Search

Ethylene response factors have been shown to be involved in the effects of plant developmental processes and to regulate stress tolerance. The aim of this study was to recognize the regulatory mechanisms of ethylene response factors on tobacco plant height. In this study, a gene-edited mutant (ERF10-KO) and wild type (WT) were utilized as experimental materials. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses were used to investigate the regulatory mechanism of NtERF10 gene editing on plant height in tobacco. Here, through the analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 2051 genes were upregulated and 1965 genes were downregulated. We characterized the different ERF10-KO and WT plant heights and identified key genes for photosynthesis, the plant hormone signal transduction pathway and the terpene biosynthesis pathway. NtERF10 was found to affect the growth and development of tobacco by regulating the expression levels of the PSAA, PSBA, GLY17 and GGP3 genes. Amino acid metabolism was analyzed by combining analyses of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs). In addition, we found that members of the bHLH, NAC, MYB, and WRKY transcription factor families have vital roles in regulating plant height. This study not only provides important insights into the positive regulation of the ethylene response factor NtERF10 on plant height during plant growth and development but also provides new research ideas for tobacco molecular breeding., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Three new isochromenes, (5-methoxy-7-prenyl-1 H -isochromen-3-yl)methanol ( 1 ), 3-(3-(hydroxymethyl)-5-methoxy-1 H -isochromen-7-yl)propan-1-ol ( 2 ), and (5-methoxy-7-methyl-1 H -isochromen-3-yl)methanol ( 3 ), along with three known analogues ( 4 - 6 ) were isolated from the fermentation products of a Nicotiana tabacum -derived endophytic fungus Aspergillus versicolor . Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1 D and 2 D NMR techniques. Compounds 1 - 3 and 6 were evaluated for their anti-tobacco mosaic virus (anti-TMV) activities. The results showed that compound 2 exhibited high anti-TMV activity with inhibition rate of 46.4%, and this rate is higher than that of positive control. Compounds 1 , 3 , and 6 also showed potential anti-TMV activity with inhibition rates of 28.6, 30.5, and 26.2%, respectively. The IC 50 of compounds 1 - 3 and 6 were also tested, and showed IC 50 values of 49.3, 22.4, 42.2, and 54.1  µ M, respectively.

Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) has attracted interest as one of the most economically important industrial crops widely cultivated in China, whose dried leaves are popularly consumed medicinally and recreationally by human societies. In this study, five undescribed alkaloids derivatives, isoaspergillines A-E, together with eight known alkaloids, notoamide D, (1R,4S)-4-benzyl-1-isopropyl-2,4-dihydro-1H-pyrazino-[2,1-b]quinazoline-3,6-dione, protuboxepin K, notoamide C, notoamide M, deoxybrevianamide E, cyclo (D-Pro-L-Trp), and versicolamide B, were obtained from the culture of the Nicotiana tabacum-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor. Their structures were mainly elucidated through comprehensive analyses of spectroscopic data. Bioactivity evaluation of all isolated compounds revealed that isoaspergilline A and notoamide M exhibited anti-TMV activities with IC 50 values of 20.0 and 22.8 μM, respectively. Molecular docking suggested that isoaspergilline A and notoamide M were well located into the active site of anti-TMV by interacting with SER138, SER143, and ASN73 residues. This study enlightens the therapeutic potential of the endophytic fungus A. versicolor and it is helpful to find undescribed anti-TMV activity inhibitors, as well as searching for new anti-TMV candidates from natural sources., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Indole alkaloids have attracted widespread attention of chemists and biologists. Therefore, the aim of this study is to screen more bioactivities indole alkaloids from the microorganisms. In this study, five undescribed CPA-type indole alkaloids, aspergillines F-J, and three known CPA-type indole alkaloids, aspergilline A, aspergilline C, and cyclopiamide E, were obtained from the Nicotiana tabacum-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor. Notably, aspergillines F and G represent the first examples of indole alkaloids with a benzo[cd]indol-2(1H)-one skeleton, and aspergilline J is also the firstly obtained indole alkaloids bearing a N-1-(2-(1H-imidazole-5-yl)ethyl) moiety. Aspergillines F-J and cyclopiamide E were tested for their anti-TMV activities, and the results revealed that aspergillines G and J exhibited obvious anti-TMV activities with inhibition rates of 41.2 and 56.8% at the concentration of 20 μM, respectively. These rates are high than that of positive control (with inhibition rate of 32.5%). In addition, the molecular docking studies for the isolated CPA-type indole alkaloids may also reveal that the benzo[cd]indol-2(1H)-one substructure is the fundamental for anti-TMV activity and the oxygen-containing substituent groups at C-19 also increases the inhibitory activity. This study of structure-activity relationship is helpful to find new anti-TMV activity inhibitors., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A new isobenzofuranone derivative was isolated from Chaenomeles sinensis by using various chromatographic techniques,including silica gel,Sephadex LH-20,MCI-gel resin and RP-HPLC. This compound was determined as 2,2-dimethyl-5-( 2-oxopropyl)-2 H-furo[3,4-h]chromen-7( 9 H)-one( 1) by NMR,MS,IR and UV spectra,and was also evaluated for its antibacterial activity. The results showed that it showed prominent antibacterial activity with MIC90 value of( 53. 7±4. 5) mg·L-1 for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus( MRSA) strain. This value is close to that of levofloxacin [with MIC90 value( 50. 2± 4. 2) mg·L-1].

