Sexual differentiation in Asparagus officinalis L.

✍ Scribed by Galli, M.G. ;Bracale, M. ;Falavigna, A. ;Soave, C.

• Book ID: 104656577
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 959 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0934-0882
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00189153

✦ Synopsis

As a first approach in investigating the genetical bases of sexual dimorphism in the dioecious plant Asparagus officinalis L. at the molecular level, we have determined DNA content per cell, DNA sequence complexity and mRNA activities in both developing and mature male and female flowers of Asparagus. 2C DNA content (around 3.9 pg) was independent of sex and rather low when compared to other Liliiflorae; sequence complexity, however, showed a high proportion of repeated sequences. Polyadenylated mRNA from male and female flowers at young and mature stages of development were assayed by in vitro translation in the presence of [35S]methionine, and the synthesized proteins were analysed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Results have shown that there are no appreciable differences in polypeptide patterns from male and female flowers at a young stage of development, while specific sequences of mRNA are produced only very late during the development, most likely linked to the appearance of mature pollen grains and mature megagametophytes.