reduced internode length and number of nodes. The dwf2 homozygous and heterozygous lines had the same or significantly higher numbers of primary branches than the wild-type line, but did not differ in flowering time. The DWF2 gene was mapped to the bottom of linkage group R6, in a region having homology to the top of Arabidopsis thaliana chromosome 2. The map position of DWF2 in comparison to markers in A. thaliana suggests it is a homolog of RGA ( repressor of ga1-3), which is a homolog of the wheat "Green Revolution" gene. This dwarf gene could be used to gain more insight on the gibberellin pathway and to reduce lodging problems in hybrid oilseed Brassica cultivars.

Arabidopsis↗

Tunable instability mechanisms of polymer thin films by molecular self-assembly.

Incorporation of a block copolymer into a thin polymer film is observed to alter both the rate and mechanism by which the film dewets from an immiscible polymer substrate. Films with little or no copolymer dewet by classical nucleation and growth of circular holes, and the dewetting rate decreases with increasing copolymer concentration. Increasing the copolymer content at constant film thickness generates copolymer micelles that adsorb/aggregate along the polymer/polymer interface and promote nonclassical dewetting fluctuations similar in appearance to spinodal dewetting. At higher copolymer concentrations, dewetting proceeds after a lengthy induction period by the nucleation and growth of flower-shaped holes suggestive of film pinning or viscous fingering. Atomic force microscopy of the polymer/polymer interface after removal of the top film by selective dissolution reveals substantial structural development due to copolymer self-assembly.

Microscopy, Atomic Force↗

Perceptual abnormalities in Parkinson's disease: top-down or bottom-up processes?

A wide variety of perceptual impairments have been reported in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in recent years; the underlying causes of these impairments have been variously attributed to different levels of the visual-cognitive system, from the retina to frontal cortex. Parkinsonian perceptual abnormalities could thus be interpreted as indirectly caused either by 'bottom-up' effects, stemming from dopaminergic dysfunction in the retina, or by 'top-down' effects, stemming from deficits in attention due to disturbances in the striatal-frontal system. Alternatively, a direct visuospatial impairment, perhaps related to the motor symptoms, has been considered. Data on three basic aspects of visual perception (3-D stereo vision, figure-ground discrimination, and pattern perception) which might be expected to give difficulty to PD subjects suffering changes in early processing mechanisms are reported. Visual complexity and the degree of mental manipulation of the material required both varied in different parts of the tests. PD patients were on stable drug regimens. It was found that disease severity interacted with performance: patients with mild PD showed little perceptual abnormality, patients with moderate PD showed only top-down effects, and patients with severe PD showed evidence both of top-down and of bottom-up deficits. Thus it appears that any retinal effects on perception in PD occur only in the advanced stages of the disease; in earlier stages any visual dysfunction probably reflects top-down disturbances from higher levels of the cognitive-behavioural system.

Adult↗

Genomic imprinting in plants and mammals: how life history constrains convergence.

In both flowering plants and mammals, DNA methylation is involved in silencing alleles of imprinted genes, but surprising differences in imprinting control are emerging between the two taxa which may be traced to differences in their life cycles. Imprinted gene expression in plants occurs in the endosperm, a separate fertilisation product which transmits nutrients to the embryo and does not contribute a genome to the next generation. Regulation of expression of the known imprinted genes in Arabidopsis involves a cascade of gene expression beginning in the gametophyte, a haploid life phase interposed between the meiotic products and the gametes, which evolved from free-living organisms that constitute the dominant life phase of lower plants. Although the gametophytes of flowering plants are highly reduced they still express large numbers of genes, perhaps reflecting their evolutionary legacy, and which may now be recruited for control of imprinting. Strikingly, the genes at the top of the expression cascade appear to be specifically activated by demethylation, rather than targeted for silencing. Unlike in mammals, there is no evidence for global resetting of methylation in plants, and although imprinting involves the activity of a maintenance methyltransferase, de novo methyltransferases do not appear to be required. Plants do not set aside a germline; instead the cells that undergo meiosis to produce gametophytes differentiate in the adult plant during flower development. Both the late differentiation of the lineage producing germ cells, and the extent of gene expression during the haploid phase, may be incompatible with global resetting of methylation. Resetting may be unnecessary in any case because the adult plant expresses imprinted loci either biallelically or not at all, suggesting there is no chromosomal memory of parent-of-origin in the lineage that produces the gametophytes. Thus several features of the plant life cycle may account for the different strategies used by plants and animals to regulate parent-specific gene expression.

