Cytological analysis of ginseng carpel development.
Panax ginseng Meyer, commonly known as ginseng, is considered one of the most important herbs with pharmaceutical values due to the presence of ginsenosides and is cultivated for its highly valued root for medicinal purposes. Recently, it has been recognized that ginseng fruit contains high contents of triterpene such as ginsenoside Re as pharmaceutical compounds. However, it is unclear how carpel, the female reproductive tissue of flowers, is formed during the three-year-old growth before fruit is formed in ginseng plants. Here, we report P. ginseng carpel development at the cytological level, starting from the initial stage of ovule development to seed development. The carpel of P. ginseng is composed of two free stigmas, two free styles, and one epigynous bilocular ovary containing one ovule in each locule. Based on our cytological study, we propose that the female reproductive development in P. ginseng can be classified into seven stages: early phase of ovule development, megasporogenesis, megagametogenesis, pre-fertilization, fertilization, post-fertilization, and seed development. We also describe the correlation of the female and male gametophyte development and compare morphological differences in carpel development between ginseng and other higher plants. One unique feature for ginseng seed development is that it takes 40 days for the embryo to develop to the early torpedo stage and that the embryo is small relative to the seed size, which could be a feature of taxonomic importance. This study will provide an integral tool for the study of the reproductive development and breeding of P. ginseng.
Department of Oriental Medicine Biotechnology and Graduate School of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 446-701, South Korea.
Jeniffer
J
Silva
Department of Oriental Medicine Biotechnology and Graduate School of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 446-701, South Korea. yujinkim@khu.ac.kr.|Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University-University of Adelaide Joint Centre for Agriculture and Health, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 20040, China. yujinkim@khu.ac.kr.
Yu-Jin
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2562-615X
YJ
Kim
Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University-University of Adelaide Joint Centre for Agriculture and Health, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 20040, China.
Dexin
D
Xiao
Department of Oriental Medicine Biotechnology and Graduate School of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 446-701, South Korea.
Johan
J
Sukweenadhi
Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University-University of Adelaide Joint Centre for Agriculture and Health, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 20040, China.
Tingting
T
Hu
Department of Oriental Medicine Biotechnology and Graduate School of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 446-701, South Korea.
Woo-Saeng
WS
Kwon
Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University-University of Adelaide Joint Centre for Agriculture and Health, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 20040, China.|Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
Jianping
J
Hu
Department of Oriental Medicine Biotechnology and Graduate School of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 446-701, South Korea. dcyang@khu.ac.kr.
Deok-Chun
DC
Yang
Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University-University of Adelaide Joint Centre for Agriculture and Health, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 20040, China. zhangdb@sjtu.edu.cn.
Dabing
D
Zhang
D035264:Flowers / Q000378:metabolism; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000378:metabolism; D005894:Panax / Q000378:metabolism*; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000378:metabolism
D036145:Ginsenosides; D014315:Triterpenes; C049864:ginsenoside Re
Ontogeny; Ovule; Panax ginseng; Stages of carpel development; Ultrastructure