Search results for " chloroplast"
showing 10 items of 25 documents
Specific roles of 5′ RNA secondary structures in stabilizing transcripts in chloroplasts
2005
RNA secondary structures, e.g. stem-loops that are often found at the 5' and 3' ends of mRNAs, are in many cases known to be crucial for transcript stability but their role in prolonging the lifetime of transcripts remains elusive. In this study we show for an essential RNA-stabilizing stem-loop at the 5' end of rbcL gene transcripts in Chlamydomonas that it neither prevents ribonucleases from binding to the RNA nor impedes their movement along the RNA strand. The stem-loop has a formative function in that it mediates folding of a short sequence around its base into a specific RNA conformation, consisting of a helical and single-stranded region, i.e. the real structure required for longevit…
Temporal and spatial diversification of the African disjunct genus Androcymbium (Colchicaceae)
2009
Abstract The genus Androcymbium (Colchicaceae) includes 57 species that are distributed in the extreme northern and southern portions of Africa, mainly in regions with a Mediterranean climate. We present the first phylogeographic analysis of the genus with species from all five of its distribution areas (North Africa, Horn of Africa, Namibia, western South Africa, and eastern South Africa). We used sequence data from six chloroplast regions and one nuclear region. Phylogeographic reconstructions were conducted using both parsimony and Bayesian inference methods. Molecular dating estimates using a Bayesian approach suggest a middle Miocene (13.4 ± 1.5 mya) origin of the genus; this approach …
Photoaffinity cross-linking of F1ATPase from spinach chloroplasts by 3'-arylazido-beta-alanyl-8-azido ATP.
1994
UV irradiation of the ATPase (CF1) from spinach chloroplasts in the presence of 3'-arylazido-beta-alanyl-8-azido ATP (8,3'-DiN3ATP) results in a nucleotide-dependent inactivation of the enzyme and in a nucleotide-dependent formation of alpha-beta cross-links. The results demonstrate an interfacial localization of the nucleotide binding sites on CF1.
Melastomeae come full circle: biogeographic reconstruction and molecular clock dating.
2001
Rhexia, with 11 species in the Coastal Plain province of North America, is the only temperate zone endemic of the tropical eudicot family Melastomataceae. It is a member of the only pantropical tribe of that family, Melastomeae. Based on the chloroplast gene ndhF, we use a fossil-calibrated molecular clock to address the question of the geographic origin and age of Rhexia. Sequences from 37 species in 21 genera representing the tribe's geographical range were analyzed together with five outgroups. To obtain better clade support, another chloroplast region, the rpl16 intron, was added for 24 of the species. Parsimony analysis of the combined data and maximum-likelihood analysis of ndhF alone…
A comparison of growth, gas exchange and productivity in Olea europaea cultivars growing on Mediterranean hills.
2008
This work concerns the ecophysiology of olive cultivars growing on Mediterranean hills. Our aim was to quantify the photosynthetic efficiency of the cultivars in cultivation. In two hill areas, we tested the phenological and ecophysio- logical variability of olive cultivars grown on non-irrigated land, with different pedo-climatic characteristics. Cultivation area 1 falls within a natural protected area, while area 2 is on farming land. The cultivars selected (‘Biancolilla’, ‘Nocellara del Belice’ and ‘Giarraffa’) belong to the local genetic pool and require different amounts of water. We followed the phe- nological phases of shoot growth and drupe production. We studied leaf anatomy and ch…
Testing reticulate versus coalescent origins of Erica lusitanica using a species phylogeny of the northern heathers (Ericeae, Ericaceae).
2015
Whilst most of the immense species richness of heathers (Calluna, Daboecia and Erica: Ericeae; Ericaceae) is endemic to Africa, particularly the Cape Floristic Region, the oldest lineages are found in the Northern Hemisphere. We present phylogenetic hypotheses for the major clades of Ericeae represented by multiple accessions of all northern Erica species and placeholder taxa for the large nested African/Madagascan clade. We identified consistent, strongly supported conflict between gene trees inferred from ITS and chloroplast DNA sequences with regard to the position of Erica lusitanica. We used coalescent simulations to test whether this conflict could be explained by coalescent stochasti…
Do island plant populations really have lower genetic variation than mainland populations? Effects of selection and distribution range on genetic div…
2015
Ecological and evolutionary studies largely assume that island populations display low levels of neutral genetic variation. However, this notion has only been formally tested in a few cases involving plant taxa, and the confounding effect of selection on genetic diversity (GD) estimates based on putatively neutral markers has typically been overlooked. Here, we generated nuclear microsatellite and plastid DNA sequence data in Periploca laevigata, a plant taxon with an island–mainland distribution area, to (i) investigate whether selection affects GD estimates of populations across contrasting habitats; and (ii) test the long-standing idea that island populations have lower GD than their mai…
The evolutionary history of the Arabidopsis arenosa complex: diverse tetraploids mask the Western Carpathian center of species and genetic diversity.
2012
The Arabidopsis arenosa complex is closely related to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Species and subspecies in the complex are mainly biennial, predominantly outcrossing, herbaceous, and with a distribution range covering most parts of latitudes and the eastern reaches of Europe. In this study we present the first comprehensive evolutionary history of the A. arenosa species complex, covering its natural range, by using chromosome counts, nuclear AFLP data, and a maternally inherited marker from the chloroplast genome [trnL intron (trnL) and trnL/F intergenic spacer (trnL/F-IGS) of tRNA(Leu) and tRNA(Phe), respectively]. We unravel the broad-scale cytogeographic and phylogeographic pa…
Phylogeny of Veronica in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres based on plastid, nuclear ribosomal and nuclear low-copy DNA
2010
The cosmopolitan and ecologically diverse genus Veronica with approximately 450 species is the largest genus of the newly circumscribed Plantaginaceae. Previous analyses of Veronica DNA sequences were in stark contrast to traditional systematics. However, analyses did not allow many inferences regarding the relationship between major groups identified, hindering further analysis of diversification and evolutionary trends in the genus. To resolve the backbone relationships of Veronica, we added sequences from additional plastid DNA regions to existing data and analyzed matching data sets for 78 taxa and more than 5000 aligned characters from nuclear ribosomal DNA and plastid DNA regions. The…
Chloroplast signal length requirement reflects the outer membrane and TOC complex dimension
2015
Background and Purpose: The evolution of an efficient preprotein targeting and translocation system was a central prerequisite for the endosymbiotic integration of a -proteobacteria and cyanobacteria as cellular organelles. Today, it is widely accepted that during evolution most (pre-)proteins destined for these two organelles were equipped with an N-terminal targeting signal for localization. While multiple modes of evolution of these extensions are currently discussed, all evolved signals serve the same function – forming a signal for targeting to the correct organelle and translocation across both membranes. We aimed to generalize the current idea for the length requirement of the N-term…