Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 10 of 10

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Transcriptional Reprogramming Of Legume Genomes: Perspective And Challenges Associated With Single-Cell And Single Cell-Type Approaches During Nodule Development, Marc Libault Jan 2018

Transcriptional Reprogramming Of Legume Genomes: Perspective And Challenges Associated With Single-Cell And Single Cell-Type Approaches During Nodule Development, Marc Libault

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Transcriptomic approaches revealed thousands of genes differentially or specifically expressed during nodulation, a biological process resulting from the symbiosis between leguminous plant roots and rhizobia, atmospheric nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria. Ultimately, nodulation will lead to the development of a new root organ, the nodule. Through functional genomic studies, plant transcriptomes have been used by scientists to reveal plant genes potentially controlling nodulation. However, it is important to acknowledge that the physiology, transcriptomic programs, and biochemical properties of the plant cells involved in nodulation are continuously regulated. They also differ between the different cell-types composing the nodules. To generate a more accurate …


Comprehensive Comparative Genomic And Transcriptomic Analyses Of The Legume Genes Controlling The Nodulation Process, Zhenzhen Qiao, Lise Pingault, Mehrnoush Nourbakhsh-Rey, Marc Libault Jan 2016

Comprehensive Comparative Genomic And Transcriptomic Analyses Of The Legume Genes Controlling The Nodulation Process, Zhenzhen Qiao, Lise Pingault, Mehrnoush Nourbakhsh-Rey, Marc Libault

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nitrogen is one of the most essential plant nutrients and one of the major factors limiting crop productivity. Having the goal to perform a more sustainable agriculture, there is a need to maximize biological nitrogen fixation, a feature of legumes. To enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling the interaction between legumes and rhizobia, the symbiotic partner fixing and assimilating the atmospheric nitrogen for the plant, researchers took advantage of genetic and genomic resources developed across different legume models (e.g., Medicago truncatula, Lotus japonicus, Glycine max, and Phaseolus vulgaris) to identify key regulatory protein coding genes of the nodulation …


Factors Constraining The Reproductive Output Of Baptisia Alba Macrophylla, Ashley Morgan Hembrough Jun 2015

Factors Constraining The Reproductive Output Of Baptisia Alba Macrophylla, Ashley Morgan Hembrough

Theses and Dissertations

Baptisia alba macrophylla, a native, herbaceous perennial legume, produces inflorescences with a large number of flowers, yet matures relatively few fruits. We hypothesized that the number of seeds matured by B. alba macrophylla is maximized based on resource availability at each stage of development, but this optimal number is further compromised by extrinsic factors including pollen limitation and pre-dispersal seed predation by the weevils Apion rostrum and Tychius sordidus. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a field experiment at two sites: (i) the John English Prairie, located in Hudson, IL, and also (ii) the Sugar Grove Nature Center and Funks …


E151 (Sym15), A Pleiotropic Mutant Of Pea (Pisum Sativum L.), Displays Low Nodule Number, Enhanced Mycorrhizae, Delayed Lateral Root Emergence, And High Root Cytokinin Levels, James M.C. Jones, Lindsey Clairmont, Emily S. Macdonald, Catherine A. Weiner, R.J. Neil Emery, Frédérique C. Guinel May 2015

E151 (Sym15), A Pleiotropic Mutant Of Pea (Pisum Sativum L.), Displays Low Nodule Number, Enhanced Mycorrhizae, Delayed Lateral Root Emergence, And High Root Cytokinin Levels, James M.C. Jones, Lindsey Clairmont, Emily S. Macdonald, Catherine A. Weiner, R.J. Neil Emery, Frédérique C. Guinel

Biology Faculty Publications

In legumes, the formation of rhizobial and mycorrhizal root symbioses is a highly regulated process which requires close communication between plant and microorganism. Plant mutants that have difficulties establishing symbioses are valuable tools for unravelling the mechanisms by which these symbioses are formed and regulated. Here E151, a mutant of Pisum sativum cv. Sparkle, was examined to characterize its root growth and symbiotic defects. The symbioses in terms of colonization intensity, functionality of micro-symbionts, and organ dominance were compared between the mutant and wild type. The endogenous cytokinin (CK) and abscisic acid (ABA) levels and the effect of the exogenous …


