Effects of Temperature on Rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis Muell.-Arg.) Seed Storage

The effects of temperature on the storage of Hevea seeds and embryonic axes were studied. The first part of the study was on the effects of temperature (la, 22 and 27°C) on physiological, biochemical and structural changes during imbibed storage of Hevea seeds. The second part of the study involved the effects of temperature (la, 22 and 27°C) on storability of Hevea seeds using a modified imbibed storage method incorporating the application of 10 percent and 20 percent concentrations of a germination inhibitor (PEG) and a dry storage method in the presence of a fungicide (0.3 percent Benlate). The third part of the study was on in vitro storage of Hevea embryonic axes including a slow growth method (at 10 , 15, 18 and 20°C) and cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen (-196°C)

Determination of the chromosome number and genome size of Garcinia mangostana L. via cytogenetics, flow cytometry and k-mer analyses

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) is one of the most popular tropical fruit of South-East Asia. It has considerable economic potential for local and export markets. This paper describes a research work to determine the number of chromosomes and genome size of G. mangostana through chromosome counting, flow cytometry and k-mer analyses. Chromosome count analysis revealed that the chromosome number of G. mangostana varied from 74 to 110. The high number observed could be due to the occurrence of mutation and aneuploidy in G. mangostana. Using flow cytometry with Glycine max cv. Polanka (2C = 2.5 pg) used as standard, G. mangostana genome size was found to be 2C = 6.00 ± 0.17 pg. Meanwhile, a genome survey of G. mangostana was performed using Illumina HiSeq 2000 DNA sequencing; k-mer analysis revealed that the genome size of G. mangostana was approximately 5.92 Gbp, or approximately 6.05 pg (1 pg DNA = 0.9780 × 109 bp). Based on the flow cytometry and genome survey, the study concludes that the genome size of G. mangostana is between 6.00 and 6.05 pg

SMRT sequencing data for Garcinia mangostana L. variety Mesta

The “Queen of Fruits” mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) produces commercially important fruits with desirable taste of flesh and pericarp rich in xanthones with medicinal properties. To date, only limited knowledge is available on the cytogenetics and genome sequences of a common variety of mangosteen (Abu Bakar et al., 2016 [1]). Here, we report the first single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing data from whole genome sequencing of mangosteen of Mesta variety. Raw reads of the SMRT sequencing project can be obtained from SRA database with the accession numbers SRX2718652 until SRX2718659

RNA extractions of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) pericarps for sequencing

This study employed several RNA extraction methods for mangosteen pericarps prior to RNA sequencing. The sequencing platform heavily relies on a high quality RNA yield. However, pericarp tissues contain a lot of phenolic compounds that results in low RNA quality. Hence, we studied several RNA extraction methods to obtain the most suitable method for the best RNA quality from the pericarps of mangosteen. Five different methods including Lopez and Gomez, modified hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) method, several commercial kits from TranszolUP, Favorgen and Qiagen RNeasy were compared. By optimising the CTAB method, it was found to be the best method to obtain pure RNA (high A260/A280 ratio) with the highest yields (up to approximately 600-800 ng/μL concentration). The QC control of these samples using bioanalyzer validated their suitability for the downstream RNA sequencing. This report details the method for extracting high quality and high yield RNA samples from fruit that are rich in polyphenolic compounds such as mangosteen

Alteration of Abiotic Stress Responsive Genes in Polygonum minus Roots by Jasmonic Acid Elicitation

Plants are continuously exposed to both biotic and abiotic stress in their natural environment. Unlike animals, plants are immobilized organisms which tend to be vulnerable to various environmental stresses. In order to survive, plants have evolved a wide range of defense mechanism to cope with these stresses. Both biotic and abiotic stresses might share some common signaling pathway in triggering the defense system in plants. Recent researches have revealed that phytohormones such as abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA) and ethylene (ET) are intermediate molecules which play key roles in the crosstalk between biotic and abiotic signaling network (Fujita et al. 2006). In this chapter, we highlight the effects of exogenous applied jasmonic acid in triggering the synthesis of some molecules and activating their respective biosynthetic genes in plants as a response towards abiotic stresses.Full Tex

Recent updates on metabolite composition and medicinal benefits of mangosteen plant

Background Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) fruit has a unique sweet-sour taste and rich in beneficial compounds such as xanthones. Mangosteen has been originally used in various folk medicines to treat diarrhea, wound, and fever. More recently, it has been used as a major component in health supplement products for weight loss and promoting general health. This is perhaps due to its known medicinal benefits including as anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation. Interestingly, the publications related to mangosteen has surged in recent years suggesting its popularity and usefulness in research laboratories. However, there is still no updated reviews (up to 2018) in this booming research area, particularly on its metabolite composition and medicinal benefits. Method In this review, we have covered recent articles within the year of 2016 to 2018, which focuses on several aspects including the latest findings on compound composition from mangosteen fruit as well as its medicinal usages. Result Mangosteen has been vastly used in medicinal areas including as anti-cancer, anti-microbial, and anti-diabetes treatments. Furthermore, we have also described the benefits of mangosteen extract in protecting various human organs such as liver, skin, joint, eye, neuron, bowel, and cardiovascular tissues against disorders and diseases. Conclusion All in all, this review describes the numerous manipulations of mangosteen extracted compounds in medicinal areas and highlights the current trend of its research. This will be important for future directed research and may allow researchers to tackle the next big challenge in mangosteen study; drug development and human applications

Polygonumins A, a newly isolated compound from the stem of Polygonum minus Huds with potential medicinal activities

Polygonumins A, a new compound, was isolated from the stem of Polygonum minus. Based on NMR results, the compound’s structure is identical to that of vanicoside A, comprising four phenylpropanoid ester units and a sucrose unit. The structure diferences were located at C-3″″′. The cytotoxic activity of polygonumins A was evaluated on several cancer cell lines by a cell viability assay using tetrazolium dye 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). The compound showed the highest antiproliferative (p<0.05) activities against K562 (Human Leukaemia Cell Line), MCF7 (Human breast adenocarcinoma cell line), and HCT116 (Colorectal cancer cells) cells. Cytotoxic studies against V79–4 cells were carried out and showed that polygonumins A was toxic at 50µg/ml, suggesting that this compound may be used as an anticancer drug without afecting normal cells. Polygonumins A also showed promising activity as an HIV-1 protease inhibitor with 56% relative inhibition. Molecular docking results indicated that the compound possesses high binding afnity towards the HIV protease over the low binding free energy range of -10.5 to -11.3kcal/mol. P. minus is used in Malaysian traditional medicine for the treatment of tumour cells. This is the frst report on the use of P. minus as an HIV-1 protease inhibitor