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Plant tannases (TAs) or tannin acyl hydrolases, a class of recently reported carboxylesterases in tannin-rich plants, are involved in the degalloylation of two important groups of secondary metabolites: flavan-3-ol gallates and hydrolyzable tannins. In this paper, we have made new progress in studying the function of tea (Camellia sinensis) (Cs) TA-it is a hydrolase with promiscuous acyltransferase activity in vitro and in vivo and promotes the synthesis of simple galloyl glucoses and flavan-3-ol gallates in plants. We studied the functions of CsTA through enzyme analysis, protein mass spectrometry, and metabolic analysis of genetically modified plants. Firstly, CsTA was found to be not only a hydrolase but also an acyltransferase. In the two-step catalytic reaction where CsTA hydrolyzes the galloylated compounds epigallocatechin-3-gallate or 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose into their degalloylated forms, a long-lived covalently bound Ser159-linked galloyl-enzyme intermediate is also formed. Under nucleophilic attack, the galloyl group on the intermediate is transferred to the nucleophilic acyl acceptor (such as water, methanol, flavan-3-ols, and simple galloyl glucoses). Then, metabolic analysis suggested that transient overexpression of TAs in young strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) fruits, young leaves of tea plants, and young leaves of Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra) actually increased the total contents of simple galloyl glucoses and flavan-3-ol gallates. Overall, these findings provide new insights into the promiscuous acyltransferase activity of plant TA.

A novel visible light‐induced oxidant‐free and metal‐free cascade cyclization of 2‐isocyanoaryl thioethers with ethers has been established, which provides an expeditious approach to access ether‐functionalized benzothiazoles in acceptable to good yields. The obtained products combine benzothiazole with ether and represent key structural motifs of a large of biologically active molecules in medicinal chemistry.

Xinyang Maojian tea is a kind of famous roasted green tea produced in the middle of China. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS)-based metabolomics coupled with multivariate statistical analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), were carried out in XMMJTs collected from Luoshan, Shangcheng, and Shihe Counties, respectively. Additionally, seven catechins, four flavonoids, two purine alkaloids, and gallic acid contents were determined by HPLC. Differential metabolites were selected by p-value 0.05, and fold change 1.50 or 0.66 among 745 detected metabolites in metabolomics analysis. The results showed significant (p 0.05) differences of three catechins including (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, and (-)-gallocatechin gallate, four flavonoids (i.e. quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, and rutin), and theobromine among three various regions, and significant (p 0.05) differences of (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin, (+)-catechin, gallic acid, and kaempferol between Shuchazao and Group cultivar. The HCA showed that, except for two samples (i.e. LS 2 and SH 2) of Shuchazao cultivar clustered together, others could be clustered completely according to production place. The 63 relevant differential metabolites could achieve the purpose of region identification through PCA. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathway analysis elaborated the impact of geographical origin and tea cultivar on physiological metabolism in tea tree. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS)-based liquid chromatography-tendem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) metabolomics coupled with multivariate statistical analyses, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), revealed 63 differential metabolites related to production place, which contributed to the region identification of Xinyang Maojian teas.

Owing to the potential health benefits, anthocyanin-rich teas (Camellia sinensis) have attracted interest over the past decade. Previously, we developed the cultivar 'Ziyan,' which has dark-purple leaves because of the accumulation of a high amount of anthocyanins. In this study, we performed a genetic analysis of this anthocyanin-rich tea cultivar and 176 of its naturally pollinated offspring. For two consecutive years, we quantified the anthocyanins and catechins of 'Ziyan' and the offspring population. While >60% of the offspring accumulated less than half of the amount of anthocyanins of 'Ziyan,' 17 (2018) and 15 (2019) individuals exceeded 'Ziyan' in anthocyanin content. A negative correlation between anthocyanin and total catechin content (r = -0.59, P < 0.001) was observed. The population was genotyped with 131 SSR markers spanning all linkage groups of the C. sinensis genome. Kruskal-Wallis tests identified 10 markers significantly associated with anthocyanins, catechins and their ratios in both years. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses using the interval mapping method detected 13 QTLs, suggesting the dark-purple trait of 'Ziyan' is because of the pyramiding of anthocyanin-promoting alleles on at least five linkage groups. Two genetic loci reversely related to anthocyanin and total catechin contents were identified. This study provides valuable information for genetic improvement of purple tea cultivars and for fine-mapping related genes.

Storage environment caused the difference between Jinhua Pu‐erh tea (JPT) and General Pu‐erh tea. In this study, fungal flora and chemical compositions were analyzed. The results showed that storage environment caused significant (p, Aspergillus pallidofulvus, Aspergillus sesamicola, and Penicillium manginii selected from Pu‐erh tea were dominant fungi, which could generate macroscopic yellow cleistothecia and have specific effects on given chemical compositions after a long‐term storage. This study revealed the dominant fungi and their effects on chemical compositions during the storage of Pu‐erh tea.

