Isochromans and Related Constituents from the Endophytic Fungus <i>Annulohypoxylon truncatum</i> of <i>Zizania caduciflora</i> and Their Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Six new isochroman derivatives (annulohypoxylomans A–C, <b>1</b>–<b>3</b>; annulohypoxylomanols A and B, <b>6</b> and <b>7</b>; and annulohypoxyloside, <b>8</b>), an isocoumarin (annulohypoxylomarin A, <b>4</b>), and an azaphilone derivative (xylariphilone, <b>5</b>) were isolated from an ethyl acetate extract derived from cultures of the endophytic fungus JS540 found in the leaves of <i>Zizania caduciflora</i>. The JS540 strain was identified as <i>Annulohypoxylon truncatum</i>. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry and by comparison with related compounds from the literature. The anti-inflammatory activities of the isolated compounds were evaluated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. Xylariphilone (<b>5</b>) exhibited significant inhibitory effects on LPS-induced interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12 p40, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production with IC₅₀ values of 5.3, 19.4, and 37.6 μM, respectively

Accumulation of Rutin and Betulinic Acid and Expression of Phenylpropanoid and Triterpenoid Biosynthetic Genes in Mulberry (Morus alba L.)

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) is used in traditional Chinese medicine and is the sole food source of the silkworm. Here, 21 cDNAs encoding phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes and 21 cDNAs encoding triterpene biosynthetic genes were isolated from mulberry. The expression levels of genes involved in these biosynthetic pathways and the accumulation of rutin, betulin, and betulinic acid, important secondary metabolites, were investigated in different plant organs. Most phenylpropanoid and triterpene biosynthetic genes were highly expressed in leaves and/or fruit, and most genes were downregulated during fruit ripening. The accumulation of rutin was more than fivefold higher in leaves than in other organs, and higher levels of betulin and betulinic acid were found in roots and leaves than in fruit. By comparing the contents of these compounds with gene expression levels, we speculate that <i>MaUGT78D1</i> and <i>MaLUS</i> play important regulatory roles in the rutin and betulin biosynthetic pathways

Physical properties of ultrafine-grained polycrystals of magnesium based alloys

The objective of the thesis is the study of microstructure evolution, mechanical properties, defect structure and corrosion resistance of ultra-ne grained magnesium alloy AZ31 prepared by a combined two-step process: the extrusion and the equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). The microstructure development was studied using light and transmission electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Mechanical properties were studied by microhardness measurement and tensile tests and the defect structure by positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). The results of tensile tests indicates that the characteristic stress 0.2 increases slightly with increasing number of ECAP passes only to the second pass and then decreases signicantly with additional ECAP straining. This behaviour is in accordance with the results of PAS. EBSD measurements show that the microstructure of extruded and ECAPed material has a bimodal distribution of grain sizes. The bimodal distribution becomes homogeneous with increasing number of ECAP passes and no remaining large grains are observed after 8 passes. The average grain size in the specimen after 8 passes is in the submicrometer range and the fraction of high-angle grain boundary (HAGB) is approximately 80%. The extruded specimens after 8 ECAP passes show the best..

Additional file 8: of Transcriptome and metabolome analysis in shoot and root of Valeriana fauriei

Primers used to amplify V. fauriei genes. (XLS 40 kb

Additional file 7: of Transcriptome and metabolome analysis in shoot and root of Valeriana fauriei

Amount of other volatile compounds in V. fauriei by solid-phase micro-extraction (%). (XLS 34 kb

Neuroprotective Compound from an Endophytic Fungus, <i>Colletotrichum</i> sp. JS-0367

<i>Colletotrichum</i> sp. JS-0367 was isolated from <i>Morus alba</i> (mulberry), identified, and cultured on a large scale for chemical investigation. One new anthraquinone (<b>1</b>) and three known anthraquinones (<b>2</b>–<b>4</b>) were isolated and identified using spectroscopic methods including 1D/2D-NMR and HRESIMS. Although the neuroprotective effects of some anthraquinones have been reported, the biological activities of the four anthraquinones isolated in this study have not been reported. Therefore, the neuroprotective effects of these compounds were determined against murine hippocampal HT22 cell death induced by glutamate. Compound <b>4</b>, evariquinone, showed strong protective effects against HT22 cell death induced by glutamate by the inhibition of intracellular ROS accumulation and Ca²⁺ influx triggered by glutamate. Immunoblot analysis revealed that compound <b>4</b> reduced the phosphorylation of MAPKs (JNK, ERK1/2, and p38) induced by glutamate. Furthermore, compound <b>4</b> strongly attenuated glutamate-mediated apoptotic cell death

Additional file 2: of Transcriptome and metabolome analysis in shoot and root of Valeriana fauriei

Carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in plants. CCD, carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases; CHXB, β-ring hydroxylase; CHXE, ε-ring hydroxylase, CrtISO; carotenoid isomerase; LCYB, lycopene β-cyclase; LCYE, lycopene ε-cyclase; NCED, nine-cis-epoxycarotenoiddioxygenanses; PDS, phytoene desaturase; PSY, phytoene synthase; ZDS, ζ-carotene desaturase; ZEP, zeaxanthin epoxidase. (PDF 154 kb

Global Expression Profiling of Transcription Factor Genes Provides New Insights into Pathogenicity and Stress Responses in the Rice Blast Fungus

<div><p>Because most efforts to understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning fungal pathogenicity have focused on studying the function and role of individual genes, relatively little is known about how transcriptional machineries globally regulate and coordinate the expression of a large group of genes involved in pathogenesis. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we analyzed the expression patterns of 206 transcription factor (TF) genes in the rice blast fungus <i>Magnaporthe oryzae</i> under 32 conditions, including multiple infection-related developmental stages and various abiotic stresses. The resulting data, which are publicly available via an online platform, provided new insights into how these TFs are regulated and potentially work together to control cellular responses to a diverse array of stimuli. High degrees of differential TF expression were observed under the conditions tested. More than 50% of the 206 TF genes were up-regulated during conidiation and/or in conidia. Mutations in ten conidiation-specific TF genes caused defects in conidiation. Expression patterns <i>in planta</i> were similar to those under oxidative stress conditions. Mutants of <i>in planta</i> inducible genes not only exhibited sensitive to oxidative stress but also failed to infect rice. These experimental validations clearly demonstrated the value of TF expression patterns in predicting the function of individual TF genes. The regulatory network of TF genes revealed by this study provides a solid foundation for elucidating how <i>M. oryzae</i> regulates its pathogenesis, development, and stress responses.</p></div

Phenotype analyses of <i>ΔMoaps1</i>, <i>ΔMoaps2</i>, and complemented mutants.

<p>(A) Expression patterns of <i>MoAPS1</i> and <i>MoAPS2</i> under five conditions: Con, conidiation; Ger, conidial germination; App, appressorium formation; and 78 hpi and 150 hpi. (B) Conidial production, conidial germination, and appressorium formation (left to right). The asterisk denotes a significant difference (at <i>P</i><0.05). (C) Vegetative growth on CM agar. (D) Infectious growth in rice sheaths.</p

Expression profiles of 57 conidiation-specific TF genes in six TF gene deletion mutants.

<p>The mutants included <i>ΔMoaps1</i>, <i>ΔMoaps2</i>, <i>ΔMohox2</i>, <i>ΔMohox4</i>, <i>ΔMoleu3</i>, and <i>ΔMonit4</i>. Up-regulated genes in the mutants (more than 2 fold) are indicated by red bars, and down-regulated genes (less than 0.5 fold) are noted by blue bars. The genes that did not show differential expression in the six mutants are marked in blue.</p