@article {Lindqvist:2007p7988,
	title = {Polyglutamine variation in a flowering time protein correlates with island age in a Hawaiian plant radiation},
	journal = {BMC Evol Biol},
	volume = {7},
	year = {2007},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {105},
	abstract = {BACKGROUND: A controversial topic in evolutionary developmental biology is whether morphological diversification in natural populations can be driven by expansions and contractions of amino acid repeats in proteins. To promote adaptation, selection on protein length variation must overcome deleterious effects of multiple correlated traits (pleiotropy). Thus far, systems that demonstrate this capacity include only ancient or artificial morphological diversifications. The Hawaiian Islands, with their linear geological sequence, present a unique environment to study recent, natural radiations. We have focused our research on the Hawaiian endemic mints (Lamiaceae), a large and diverse lineage with paradoxically low genetic variation, in order to test whether a direct relationship between coding-sequence repeat diversity and morphological change can be observed in an actively evolving system. RESULTS: Here we show that in the Hawaiian mints, extensive polyglutamine (CAG codon repeat) polymorphism within a homolog of the pleiotropic flowering time protein and abscisic acid receptor FCA tracks the natural environmental cline of the island chain, consequent with island age, across a period of 5 million years. CAG expansions, perhaps following their natural tendency to elongate, are more frequent in colonists of recently-formed, nutrient-rich islands than in their forebears on older, nutrient-poor islands. Values for several quantitative morphological variables related to reproductive investment, known from Arabidopsis fca mutant studies, weakly though positively correlate with increasing glutamine tract length. Together with protein modeling of FCA, which indicates that longer polyglutamine tracts could induce suboptimally mobile functional domains, we suggest that CAG expansions may form slightly deleterious alleles (with respect to protein function) that become fixed in founder populations. CONCLUSION: In the Hawaiian mint FCA system, we infer that contraction of slightly deleterious CAG repeats occurred because of competition for resources along the natural environmental cline of the island chain. The observed geographical structure of FCA variation and its correlation with morphologies expected from Arabidopsis mutant studies may indicate that developmental pleiotropy played a role in the diversification of the mints. This discovery is important in that it concurs with other suggestions that repetitive amino acid motifs might provide a mechanism for driving morphological evolution, and that variation at such motifs might permit rapid tuning to environmental change.},
	keywords = {Alleles, DNA: Plant, Genes: Plant, Hawaii, Mentha, Minisatellite Repeats, Peptides, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins, Selection: Genetic, Sequence Homology: Amino Acid, Species Specificity},
	doi = {10.1186/1471-2148-7-105},
	author = {Charlotte Lindqvist and Liisa Laakkonen and Victor A Albert}
}
@article {TapernouxLuthi:2004p8016,
	title = {Cloning, functional expression, and characterization of the raffinose oligosaccharide chain elongation enzyme, galactan:galactan galactosyltransferase, from common bugle leaves},
	journal = {Plant Physiol},
	volume = {134},
	number = {4},
	year = {2004},
	month = {Apr},
	pages = {1377{\textendash}87},
	abstract = {Galactan:galactan galactosyltransferase (GGT) is a unique enzyme of the raffinose family oligosaccharide (RFO) biosynthetic pathway. It catalyzes the chain elongation of RFOs without using galactinol (alpha-galactosyl-myoinositol) by simply transferring a terminal alpha-galactosyl residue from one RFO molecule to another one. Here, we report the cloning and functional expression of a cDNA encoding GGT from leaves of the common bugle (Ajuga reptans), a winter-hardy long-chain RFO-storing Lamiaceae. The cDNA comprises an open reading frame of 1215 bp. Expression in tobacco (Nicotiana plumbaginifolia) protoplasts resulted in a functional recombinant protein, which showed GGT activity like the previously described purified, native GGT enzyme. At the amino acid level, GGT shows high homologies (>60\%) to acid plant alpha-galactosidases of the family 27 of glycosylhydrolases. It is clearly distinct from the family 36 of glycosylhydrolases, which harbor galactinol-dependent raffinose and stachyose synthases as well as alkaline alpha-galactosidases. Physiological studies on the role of GGT confirmed that GGT plays a key role in RFO chain elongation and carbon storage. When excised leaves were exposed to chilling temperatures, levels of GGT transcripts, enzyme activities, and long-chain RFO concentrations increased concomitantly. On a whole-plant level, chilling temperatures induced GGT expression mainly in the roots and fully developed leaves, both known RFO storage organs of the common bugle, indicating an adaptation of the metabolism from active growth to transient storage in the cold.},
	keywords = {Ajuga, Amino Acid Sequence, Cloning: Molecular, Cold Temperature, DNA: Complementary, Galactosyltransferases, Gene Expression Regulation: Enzymologic, Gene Expression Regulation: Plant, Molecular Sequence Data, Phylogeny, Plant Leaves, Plant Proteins, Raffinose, Sequence Analysis: DNA, Sequence Homology: Amino Acid, Tobacco},
	doi = {10.1104/pp.103.036210},
