The wild origin, early breeding history, and diversity of the China Rose group, including R. chinensis and its varieties, cultivars, and hybrids, are largely unknown. The aims of this study were to investigate the genetic diversity and relationships of the China Roses with related species and hybrids, including information in support of, or refuting, the hypothesis that these roses are the hybrid result of the wild R. chinensis var. spontanea and R. odorata var. gigantea. Ninety Rosa accessions, including China Roses, a Miscellaneous Old Garden Rose, Noisettes, early Polyanthas, Bourbons, Teas, and species from Sections Indicae and Synstylae were surveyed using 23 microsatellite primer pairs. The trnH-psbA chloroplast intergenic spacer was also sequenced for the China Roses, Misc. Old Garden Rose, and the species to look specifically at maternal relationships. A total of 291 alleles were scored for the 23 microsatellites, with alleles per locus ranging from 6-22 and averaging 12.65. A dendrogram based on Dice similarity and a three-dimensional Principle Coordinate Analysis (PCoorA) graph were plotted with the data. In the cluster analysis, the similarity coefficients ranged from ~0.15-0.99, with the cultivated roses forming well-defined groups at about 0.45 similarity. These groups generally reflected the American Rose Society horticultural classifications. A large number of sports and synonyms in the China Rose group were identified through this analysis as well. The PCoorA gave a better graphical representation of the relationships of the species and cultivars, and with the inclusion of the chloroplast sequence haplotypes, some maternal relationships could also be identified. This study shows that the cultivated China Roses are a closely related group and identified which accessions were likely Hybrid China Roses. The results also suggest that the China Roses were maternally derived from R. chinensis var. spontanea. Based on the microsatellites and chloroplast sequence haplotypes, the identity of the R. odorata var. gigantea accessions in this study are suspect, but the China Roses may also have this species in their background as the result of natural or artificial hybridization.

Abstract¡G Athyrioid ferns¡]Athyrioideae, Dryopteridaceae¡^consist of about 700 species with a distribution range from tropical to temperate zone in the world. In Taiwan, the subfamily includes 50 species commonly found from lowland to around 3000 meters in elevation. Phylogenetic relationships and the generic circumscription of athyrioid genera are confused and controversial. In this study, trnL-trnF spacer, which is a nucleotide sequence between genes in the chloroplast, was used to analyze and infer the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary status of 35 species. Phylogenetic trees produced by neighbor-joining and maximum-parsimony methods are similar in topology. Athyrium and Cornopteris form a clade, and this indicates Cornopteris is more closely related to Athyrium than to Diplazium. Anisogonium nests within Diplazium clade, and it implies these two genera congeneric. Anisocampium is distinct from Athyrium sensu stricto and forms a clade with Athyrium nipponicum. Deparia clade includes Athyriopsis, Lunathyrium, Dryoathyrium, Dictyodroma, Diplazium subsinuatum and Matteuccia. These four clades may be seen as the core part of athyrioid ferns. Woodsia and Thelypteridaceae cluster next to these four clades. Cystopteris and Gymnocarpium occupy a position between Thelypteridaceae and Dryopteridaceae. Rhachidosorus is neither closely related to Athyrium nor Diplazium. Hypodematium is distantly related to athyrioid ferns and forms a clade with Dryopteridaceae. Therefore, Hypodematium may be isolated from athyrioid ferns. Based on the evidences mentioned above, athyrioid ferns are suggested to be closely related to Thelypteriaceae, and are probably members of Woodsiaceae¡]including Thelypteridaceae¡^instead of Dryopteridaceae. In addition, Cystopteris and Gymnocarpium are the most basal lineage of Woodsiaceae sensu lato. The core group of athyrioid ferns probably better treated as a monophyletic tribe or subfamily of Woodsiaceae at current stage.

This dissertation presents the result of two separate research programs. The first elucidates the phylogeny, biogeography and systematics of the genus Menodora in the olive family. A phylogeny based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA and the chloroplast rps16 and trnL introns and trnL-F intergenic spacer demonstrates that the genus is monophyletic. Within the genus, M. robusta of Patagonia is the first taxon to branch, followed by a monophyletic African clade and M. spinescens of California, though the placement of the latter does not have strong support. Most North American species are nested within the derived South Americans. A South American origin is hypothesized, with two independent dispersals to North America, and a single dispersal to Africa. The phylogeny provided new insights for the systematic treatment, where 24 species, one subspecies and six varieties are recognized, with major realignments of the intregrifolia and scabra species complexes, and a single new species described. In the second area of research, the chloroplast genome of Pelargonium × hortorum has been completely sequenced. At 217,942 base pairs (bp), it is both the largest and most rearranged land plant chloroplast genome yet sequenced. It features two copies of a greatly expanded inverted repeat (IR) of 75,741 bp each, and diminished single copy regions of 59,710 bp and 6,750 bp. Gene content is similar to other angiosperms, with the exceptions of a large number of pseudogenes, two open reading frames (ORF56 and ORF42), and the losses of accD, trnT-ggu, and possibly rpoA. The latter may be represented, however, by highly divergent set of rpoA-like ORFs. The IR expansion accounts for most of the size increase of the genome, but an additional 10% is related to the large number of repeats found. Most of these occur near rearrangement hotspots, and two different repeat associations (characterized by full or partial duplications of several genes) are localized in these regions. We propose simple models that account for the major rearrangements with a minimum of eight IR boundary changes and 12 inversions in addition to several sequence duplications. / text

