Growing evidence indicates that miRNA genes exist in the archaeal genome, though the functional role of such noncoding RNA remains unclear. Here, we integrated the phylogenetic information of available archaeal genomes to predict miRNA seeds (typically defined as the 2-8 nucleotides of mature miRNAs) on the genomic scale. Finally, we found 2649 candidate seeds with significant conservation sign...

Past studies have shown that tropical forest regeneration on degraded farmlands is initially limited by lack of seed dispersal, but few studies have tracked changes in abundance and composition of seed rain past the first few years after land abandonment. We measured seed rain for 12 months in 10 6-9-year-old restoration sites and five mature, reference forests in southern Costa Rica in order t...

Acyl carrier protein (ACP) contains an essential sulfhydryl group in its phosphopantetheine prosthetic group. We have investigated the state of this sulfhydryl in developing and mature spinach seed (Spinacia oleracea). Seed extracts were separated on sodium dodecyl sulfate or native polyacrylamide gels, blotted to nitrocellulose, and probed with antibodies raised against spinach ACP-I. In extra...

The storage protein phaseolin accumulates during seed development in protein bodies in cotyledons of the common bean Phaseolus vulgaris. Hall et al. (In L Van Vloten-Doting, TC Hall, eds, Molecular Form and Function of the Plant Genome, 1985 Plenum Press, In press) recently reported the expression of a gene coding for phaseolin and the accumulation of phaseolin protein in developing seeds of to...

It is currently assumed that the assimilation of sulfur into reduced forms occurs predominantly in the leaves of plants. However, developing seeds have a strong requirement for sulfur amino acids for storage protein synthesis. We have assessed the capacity of developing seeds of narrow-leaf lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) for sulfur assimilation. Cotyledons of developing lupin seeds were able to ...

Soybean seeds provide an excellent source of protein for human and livestock nutrition. However, their nutritional quality is hampered by a low concentration of the essential sulfur amino acid, methionine (Met). In order to study factors that regulate Met synthesis in soybean seeds, this study used the Met-insensitive form of Arabidopsis cystathionine γ-synthase (AtD-CGS), which is the first co...

Alibertia patinoi (Rubiaceae) is of economic and cultural importance for communities in the Colombian Pacific and Amazon regions, where it is cultivated and mature fruits are highly appreciated and consumed. Since there is a lack of knowledge of the seed physiology of this species, we describe here the germination behavior and morphometry of seeds of Alibertia patinoi, and relate them to its ha...

The germination of kok-saghyz seed is a gradual process, the first seedlings pushing through in a few days, the rest appearing successively during a period of several weeks. Obviously, surface soil moisture must be maintained high throughout this period if a good stand is to be established, especially since the seeds are small and have to be sown very shallow. Since such ideal conditions seldom...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Pathogen-seed interactions may involve a race for seed resources, so that seeds that germinate more quickly, mobilizing reserves, will be more likely to escape seed death than slow-germinating seeds. This race-for-survival hypothesis was tested for the North American seed pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda on seeds of the annual grass Bromus tectorum, an invasive plant in Nort...