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Solidago canadensis is one of the most destructive invasive plants in the East of China, yet nothing is known about its photosynthetic ability at the molecular level. In order to examine the mechanism aiding invasion from the photosynthetic and molecular perspective, transcriptome sequencing and de novo assembly of S. canadensis and its congener S. decurrens (native, non-invasive species) were compared in a bioassay experiment. Results showed that S. canadensis has higher biomass and net photosynthetic rates than those of the native plant, S. decurrens (P < 0.05). Based on RNA-seq data, the genes which are closely related to light absorption and electron transfer in S. canadensis were observed to be up-regulated compared with those from S. decurrens, including the process of photosystems I and II, such as PsbP, PsbQ, Psb27, PsbW, PsaG, PetE, and light-harvesting complexes (LHCs). The RT-qPCR verification results of key genes were similar to those from transcriptome. Therefore, our results might partly explain the successful invasion of S. canadensis in China at the level of transcriptome, leading to its enhanced photosynthetic capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hu sheep is an excellent short fat-tailed breed in China. Fat deposition in Hu sheep tail affects carcass quality and consumes a lot of energy, leading to an increase in feed cost. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of HMGA1 polymorphism on tail fat weight in Hu sheep. Partial coding and non-coding sequences of HMGA1 were amplified with PCR and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of HMGA1 in 1163 Hu sheep were detected using DNA sequencing and KASPar technology. RT-qPCR analysis was performed to test HMGA1 expression in different tissues. The results showed that the expression of HMGA1 was higher in the duodenum, liver, spleen, kidney, and lung than in the heart, muscle, rumen, tail fat, and lymph. A mutation, g.5312 C > T, was detected in HMGA1; g.5312 C > T was significantly associated with tail fat weight, relative weight of tail fat (body weight), and relative weight of tail fat (carcass) (p < 0.05). The tail fat weight of the TT genotype was remarkably higher than that of the CC and TC genotypes. Therefore, HMGA1 can be used as a genetic marker for marker-assisted selection of tail fat weight in Hu sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a forage legume of world-wide importance used in agriculture. The genetic relationship and distance among cultivars is of great interest for breeding programs. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used in the current study to evaluate genetic variability of 7 alfalfa cultivars in Northwest China. A total of 132 discernible loci were obtained for all populations using 10 primers, and 88.64% of these loci were polymorphic, which indicated that a high diversity existed in the cultivars from Northwest China. Analysis of molecular variation (AMOVA) showed that the majority of the genetic variation was within cultivars (60.4%), with a relatively smaller proportion being due to the differences between cultivars (39.6%). The smallest genetic distance (0.0813) was estimated between cultivars Gannong-2 and Zhonglan-1, while the largest (0.2840) was between cultivars Gannong-1 and Tianshui. Cluster analysis using the UPGMA method based on Nei's similarity coefficient divided studied populations into five groups. The RAPD-derived diversity data were in correspondence with habitat heterogeneity of 7 alfalfa cultivars in Northwest China, which suggesting that alfalfa cultivars in Northwest China tended to be divergent to adapt to different stress environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]