Animals↗

Parental use of the term "Hot Qi" to describe symptoms in their children in Hong Kong: a cross sectional survey "Hot Qi" in children.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese term "Hot Qi" is often used by parents to describe symptoms in their children. The current study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of using the Chinese term "Hot Qi" to describe symptoms in children by their parents and the symptomatology of "Hot Qi". METHOD: A cross sectional survey by face-to-face interview with a semi-structured questionnaire was carried out in a public hospital and a private clinic in Hong Kong. The parental use of the term "Hot Qi", the symptoms of "Hot Qi" and the remedies used for "Hot Qi" were asked. RESULTS: 1060 pairs of children and parents were interviewed. 903 (85.1%) of parents claimed that they had employed the term "Hot Qi" to describe their children's symptoms. Age of children and place of birth of parents were the predictors of parents using the term "Hot Qi". Eye discharge (37.2%), sore throat (33.9%), halitosis (32.8%), constipation (31.0%), and irritable (21.2%) were the top five symptoms of "Hot Qi" in children. The top five remedies for "Hot Qi" were the increased consumption of water (86.8%), fruit (72.5%), soup (70.5%), and the use of herbal beverages "five-flower-tea" (a combination of several flowers such as Chrysanthemum morifolii, Lonicera japonica, Bombax malabaricum, Sophora japonica, and Plumeria rubra) (57.6%) or selfheal fruit spike (Prunella vulgaris) (42.4%). CONCLUSION: "Hot Qi" is often used by Chinese parents to describe symptoms in their children in Hong Kong. Place of birth of parents and age of the children are main factors for parents to apply the term "Hot Qi" to describe symptoms of their children. The common symptoms of "Hot Qi" suggest infections or allergy.

Adult↗

The impact of ozone on a salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora).

Spartina alterniflora plants were collected from salt marshes within New Jersey, South Carolina, and Georgia USA and shipped to The Pennsylvania State University. New plants were grown from rhizomes in six open-top field chambers. Three chambers received charcoal-filtered air, and three received charcoal-filtered air plus 80 ppb ozone, 8 h/day for 65 days. Flower, leaf, and shoot number per plant were recorded weekly. Photosynthetic rates were measured in week 5, and foliar injury was assessed during week 9. Final dry weight of roots, shoots, and rhizomes were determined. While ozone-treated plants from all states expressed symptoms of ozone injury, plants from South Carolina exhibited no effect of ozone on any other measured variable. Plants from the Georgia site showed ozone-induced reductions in all measured variables except leaf dry weight. Ozone-treated plants from New Jersey showed reductions in photosynthetic rate, leaf and shoot number, and root dry weights. Only plants from New Jersey produced flowers, with ozone treatment causing delay in flowering and reduction in the number of flower spikes produced.

Air Pollutants↗

Growth onset, senescence, and reproductive development of meadow species in mesocosms exposed to elevated O3 and CO2.

We studied the effects of elevated O3 (40-50 ppb) and CO2 (+100 ppm) alone and in combination on the growth onset, relative chlorophyll meter values, and reproductive development of meadow species grown in ground-planted mesocosms using open-top chambers. The 3-year study was conducted in the summers of 2002-2004. Elevated O3 decreased the early season coverage of plant communities and delayed the flowering of Campanula rotundifolia and Vicia cracca. The relative chlorophyll meter values of Fragaria vesca leaves were decreased by O3. Ozone also reduced the overall number of produced flowers, but as far as individual species were concerned, O3 had significant effects only on Campanula rotundifolia. In the case of Fragaria vesca, O3 decreased the fresh weight of individual berries. The effects of CO2 were less pronounced, and CO2 generally did not ameliorate the negative effects of O3. Changes in reproduction may affect the long-term fate of the whole community.

Agrostis↗

A Mutation in the Arabidopsis TFL1 Gene Affects Inflorescence Meristem Development.

We present the initial phenotypic characterization of an Arabidopsis mutation, terminal flower 1-1 (tfl1-1), that identifies a new genetic locus, TFL1. The tfl1-1 mutation causes early flowering and limits the development of the normally indeterminate inflorescence by promoting the formation of a terminal floral meristem. Inflorescence development in mutant plants often terminates with a compound floral structure consisting of the terminal flower and one or two subtending lateral flowers. The distal-most flowers frequently contain chimeric floral organs. Light microscopic examination shows no structural aberrations in the vegetative meristem or in the inflorescence meristem before the formation of floral buttresses. The wild-type appearance of lateral flowers and observations of double mutant combinations of tfl1-1 with the floral morphogenesis mutations apetala 1-1 (ap1-1), ap2-1, and agamous (ag) suggest that the tfl1-1 mutation does not affect normal floral meristems. Secondary flower formation usually associated with the ap1-1 mutation is suppressed in the terminal flower, but not in the lateral flowers, of tfl1-1 ap1-1 double mutants. Our results suggest that tfl1-1 perturbs the establishment and maintenance of the inflorescence meristem. The mutation lies on the top arm of chromosome 5 approximately 2.8 centimorgans from the restriction fragment length polymorphism marker 217.

