Brassica species represent a broad range of crops. This reflects the high degree of genetic diversity and related phenotypic plasticity. An understanding of the genetic basis of Brassica diversity aids both breeding and the discovery of rare alleles and traits. Single Sequence Repeat (SSR) molecular markers are popular tools for assessing genetic diversity due to their high degree of polymorphi...

Self-incompatibility in Brassica species is regulated by a set of S-locus genes: SLG, SRK, and SP11/SCR. In the vicinity of the S-locus genes, several expressed genes, SLL2 and SP2/ClpP, etc., were identified in B. campestris. Arabidopsis thaliana is a self-compatible Brassica relative, and its complete genome has been sequenced. From comparison of the genomic sequences between B. campestris an...

Brassica crops may be infested and infected by a wide range of pest and pathogen species. For example, as many as 50 species of insect from several orders (Diptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Thysanoptera, Hemiptera) are considered to be Brassica pests. Some of these species are specialists in that they colonise plants from the Brassicaceae and close relatives, whilst others, such as Myzus persic...

Research on natural and bioactive compounds is increasingly focused on their effects on human health, but there are unexpectedly few studies evaluating the relationship between climate and natural antioxidants. The aim of this study was analyze the biological role of six different Brassica vegetables (Brassica oleracea L. and Brassica rapa L.) as a natural source of antioxidant compounds. The a...

Brassica ASTRA is a public database for genomic information on Brassica species. The database incorporates expressed sequences with Swiss-Prot and GenBank comparative sequence annotation as well as secondary Gene Ontology (GO) annotation derived from the comparison with Arabidopsis TAIR GO annotations. Simple sequence repeat molecular markers are identified within resident sequences and mapped ...

The storage triacylglycerols in seeds are confined to discrete spherical organelles called oil bodies (10). Each oil body of 1 ,um diameter contains a matrix of triacylglycerols surrounded by a layer of phospholipids embedded with abundant and unique proteins called oleosins (2, 6). Oleosins are hydrophobic proteins of low Mr ranging from 16 to 26 kD, depending on the isoforms and plant species...

Isothiocyanates and indoles (e.g. indole-3-carbinol) from Brassica vegetables (e.g. broccoli) induce Phase I and Phase II enzymes responsible for the oxidation, reduction and metabolism of endogenous and exogenous carcinogens. Brassica vegetables also contain micronutrients that may provide additional DNA protection from reactive oxygen species. This randomized crossover trial (n = 20) compares...

Whole-genome profiling techniques have been in use for two decades to develop genetic maps and to understand genetic diversity in a wide range of agriculturally important plant and animal species, including Brassica crop species. The genetic mapping approach has been useful in developing and validating markers linked to major gene traits which have then been used as diagnostic markers in marker...

Over 1000 genetically linked RFLP loci in Brassica napus were mapped to homologous positions in the Arabidopsis genome on the basis of sequence similarity. Blocks of genetically linked loci in B. napus frequently corresponded to physically linked markers in Arabidopsis. This comparative analysis allowed the identification of a minimum of 21 conserved genomic units within the Arabidopsis genome,...

The S-locus-specific glycoprotein of Brassica and the gene encoding it (the SLG gene) are thought to be involved in determining self-incompatibility phenotype in this genus. It has been shown that the Brassica genome contains multiple SLG-related sequences. We report here the cloning and characterization of a Brassica oleracea gene, SLR1, which corresponds to one of these SLG-related sequences....