Plant tannins, including condensed tannins (CTs) and hydrolyzable tannins (HTs), are widely distributed in the plant kingdom. To date, tannase (TA) - is a type of tannin acyl-hydrolase hydrolyzing HTs, CT monomer gallates and depsides - has been reported in microbes only. Whether plants express TA remains unknown. Herein, we report plant TA genes. A native Camellia sinensis TA (CsTA) is identified from leaves. Six TAs are cloned from tea, strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, Fa) and four other crops. Biochemical analysis shows that the native CsTA and six recombinant TAs hydrolyze tannin compounds, depsides and phenolic glycosides. Transcriptional and metabolic analyses reveal that the expression of CsTA is oppositely associated with the accumulation of galloylated catechins. Moreover, the transient overexpression and RNA interference of FaTA are positively associated with the accumulation of ellagitannins in strawberry fruit. Phylogenetic analysis across different kingdoms shows that 29 plant TA homologs are clustered as a plant-specific TA clade in class I carboxylesterases. Further analysis across the angiosperms reveals that these TA genes are dispersed in tannin-rich plants, which share a single phylogenetic origin c. 120 million yr ago. Plant TA is discovered for the first time in the plant kingdom and is shown to be valuable to improve tannin compositions in plants.

The plant flavonoid dogma proposes that labile plant flavonoid carbocations (PFCs) play vital roles in the biosynthesis of proanthocyanidins (PAs). However, whether PFCs exist in plants and how PFCs function remain unclear. Here, we report the use of an integrative strategy including enzymatic assays, mutant analysis, metabolic engineering, isotope labeling and metabolic profiling to capture PFCs and demonstrate their functions. In anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) assays, an (-)-epicatechin conjugate was captured in protic polar nucleophilic methanol alone or methanol-HCl extracts. Tandem mass spectrum (MS/MS) analysis characterized this compound as an (-)-epicatechin-4-O-methyl (EOM) ether, which resulted from (-)-epicatechin carbocation and the methyl group of methanol. Acid-based catalysis of procyanidin B2 and B3 produced four compounds, which were annotated as two EOM and two (+)-catechin-4-O-methyl (COM) ethers. Metabolic profiling of seven PA pathway mutants showed an absence or reduction of two EOM ether isomers in seeds. Camellia sinensis ANRa (CsANRa), leucoanthocyanidin reductase c (CsLARc), and CsMYB5b (a transcription factor) were independently overexpressed for successful PA engineering in tobacco. The EOM ether was remarkably increased in CsANRa and CsMYB5b transgenic flowers. Further metabolic profiling for eight green tea tissues revealed two EOM and two COM ethers associated with PA biosynthesis. Moreover, an incubation of (-)-epicatechin or (+)-catechin with epicatechin carbocation in CsANRa transgenic flower extracts formed dimeric procyanidin B1 or B2, demonstrating the role of flavan-3-ol carbocation in the formation of PAs. Taken together, these findings indicated that flavan-3-ol carbocations exist in extracts and are involved in the biosynthesis of PAs of plants.

A small percentage of data obtained from animal/2D culture models can be translated to humans. Therefore, there is a need to using native tumour microenvironment mimicking models to improve preclinical screening and reduce this attrition rate. For this purpose, currently, the utilization of organoids is expanding. Tumour organoids can recapitulate tumour microenvironment that is including cancer cells and non‐neoplastic host components. Indeed, tumour organoids, both phenotypically and genetically, resemble the tumour tissue that originated from it. The unique properties of the tumour microenvironment can significantly affect drug response and cancer progression. In this review, we will discuss about various organoid culture strategies for modelling the tumour immune microenvironment, their applications and advantages in cancer research such as testing cancer immunotherapeutics, developing novel approaches for personalized medicine, testing drug toxicity, drug screening, study cancer initiation and progression, and we will also review the limitations of organoid culture systems.

