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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2025

Development of recombinant inbred lines and QTL analysis of plant height and fruit shape-related traits in Cucurbita pepo L.

UNLABELLED: Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo) stands as an economically vital crop in China. In zucchini breeding, plant architectural patterns and fruit morphological characteristics serve as pivotal traits. In this study, we employed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis using recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from two distinct inbred lines, JinGL (subsp. ovifera) and HM-S2 (subsp. pepo), in conjunction with a high-density genetic map. Our investigation focused on ten QTLs associated with six horticulturally significant traits, including hypocotyl length (HL), plant height (PH), and four fruit-related traits: fruit length (FL), fruit diameter (FD), fruit shape index (FSI), and fruit weight (FW). The QTLs governing HL and PH were mapped to Chr03/LG10 and named qhl3.1 and qph3.1, respectively. The candidate gene Cp4.1LG10g05910/CpDw for qph3.1 was successfully identified. Additionally, three novel QTLs related to fruit size and shape were discovered. Among them, qfsi8.1/qfl8.1, demarcated by Marker238258 and Marker240069 on Chromosome 08/Linkage group 17 (Chr08/LG17), is a new major QTL regulating the fruit shape of zucchini. Through genomic insertion-deletion (InDel) and qRT-PCR analyses, we predicted genes within the qfsi8.1/qfl8.1 candidate interval, uncovering Cp4.1LG17g02030/CpIAA12 and Cp4.1LG17g02010/CpCalB as potential candidate genes. We developed molecular markers tightly linked to qph3.1 and qfl8.1 and validated them in 171 and 224 Cucurbita pepo germplasms, achieving accuracy rates of 96% and 100%, respectively. This study deepens our understanding of the genetic basis of key traits and provides valuable references for molecular breeding in Cucurbita pepo. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-025-01592-y.

Cucurbita pepo↗
PubMed2026

Ancient DNA reveals early use of melons in China's Song dynasty.

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) domestication is thought to have occurred independently once in Northeast Africa and twice in India, but archaeobotanical seed remains point to a possible additional domestication event in China. Because Cucumis seeds are difficult to diagnose morphologically, genomic data from archaeological material are needed to evaluate these scenarios and reconstruct ancient melon traits. We sequenced two Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) melon seeds from Shuomen Gugang (China), recovering 5.5× and 2.1× nuclear genome coverage. Nuclear and chloroplast analyses place both seeds within cultivated C. melo from China, within the "agrestis" East Asian gene pool. To assess whether these seeds carried traits associated with sweet dessert melons, we examined loci underlying fruit phenotypes. Neither seed carried alleles for orange flesh; one harbored an allele linked to yellow/orange peel, the other possessed alleles associated with green flesh and reduced acidity. Since wild melons are monoecious, the presence of the derived andromonoecy allele in one seed, associated with rounder fruit shape, suggests early selection on fruit morphology. Together, these findings indicate that Song Dynasty melons were likely consumed as fresh or culinary fruits rather than sweet dessert melons. Their flesh coloration resonates with Song-period aesthetic sensibilities, exemplified by jade-green celadon ceramics frequently crafted in melon-shaped forms. By anchoring East Asian archaeobotanical remains within modern melon genomic variation, this study provides a temporal framework for melon cultivation in China and shows how ancient genomics can illuminate past crop use.

China↗
PubMed1992

Two ascomycete classes based on fruiting-body characters and ribosomal DNA sequence.

Traditional fruiting body-based classification of ascomycetes has been under attack for 2 decades. Fruiting-body types can converge, and few researchers now assume that either the closed fruiting bodies (cleistothecia) characterizing the class Plectomycetes or the flask-shaped fruiting bodies (perithecia) characterizing the class Pyrenomycetes are stable, unifying characters. Unless we identify characters uniting major ascomycete groups, orders of ascomycetes remain narrowly defined, and supraordinal classification is impossible. We sequenced both strands of 18s rDNA from nine ascomycete fungi, adding three sequences from GenBank into our analysis. The phylogeny, inferred from 162 informative sites in 1,700 bp of DNA sequence data and using yeast as an outgroup, divided the fungi into two groups correlating well both with fruiting-body type and with the traditional classes Plectomycetes and Pyrenomycetes. Each group received strong statistical support. Genera producing cleistothecia, such as Talaromyces (with a Penicillium asexual state) and the human pathogen Ajellomyces capsulatus (causing histoplasmosis), fall within the plectomycete group. Plectomycetes also includes Eremascus albus and the bee pathogen Ascosphaera apis, although both lack typical fruiting bodies. The Dutch elm disease fungus groups with pyrenomycetes such as Neurospora, in spite of its confusing mixture of class-level characters.

