Sex determination in Rumex acetosa, a dioecious plant with a complex XY Y sex chromosome system (females are XX and males are XY Y ), is not controlled by an active Y chromosome but depends on the ratio between the number of X chromosomes and autosomes. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms of sex determination, we generated a subtracted cDNA library enriched in genes specifically or predominantly expressed in female floral buds in early stages of development, when sex determination mechanisms come into play. In the present paper, we report the molecular and functional characterization of FEM32, a gene encoding a protein that shares a common architecture with proteins in different plants, animals, bacteria and fungi of the aerolysin superfamily; many of these function as β pore-forming toxins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of the microalgal industry requires advances in every aspect of microalgal biotechnology. In this regard, the availability of genetic engineering tools for industrially-promising species is key. As Scenedesmus almeriensis has promise for industrial use, we describe here an Agrobacterium-based methodology that allows stable genetic transformation of it for the first time, thus opening the way to its genetic manipulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcyl-CoA:lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT, EC 2.3.1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe multigene family encoding proteins related to lysophosphatidyl-acyltransferases (LPATs) has been analyzed in the castor plant Ricinus communis. Among them, two genes designated RcLPAT2 and RcLPATB, encoding proteins with LPAT activity and expressed in the developing seed, have been cloned and characterized in some detail. RcLPAT2 groups with well characterized members of the so-called A-class LPATs and it shows a generalized expression pattern in the plant and along seed development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 11S globulin (legumin) gene family has been characterized in the castor plant Ricinus communis L. Phylogenetic analysis reveals the presence of two diverged subfamilies (RcLEG1 and RcLEG2) comprising a total of nine genes and two putative pseudogenes. The expression of castor legumin genes has been studied, indicating that it is seed specific and developmentally regulated, with a maximum at the stage when cellular endosperm reaches its full expansion (around 40-45 DAP).
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