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is an important cash crop that is beneficial to human health because of its remarkable content of catechins. The biosynthesis of catechins follows the flavonoid pathway, which is highly branched. Among the enzymes involved in catechin biosynthesis, ANTHOCYANIDIN SYNTHASE (CsANS) functions at a branch point and play a critical role. Our previous work has showed that the gene encoding CsANS is regulated by light signals; however, the molecular mechanism behind remains unclear. Here, we cloned a full-length CsANS promoter and found that it contained a cis-element recognized by Arabidopsis thaliana HOMEOBOX2 (AtHB2). AtHB2 constitutes one of the class II HOMEODOMAIN-LEUCINE ZIPPER (HD-ZIP) proteins, which accumulate in the dark and mediate the shade avoidance response in most angiosperms. To analyze the transcription of CsANS in vivo, β-glucuronidase and luciferase reporter genes driven by the obtained promoter were introduced into A. thaliana and Nicotiana attenuata, respectively. In both expression systems there were indications that the A. thaliana PRODUCTION OF ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENT1 (AtPAP1), a MYB transcription factor of flavonoid biosynthesis, increased the activity of the CsANS promoter, while AtHB2 could significantly undermine the effect of AtPAP1. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays showed that AtHB2 interacted with the A. thaliana TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA 1 (AtTTG1). A yeast three-hybrid assay further suggested that AtHB2 represses the expression of CsANS and regulates its response to light signals through competitive interactions with AtTTG1. These results show that HD-ZIP II proteins participate in light regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis.

Summary Plant lodging resistance is an important integrative agronomic trait of grain yield and quality in crops. Although extensin proteins are tightly associated with plant cell growth and cell wall construction, little has yet been reported about their impacts on plant lodging resistance. In this study, we isolated a novel extensin‐like (OsEXTL) gene in rice, and selected transgenic rice plants that expressed OsEXTL under driven with two distinct promoters. Despite different OsEXTL expression levels, two‐promoter‐driven OsEXTL‐transgenic plants, compared to a rice cultivar and an empty vector, exhibited significantly reduced cell elongation in stem internodes, leading to relatively shorter plant heights by 7%–10%. Meanwhile, the OsEXTL‐transgenic plants showed remarkably thickened secondary cell walls with higher cellulose levels in the mature plants, resulting in significantly increased detectable mechanical strength (extension and pushing forces) in the mature transgenic plants. Due to reduced plant height and increased plant mechanical strength, the OsEXTL‐transgenic plants were detected with largely enhanced lodging resistances in 3 years field experiments, compared to those of the rice cultivar ZH11. In addition, despite relatively short plant heights, the OsEXTL‐transgenic plants maintain normal grain yields and biomass production, owing to their increased cellulose levels and thickened cell walls. Hence, this study demonstrates a largely improved lodging resistance in the OsEXTL‐transgenic rice plants, and provides insights into novel extensin functions in plant cell growth and development, cell wall network construction and wall structural remodelling.

The first method for the dehydrogenation of nitrogen heterocycles catalyzed by a palladium nanocatalyst was developed. Carbon–metal covalent-bond-stabilized nanoparticles were found to be efficient for the dehydrogenation process in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide. A variety of N-heterocycles were transformed into functionalized quinolines in medium to excellent yields in water as the solvent under mild conditions by a simple operation.

An asymmetric Michael addition of ethyl ester 1-phenyl-pyrazolone-3-acetic acid and nitroalkene catalyzed by a squaramide organocatalyst was studied for providing access to chiral pyrazoles, which facilitated the subsequential one-pot reductive ring closing process to give a series of biologically important chiral pyrazolones with seven-membered lactam frameworks in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee).

Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Reichb. f. (Orchidaceae), also known as Bai-ji, is a traditional Chinese herb that is widely used in Asia to treat hematemesis, hemoptysis, traumatic bleeding and other similar disorders. Most studies have focused on the pharmacological activities of polysaccharide extracts from B. striata. Our previous studies found that the nonpolysaccharide fraction from B. striata extract also has a hemostatic effect; however, the active constituents responsible for this pharmacological action are unclear. Thus, the metabolic profiles of the nonpolysaccharide fraction were investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats and intestinal bacteria models using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Mass data were acquired by the MSE method. Eight components including five prototypes and three metabolites were identified in rat biofluids after oral administration of the nonpolysaccharide fraction. The parent compounds underwent various metabolic processes, including hydrolysis, deglucosylation, glycosylation and sulfate conjugation. The results not only reveal the possible metabolic pathway, but also indicate the potential pharmacological components. Further mechanistic studies using nonpolysaccharide compounds of the B. striata extract are required to obtain potential candidate compounds.

We reveal here the first hydrogenation of nitrogen heterocycles catalyzed by carbon–metal covalent bonds-stabilized palladium nanoparticles in water under mild conditions. Using a one-phase reduction method, smaller metal–carbon covalent bond-stabilized Pd nanoparticles were prepared with a size distribution of 2.5±0.5 nm, which showed extraordinary synergistic effects with water in the catalytic hydrogenation of nitrogen heterocycles. Water was supposed to accelerate substrate absorption and synergistic activation of molecular hydrogen on the Pd nanoparticles surface. The nanosized Pd catalyst could be easily recovered and reused for 5 runs.