Ascomycota↗
PubMed2026

GA4+7 alleviates pear fruit semi-russeting partly by suppressing PRX-mediated lignin deposition.

Pear fruit semi-russeting is a surface disorder that frequently occurs during fruit development and significantly diminishes fruit appearance quality and commercial value. Although Gibberellin 4 + 7 (GA4+7) has been used to reduce fruit surface defects in horticultural crops, the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying its inhibitory effect on pear fruit semi-russeting remain poorly understood. In this study, preharvest GA4+7 treatment of 'Cuiguan' pear significantly reduced russet coverage and lignin accumulation in mature fruit skin without adversely affecting fruit size, fruit shape index, or total soluble solids content. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that GA4+7 treatment was associated with the repression of phenylpropanoid and lignin biosynthesis at both metabolic and transcriptional levels. Among the lignin-related differentially expressed genes, two class III peroxidase genes, PpyPRX22 and PpyPRX65, were strongly downregulated by both GA4+7 and bagging treatments. Both proteins localized to the cell wall, and transient expression assays in pear fruit skin supported positive roles for PpyPRX22 and PpyPRX65 in lignin deposition. Furthermore, dual-luciferase reporter assays combined with transient overexpression experiments suggested that several PpyMYB transcription factors may regulate PpyPRX expression and lignin accumulation, with PpyMYB138 and PpyMYB139 significantly activating PpyPRX22 and/or PpyPRX65 promoter activity. Taken together, these results suggest that GA4+7 alleviates pear fruit semi-russeting at least partly by reducing lignin deposition in the fruit skin, with PpyPRX22 and PpyPRX65 potentially contributing to this process.

Class III peroxidase↗
PubMed2026

[Genetic diversity analysis of Forsythia suspensa germplasm resources in Shanxi based on phenotypic traits and SNP molecular markers].

This study aimed to clarify the degree of fruit phenotypic variation and the characteristics of genetic diversity, population structure, and genetic differentiation of Forsythia suspensa resources in Shanxi, providing an important basis for germplasm conservation and breeding of superior varieties. A total of 46 F. suspensa fruits were collected, and 12 agronomic traits were measured and analyzed. The population genetic structure and genetic diversity of F. suspensa germplasm were evaluated using simplified genome sequencing technology. For the five quality traits of the 46 fruits, the Shannon-Wiener index ranged from 0.631 to 1.074, and the Simpson index ranged from 0.379 to 0.560. The seven quantitative traits exhibited abundant genetic variation, with coefficients of variation ranging from 9.764%(fruit shape index) to 45.494%(forsythin content). Principal component analysis reduced the 12 phenotypic traits to four factors, with a cumulative variance contribution of 74.547%. Sequencing data showed mean Q20 and Q30 values of 98.13% and 94.33%, respectively, with an average GC content of 35.95%. After filtering, a total of 12 347 327 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) loci were obtained. Based on these high-quality SNPs, principal component analysis, population structure analysis, and phylogenetic tree construction were carried out. The 46 germplasm resources were divided into four groups; however, grouping showed little relationship with geographic origin, and intermixing occurred among regions. Mantel test revealed a significant but weak positive correlation between phenotypic and genetic distances(r=0.159, P=0.001). At the molecular level, the four groups exhibited moderate genetic diversity overall, and the genetic differentiation index among populations ranged from 0.027 to 0.084, indicating low to moderate differentiation. The rich genetic diversity of the main phenotypic traits provides a solid material basis for screening superior germplasm and genetic breeding of F. suspensa.

Forsythia↗
PubMed1988

A link between cell movement and gene expression argues that motility is required for cell-cell signaling during fruiting body development.