Three new diphenyl ethers (1-3), together with four known isopentylated diphenyl ethers derivatives (4-7), were isolated from the fermentation products of an endophytic fungus Phomopsis fukushii. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Compounds 1-3 were evaluated for their anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (anti-MRSA) activity. The results revealed that compounds 1 and 2 showed strong inhibitions with inhibition zone diameters (IZD) of 20.2 ± 2.5 mm and 17.9 ± 2.2 mm, respectively. Compound 3 also showed good inhibition with IZD 15.2 ± 1.8 mm. The IZD data of compound 1 is close to that of positive control with IZD 21.9 ± 2.1 mm.

A Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain X1-8 T , was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Nicotiana tabacum L. collected from the tobacco produce base located in Kunming, south-west PR China. Cells showed oxidase-negative and catalase-positive reactions and were motile by means of peritrichous flagella. Growth occurred at 25-40 °C and pH 6.0-8.0 with optimal growth at 30-35 °C, pH 7.0. The major respiratory lipoquinone was Q-10. C16 : 0 and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c) were identified as major cellular fatty acids. The profile of polar lipids contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylcholine and one unidentified glycolipid. The major polyamine was sym-homospermidine. The genomic DNA G+C content was 66.5 mol%. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that X1-8 T should be affiliated to the genus Sphingomonasand formed a clade with most closely related species Sphingomonas changbaiensisNBRC 104936 T . The results of 16S rRNA gene sequences similarity analysis indicated that X1-8 T had the highest similarity with S. changbaiensisNBRC 104936 T (98.4 %) and lower than 96.0 % with other species of the genus Sphingomonas. DNA-DNA hybridization data indicated that X1-8 T represented a novel genomic species of the genus Sphingomonas. The characteristics determined in the polyphasic taxonomic study indicated that X1-8 T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingomonas, for which the name Sphingomonas tabacisoli sp. nov. (type strain X1-8 T =KCTC 62032 T =CGMCC 1.16275 T ) is proposed.

A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, motile bacterium, designated as 1404 T , was isolated from leaves of Chinese red pepper (Huajiao) (Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim) collected from Gansu, north-west China. Spores were not observed under a range of conditions. Strain 1404 T was observed to grow at 15-45 °C and pH 6.0-10.0 and in presence of 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. The cell wall of strain 1404 T was found to contain meso-diaminopimelic acid, and the predominant respiratory quinone was identified as MK-7. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and an unidentified phospholipid as well as three unidentified polar lipids. The major fatty acids profile of strain 1404 T consisted of iso-C15 : 0 (25.6 %), anteiso-C15 : 0 (18.4 %) and iso-C14 : 0 (12.1 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain 1404 T was affiliated to the genus Bacillus and was closely related to Bacillusoryzisoli 1DS3-10 T , Bacillusbenzoevorans DSM 5391 T and Bacilluscirculans DSM 11 T with sequence similarity of 98.3, 98.2 and 96.9 %, respectively. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was determined to be 39.4 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization values indicated that relatedness between strain 1404 T and the type strains of closely related species of the genus Bacillus was below 41 %. Therefore, on the basis of the data from the polyphasic taxonomic study presented, strain 1404 T represents a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name proposed is Bacillus endozanthoxylicus sp. nov. The type strain is 1404 T (=CCTCC AB 2017021 T =KCTC 33827 T ).

