Somatic tissues in mature copepods are determinate in growth, not undergoing mitosis; cell number remains constant throughout adult life. Here we report evidence of polyploidization for eight species of cyclopoid copepods. Using static Feulgen-DNA cytophotometry, we measured individual somatic nuclei in populations of Eucyclops ensifer from Brazil and of Eucyclops agilis from Ohio, U.S.A. Small but potentiality significant percentages of the adult somatic cells in these species, as well as in Bryocyclops caroli, Halicyclops tagea, Macrocyclops albidus, Mesocyclops edax, Mesocyclops thermocyclopoides, and Thermocyclops decipiens, contained at least twice (4C) the amount of DNA found in their diploid (2C) cells. These species have 2C DNA values that are representative of the range of genome sizes in cyclopoid copepods which, as a group, have much smaller genomes than calanoid copepods. Polyploidy may be a previously unrecognized mechanism whereby copepods alter the DNA content or nucleotype during specific stages in development. DNA reduplication preceding a cycle of endomitosis may result in a doubling of the functional genome, thus providing additional template for mRNA transcription related to specific functions.

Investigations of potato (Solanum tuberosum) have been hampered by its complicated genetics and high genetic load. This dissertation applies genome reduction techniques to investigate a broad swath of genomic and physiological phenomena. It begins with the presentation and evaluation of a protocol to characterize endoreduplication within potato tubers, demonstrating substantial variation between tissue types and among wild species which may facilitate research into the genesis and growth of these starchy underground stems. Next, we transitioned to explore the distribution and consequences of a specific class of transposable element, Miniature Inverted Transposable Elements (MITEs), showing that they comprise approximately 5% of the potato genome, occur more frequently in genes with stress-related functions, and may be associated with changes, especially decreases, in gene expression. We then combined homology and sparsity based approaches to predict recent MITE activity, identifying five families as especially active. Finally, we expose the gene underlying the potato flower color locus, a homolog of AN2, while showing the effects it exerts on the flavonoid biosynthesis and fruit ripening pathways. This region was shown to be particularly dynamic, replete with MITEs and structural variants which we hypothesize to be the ultimate cause of differences in AN2 expression within the germplasm we examined. While the separate topics of this dissertation are quite disparate, each addresses an important topic in potato genetics, the in-depth study of which is only possible through the utilization of genomic reduction approaches to acquire homozygous genotypes for study and currently available genomic resources. / Ph. D. / Despite their humble appearance and routine consumption, potatoes have a complex genetic structure and a life cycle capable of both sexual reproduction through flowers, fruit and seed, and asexual reproduction through the tubers which also comprise the edible product. From an agronomic perspective, one of the most important qualities of a potato tuber is size, a feature influenced by genetics and environment. Cell-to-cell variation for the amount of DNA per cell, one component that influences tuber size, is known to occur, yet our ability to measure DNA content in starchy tuber cells has been obscured by debris generated through routine preparation techniques. We present and evaluate a new method for measuring the DNA content of potato tuber cells, which provides reliable results across a range of different potato varieties and species. ‘Jumping genes’ also known as transposons, first reported in maize but now known to occur in most advanced plant and animal species, have been found to comprise ~5% of the recently sequenced potato genome. We show that a particular class of transposons is more likely to occur adjacent or actually in certain types of genes, such as those which confer resistance to disease, where they may have meaningful effects on how those genes operate. We then proceed to predict the current activity of the various families of these jumping genes to understand how they continue to alter the genetic landscape of potato. Finally we identify a particular gene which dictates flower color in potato (purple vs. white). We demonstrate that several transposons occur in some forms of the flower color gene. Originally we hypothesized that transposons were associated with the turning off of the purple flower color form; however, on closer examination, we could express the white flower form in transgenic plants that were originally white-flowered and convert them to have purple flowers, demonstrating that even the white flower form was functional. While the separate topics of this dissertation are quite disparate, each addresses an important topic in potato genetics, the in-depth study of which is only possible through the availability of the special strains of potatoes with reduced chromosome number and the publication of the potato genome.