Nonmotile mutants of Myxococcus xanthus (Myxobacterales) failed to execute the morphogenetic movements required to shape a fruiting body. In addition, nonmotile mutants produced very few spores when plated for fruiting body development at cell densities appropriate for wild-type cells. At higher initial cell densities, the proportion of nonmotile cells that sporulate increased, indicating that one important function of motility in fruiting body development is to increase the local cell density. However, even at 10 times normal cell density, nonmotile cells sporulated at only 1% the wild-type level. This sporulation deficiency of nonmotile mutants accompanies an altered pattern of gene expression, monitored by using transcriptional fusions of lacZ to genes expressed at specific times during fruiting body development. Motility was not required for normal expression of five lac fusions that are expressed within the first 6 hr of fruiting-body development. However, the levels of expression from five lac fusions to later-expressed genes were reduced or abolished in nonmotile strains. beta-Galactosidase expression in these late Tn5 lac insertions was increased, and fruiting body development occurred in certain nonmotile strains that can be stimulated to move when mixed with a donor strain. This shows that motility itself is required because the stimulated cells are nonmotile genotypically. The nonmotile mutations had the same effect on developmental beta-galactosidase expression from these 10 lac fusions as an insertion mutation in the csg (formerly spoC) gene. csg mutants have a cell-cell interaction defect that blocks fruiting body development at approximately 6 hr. The similarity in the pattern of developmental expression of motility mutants and csg mutants suggests that motility is required for this csg-mediated cell-cell interaction.

Cell Movement↗
PubMed1987

Control of morphogenesis in myxobacteria.

The myxobacteria are Gram-negative soil bacteria that live in large communities known as swarms. The most remarkable characteristic of myxobacteria is their ability to form fruiting bodies that have a species-specific shape and color. Fruiting body formation requires the concerted effort of hundreds of thousands of cells. Development is initiated only when two conditions are satisfied. The cells must be nutritionally deprived (environmental signal) and there must be many other cells in the vicinity (intercellular signal). The development of one species, Myxococcus xanthus, has been studied in the most detail. M. xanthus uses amino acids as its primary carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. Starvation for a single amino acid, or for inorganic phosphate, serves as the environmental signal. A variety of intercellular signals appear to control the initiation of development and the timing of subsequent developmental events.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed2026

How experience shapes individuality.

Behavioural diversity across fruit flies changes with individual learning, even when genetic, past and momentary environmental factors are held constant.

Animals↗
PubMed1973

Genetic analysis of developmental stages of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium purpureum.

71 Mutants of Dictyostelium purpureum, unable to carry out normal development, were isolated. These mutants fall into three phenotypic classes. The mutants of the first class do not aggregate. Those of the second class develop a little further and form conical aggregates. The mutants of the third class progress still further, and the conical aggregates are transformed into finger-shaped masses, but no fruiting bodies are formed. Mutants of each class were able to form fruiting bodies when mixed with mutants of other classes. Pairs of mutants belonging to the same class, however, never responded synergistically. This result indicates the presence of three distinct developmental stages in the process of the fruiting-body formation. Experiments with actinomycin D suggested that genes controlling the developmental process of D. purpureum were divided into three groups which were identical to those identified by the analysis of synergism.

Dactinomycin↗
PubMed1992

[Identification of medicinal gualou (fruit-rind of Trichosanthes) and its mixed fruits in Sichuan].

Our investigation shows that in Sichuan Province there are 7 species of medicinal gualou (fruid-rind of Trichosanthes) and its confused fruits (6 species of Trichosanthes and 1 species of Citrullus), among which 2 species are included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The drug and its confused fruits are similar in shape. This paper emphatically deals with the tissue identification of the above mentioned 7 species.

Drug Contamination↗
PubMed1991

[Morphological and histological studies of Chinese traditional drug "hua jiao" (pericarpium zanthoxyli) and its allied drugs].