Journal Article↗

Reciprocal control of flowering time by OsSOC1 in transgenic Arabidopsis and by FLC in transgenic rice.

In a screen for MADS box genes which activate and/or repress flowering in rice, we identified a gene encoding a MADS domain protein (OsSOC1) related to the Arabidopsis gene AtSOC1. AtSOC1 and OsSOC1 show a 97% amino acid similarity in their MADS domain. The rice gene contains a large first intron of 27.6 kb compared to the 1 kb intron in Arabidopsis. OsSOC1 is located on top of the short arm of chromosome 3, tightly linked to the heading date locus, Hd9. OsSOC1 is expressed in vegetative tissues, and expression is elevated at the time of floral initiation, 40-50 days after sowing, and remains uniformly high thereafter, similar to the expression pattern of AtSOC1. The constitutive expression of OsSOC1 in Arabidopsis results in early flowering, suggesting that the rice gene is a functional equivalent of AtSOC1. We were not able to identify FLC-like sequences in the rice genome; however, we show that ectopic expression of the Arabidopsis FLC delays flowering in rice, and the up-regulation of OsSOC1 at the onset of flowering initiation is delayed in the AtFLC transgenic lines. The reciprocal recognition and flowering time effects of genes introduced into either Arabidopsis or rice suggest that some components of the flowering pathways may be shared. This points to a potential application in the manipulation of flowering time in cereals using well characterized Arabidopsis genes.

Journal Article↗

Chromosomal location and expression of the single-copy gene encoding high-mobility-group protein HMG-I/Y in Arabidopsis thaliana.

A cDNA encoding the HMG-I/Y protein from Arabidopsis thaliana has been isolated and characterised by nucleotide sequencing. The 903 bp cDNA contains a 612 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 204 amino acid residues showing homology to HMG-I/Y proteins from other plant species. The protein contains four copies of the 'AT-hook' motif which is involved in binding A/T-rich DNA. Southern blotting showed that the HMG-I/Y gene was present in a single copy in the Arabidopsis genome. The gene was localised to the top of chromosome 1 by RFLP analysis of F8 recombinant inbred lines. Northern blotting showed that the gene was expressed in all organs examined, with the highest expression in flowers and developing siliques.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effect of head removal on leaf senescence of sunflower.

Greenhouse and field studies examined the effect of flower or seedhead removal on leaf senescence and associated changes in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants. At intervals during seed development, selected leaves (leaves 6 through 8 from the top in the greenhouse and leaf 7 from the top in the field) were harvested and analyzed for chlorophyll, specific leaf weight, N, P, soluble protein, and electrophoretic gel profiles of soluble polypeptides. In both the greenhouse and the field, the leaves of headless plants retained or accumulated more N, P, soluble protein, and dry weight than leaves of plants with heads. Obviously, head removal affected the partitioning of these metabolites during seed development. None of the treatments resulted in the formation of new polypeptides (electrophoretic gel profiles). Comparisons of the rates and extent of loss of chlorophyll, soluble protein, and polypeptide bands (especially ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase) from the leaves of headed and deheaded plants showed that head removal delayed the rate of development of leaf senescence for the greenhouse-grown but had much less effect on field-grown plants. These findings illustrate the variability in different parameters commonly associated with the leaf senescence processes of headed and deheaded sunflower plants grown under different environments.

Journal Article↗

The edaphic factor and patterns of variation in Lasthenia californica (Asteraceae).

Transectional studies of Lasthenia californica in the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (Stanford University) have documented the existence of two races (A and C) based upon flavonoid chemistry, achene morphology, allozymes, and flowering time differences. The two races coexist on a serpentine outcrop and have maintained a sharply defined pattern of distribution for a period of at least 15 yr. The present study has revealed significant differences in the physical and chemical features of the soils harboring the two races. Soils at the lower ends of the transects, where race A plants grow, have higher pH, cation exchange capacity, relative water content, total ionic strength, percentage clay, and sodium and magnesium concentrations than do soils harboring race C plants at the upper ends of the transects. Soils supporting race C plants have higher calcium, potassium, and nickel concentrations and higher calcium:magnesium ratios. Plant tissue concentrations of ions were also significantly different in the two races. Race A plants accumulated sodium to concentrations three times those observed with race C plants. Plants from an additional 22 sites gave very similar results. Greenhouse studies indicated that the two races from Jasper Ridge show differential responses to ridge-top and ridge-bottom soils. Race A achenes germinated, grew to maturity, and set seed about equally in the two soils. Race C achenes germinated in both types of soils but showed significantly poorer growth and absolutely no flowering when found in the soils of race A plants. Differential responses to edaphic conditions on the ridge may contribute to the pattern of distribution observed over the years. It is suggested that race A plants are more tolerant of edaphic stress than race C plants and that physiological specialization may contribute to the present distribution of the two races throughout the species' range. It is not yet possible to state which is the more significant factor in driving this specialization, the chemistry of the soil or its physical characteristics, or whether there is interaction between the two. This is the first study to present evidence for soil/plant variation within a serpentine site. The linking of sodium levels to racial differentiation within the serpentine habitat is also a new discovery.