Redbud Seedpods Hold Surprises, W. John Hayden Oct 2013

Redbud Seedpods Hold Surprises, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

As fall advances across the Old Dominion, canopies of redbud, the 2013 VNPS Wildflower of the Year, transform themselves from green to gold, revealing seed pods also changing color from pale green to dark chocolaty brown. These seedpods, which may be retained on the tree into winter, are typical legume fruits, the product of the flower’s simple pistil, each containing several seeds. Unlike most legumes, however, redbud seed pods seem disinclined to open and release individual seeds for dispersal. Redbud fruits tend to disperse intact. Once on the ground, the inevitable action of weather and microbes gradually degrades the pod, …


Redbuds Similar Around The World, W. John Hayden Jul 2013

Redbuds Similar Around The World, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

Like music, one of the hallmarks of biodiversity is theme and variation. Redbuds—species of the genus Cercis— from around the world illustrate this analogy well. Because all redbud species conform to a certain morphological theme, anyone familiar with one particular species of redbud should be able to recognize without hesitation any other redbud species as a member of the genus Cercis. In brief, the redbud theme consists of broad, basally-lobed, leaves with pulvinar petiole thickenings, and pea-like red-purple (rarely white) flowers that may arise on small twigs or main trunks. In fact, these plants are so distinctive, it would …


Redbuds And Legumes Subfamilies, W. John Hayden Apr 2013

Redbuds And Legumes Subfamilies, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

Although legumes constitute one of the largest families of flowering plants in the world, and despite 25 years of celebrating Virginia’s wildflowers, redbud (Cercis canadensis) is the first legume to be recognized as a VNPS Wildflower of the Year. This article addresses the relationships of Cercis with the rest of the legumes (family Fabaceae, or Leguminosae in older literature).


Comparative Studies On The Competence Of Axillary Shoot Regeneration On Unsliced And Longitudinally Sliced Cotyledon Nodes Of Vigna Unguiculata, Muhammad Aasim, Sancar Fati̇h Özcan, Khalid Mahmood Khawar, Sebahatti̇n Özcan Jan 2012

Comparative Studies On The Competence Of Axillary Shoot Regeneration On Unsliced And Longitudinally Sliced Cotyledon Nodes Of Vigna Unguiculata, Muhammad Aasim, Sancar Fati̇h Özcan, Khalid Mahmood Khawar, Sebahatti̇n Özcan

Turkish Journal of Botany

Vigna unguiculata is an important food legume crop in the semiarid tropics. It suffers from a host of agricultural constraints including damage due to diseases and pests. Judicious application of biotechnological methods can lead to considerable improvement in this important crop. Shoot regeneration from unsliced and longitudinally sliced cotyledon node explants obtained from 3-day-old to 5-day-old seedlings grown in vitro was achieved on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 1.11, 2.22, 3.33, and 4.44 \muM benzylaminopurine (BA) supplemented with 1.0 mg/L polyvinylpyrrolidone and 500 mg/L bacteriostatic Augmentin. Callus induction was recorded in all culture media on both explants. The shoot …


Shoot Morphology Of Eleven Alfalfa Populations, Jessica A. Schmuck Jan 2012

Shoot Morphology Of Eleven Alfalfa Populations, Jessica A. Schmuck

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a major component of feed for dairy and beef cattle and one of the most productive forage species in North America. Alfalfa has been planted on millions of acres. More than 100 varieties have been developed in North America over the past 100 years. However, historically, alfalfa persistence under grazing in semiarid rangeland has generally been poor. Recently, it was discovered that naturally-selected populations of predominantly yellow-flowered alfalfa have been proven to be adapted to rangelands of western South Dakota and adjacent areas. A study was initiated in May 2006 to evaluate persistence and vigor …


White Oak Part Of Global Oak Presence, W. John Hayden May 2011

White Oak Part Of Global Oak Presence, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

As we act locally celebrating white oak, Quercus alba, as the 2011 VNPS Wildflower of the Year, it is perhaps appropriate to think globally for a few moments and consider the breadth of diversity encompassed by the oaks. Quercus is a big genus, easily the largest in its family, the Fagaceae. Approximately 400 species of oak are known, and they are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere. We tend to think of oaks as temperate zone trees, but in the New World, their range extends south through the mountains of Central America to Colombia and in the Old World, …