The Chinese traditional drug "Hua Jiao" specified in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 1990 edition is the dried pericarp of ripe fruit of Zanthoxylum schinifolium Sieb. et Zucc. or Z. bungeanum Maxim., family Rutaceae. It has been used for epigastric pain accompanied by cold sensation, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain due to intestinal parasitosis, ascariasis and used externally for eczema. By the investigation of the drug resources in the main producing areas and distributing regions (Sichuan, Guangxi, Henan, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong Provinces or Autonomous Regions), we found that there are pericarps derived from more than 18 spp. of Zanthoxylum used as drugs in China. In this paper, the morphological and histological characters of crude drugs derived from the following 8 species, viz. Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim., Z. schinifolium Sieb. et Zucc., Z. armatum DC., Z. simulans Hance, Z. avicennae (Lam.) DC., Z. ailanthoides Sieb. et Zucc., Z. molle Rehd. and Z. nitidum (Roxb.). DC. were described with illustrations. It was discovered that such features as the external characters of pericarp, the occurrence of hairs on fruit stalk, the presence and location of pigment and crystals of hesperidin, the thickness of the cell walls of endocarp and the presence and shape of nonglandular hairs on fruit stalk were important for the identification of these drugs.

Medicine, Chinese Traditional↗
PubMed2025

Tm-1 back in business: an allele from Solanum pennellii accessions plays a major role in ToBRFV resistance.

The Tm-1 allele from Solanum pennellii accessions together with an additional, likely recessive, locus are required for complete ToBRFV resistance. The Tobamovirus Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) poses a significant threat to global tomato production. ToBRFV is a mechanically transmitted virus containing a single-stranded positive sense RNA genome. Disease symptoms include brown, rough patches on fruit surfaces, leaf mosaicism and shape abnormalities, and, in advanced stages, total collapse of infected plants. ToBRFV was first detected in the Middle East in 2014 and has rapidly spread to multiple countries across Asia, Europe, and America. In recent years, numerous studies have focused on the identification of ToBRFV resistance traits that are suitable for tomato breeding programs. In this study, we identified five ToBRFV-resistant accessions of Solanum pennellii, a wild relative of cultivated tomato. We confirmed that the major gene controlling this resistance trait is the S. pennellii allele of Tm-1. Tm-1 was previously identified in S. habrochaites as a semidominant Tomato Mosaic Virus (ToMV) resistance gene. Our results show that full resistance to ToBRFV disease requires an additional undescribed locus. These results show the potential of S. pennellii as a novel source of resistance against ToBRFV.

Disease Resistance↗
PubMed1991

Children's communicative abilities revisited: verbal versus perceptual disambiguating strategies in referential communication.

The way seven- and nine-year-old French children and adults interpret ambiguous object descriptions was studied in four experiments. All four experiments followed the same basic procedure and consisted of two phases. During the training phase, plastic blocks varying in shape, colour and size were associated with fruit names. Some objects were always given just one label, the generic term, whereas others could be given either the generic or the specific label. For example, large circles were referred to as 'pommes' ('apples'), and large blue circles as 'reinettes' (a kind of apple). Still others were given no name at all. During the test phase of the experiment, subjects were presented with referentially ambiguous messages and asked to point to a given object (Experiments 1, 2 and 3) or to draw an object (Experiment 4). The messages consisted of either a generic term preceded by an article (e.g. '(la pomme'-'the apple') or a verbal description based on a colour adjective (e.g. 'le bleu'-'the blue one'). When presented with the generic term, older children and adults persistently chose the object for which no specific term had been given during the training phase. When presented with an adjective description, they chose the referent for which no fruit name had been given during the training phase. Younger children's choices depended on whether the article preceding the description was definite or indefinite. These results are consistent with the Gricean approach to referential communication proposed by Jackson & Jacobs (1982) and with an extended version of the principle of contrast proposed by Clark (1987, 1988).

Child↗
PubMed1987

Pleurotus mushrooms. Part I A. Morphology, life cycle, taxonomy, breeding, and cultivation.

Pleurotus species represent a well-defined group of Basidiomyceteous fungi of the order Agaricales and family Tricholomataceae. They are characterized by the production of fruit bodies with an eccentric stalk and a wide cap shaped like an oyster shell, with the widest portion of the cap being away from the stalk. They grow over a wide range of temperatures and are able to colonize a wide spectrum of unfermented, natural, lignino-cellulosic wastes. Because of their fast mycelial growth rate, they colonize the substrates rapidly; the yield of fruit bodies is also high. The bifactorial inheritance, observed in many of the species, suggests the likelihood of a high degree of genetic variability, and, hence, considerable breeding potential. Pleurotus species can be grown on a commercial scale, without the need for composting and artificial conditioning of the ambient temperature. Aspects of basic and applied research--such as morphology, life cycle, taxonomy, breeding, and cultivation--leading to development of a "Pleurotus Technology" are dealt with here.