Not available / text

Photosynthetic eukaryots emerged as a result of several billion years of evolution between proeukaryotic cell and ancestral cyanobacteria that formed modern chloroplasts. The symbiotic relationship led to significant rearrangements in the genomes of the plastid and the nucleus: as many as 90 % of all the plastid genes were transferred to the nucleus. The gene transfer has been accompanied by the development of sophisticated regulatory signaling networks originating in the organelle (retrograde) and in the nucleus (anterograde) that coordinate development of the plastid and ensure adequate cell responses to stress signals. In this thesis I have demonstrated that transcriptional activity of PEP in the chloroplast is essential for proper embryo and seedling development in Arabidopsis thaliana. The function of PEP is dependent on the nuclear encoded PEPassociated factor PRIN2 that is able to sense the redox status of the plastid during seedling development and different stress. In response to the plastid status PRIN2 modulates the transcription activity of the PEP enzyme complex. We further established that PRIN2, as an essential component for full PEP activity, is also required to emit the Plastid Gene Expression (PGE) retrograde signal to regulate the Photosynthesis-Associated Nuclear Genes (PhANG) in the nucleus during early seedling growth via GUN1. On the other hand, regulation of PhANG expression during the High Light (HL) conditions requires functional PRIN2 and PEP activity but is GUN1-independent. Another retrograde signal produced by the developing chloroplast is associated with the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway. We have established that accumulation of the chlorophyll intermediate MgProtoIX-ME in the crd mutant triggers repression of the PhANG expression, and this negative signal is mediated by a cytoplasmic protein complex containing the PAPP5 phosphatase. The nuclear targets that receive the tetrapyrrole mediated signal are GLK1 and GLK2 transcription factors that control the PhANG expression and the expression of the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of chlorophyll. / Fotosyntetiserande eukaryoter uppstod från en endosymbiotisk interaktion under några miljarder år mellan en ur-eukaryot och kloroplastens förfader, den prokaryota cyanobakterien. Den symbiotiska händelsen ledde till att kloroplastens och kärnans genom blev väsentligt förändrade. Så småningom överförde kloroplasten så många som 90 % av dess gener till cellkärnan. För att koordinera genutrycket från de två genomen utvecklade växtcellen ett sofistikerat signalsystemen som inkluderar: plastid-kärn (retrograd) och kärn-plastid (anterograd) signalering som styr kloroplastens utveckling och förmåga att anpassa sig till stressförhållanden. Den här avhandlingen beskriver kloroplastens maskineri för genuttryck (PEP) som en nödvändig komponent för embryo- och växtutvecklingen hos Arabidopsis thaliana. PEP funktionen är beroende av det kärnkodade kloroplastproteinet PRIN2 som är associerat med PEP. PRIN2 mottar redox signaler från plastiden och förändrar genuttrycksaktivitet under kloroplastens utvecklingen eller under olika stressförhållanden. Jag visar dessutom att PRIN2 spelar en viktig roll i överföring av kloroplastens signal som kommunicerar genuttrycksaktivitet (PGE) via GUN1 till kärnan där den styr uttryck av de kärnkodade fotosyntetesgenerna (PhANG). Under högljus stressförhållanden styrs dock PhANG-uttrycket av signaler som uppstår från PEP-aktivitet och PRIN2 men som är oberoende av GUN1. Vidare finns det en annan retrograd signal som har sitt ursprung i biosyntesen av tetrapyrroler. Jag har visat att ackumuleringen av tetrapyrrolen MgProtoIX-ME i crd-mutanten framkallar nedreglering av PhANG-uttryck genom interaktion med ett fosfatas (PAPP5) i cytosolen. GLK1 and GLK2 är två transkriptionsfaktorer som tar emot den tetrapyrrole-medierade signalen i sin tur styr biosyntes av chlorofyll och PhANG uttryck.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Univ., Diss.--München, 1998.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Akron, Dept. of Biology, 2006. / "December, 2006." Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed 12/31/2008) Advisor, Robert Joel Duff; Committee members, Richard Londraville, Francisco B. Moore, Amy Milsted; Department Chair, Bruce Cushing; Dean of the College, Ronald F. Levant; Dean of the Graduate School, George R. Newkome. Includes bibliographical references.

Techn. Univ., Diss.--München, 2002.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Microbiology & Molecular Biology, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-61).