Abstract
Morphological changes in early fruit-bearing shoots (FBSs) and in emerging shoot apices of Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujube Mill. Rhamnaceae) were investigated. Based on histological analysis and morphological observations, FBSs developed from initiated mother bearing shoots (MBSs), while flower development began following growth of FBSs. Moreover, shoot apices were observed at an early stage of floral bud development. A homologue of SQUAMOSA/APETALA1, designated ZjAP1 (accession number EU916199), was isolated from Chinese jujube by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of complementary DNA (cDNA) ends. The ZjAP1 open reading frame was 738 bp in length, including heterogeneous 3′- and 5′-untranslated regions. When aligned with other SQUA/AP1 homologues, the deduced amino acid sequence of ZjAP1 consisted of 245 amino acids with typical SQUA/AP1 MADS-box conserved regions. The ZjAP1 shared highest identity with SQUA/AP1 homologues from Rosaceae. ZjAP1 expression profile was analyzed in early growth of FBSs, shoot apices, and different other tissues. The results demonstrated that ZjAP1 played a role in both vegetative and reproductive development in Chinese jujube.
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Acknowledgement
We are thankful to Kotota Nobuhiro for providing degenerate primers in ZjAP1 isolation. The Shanxi Natural Science Foundation committee of China (grant no. 20051081 and no. 20080011062-2) supported this research.
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Sun, Hf., Meng, Yp., Cao, Qf. et al. Molecular Cloning and Expression Analysis of a SQUA/AP1 Homologue in Chinese Jujube (Ziziphus jujube Mill.). Plant Mol Biol Rep 27, 534–541 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-009-0093-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-009-0093-4