title: Changes in inflorescence protein during advanced stages of floret development in Buchloe dactyloides (Poaceae).
abstract: Buffalograss, Buchloe dactyloides, is a  dioecious species native to the Great Plains of North America. The florets at  the early stages of development possess both gynoecium and androecium organ  primordia but later become unisexual. Very little is known about the proteomic  changes that occur when the florets change from hermaphroditism to  unisexuality. We compared the protein composition of florets at the  hermaphroditic stage with that at the unisexual stage. The development stage of  the floret was determined by stereomicroscopic observation. Two-dimensional gel  electrophoresis was used to separate the proteins extracted from female and  male inflorescences. Stage- specific protein maps, with an average of about 400  spots per map, were analyzed with the protein analysis software. Eighteen spots  were found to be differentially expressed between the hermaphrodite and  unisexual stages. Of these, 12 were present at both stages but with a different  expression value. Four specific spots appeared at the hermaphrodite stage and  disappeared at the unisexual stage. Two specific protein spots were associated  with female and male floret differentiation. One appears to be associated with  contabescence in the female floret and the final protein appears to lead to the  abortion of gynoecium in the male floret. The MALDI TOF/TOF technique was used  for peptide mass fingerprinting of the differentially expressed proteins and  the MASCOT software was used to search the protein database. However, only two  protein spots were identified from the database. These were aldolase1 and  Os05g0574400 (similar to malate dehydrogenase). This type of proteomic study  can help to identify novel protein products and determine the mechanisms  involved in the floral sex differentiation process in buffalo grass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Grassland Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Y-J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: J-G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: X-G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: X-Q
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D056626:Inflorescence / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006109:Poaceae / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins