Yin-Zheng Wang

• Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Adaptive radiation is usually triggered by great in situ or ex situ environmental changes. How an adaptive radiation occurs on lands and how species richness relates to morphodisparity have been a major focus of evolutionary biology. Petrocodon , diversified in the southeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), represents an ideal model to address these...

Although great progress has been made in transgenic technology, increasing the expression level and thus promising the expected phenotypes of exogenous genes in transgenic plants is still a crucial task for genetic transformation and crop engineering. Here, we conducted a comparative study of the enhancing efficiency of three putative translational...

19 Plants bearing double flowers have long been cultivated as ornamental plants. Hose-in-hose 20 flowers, bearing 2-whorled corolla tubes in whorls 1 and 2, are uncommon but recur in Sinningia 21 (Gesnerioideae, Gesneriaceae). In this study, we selected 15 hose-in-hose cultivars as materials 22 to explore the underlying molecular and genetic mechan...

The genus Didymocarpus Wall is a core group of the subfamily Didymocarpoideae in Gesneriaceae with a complex taxonomic history. It has long been controversial to delimit Didymocarpus and its allies. We conducted phylogenetic reconstructions with high-density sampling of Didymocarpus and related genera by using four nuclear ribosomal DNAs (external...

Plants bearing double flowers have long been cultivated as ornamental plants. Hose-in-hose flowers, bearing 2-whorled corolla tubes in whorls 1 and 2, are uncommon but recur in Sinningia (Gesnerioideae, Gesneriaceae). In this study, we selected 15 hose-in-hose cultivars as materials to explore the underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms of this...

Many plants employ osmotic and hydrostatic pressure to generate movement for survival; but little is known about the cellular mechanisms involved. Here, we report a new cell type in angiosperms termed ‘contractile cells’ in the stigmas of the flowering plant Chirita pumila with much expanded rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). Cryo-SEM and TEM analy...

Actinomorphic flowers usually orient vertically (relative to the horizon) and possess symmetric nectar guides, while zygomorphic flowers often face horizontally and have asymmetric nectar guides, indicating that floral symmetry, floral orientation, and nectar guide patterning are correlated. The origin of floral zygomorphy is dependent on the dorso...

Metapetrocosmea W. T. Wang and Deinostigma W. T. Wang & Z. Y. Li were originally monotypic with M. peltata (Merr. et Chun) W. T. Wang and D. poilanei (Pellegr.) W. T. Wang & Z. Y. Li, respectively. Recent molecular phylogenetic research expanded Deinostigma to include several species previously transferred from Chirita D. Don to Primulina Hance. Ho...

The development of an ideal model plant located at a key phylogenetic node is critically important to advance functional and regulatory studies of key regulatory genes in the evolutionary developmental (evo-devo) biology field. In this study, we selected Chirita pumila in the family Gesneriaceae, a basal group in Lamiales, as a model plant to optim...

Rehmannia and Triaenophora form a clade and are widely accepted as being closely allied with Orobanchaceae in Lamiales. However, the taxonomic rank of this clade and its geographical origins are understudied and poorly known. The genera have together been recognized as Orobanchaceae tribe Rehmannieae or Rehmanniaceae. To re-evaluate the taxonomy an...

Floral zygomorphy is thought of as an essential adaptation to specific pollinators. The CYCLOIDEA (CYC)‐like genes belonging to plant‐specific TCP transcription factor family are the key regulators of floral zygomorphy. Their expression differentiations bring about diverse forms of floral zygomorphy. However, the regulatory mechanism underlying the...

A widely held hypothesis in evolution is that adaptive specialization constrains the potential direction of future evolutionary change and thus may be irreversible, i.e., the Dollo's law. However, this hypothesis has long been subject to debate in evolutionary biology. Floral specialization is intriguing as it is usually linked to reproductive isol...

Located in the transition between the northern subtropical zone and the southern warm temperate zone in northern hemisphere. Henan Province of China has a vast area and complex terrain. There are various geological landforms such as high mountain, hill, plain, river, wetland, sand, and saline land. It has been attracting attentions of botanists nat...

Background Great advances have been achieved in our understanding of flower development and evolution since the establishment of the ABC model. However, it remains a challenge to define the exact context of organ identity in the component interactions of the ABC model. Results Through hybridization, we detected a homeotic mutant in Petrocosmea (Ge...

Unlike most crops, which were domesticated through long periods of selection by ancient humans, horticultural plants were primarily domesticated through intentional selection over short time periods. The molecular mechanisms underlying the origin and spread of novel traits in the domestication process have remained largely unexplored in horticultur...

CYCLOIDEA (CYC)-like TCP genes have conserved dorsal identity function in patterning floral zygomorphy mainly through specific expression in dorsal petals of a flower. Their expression changes are usually related to morphological diversity of zygomorphic flowers. However, it is still a challenge to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying their...

Ruta, which belongs to tribe Ruteae, is the type genus of the subfamily Rutoideae and the family Rutaceae. Molecular systematic studies have shown that the genera in Ruteae are closer related to Aurantioideae than to most other genera of Rutoideae, some of the genera traditionally placed in Ruteae have been shown to be nested within the Aurantioide...