La transformation de la paroi de l’ovaire en un péricarpe charnu implique une coordination entre les divisions cellulaires et l’expansion cellulaire. Des données considérables sur le développement et la maturation du fruit de tomate ont été établies, mais la coordination des divisions cellulaires, de l’expansion cellulaire et de l’endoréduplication durant la mise à fruit ainsi que durant la croissance du fruit de tomate reste grossièrement caractérisée au sein du péricarpe et de nombreuses questions ne sont pas résolues : comment ces deux processus sont-ils régulés et coordonnés durant le développement du fruit d’un point de vue cellulaire? Quand commence l’endoréduplication dans les tissus du fruit et quelle est sa fonction? La première partie de ce mémoire concerne la coordination des divisions cellulaires et de l’expansion cellulaire durant la fin du développement de l’ovaire et le début du développement du fruit. Une différenciation précoce des assises cellulaires composant la paroi de l’ovaire puis le péricarpe a été démontrée. Les divisions cellulaires se font principalement au sein de l’épiderme externe et montrent une synchronisation partielle tandis que l’expansion cellulaire se fait principalement dans le mésocarpe. L’endoréduplication semble être initiée avant l’anthèse. La deuxième partie est consacrée à l’analyse du RNA-seq nucléaire en fonction de quatre niveaux de ploïdie (4, 8, 16 et 32C). La majorité des gènes montrent une augmentation proportionnelle de leurs expressions en fonction des niveaux de ploïdie. Cependant, certains gènes révèlent une surexpression ou une sous-expression en fonction des niveaux de ploïdies. / The transformation of the ovary wall into a fleshy pericarp involves a coordinated pattern of cell division and cell expansion. Considerable data have been reported on tomato fruit development and ripening, but the pattern of cell division, cell expansion and endoreduplication at the tomato fruit set and during fruit growth remains grossly appreciated at the whole pericarp level and many questions are not yet resolved: How are cell division and cell expansion coordinated in tomato fruit a cellular level and according to developmental time? When does endoreduplication begin in fruit tissues and what is its function? The first part of this deals with the coordination of cell division and cell expansion during the end of tomato ovary development and the beginning of fruit growth. Evidence for early differentiation of cell layers in the ovary wall and then in fruit pericarp are presented. Cell division happens mainly in the external epidermis and shows partial synchronization, whereas cell expansion happens mostly in mesocarp cell layers. Endoreduplication is initiated as soon as before anthesis. The second part of this work is devoted to RNA-seq based transcriptome profiling of pericarp nuclei which have been sorted according to four ploidy levels (4, 8, 16 and 32C). We demonstrate that the expression of most of the pericarp-expressed genes shows a proportional increase according to ploidy level, on a nuclear basis. However, a significant amount of genes has been identified as over-expressed or under-expressed according to ploidy level.