Journal Article↗

Pistil and stamen of lily flowers bend upward by light.

Pistil and stamen of lily flowers bend upward. Such tropic response at sensing external stimuli increases the success of pollination in these flowers and improve their adaptability. They do not bend under the dark, but toward light irradiated. From these observation, lily flowers is concluded that they equip phototropic mechanism to sense direction of incident light and control differential elongation of pistil and stamen. Action spectrum of light for this tropism was found similar to those for the phototropism shown in coleoptiles of monocotyledonous plants. Image analysis of pistil and stamen indicates that elongation and bending does not proceed uniformly over those organs. In the case of pistil, elongation starts at its basal part and propagates towards its top after opening of perianth. Steep bending occurs at the basal zone of pistil as long as differential incidence of light is given at its part.

Flowers↗

High-yield self-assembly of flower-like ZnO nanostructures.

High-yield three-dimensional (3D) flower-like nanostructures self-assembled from 1 D ZnO nanorods and nanotubes are experimentally demonstrated. The Zn and O terminated crystal planes of ZnO nanorods results in positively and negatively charged top (001) and bottom (00-1) surfaces, respectively. The nanorods self-assembled into 3D nanostructures via the electrostatic interaction between the crystal planes with opposite charges. Moreover, on the basis of the different stability of polar and nonpolar planes in wurtzite-type ZnO, the nanorods based 3D nanostructures transformed into nanotubes based ones spontaneously. This provides a new approach to prepare multi-dimensional materials without the necessity to employ any external intervention.

Crystallization↗

Taxonomic discrimination of flowering plants by multivariate analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data.

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) provides biochemical profiles containing overlapping signals from a majority of the compounds that are present when whole cells are analyzed. Leaf samples of seven higher plant species and varieties were subjected to FTIR to determine whether plants can be discriminated phylogenetically on the basis of biochemical profiles. A hierarchical dendrogram based on principal component analysis (PCA) of FTIR data showed relationships between plants that were in agreement with known plant taxonomy. Genetic programming (GP) analysis determined the top three to five biomarkers from FTIR data that discriminated plants at each hierarchical level of the dendrogram. Most biomarkers determined by GP analysis at each hierarchical level were specific to the carbohydrate fingerprint region (1,200-800 cm(-1)) of the FTIR spectrum. Our results indicate that differences in cell-wall composition and structure can provide the basis for chemotaxonomy of flowering plants.

Biomarkers↗

Bottom-up effects of nutrient availability on flower production, pollinator visitation, and seed output in a high-Andean shrub.

Soil nutrient availability directly enhances vegetative growth, flowering, and fruiting in alpine ecosystems. However, the impacts of nutrient addition on pollinator visitation, which could affect seed output indirectly, are unknown. In a nutrient addition experiment, we tested the hypothesis that seed output in the insect-pollinated, self-incompatible shrub, Chuquiraga oppositifolia (Asteraceae) of the Andes of central Chile, is enhanced by soil nitrogen (N) availability. We aimed to monitor total shrub floral display, size of flower heads (capitula), pollinator visitation patterns, and seed output during three growing seasons on control and N addition shrubs. N addition did not augment floral display, size of capitula, pollinator visitation, or seed output during the first growing season. Seed mass and viability were 25-40% lower in fertilised shrubs. During the second growing season only 33% of the N addition shrubs flowered compared to 71% of controls, and a significant (50%) enhancement in vegetative growth occurred in fertilised shrubs. During the third growing season, floral display in N addition shrubs was more than double that of controls, received more than twice the number of insect pollinator visits, and seed output was three- to four-fold higher compared to controls. A significant (50%) enhancement in vegetative growth again occurred in N addition shrubs. Results of this study strongly suggest that soil N availability produces strong positive bottom-up effects on the reproductive output of the alpine shrub C. oppositifolia. Despite taking considerably longer to be manifest in comparison to the previously reported top-down indirect negative effects of lizard predators in the same study system, our results suggest that both bottom-up and top-down forces are important in controlling the reproductive output of an alpine shrub.

Animals↗