Seed shattering (or pod dehiscence, or fruit shedding) is essential for the propagation of their offspring in wild plants but is a major cause of yield loss in crops. In the dicot model species, Arabidopsis thaliana, pod dehiscence necessitates a development of the abscission zones along the pod valve margins. In monocots, such as cereals, an absci...

Petrocosmea Oliver (Gesneriaceae) currently comprises 38 species with four non-nominate varieties, nearly all of which have been described solely from herbarium specimens. However, the dried specimens have obscured the full range of extremely diverse morphological variation that exists in the genus and has resulted in a poor subgeneric classificati...

An efficient transformation and regeneration system is essential for functional investigation of developmental genes and related elements in the field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo). Chirita pumila D. Don belongs to the Gesneriaceae family, one of the most basal groups in Lamiales sensu lato, and possesses many tractable biologica...

Loss of seed dispersal is a key agronomical trait targeted by ancient human selection and has been regarded as a milestone of crop domestication. In this study, in the legume crop soybean Glycine max (L.) Merr. which provides vegetable oils and proteins for humans, we show that the key cellular feature of the shattering-resistant trait lies in the...

The secondary cell wall in plant cells is a highly organized structure that provides mechanical support to the tissue and the entire plant body. Glycine soja, the presumed ancestor of domesticated soybean, differs from the domesticated soybean in an array of morphological characters. The remarkable difference is the stem phenotype, which is often a...

In Asterids, CYC-like genes' specific expression in the corresponding regions promotes or reduces dorsal petal growth and aborts stamen development. In Rosids, however, the reduced or enlarged dorsal petals are not accompanied by the abortion of stamens, which implies CYC-like genes' function in regulating petal growth and stamen development might...

The secondary cell wall in plant cells is a highly organized structure that provides mechanical support to the tissue and the entire plant body. Glycine soja, the presumed ancestor of domesticated soybean, differs from the domesticated soybean in an array of morphological characters. The remarkable difference is the stem phenotype, which is often a...

Members of the CYCLOIDEA2 (CYC2) clade of the TEOSINTE BRANCHED1, CYCLOIDEA, and PCF transcription factor genes are widely involved in controlling floral zygomorphy, a key innovation in angiosperm evolution, depending on their persistently asymmetric expression in the corresponding floral domains. However, it is unclear how this asymmetric expressi...

Floral development was investigated in Ruta graveolens and Psilopeganum sinense, representing two genera in the tribe Ruteae. Special attention was paid to the sequence of initiation of organ whorls in the androecium and gynoecium. The antepetalous stamens arise at the same level as the antesepalous stamens in both species. The carpels are antepeta...

A natural hybrid species in Petrocosmea named Longianthera in Yanshan County, Yunnan Province is confirmed for the first time based on molecular and morphological evidence. The character count procedure of the variable characters show that Longianthera populations are characteristic of the intermediate morphological traits between its putative pare...

• With growing concerns over serious ecological problems, a particular challenge is to reveal the complex mechanisms underlying rapid expansion of invasive species. Ageratina adenophora is of particular interest in addressing this question. • We used geographic information systems and logistic regression to identify the geographic and environmental...

Chirita D. Don, a large genus in the subfamily Cyrtandroideae of Gesneriaceae, has been the subject of much debate whether it is a natural group or not. In addition, the highly heterogeneous Chirita has also been very problematic with regard to delimitation and subdivision. Here we used the nrDNA internal transcribed spacer and cpDNA trnL-F for mol...

Background: ECE-CYC2 clade genes known in patterning floral dorsoventral asymmetry (zygomorphy) in Antirrhinum majus are conserved in the dorsal identity function including arresting the dorsal stamen. However, it remains uncertain whether the same mechanism underlies abortion of the ventral stamens, an important morphological trait related to evol...

Tengia has been called a "natural peloria" in the family Gesneriaceae because it exhibits an almost perfect actinomorphic flower from whorl one to whorl three. It would be especially interesting to know whether or how CYC-like gene activities are related to this type of perfect actinomorphic flower. To address this, we have isolated four CYC-like T...

The phylogenetic placement of the Old World Gesneriaceae genera Ramonda, Conandron, Bournea, Thamnocharis, and Tengia, all characterized by actinomorphic flowers, has been the subject of much debate. Actinomorphy in Gesneriaceae is rare, with most species exhibiting zygomorphic flowers. The actinomorphic genera have historically been considered “pr...

The phylogenetic placement of the Old World Gesneriaceae genera Ramonda, Conandron, Bournea, Thamnocharis, and Tengia, all characterized by actinomorphic flowers, has been the subject of much debate. Actinomorphy in Gesneriaceae is rare, with most species exhibiting zygomorphic flowers. The actinomorphic genera have historically been considered “pr...

Abstract CYC-like genes are widely conserved in controlling floral dorsoventral asymmetry (zygomorphy) through persistent expression in corresponding domains in core eudicots. To understand how CYC-like gene expression is maintained during flower development, we selected Chirita heterotricha as a material and isolated the promoter sequences of the...

