Comparative Metabolomics Revealed Metabolite Differences in Bamboo Shoots (Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda Hsueh & T. P. Yi ex Ohrnberger) at Different Growth Stages

In order to explore the dynamic changes and stage specificity of metabolites in bamboo shoots during its growth, widely targeted metabolomics based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze fresh bamboo shoots harvested at heights of 10 and 25 cm. The results showed that a total of 875 metabolites belonging to 13 categories were identified from bamboo shoots, including sugars, alcohols and flavonoids, whose relative contents significantly increased in 25 cm-high bamboo shoots. Moreover, the results of multivariate statistical analyses showed that the metabolites in bamboo shoots had an obvious stage specificity. Totally 283 significantly differential metabolites were identified between the two growth stages, of which 102 metabolites were annotated to 82 metabolic pathways. The contents of 20 major nutrients did not significantly differ between the two growth stages; however, the contents of metabolites related to taste, flavor and bioactive function were higher, while the content of bitter compounds was lower in the 25 cm-high bamboo shoots. Therefore, compared with the 10 cm-high bamboo shoots, the 25 cm-high bamboo shoots have a higher comprehensive economic value and are more suitable for harvesting. The results of this study can provide a theoretical reference for the comprehensive development and sustainable utilization of Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda

Yushania tongpeii (Poaceae, Bambusoideae), a new bamboo species from north-eastern Yunnan, China

Yushania tongpeii D.Z.Li, Y.X.Zhang & E.D.Liu, a new species of the temperate bamboo tribe Arundinarieae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), is described and illustrated from north-eastern Yunnan, China. Yushania tongpeii is characterised by taller branching from nodes 1–2 m above the ground, usually three branches at the node, sparse purple spots and thin white powder on the internode, densely purple-spotted culm sheaths, glabrous margins of culm sheaths and tomentose leaf ligules. Based on the morphological features, this new species is assigned to section Yushania

The complete chloroplast genome and phylogenetic position of Thamnocalamus unispiculatus (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Arundinarieae)

Thamnocalamus unispiculatus T.P.Yi & J.Y.Shi 2007 is an important bamboo species with significant ecological and economic value. This study presents the complete chloroplast genome sequence of T. unispiculatus. The sequence was 139,726 bp in length and exhibited a typical quadripartite structure, containing four regions: large single copy regions (LSC, 83,283 bp), small single copy regions (SSC, 12,851 bp) and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 21,726 bp). A total of 130 genes were annotated, including 86 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNA genes, and eight ribosomal RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that T. unispiculatus and T. spathiflorus are sister species, supporting the conclusion that Thamnocalamus is a monophyletic group. The chloroplast genome of T. unispiculatus promotes the protection and exploration of biodiversity, phylogenetic relationships, and genetic research in Bambusoideae

New distribution records of two bamboo species in Yunnan, China with description of the inflorescence for Melocalamus yunnanensis (Poaceae, Bambusoideae)

Ampelocalamus actinotrichus (Merrill & Chun) S. L. Chen, T. H. Wen & G. Y. Sheng and Neomicrocalamus prainii (Gamble) P. C. Keng are reported with new distribution records in southern and southeastern Yunnan, China, respectively. Ampelocalamus actinotrichus was previously recorded to be endemic to Hainan, China, and Neomicrocalamus prainii to be distributed in southern Tibet and western Yunnan in China, northeastern India, and Burma. The identities of individuals collected in southern and southeastern Yunnan of these two species are confirmed by molecular evidence. The new distribution record of Ampelocalamus actinotrichus provides a case at the species level for confirming floristic affinities of southern Yunnan and Hainan Island in south China. The disjunct distribution of Neomicrocalamus prainii in Yunnan is concordant with the ecogeographical diagonal line from northwestern Yunnan to southeastern Yunnan and this may imply a tropical origin of this species. In addition, the inflorescence of Melocalamus yunnanensis (T. H. Wen) T. P. Yi is described

Combined Blood/Tissue Analysis for Cancer Biomarker Discovery: Application to Renal Cell Carcinoma

A method that relies on subtractive tissue-directed shot-gun proteomics to identify tumor proteins in the blood of a patient newly diagnosed with cancer is described. To avoid analytical and statistical biases caused by physiologic variability of protein expression in the human population, this method was applied on clinical specimens obtained from a single patient diagnosed with nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The proteomes extracted from tumor, normal adjacent tissue and preoperative plasma were analyzed using 2D-liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry (LC−MS). The lists of identified proteins were filtered to discover proteins that (i) were found in the tumor but not normal tissue, (ii) were identified in matching plasma, and (iii) whose spectral count was higher in tumor tissue than plasma. These filtering criteria resulted in identification of eight tumor proteins in the blood. Subsequent Western-blot analysis confirmed the presence of cadherin-5, cadherin-11, DEAD-box protein-23, and pyruvate kinase in the blood of the patient in the study as well as in the blood of four other patients diagnosed with RCC. These results demonstrate the utility of a combined blood/tissue analysis strategy that permits the detection of tumor proteins in the blood of a patient diagnosed with RCC