竹子发育生物学研究进展

尽管人们利用竹子资源的历史可以追溯到7 000年以前,但直到18世纪后期人们才真正认识到竹子是禾本科植物中一个特殊的类群。现代植物分类的奠基人林奈在《植物种志》(Species Plantarum)一书中,还只是将全世界的竹子归为芦竹属的一个种Arundo arbor,直到1789年,竹子才从芦竹属(Arundo)独立出来,成立了簕竹属(Bambusa)。自竹类被认识到有别于其他禾本科植物至今,有关竹子的形态学、解剖学、系统分类学、生理学、生态学、细胞学、遗传学以及分子生物学等,已经有大量的研究报道,但对竹类植物各个器官的发生、发育和衰老过程尚缺乏系统的研究。笔者对竹类植物的根、地下茎、竹秆、竹叶和生殖器官发育生物学的研究进行了回顾与总结,分析了目前竹子发育生物学领域有待继续深入研究的问题。建议竹子发育生物学的研究应关注细胞分裂、分化和形态建成的全过程,明确整个过程中生理生化指标的变化规律,进而揭示植物发育全过程每个环节的信号转导途径和基因调控网络。

Advances in developmental biology of bamboos

Although the history of bamboo resources utilization can be traced back to 7 000 years ago, the understanding of bamboo as a special group of Gramineae was not established until the late 18th century. Carl von Liné, the founder of modern plant classification, treated all bamboo species in the world as one species belonging to the genus Arundo (Arundo arbor) in his book “Species Plantarum”. It was not until 1789 that bamboo was separated from Arundo and the first bamboo genus, Bambusa, was established. Since its recognition as a distinct species from other grasses, there has been a wealth of literature addressing these aspects, including morphology, anatomy, systematics, physiology, ecology, cytology, genetics and molecular biology. However, systematic research on the occurrence, development and senescence of various organs of bamboo plants is still lacking. This article reviews and summarizes research on the developmental biology of the bamboo root, rhizome, culm, leaves and reproductive organs. We highlight what is insufficient or lacking in the field of bamboo developmental biology and what should be further investigated. We proposed to consider the entire process of cell division, differentiation and morphogenesis when studying the developmental biology of bamboo, and to investigate the dynamics of physiological and biochemical indices throughout the process to reveal the gene expression and signal transduction pathways that control each step of the entire developmental process.