Oligonucleotide sequences for primers used in this study. The data provided the oligonucleotide sequences for primers used in molecular cloning, RNA in situ hybridization and gene-specific semiquantitative RT-PCR.

Sequence alignment of OpdCYC and OpdcyclinD3 with other related proteins. The data provided the sequence alignment of putative proteins encoded by OpdCYC1C, OpdCYC1D, OpdCYC2A, OpdCYC2B with AmCYC from Antirrhinum majus and Opdcyclin D3a and OpdcyclinD3b with AmcyclinD3a and AmcyclinD3b from A.majus.

ECE-CYC2 clade genes known in patterning floral dorsoventral asymmetry (zygomorphy) in Antirrhinum majus are conserved in the dorsal identity function including arresting the dorsal stamen. However, it remains uncertain whether the same mechanism underlies abortion of the ventral stamens, an important morphological trait related to evolution and di...

The 'didymocarpoid Gesneriaceae' (traditional subfam. Cyrtandroideae excluding Epithemateae) are the largest group of Old World Gesneriaceae, comprising 85 genera and 1800 species. We attempt to resolve their hitherto poorly understood generic relationships using three molecular markers on 145 species, of which 128 belong to didymocarpoid Gesneriac...

Accurate classification systems based on evolution are imperative for biological investigations. The recent explosion of molecular phylogenetics has resulted in a much improved classification of angiosperms. More than five phylogenetic lineages have been recognized from Scrophulariaceae sensu lato since the family was determined to be polyphyletic;...

CYCLOIDIEA (CYC) and its homologues have been studied intensively in the model organism Antirrhinum majus and related species regarding their function in controlling floral dorsoventral (adaxial-abaxial) asymmetry, including aborting the adaxial and lateral stamens. This raises the question whether the same mechanism underlies the great morphologic...

A new species of Gesneriaceae, Chirita longicalyx J.M. Li & Y.Z. Wang, is described from Guilin, Guangxi province, China. It resembles C. depressawith its short peduncles, but is easily distinguished from the latter by its toothed calyx and densely bearded anthers. It is also morphologically similar to C. fimbrisepala, but differs from it in having...

The shift from zygomorphy to actinomorphy has been intensively studied in molecular genetic model organisms. However, it is still a key challenge to explain the great morphological diversity of derived actinomorphy in angiosperms, since different underlying mechanisms may be responsible for similar external morphologies. Bournea (Gesneriaceae) is o...

We isolated and characterized two CYC-like genes from Oreocharis benthamii Clark (Gesneriaceae) in order to investigate their expression patterns. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that the two CYC-like genes, ObCYC1 and ObCYC2, belong to GCYC1 and GCYC2 clades in Gesneriaceae, respectively. Gene-specific RT-PCR results show that they have differe...

Sequences from the internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear DNA (ITS) and the trnL-F regions of chloroplast DNA for fifteen species of Chirita and seven species of Chiritopsis were used to assess phylogenetic relationships between Chiritopsis and Chirita section Gibbosaccus. Parsimony and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses were conducted using s...

Ageratina adenophora (Sprengel) R. King & H. Robinson (=Eupatorium adenophorum Sprengel) is one of the worst invasive alien species in China. Since A. adenophora was first noticed in Yunnan Province of China in the 1940s, its rapid spread has caused an ecological problem in south-western China. Understanding its historical invasion pattern and its...

The floral development of Triaenophora has been studied in order to explore the developmental basis for the phylogenetic relationship between Triaenophora and allies in Veronicaceae. The simple raceme with a subtending bract and two lateral bracteoles for each flower is probably derived from a compound inflorescence consisting of basic units of 3-5...

On the basis of morphological, ana- tomical, and karyotypic evidence, a change in sta- tus is proposed for Whytockia wilsonii (A. Weber) Y. Z. Wang, which is elevated from varietal to spe- cies level. Further, the affinity of another variety currently accepted within W. tsiangiana is recog- nized, and it is now transferred from W. tsiangiana as the...

The anatomical re-investigation of the ovary in the holotype of Gyrogyne subaequifolia W.T.Wang is carried out in order to clarify the ovarian structure of the genus Gyrogyne W.T.Wang (Gesneriaceae), a seemingly unusual ovarian structure according to its original description. The present anatomical re-investigation reveals that the ovary is, in fac...

 The inflorescence development in Whytockia has been studied in order to explore the developmental basis for inflorescence architecture. The developmental pattern of the pair-flowered cyme in Whytockia basically conforms to that of most members in Gesneriaceae. However, the additional flower beside the terminal one in Whytockia is not equivalent to...

The floral development of Whytockia W. W. Smith has been studied in order to explore the developmental basis for the arrangement and differentiation patterns of floral organs, and the evolutionary relationship between Whytockia and allies in floral development. The descending imbricate aestivations in both calyx and corolla have remarkably differen...

The reversion of floral development in Whytockia bijieensis Y.Z.Wang et Z.Y.Li occurs after the normal initiation of mid-adaxial sepals, which implies that the floral organs are not determined at the initiation of the floral primordium, but progressively determined during its development. Both low humidity (less than 75%) and low night temperature...