Le développement du fruit de tomate s’accompagne d’un phénomène d’endopolyploïdisation(amplification de l’ADN en l'absence de mitose) associé à la croissance cellulaire. Au stade vert mature huit niveaux de ploïdie sont présents (2C à 256C) dans le péricarpe.Une première partie du travail a porté sur l’étude de la distribution spatiale des niveaux de ploïdie dans ce tissu. Cet objectif a nécessité la mise au point d’une méthode originale de détermination de la ploïdie in situ reposant sur la technique de BAC-FISH. Nous avons montré que les cellules les plus polyploïdes se situent dans les assises internes du péricarpe, et qu’elles sont aussi les plus grandes. Ces cellules semblent déjà formées au moment de l’anthèse. Cette cartographie de la ploïdie associée à une analyse de la taille cellulaire a également montré que la taille finale des cellules ne dépend pas uniquement de leur niveau de ploïdie mais également de leur position dans le péricarpe. Enfin, nos résultats suggèrent que l’endopolyploïdisation précède la croissance cellulaire.Dans une deuxième partie du travail, nous avons étudié la structure des noyaux en microscopie à fluorescence et électronique. L’endopolyploïdisation affecte profondément la taille et la forme des noyaux, qui acquièrent un volume important et une forme complexe avec de profondes invaginations. La taille du nucléole augmente avec celle du noyau, ce qui suggère une activité de transcription accrue. De plus, la présence de nombreuses mitochondries à proximité des noyaux polyploïdes suggère une forte activité métabolique en lien avec l’endopolyploïdisation. L’utilisation de la méthode BAC-FISH a permis également de montrer que la polyploïdie se faisait par endoreduplication avec la formation de chromosomes polytènes.Dans une troisième partie nous avons cherché, en criblant une banque de mutants Micro-Tom, à identifier des lignées affectées dans l’endoreduplication afin d’étudier l’impact de ce phénomène sur la vitesse de croissance du fruit. Nous avons caractérisé plusieurs familles dont les niveaux moyens de ploïdie variaient par rapport à la lignée de référence. Une de ces familles présente un phénotype stable au cours de deux générations, avec une augmentation d’au moins 30 % de la ploïdie moyenne et une augmentation de la taille des cellules du péricarpe. Cependant cette famille présentant aussi un développement relativement parthénocarpique de ses fruits, sa caractérisation n’a pas pu être poursuivie dans le cadre de ce travail. / Tomato fruit development includes massive endopolyploidisation events (DNA duplication inthe absence of mitoses) within pericarp cells, in which 8 DNA levels from 2 C to 256 C are detected atmature green stage.The first part of this work dealt with the study of the spatial distribution of ploidy levels inpericarp. To achieve this purpose, a new method for in situ ploidy assessment was set up using aBAC-FISH protocol. The main results are 1/ the most polyploid cells are located in central mesocarpcell layers; 2/ the most polyploid cells are also the largest cells; 3/ these cells are likely to be alreadypresent in ovary at anthesis. Ploidy mapping has also shown that the final cell size does not dependonly on ploidy level but also on cell location in pericarp, and that endopolyploidization is likely set up intissues before cell expansion.The structure of the polyploid nucleus was studied by using fluorescence microscopy andelectron microscopy. Endopolyploidization profoundly modifies the size and shape of nuclei, whichbecome much larger and acquire a complex shape with deep invaginations. Nucleolus size increases,which is likely related to transcriptional increase. Moreover, the presence of numerous mitochondria inthe close vicinity of the nuclear membrane reinforces the hypothesis of increased nuclear andmetabolic activity in polyploid cells. The BAC-FISH in situ method for ploidy assessment also revealedthat endopolyploidization proceeded through polyteny.In the last part of this work, we screened a tomato Micro-Tom tilling bank for mutants affectedin endopolyploidization. The aim was to use tomato lines with distinct ploidy levels to check theinfluence of ploidy on fruit growth rate. Several mutant families were identified with moderatelyincreased ploidy levels. One of these families exhibited transmissible phenotype through 2generations, with ploidy increased by ca. 30 % and increased pericarp cell size. As these mutants hadalso a strongly pronounced parthenocarpic phenotype, their characterization could not be furtheradvanced in the frame of this work.

