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Maclura pomifera, a dioecious tree species, is recognized by its orange-like fruits and has a fascinating history and varied economic uses. The morphology and anatomy of female inflorescence, flower, embryo, fruit and seed development were surveyed by cyto-histological methods. The flowers and fruits were collected at different developmental stages, fixed in FAA fixative, embedded in the paraffin, sectioned using microtome, stained by hematoxylin and eosin and were photographed using light microscopy. There are 60–70 female flowers in each hairy inflorescence. Each young flower has pinkish and tetrameric perianth which surrounds the unicarpellate pistil composing of a unilocular ovary and long style. The perianth becomes fleshy and green during development and surrounds the ovary forming a drupe-like fruit with a permanent long style. The fleshy perianths and the drupes inside them produce a false multiple (accessory fruit or pseudocarp) and pomaceous fruit in which a few filled seeds are formed. Ovule primordium appears in an apical placentation and its growth direction changes during development. The ovule is ana-campylotropous, suspended, bitegmic and tenuinucellate. The embryo passes globular, heart-shaped and cotyledonary steps. Finally, the curved embryo is formed whose cotyledons constitute massive volume of ovule (seed) and endosperm is eventually degenerated. Suspensor is short and multi-celled. Ovule integument makes the membranous seed coat. The middle part of perianth contains secretory cells that is detached during development forming a soft spongy tissue. This study shows the characteristics of inflorescence and fruit architecture during development that can also clarify phylogenetic relationships among genera and in the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether individual or interactive single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may influence the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: DNA from buccal cells of 212 participants (110 cases and 102 controls) were subjected to TaqMan genotyping of the HTR2A rs7997012, HTR2C rs6318, SLC6A4 rs3813034, ANKK1 rs1800497, and BDNF rs6265 SNPs. The ASD symptoms and severity were assessed by DSM-IV criteria and CARS scores. The SNPStats software was used to determine the best interactive model of inheritance of genotypic data. Results: We found susceptibility in ASD cases when compared with controls in rs7997012 (log-additive), rs6318, and rs3813034 (overdominant) and in 1800497 and rs6265 (recessive) (P< 0.05). Heterozygosity significantly contributed to the risk of ASD for rs6318 and rs3813034 SNPs (56%, P= 0.03 and 89%, P= 0.005, respectively). The rs6318 and rs6265 SNPs were significantly associated with cases with CARS scores ≥37 (recessive) (P= 0.03 and P= 0.05, respectively). Both the rs7997012 and rs6265A variant alleles were strongly associated with ASD cases with CARS scores ≥37 (P= 0.005 and P= 0.003). Conclusions: Our study provides clear evidence of associations between all five examined biomarkers and risk for ASD. Achieving exome analyses for Saudi patients with ASD could enable to identify more genetic variants and candidate genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]