	author = {Esther M Tapernoux-L{\"u}thi and Andreas B{\"o}hm and Felix Keller}
}
@article {Juan:2004p8021,
	title = {Amino acids composition of Teucrium nutlet proteins and their systematic significance},
	journal = {Annals of Botany},
	volume = {94},
	number = {4},
	year = {2004},
	month = {Oct},
	pages = {615{\textendash}21},
	abstract = {BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Plant species are considered as a good source of dietary proteins, although the nutritional quality of proteins depends on their amino acid composition. In this work the protein content and amino acid composition of nutlets of 21 Teucrium taxa (Lamiaceae) from Spain were analysed and their nutritional quality was compared with the minimum values established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In addition, the amino acid composition was evaluated as a chemical character to clarify the taxonomic complexity in this genus. METHODS: Amino acid content of nutlets was determined after derivatization with diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate by high-performance liquid chromatography. Previously, nutlets samples were hydrolysed and incubated in an oven at 110 degrees C for 24 h. KEY RESULTS: The protein content was variable, ranging from 6.4 \% in T. dunense to 43.8 \% in T. algarbiense. According to the FAO values all taxa contain satisfactory amounts of leucine, threonine and valine and are deficient in lysine. The similarity analysis of Teucrium taxa using amino acid composition data did not clearly reflect the infrageneric classification of this genus. CONCLUSIONS: Annual species, such as T. spinosum, T. aristatum and T. resupinatum showed a better balanced amino acid composition. The dendrogram partly matched with the karyological complexity of Teucrium. No correlation between amino acid composition and habitat has been observed, showing that Teucrium nutlet amino acid composition may not be strongly influenced by the environment.},
	keywords = {Amino Acids, Amino Acids: Essential, Evolution: Molecular, Fruit, Nutritive Value, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins, Species Specificity, Teucrium},
	doi = {10.1093/aob/mch181},
	author = {R Juan and J Pastor and F Mill{\'a}n and M Alaiz and J Vioque}
}
@article {Albaladejo:2007p7981,
	title = {Population genetic structure and hybridization patterns in the Mediterranean endemics Phlomis lychnitis and P. crinita (Lamiaceae)},
	journal = {Annals of Botany},
	volume = {100},
	number = {4},
	year = {2007},
	month = {Oct},
	pages = {735{\textendash}46},
	abstract = {BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The historical influence of gene flow and genetic drift after the last glacial phase of the Quaternary Period is reflected in current levels of genetic diversity and population structure of plant species. Moreover, hybridization after secondary contact might also affect population genetic diversity and structure. An assessment was made of the genetic variation and hybrid zone structure in Iberian populations of the Mediterranean Phlomis lychnitis and P. crinita, for which phylogenetic relationships are controversial, and hybridization and introgression are common. METHODS: Allozyme variation at 13 loci was analysed in 1723 individual plants sampled from 35 natural locations of P. lychnitis, P. crinita subsp. malacitana and P. crinita subsp. crinita in southern and eastern Spain. Standard genetic diversity parameters were calculated and patterns of genetic structure in each taxon were tested to fit the equilibrium between gene flow and genetic drift. Individual multilocus genotypes were subjected to Bayesian clustering analysis to estimate hybridization and introgression rates for both geographic regions. KEY RESULTS: Contrasting patterns in the distribution of genetic variation among the three taxa were found. Phlomis lychnitis showed no significant inbreeding, low genetic differentiation among populations and no evidence of isolation by distance. Phlomis crinita subsp. malacitana and P. crinita subsp. crinita showed high levels of genetic structure consistent with a pattern of gene flow-drift equilibrium. Higher instances of hybridization and introgression were detected in locations from southern Spain compared with locations from eastern Spain, matching unimodal and bimodal hybrid zones, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: High instances of historical gene flow, range expansion and altitudinal movement during the Quaternary Period, and lineage sorting can explain the diversity of patterns observed. The results suggest that P. lychnitis is the most differentiated lineage in the group; however, the relationship between the three taxa remains unclear.},
	keywords = {Bayes Theorem, Cluster Analysis, Gene Flow, Genetic Drift, Genetic Variation, Genotype, Hybridization: Genetic, Phlomis, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins, Population Dynamics, Sequence Analysis: Protein, Spain},
	doi = {10.1093/aob/mcm154},
	url = {http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/100/4/735.long},
	author = {Rafael G Albaladejo and Abelardo Aparicio}
}
@article {Matsuno:2002p8029,
	title = {CYP98A6 from Lithospermum erythrorhizon encodes 4-coumaroyl-4{\textquoteright}-hydroxyphenyllactic acid 3-hydroxylase involved in rosmarinic acid biosynthesis},
	journal = {FEBS Lett},
	volume = {514},
	number = {2-3},
	year = {2002},
	month = {Mar},
	pages = {219{\textendash}24},