Comme pour les autres organes multicellulaires, la croissance et le développement de la feuille et du fruit sont caractérisés par la coordination de la division et de l'expansion des cellules qui sont des processus majeurs de la croissance. Les cellules du péricarpe du fruitcharnu connaissent également des endocycles successifs entrainant ainsi une augmentationimportante de la ploïdie des cellules. Il existe un lien évident entre la croissance cellulaire etl'endoréduplication, cependant, celui-ci est encore mal connu du point de vue fonctionnel. Lesprocessus cellulaires interagissent fortement durant le développement de l’organe et sont liésaux flux de carbone et d'eau dans la plante. L’objectif de ce travail de thèse est de mieuxcomprendre le contrôle multi-échelles de la croissance des feuilles et des fruits chez la tomate(Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) et de la plasticité de leur croissance en réponse à des stresshydriques du sol.L’étude a essentiellement porté sur le génotype de tomate cerise Solanum lycopersicum, cv.West Virginia 106 (WVa 106) qui a été cultivé dans différentes conditions d’irrigation grâce àdes systèmes automatisés développés pour cette étude. La réponse au déficit hydrique du sol aété étudiée à différentes échelles d’observation, (tissu, organe, plante entière) et à différentsstades de croissance de la plante en adaptant des protocoles utilisés jusque-là pour des plantesà croissance déterminée et des feuilles simples. Deux génotypes transgéniques modifiés sur ungène de régulation du cycle cellulaire ont aussi été cultivés afin de faire varier les traits liés àla croissance cellulaire et mieux comprendre leurs liens. Les cinétiques de croissance desorganes source et puits que sont la feuille et le fruit aux échelles cellulaire et tissulaire ontaussi été décrites. Les résultats ont apporté des éléments nouveaux sur les coordinations entreles différents processus étudiés et conforté des hypothèses déjà présentes dans la littérature.Ces travaux ont permis de fournir un jeu de données original sur les effets du stress hydriquesur les processus cellulaires (division, expansion, endoréduplication) impliqués dans lacroissance de la feuille et du fruit chez la tomate et, de mieux comprendre leur interactions àplus large échelle, la plante dans sa globalité. En perspectives, ce jeu de données pourrapermettre de faire évoluer un modèle de développement du fruit charnu en condition optimaleet tester sa généricité sur un autre organe, la feuille. Il ouvre des pistes sur la réflexion autourde la modélisation de la plasticité de la plante en réponse au stress hydrique. / As for other multicellular organs, growth and development of leaves and fruits arecharacterized by cell division and expansion. Cell division and expansion are two maingrowth processes. Fleshy fruit pericarp cells also include successive endocycles that providean important increase in cell ploidy. There is a clear link between cell growth andendoreduplication. However, this link is still unclear from a functional point of view. Cellularprocesses interact during organ development and are related to plant water and carbon flows.The objective of this thesis is to give insights into the multi-scale control of leaves and fruitsgrowth in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) and the plasticity of growth-related traits inresponse to soil water stresses.This study mainly focused on cherry tomato Solanum lycopersicum, cv. West Virginia 106(WVa 106). This genotype was cultivated in different conditions of watering regimes withautomated systems developed for this study. Soil water deficit response was studied atdifferent observation scales (tissue, organ, whole plant) and at different plant growth stagesthanks to protocols that were used until now on plants with determinate growth and simpleleaves that were modified for this study. Two transgenic genotypes modified on a cell cycleregulation gene were also cultivated to create variations on growth related traits for a betterunderstanding of their relationships. Multi-scale growth kinetics of source and sink organs(leaf and fruit) were also analyzed. Results have brought new elements about growth-relatedtraits coordination and have reinforced a few hypotheses already presented in scientificpapers. This work has supplied an original dataset on water stress effects on cellular processes(division, expansion, endoreduplication) related to leaf and fruit growth in tomato in thecontext of the plant as a whole. In perspectives, this dataset may allow to further develop anexisting model of fleshy fruit development which was first developed for fruits of plantsgrowing optimal condition. Genericity of this model will be tested on another organ, the leaf.This work also opens some tracks about how the model could be modified when growth islimited by water stress.

DNA content varies significantly over land plants, and is known to correlate with various aspects of plant form and function. In the present study, two measures of DNA content were examined in taxa across the land plant phylogeny: genome size (or C-value) and endopolyploidy (or endoreduplication index, EI). Additionally, the relationships between DNA content and various morphological and ecological traits were assessed. DNA content was determined for 64 liverwort species from 33 families. There was a large range in 1C-values from 0.27 to 20.46 pg, but no endopolyploidy was observed. There was no correlation between genome size and breeding system (monoecy vs. dioecy). Genome size and degree of endopolyploidy were determined for 74 moss species from 21 families. Genome sizes were constrained in this group, with 1C-values ranging from 0.25 to 1.21 pg. Endopolyploidy was high in all species except from the Sphagnaceae. Additionally, 1C-value was negatively correlated with desiccation tolerance but was not correlated with breeding system. DNA content variation was determined in 31 monilophyte (fern) species (including three horsetails) and 6 lycophyte (clubmoss) species. There was a wide range in 1C-values from 2.79 to 26.90 pg, and there was no indication of endopolyploidy in any of the species. Multivariate analyses were used to explore the relative contribution of traits and phylogenetic placement to DNA content varation in 41 angiosperm species. Six measures of DNA content (2C-value, 1Cx-value, leaf EI, stem EI, petal EI and root EI) were assessed. Phylogeny explained more of the variation observed in the six measures of DNA content than 21 ecological and morphological traits. However, many of the traits were able to explain some of the variation in DNA content, both with and without phylogeny included as a covaraite. One trait that was consistently correlated with DNA content was the association with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. In a controlled experiment, the EI in root cells colonized by AM fungi significantly increased compared to non-mycorrhizal plants. This thesis increases our knowledge regarding the extent and significance of variation in DNA content in land plants.

No description available.