Basidiomycota↗
PubMed1987

Stimulus categorization by brain-damaged patients.

Patients with localized insult to the right hemisphere, or to either the anterior or the posterior portion of the left hemisphere, as well as neurologically intact controls, evaluated stimuli on a seven-point rating scale for their degree of category membership. The stimuli were taken from one of two continua, one composed of fruit and vegetable items, and the other of items differing in hue and shape. Different subsets of stimuli provided different contexts for the judgments of category membership. The two left-hemisphere groups showed anomalies in categorizing the fruit and vegetable items but not the perceptual items, while the reverse was true for the right-hemisphere patients. Moreover, both left-hemisphere groups demonstrated context effects in their judgments of the representativeness of the fruit and vegetable items, but differed in the way in which they responded to changing contexts. Left posterior patients demonstrated weak category boundaries and even reclassified items. In contrast, patients with left anterior damage showed highly categorical responses and less differentiation of items within a category. All groups showed striking context effects in judgments of perceptual items in terms of changes in representativeness ratings and the location of a category boundary. Alternative interpretations of the results are offered.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗
PubMed1978

The index line as a new aid in clinical and forensic toxicology.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Research and Technology, we investigated the use of electronic data processing for clinical toxicological purposes. Initially, sufficient funds were available for a comprehensive approach to the problem and programs covering the following areas were established: 1. A casuistic data program; 2. an identification program for wild fruits; 3. a program for the identification of tablets by their shapes. Due to a subsequent lack of funds, it was necessary to develop a partial solution: this solution is what we call the Index Line. The Index Line--limited data on poisonings--should enable the user to receive information by telex from the German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information, i.e., information on "who has what, where". As a first step the continuous Index Line registration of all cases of poisoning recorded at the poison control centers in Munich, Freiburg, Hamburg, and Nürnberg as well as at the State Institute for Food, Pharmaceutical and Forensic Chemistry in Berlin was founded in 1975. To participate in the program, complete instructions are necessary.

Computers↗
PubMed1975

Torulopsis bacarum, Torulopsis pustula and Torulopsis multis-gemmis sp. nov., three new yeasts from soft fruit.

Three new species of yeasts isolated from fresh soft fruit are described. Torulopsis pustula was isolated from blackcurrants, Torulopsis bacarum from blackcurrants, strawberries and raspberries, and Torulopsis multis-gemmis from raspberries. All differ from known species in the test substrates they utilize. In addition, cells of Torulopsis pustula often form a bulbous projection near their apices from which budding takes place. These buds are frequently pear- or heart-shaped.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1990

A Dictyostelium mutant lacking an F-actin cross-linking protein, the 120-kD gelation factor.

Actin-binding proteins are known to regulate in vitro the assembly of actin into supramolecular structures, but evidence for their activities in living nonmuscle cells is scarce. Amebae of Dictyostelium discoideum are nonmuscle cells in which mutants defective in several actin-binding proteins have been described. Here we characterize a mutant deficient in the 120-kD gelation factor, one of the most abundant F-actin cross-linking proteins of D. discoideum cells. No F-actin cross-linking activity attributable to the 120-kD protein was detected in mutant cell extracts, and antibodies recognizing different epitopes on the polypeptide showed the entire protein was lacking. Under the conditions used, elimination of the gelation factor did not substantially alter growth, shape, motility, or chemotactic orientation of the cells towards a cAMP source. Aggregates of the mutant developed into fruiting bodies consisting of normally differentiated spores and stalk cells. In cytoskeleton preparations a dense network of actin filaments as typical of the cell cortex, and bundles as they extend along the axis of filopods, were recognized. A significant alteration found was an enhanced accumulation of actin in cytoskeletons of the mutant when cells were stimulated with cyclic AMP. Our results indicate that control of cell shape and motility does not require the fine-tuned interactions of all proteins that have been identified as actin-binding proteins by in vitro assays.

Actins↗