:: M. NOBIS, A. NOWAK, A. L. EBEL, A. NOBIS, S. NOWAK, P. D. GUDKOVA, A. V. VERKHOZINA, A. S. ERST, G. ŁAZARSKI, M. V. OLONOVA, R. PIWOWARCZYK, A. A. BOBROV, I. A. KHRUSTALEVA, V. PLÁŠEK, M. M. SILANTYEVA & J. ZALEWSKA-GAŁOSZ Contribution to the flora of Asian and European countries: new national and regional vascular plant records Paru dans Acta Botanica Gallica, 2015, 162 (2), pp. 103-115. Anglais Abstract The paper presents new records for 18 vascular plant species from six Eurasian countries. Three taxa (Lepidium densiflorum, Stipa czerepanovii, Xanthium albinum) are reported from Kazakhstan, one (Ranunculus schmakovii) from Mongolia, three (Dianthus campestris, Ranunculus kauffmannii, Viola suavis) from Poland, five (Eragrostis amurensis, Linum catharticum, Ludwigia peploides subsp. stipulacea, Pyrethrum mikeschinii, Solidago canadensis) from Tajikistan, five (Clinopodium menthifolium, Juncus effusus, Mollugo cerviana, Poa sphondylodes, Vulpia myuros) from Russia, and one (Orobanche alba subsp. xanthostigma) from Georgia. Ten of the taxa presented (Clinopodium menthifolium, Dianthus campestris, Eragrostis amurensis, Juncus effusus, Lepidium densiflorum, Mollugo cerviana, Solidago canadensis, Viola suavis, Vulpia myuros and Xanthium albinum) are regarded as alien to the studied areas, whereas the remaining eight are native elements to the flora of the countries. For each species, synonyms, general distribution, habitat preferences, taxonomy with remarks on recognition and differentiation of the species from the most similar occurring in a given country, as well as a list of localities recorded (often far from the previously known areas), are presented.
:: A. DOĞRU-KOCA & Ş. YILDIRIMLI Taxonomic notes on three endemic Paracaryum species from Turkey Paru dans Acta Botanica Gallica, 2015, 162 (2), pp. 117-123. Anglais Abstract Paracaryum is a distinctive genus that includes many endemic taxa, and several of these endemics from the Irano-Turanian phytogeographical region are of special interest. In Turkey, the genus includes 28 species, of which 21 are endemic. Paracaryum leptophyllum, Paracaryum ponticum and Paracaryum artvinense occur in northeastern Turkey. The nomenclature, lectotypification, morphology and conservation status of these taxa are examined in the current study. According to these data, P. ponticum must be treated as a distinct species; P. artvinense must be reduced to synonymy with P. ponticum. In this study, P. ponticum and P. leptophyllum are re-classified at the subgenus level, and the lectotypifications of the names are designated. The amended descriptions in comparison with the related species P. ponticum and P. leptophyllum, an identification key, nutlet pictures and a chorological note are provided. The conservation status of these taxa is discussed.
:: J. MAZUMDAR Lectotypification of Hemionitis pothifolia (Polypodiaceae) Paru dans Acta Botanica Gallica, 2015, 162 (2), pp. 125-126. Anglais Abstract Status of the type specimen of Hemionitis pothifolia (Polypodiaceae, fern) at The Natural History Museum (London UK) is discussed and it was selected as lectotype for this species.
:: MING-BING ZHOU, HAO ZHONG, JIAO-LI HU & DING-QIN TANG Ppmar1 and Ppmar2: the first two complete and intact full-length mariner-like elements isolated in Phyllostachys edulis Paru dans Acta Botanica Gallica, 2015, 162 (2), pp. 127-137. Anglais Abstract We report the isolation of two full-length mariner-like elements (MLEs) from a bamboo species (Phyllostachys edulis) by chromosome walking using a modified magnetic enrichment procedure. Ppmar1 is 3472 base pairs (bp) in length with 28-bp perfect inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) and a 1986-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding transposase, whereas Ppmar2 is 2679 bp in length with the 27-bp perfect ITRs and the 1877-bp ORF encoding transposase. Ppmar1 and Ppmar2 share the typical ITR consensus sequences of plant MLEs (5′-CTC CCT CCR T-3′, where R is A or G) and the typical TA/AT target site duplications. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Ppmar1 belongs to clade A2 and Ppmar2 to clade C of plant MLE subfamilies. The two transposases encoded contain intact DNA-binding motifs and a DD39D catalytic domain and many residues previously shown to be critical for transposase activity are conserved in Ppmar1 and Ppmar2. All the above results imply that both transposons are likely to be naturally active. Cloning of two full-length mariner-like elements would provide a foundation for the investigation of transpositional activity of moso bamboo MLE.
:: A. MUKHERJEE Computational study of a bifunctional ent-kaurene synthase from Physcomitrella patens (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp.: an insight into the origin of terpenoid biosynthesis in plants Paru dans Acta Botanica Gallica, 2015, 162 (2), pp. 139-152. Anglais Abstract Plants produce many terpenoids including gibberellins and many commercially important secondary metabolites. The final steps of terpenoid production involve terpene synthase (TPS) enzymes. The origin of plant TPS is not known; searches for TPS showed their presence in all plant groups except algae. Although many plants have several genes in their genome that encode TPS enzymes, the bryophyte Physcomitrella patens (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. possesses only one bifunctional ent-kaurene synthase (PpCPS/KS), which produces both 16α-hydroxykaurane and entkaurene (the precursor of gibberellins). This protein shares characteristics of two unifunctional TPS of higher plants – ent-copalyl diphosphate synthase (CPS) and ent-kaurene synthase (KS). Bifunctional TPS are also found in fungi. In this study, the bifunctional PpCPS/KS has been characterized by some bioinformatics tools. Comparative analysis of PpCPS/KS with some fungal and plant TPS as well as terpenoid-producing bacterial enzymes has been performed. The results indicate that bifunctional TPS came from fungi to bryophytes, probably by horizontal gene transfer and unifunctional TPS gradually evolved from bifunctional TPS in higher plants.