	abstract = {Rosmarinic acid is the dominant hydroxycinnamic acid ester accumulated in Boraginaceae and Lamiaceae plants. A cytochrome P450 cDNA was isolated by differential display from cultured cells of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, and the gene product was designated CYP98A6 based on the deduced amino acid sequence. After expression in yeast, the P450 was shown to catalyze the 3-hydroxylation of 4-coumaroyl-4{\textquoteright}-hydroxyphenyllactic acid, one of the final two steps leading to rosmarinic acid. The expression level of CYP98A6 is dramatically increased by addition of yeast extract or methyl jasmonate to L. erythrorhizon cells, and its expression pattern reflected the elicitor-induced change in rosmarinic acid production, indicating that CYP98A6 plays an important role in regulation of rosmarinic acid biosynthesis.},
	keywords = {Acetates, Cell Extracts, Cells: Cultured, Cinnamates, Cloning: Molecular, Cyclopentanes, Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System, Depsides, DNA: Complementary, Gene Expression, Gene Expression Profiling, Lithospermum, Mixed Function Oxygenases, Molecular Sequence Data, Oxylipins, Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase, Phenylpropionates, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins, RNA: Messenger},
	author = {Michiyo Matsuno and Akito Nagatsu and Yukio Ogihara and Brian E Ellis and Hajime Mizukami}
}
@article {Zhou:2008p7979,
	title = {Altered expression patterns of TCP and MYB genes relating to the floral developmental transition from initial zygomorphy to actinomorphy in Bournea (Gesneriaceae)},
	journal = {New Phytol},
	volume = {178},
	number = {3},
	year = {2008},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {532{\textendash}43},
	abstract = {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 of particular interest in addressing this question, as it is a representative of primarily derived actinomorphy characteristic of a unique developmental transition from zygomorphy to actinomorphic flowers at anthesis. Using RNA in situ hybridization, the expression patterns were investigated of three different Bournea orthologues of TCP and MYB genes that have been shown to control floral symmetry in model species. Here, it is shown that the initial zygomorphic pattern in Bournea is likely a residual zygomorphy resulting from conserved expression of the adaxial (dorsal) identity gene BlCYC1. As a key novel event, the late downregulation of BlCYC1 and BlRAD and the correlative changes in the late specific expression of the abaxial (ventral) identity gene BlDIV should be responsible for the origin of the derived actinomorphy in Bournea. These results further indicate that there might be diverse pathways in the origin and evolution of derived actinomorphy through modifications of pre-existing zygomorphic developmental programs under dynamics of regulatory networks.},
	keywords = {Flowers, Gene Expression Regulation: Plant, Genes: Plant, Lamiaceae, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins},
	doi = {10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02384.x},
	author = {Xiu-Ren Zhou and Yin-Zheng Wang and James F Smith and Rujin Chen}
}
@article {Kapteyn:2007p7982,
	title = {Evolution of Cinnamate/p-coumarate carboxyl methyltransferases and their role in the biosynthesis of methylcinnamate},
	journal = {Plant Cell},
	volume = {19},
	number = {10},
	year = {2007},
	month = {Oct},
	pages = {3212{\textendash}29},
	abstract = {Methylcinnamate, which is widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom, is a significant component of many floral scents and an important signaling molecule between plants and insects. Comparison of an EST database obtained from the glandular trichomes of a basil (Ocimum basilicum) variety that produces high levels of methylcinnamate (line MC) with other varieties producing little or no methylcinnamate identified several very closely related genes belonging to the SABATH family of carboxyl methyltransferases that are highly and almost exclusively expressed in line MC. Biochemical characterization of the corresponding recombinant proteins showed that cinnamate and p-coumarate are their best substrates for methylation, thus designating these enzymes as cinnamate/p-coumarate carboxyl methyltransferases (CCMTs). Gene expression, enzyme activity, protein profiling, and metabolite content analyses demonstrated that CCMTs are responsible for the formation of methylcinnamate in sweet basil. A phylogenetic analysis of the entire SABATH family placed these CCMTs into a clade that includes indole-3-acetic acid carboxyl methyltransferases and a large number of uncharacterized carboxyl methyltransferase-like proteins from monocots and lower plants. Structural modeling and ligand docking suggested active site residues that appear to contribute to the substrate preference of CCMTs relative to other members of the SABATH family. Site-directed mutagenesis of specific residues confirmed these findings.},
	keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Blotting: Southern, Cinnamates, Evolution: Molecular, Expressed Sequence Tags, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Gene Expression Profiling, Kinetics, Methylation, Methyltransferases, Models: Molecular, Molecular Sequence Data, Molecular Structure, Ocimum basilicum, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins, Protein Isoforms, Proteomics, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sequence Homology: Amino Acid, Substrate Specificity},
	doi = {10.1105/tpc.107.054155},
	author = {Jeremy Kapteyn and Anthony V Qualley and Zhengzhi Xie and Eyal Fridman and Natalia Dudareva and David R Gang}
}