A fully CMOS integrated low TX noise UHF RFID digital transmitter with tunable directional coupler is proposed. The transmitter decreases the AM noise density to −144.6 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset by eliminating noisy conventional analog components and optimizing LO chain. The tunable transformer-based directional coupler which is feasible for CMOS integration exhibits high isolation performance of −55 dB over the entire band. The transmitter with quadrature DPA structure supports DSB/SSB/PR-ASK modulation, and with the directional coupler, it achieves 22.8 dBm peak power with drain efficiency of 37.8%. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1750–1756, 2016

Jahn-Teller distortion in cobalt based spinel electrocatalysts causes poor activity and stability in potentially promising catalysts for water splitting. Here, a novel strategy to resolve this problem by interface engineering is reported, in which, Jahn-Teller distortion in MnCo2 O4 is significantly suppressed by in situ growth Ni2 P nanosheets onto the MnCo2 O4 . The significance of interface engineering in suppressing Jahn-Teller distortion of Mn3+ is further investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the resulting increased catalytic activity and the effects of suppressed distortion demonstrated by density functional theory calculations. The resulting MnCo2 O4 @Ni2 P heterostructures exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity for the both oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction with small overpotentials of 240 and 57 mV at 10 mA cm-2 , respectively. Furthermore, the heterogeneous composite electrode demonstrates a superior current density of 10 mA cm-2 at a voltage of 1.63 V with excellent durability in a water splitting cell.

A highly enantioselective Michael addition of pyrazolin-5-ones with β-CF3-β-disubstituted nitroalkenes catalyzed by bifunctional squaramide has been developed. Various chiral β-CF3-β-5-hydroxy-pyrazolin-3-yl-disubstituted nitroalkane derivatives bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenter were prepared in good yields (up to 88%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee).

This is the first application of β,β-disubstituted nitroolefins in a tandem Michael addition/cyclization reaction.

BACKGROUND: Flavan-3-ols, which account for approximately 700–800 g kg−1 of tea polyphenols, exert many health-promoting effects. Anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) is an important enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of flavan-3-ols in the tea plant. The purpose of this study was to establish a suitable method for the determination of ANR activity. RESULTS: Thin layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analyses showed that cyanidin and delphinidin were converted into epicatechin and epigallocatechin respectively via ANR by using reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) as a coenzyme in the tea plant. In order to measure ANR activity via NADPH concentration changes at 340 nm, several interference factors were studied. The interferences from the high background absorbance of substrate and coenzyme and the oxidation reaction of substrate and product were excluded by devising control experiments, decreasing substrate and coenzyme concentrations or adding antioxidants. The optimal pH and concentrations of substrate and NADPH were chosen such that the ANR assays were carried out at 45 °C for 25 min in a total volume of 1.5 mL of reaction mixture containing 0.1 mol L−1 phosphate buffer (pH 6.5), 0.0667 mmol L−1 cyanidin, 1 mmol L−1 NADPH, 0.53 mmol L−1 ascorbic acid and 150 µg total protein. Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the trends in ANR gene expression corresponded with the enzyme activity in leaves at different development stages. CONCLUSION: The proposed method is simple, rapid, sensitive and suitable for the determination of ANR activity in the tea plant. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry

The mechanisms underlying the neurotoxicology of endemic fluorosis still remain obscure. To explore lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]i ) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production induced by fluoride, human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells were incubated with sodium fluoride (NaF, 20, 40, 80 mg/L) for 24 h, with 40 mg/L NaF for 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 h, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), ethyleneglycol-bis-(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), 1,2-bis(O-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetra(acetoxymethyl) ester (BAPTA-AM) alone or combined with fluoride (40 mg/L) respectively for 12 h in vitro. The results showed that the LDH levels in the 40 and 80 mg/L fluoride-treated groups were significantly higher than that of the control group (in the test level of 0.05, the difference were statistical significance). [Ca²⁺]i and ROS reached a peak at 3 h and 12 h respectively after exposure to 40 mg/L fluoride. Fluoride coincubated with NAC (antioxidant) dramatically decreased ROS and LDH levels compared with the fluoride only group (in the test level of 0.05, the difference were statistical significance). However, fluoride-induced increase in [Ca²⁺]i was not affected by NAC. BAPTA-AM (intracellular calcium chelator) markedly lowered fluoride-induced increase of [Ca²⁺]i , ROS and LDH levels while EGTA (extracellular calcium chelator) have no effects on them. These results indicate that fluoride-related Ca²⁺ release from the site of intracellular calcium storage causes the elevation of ROS contributing to the cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells.