Two new aurantiamides named as cordyceamides A and B were isolated from the culture liquid of Cordyceps sinensis (BERK.) SACC., along with one known compound, aurantiamide acetate. Their structures were elucidated as N-benzoyl-L-tyrosinyl-L-phenylalaninol acetate and N-benzoyl-L-tyrosinyl-L-p-hydroxyphenylalaninol acetate by 1D, 2D-NMR techniques and comparison with literatures.
A new disulfide glycoside, raphthioglucoside (1), and a new sinapic acid derivative, sinapic acid 5-hydroxymethylfurfural ester (2), together with sinapic acid (3) have been isolated from the seeds of Raphanus nussatirus L. The structures of compounds 1-3 were determined based on chemical analysis and spectroscopic methods (UV, 1D and 2D NMR, HRFABMS, HREIMS and elemental analysis).
In flowering plants, the development of male reproductive organs is controlled precisely to achieve successful fertilization and reproduction. Despite the increasing knowledge of genes that contribute to anther development, the regulatory mechanisms controlling this process are still unclear. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome profiles of early anthers of sterile mutants aborted microspores (ams) and found that 1,368 genes were differentially expressed in ams compared to wild type anthers, affecting metabolism, transportation, ubiquitination and stress response. Moreover, the lack of significant enrichment of potential AMS binding sites (E-box) in the promoters of differentially expressed genes suggests both direct and indirect regulation for AMS-dependent regulation of anther transcriptome involving other transcription factors. Combining ams transcriptome profiles with those of two other sterile mutants, spl/nzz and ems1/exs, expression of 3,058 genes were altered in at least one mutant. Our investigation of expression patterns of major transcription factor families, such as bHLH, MYB and MADS, suggested that some closely related homologs of known anther developmental genes might also have similar functions. Additionally, comparison of expression levels of genes in different organs suggested that anther-preferential genes could play important roles in anther development. Analysis of ams anther transcriptome and its comparison with those of spl/nzz and ems1/exs anthers uncovered overlapping and distinct sets of regulated genes, including those encoding transcription factors and other proteins. These results support an expanded regulatory network for early anther development, providing a series of hypotheses for future experimentation.
Abstract Three new thioglucosides, (4 E )‐5‐{6‐ O ‐[(2 E )‐3‐(4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyphenyl)prop‐2‐enoyl]‐ β ‐glucopyranosylsulfanyl}pent‐4‐enenitrile ( 1 ), (4 E )‐5‐{6‐ O ‐[(2 E )‐3‐(4‐hydroxy‐3,5‐dimethoxyphenyl)prop‐2‐enoyl]‐ β ‐glucopyranosylsulfanyl}pent‐4‐enenitrile ( 2 ) and its (4 Z )‐isomer 3 , were isolated from the seeds of Raphanus sativus L. (radish), together with two known compounds. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods, including UV/VIS, 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR, FAB‐ and HR‐FAB‐MS experiments.
Phytochemical investigation of the aerial part of Laportea bulbifera (Siebold & Zucc.) Wedd. (L. bulbifera) showed the isolation of seventeen compounds, including five flavonoids (1-4 and 6), one terpenoid (5), five phenolic acids (7-11), one coumarin (12), two steroids (13-14), and three alkaloids (15-17). Structure elucidations of these compounds were performed on the basis of extensive NMR experiments and compared with the published data in the references. It is remarkable that compounds (3-5) were firstly isolated from the Urticaceae family, compounds (3-8, 11 and 15-17) were firstly obtained from genus Laportea. Furthermore, the result of the chemotaxonomic significance discussion showed that compounds (2-4) may can be served as compound fingerprints to distinguish between species of L. bulbifera and genus Urtica, and what' more, we proposed a bold conjecture that isoflavones can distinguish between species of L. bulbifera and genus Urtica. At the same time, the molecular docking method was used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of these compounds on human steroid 5α-reductase 2 (SRD5α2). The results showed that compounds (1-4 and 6) had better expected effects than the positive drug finasteride can by effectively binding to the active sites of SRD5α2. This study assisted in the future phytochemical and chemotaxonomic research on genus Laportea. Simultaneously, this research provided the theoretical evidence for the application of L. bulbifera in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Several genes encoding transcription factors have been shown to be essential for male fertility in plants, suggesting that transcriptional regulation is a major mechanism controlling anther development in Arabidopsis. DYSFUNCTIONAL TAPETUM 1 (DYT1), a putative bHLH transcription factor, plays a critical role in regulating tapetum function and pollen development. Here, we compare the transcriptomes of young anthers of wild-type and the dyt1 mutant, demonstrating that DYT1 is upstream of at least 22 genes encoding transcription factors and regulates the expression of a large number of genes, including genes involved in specific metabolic pathways. We also show that DYT1 can bind to DNA in a sequence-specific manner in vitro, and induction of DYT1 activity in vivo activated the expression of the downstream transcription factor genes MYB35 and MS1. We generated DYT1-SRDX transgenic plants whose fertility was dramatically reduced, implying that DYT1 probably acts as a transcriptional activator. Furthermore, we used yeast two-hybrid assays to show that DYT1 forms homodimers and heterodimers with other bHLH transcription factors. Our results demonstrate the important role of DYT1 in regulating anther transcriptome and function, and supporting normal pollen development.