Perhaps all orchids are mycotrophic at early developmental stages, while majority of species photosynthesize at adulthood and only about 200 species remain fully mycotrophic for the whole life. Mycotrophy affects orchids at many levels. In this thesis, I focus on four aspects of orchid biology, which could be connected with mycotrophy: (i) systematics, (ii) genome size and endoreduplication, (iii) regulation of seed germination and (iv) mechanism of transfer of carbon and energy from fungi to orchids. There are over 27,000 recently recognized orchid species, nevertheless new ones are still discovering and old ones are revisiting. In this work I present a description of new species, Cleisostoma yersinii, and its morphological, anatomical, ecological and systematic characterization. Phylogeny reconstruction confirmed relationship with C. birmanicum. In the subtribe Podochileae, I reappraised the genus Campanulorchis to establish monophyletic but also morphologically defined group. For both abovementioned genera I prepared the artificial identification key. In the genus Dactylorhiza I revised taxa present in our country and I prepared an identification key which firstly mentions D. maculata subsp. elodes from Czech Republic. Orchid species diversity is probably reflected in genome structure. Results...

Perhaps all orchids are mycotrophic at early developmental stages, while majority of species photosynthesize at adulthood and only about 200 species remain fully mycotrophic for the whole life. Mycotrophy affects orchids at many levels. In this thesis, I focus on four aspects of orchid biology, which could be connected with mycotrophy: (i) systematics, (ii) genome size and endoreduplication, (iii) regulation of seed germination and (iv) mechanism of transfer of carbon and energy from fungi to orchids. There are over 27,000 recently recognized orchid species, nevertheless new ones are still discovering and old ones are revisiting. In this work I present a description of new species, Cleisostoma yersinii, and its morphological, anatomical, ecological and systematic characterization. Phylogeny reconstruction confirmed relationship with C. birmanicum. In the subtribe Podochileae, I reappraised the genus Campanulorchis to establish monophyletic but also morphologically defined group. For both abovementioned genera I prepared the artificial identification key. In the genus Dactylorhiza I revised taxa present in our country and I prepared an identification key which firstly mentions D. maculata subsp. elodes from Czech Republic. Orchid species diversity is probably reflected in genome structure. Results...

Chez Arabidopsis thaliana, les protéines SIAMESE-RELATED (SIM/SMR1 à 13) forment une famille plante-spécifique d’Inhibiteurs de Kinase Cycline-dépendante (CKI), homologue des Kip-Related Proteins. SIM et SMR1 sont des régulateurs positifs de la transition du cycle mitotique vers l’endoréplication. L’expression des gènes SIM/SMR est induite en réponse àdes stress. L’un des stress abiotiques majeurs pour les plantes est la sécheresse. Les SIM/SMR pourraient être dégradées par la voie de la protéolyse spécifique de l’Ubiquitin Proteasome System (UPS). Les SIM/SMR sont de bons candidats pour relier l'activité du cycle cellulaire aux stimuli de l'environnement. Ce travail a démontré l’implication de la protéolyse UPS dans le contrôle posttraductionnel de tous membres SIM/SMR testés. Il démontre que SIM, SMR2 et SMR1 sont nécessaires à l’endoréplication des cellules foliaires. Lors d’un stress hydrique, l’expression des gènes SIM, SMR1, SMR3 et SMR5 est induite. Le profil spatio-temporel de ces inductions a mis en évidence deux groupes de gènes avec des fonctions distinctes. Les mutants sim, smr5 et sim.smr1.smr2 sont hypersensibles au stress hydrique. / In Arabidopsis thaliana, the SIAMESE-RELATED proteins (SIM/SMR1 to 13) are a plantspecific family of Cyclin-dependent Kinase Inhibitors (CKIs), homologous to the Kip-Related Proteins. SIM and SMR1 are positive regulators of the switch from mitotic cycle to endoreplication. The expression of SIM/SMRs genes is induced in response to stress. One of the major abiotic stress for plants is the drought stress. The SIM/SMRs could be degraded through the specific proteolysis of Ubiquitin Proteasome System (UPS). The SIM/SMRs proteins are good candidates to link cell cycle activity with environmental stimuli.This research work has shown the involvement of the UPS proteolysis in the posttranslational control of all the tested members of the SIM/SMR family. It also shows that SIM, SMR2 and mostly SMR1 are required in endoreplication of leaf cells. During drought stress, the expression of SIM, SMR1, SMR3 and SMR5 genes is induced. The spaciotemporal pattern of those inductions revealed two groups of genes with distinct functions. In addition, the sim, smr5 and sim.smr1.smr2 loss-of-function mutants tested are hypersensitive to drought stress.