A new naphthalene derivative has been isolated from Aloe vera by using various chromatographic techniques, including silica gel, sephadex, MCI-gel resin, and RP-HPLC. The new compound was determined as 3-hydroxy-1-(1,7-dihydroxy-3,6-dimethoxynaphthalen-2-yl)propan-1-one (1). In the biological activity assay, compound 1 disglayed prominent antibacterial activity with a MIC90 value of (48±4) mg•L⁻¹ for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain which was stronger than that of the positive control levofloxacin with a MIC90 value (58±5) mg•L⁻¹., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Background: Rhizospheric fungi play an essential role in the plant-soil ecosystem, affecting plant growth and health. In this study, we evaluated the fungal diversity in the rhizosphere soil of 2-yr-old healthy Panax notoginseng cultivated in Wenshan, China., Methods: Culture-independent Illumina MiSeq and culture-dependent techniques, combining molecular and morphological characteristics, were used to analyze the rhizospheric fungal diversity. A diffusion test was used to challenge the phytopathogens of P. notoginseng., Results: A total of 16,130 paired-end reads of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 were generated and clustered into 860 operational taxonomic units at 97% sequence similarity. All the operational taxonomic units were assigned to five phyla and 79 genera. Zygomycota (46.2%) and Ascomycota (37.8%) were the dominant taxa; Mortierella and unclassified Mortierellales accounted for a large proportion (44.9%) at genus level. The relative abundance of Fusarium and Phoma sequences was high, accounting for 12.9% and 5.5%, respectively. In total, 113 fungal isolates were isolated from rhizosphere soil. They were assigned to five classes, eight orders (except for an Incertae sedis), 26 genera, and 43 species based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer. Fusarium was the most isolated genus with six species (24 isolates, 21.2%). The abundance of Phoma was also relatively high (8.0%). Thirteen isolates displayed antimicrobial activity against at least one test fungus., Conclusion: Our results suggest that diverse fungi including potential pathogenic ones exist in the rhizosphere soil of 2-yr-old P. notoginseng and that antagonistic isolates may be useful for biological control of pathogens.

A "turn-on" pattern Fe(3+) -selective fluorescent sensor was synthesized and characterized that showed high fluorescence discrimination of Fe(3+) over Fe(2+) and other tested ions. With a 62-fold fluorescence enhancement towards Fe(3+) , the probe was employed to detect Fe(3+) in vivo in HeLa cells and Caenorhabditis elegans, and it was also successfully used to elucidate Fe(3+) enrichment and exchange infected by innexin3 (Inx3) in hemichannel-closed Sf9 cells., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

An Hg(2+) -selective fluorescent sensor (1) bearing pyrene as a fluorophore was synthesized. A sandwich-stacking binding mode was formed during the binding process, which increased the excimer fluorescence 22-fold at 490 nm. Compound 1 was successfully applied in in vivo imaging to trace the enrichment and distribution of mercury in the nervous system, digestive system, and reproductive system of Caenorhabditis elegans, as well as the organs of zebrafish., (Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A 1,8-naphthalimide-Cu(II) ensemble was rationally designed and synthesized as a new turn-on fluorescent probe utilizing the 'chemosensing ensemble' method for detections of thiols (Cys, Hcy and GSH) with high selectivity over other α-amino acids at pH 7.4 in organic aqueous media (EtOH/HEPES, v/v=9:1). The recognition mechanism was attributed to the remove Cu(II) from the 1,8-naphthalimide-Cu(II) ensemble by thiols and the release of flurescence of ligand 1. Remarkable fluorescence enhancements were therefore observed in the sensing process of thiols by the 1,8-naphthalimide-Cu(II) ensemble. Furthermore, the 1,8-naphthalimide-Cu(II) ensemble was successfully applied to the fluorescence imaging of thiols in CHO cells with high sensitivity and selectivity., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

An extracellular protease (Mc1) was isolated from the nematode-trapping fungus Monacrosporium cystosporium by gel filtration, anion-exchange, and hydrophobic interaction chromatographies. This protease had a molecular mass of approximately 38 kDa and displayed an optimal activity at pH 7-9 and 56 degrees (over 30 min). Its proteolytic activity was highly sensitive to the serine protease inhibitor PMSF (phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride, 0.1 mM), indicating that it belonged to the serine-type peptidase group. The Michaelis constant (Km) and Vmax for substrate N-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA were 1.67x10-4 M and 0.6071 OD410 per 30 s, respectively. This protease could degrade a broad range of substrates including casein, gelatin, BSA (bovine serum albumin), and nematode cuticle. Moreover, the enzyme could immobilize the free-living nematode Panagrellus redivivus and the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, suggesting that it might play a role in infection against nematodes. The encoding gene of Mc1 was composed of one intron and two exons, coding for a polypeptide of 405 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of Mc1 showed 61.4-91.9% identity to serine proteases from other nematode-trapping fungi. Our results identified that Mc1 possessed biochemical properties including optimal reaction condition and substrate preference that are different from previously identified serine proteases.