Publications by authors named "Qiufang Zhu"

Article Synopsis
  • Catechins, found in teas, are beneficial for health but can conflict with the sensory quality of the tea.
  • A study conducted on oolong tea processing determined an optimal procedure to enhance catechin content while maintaining flavor quality, utilizing specific techniques like red light withering and microwave drying.
  • The findings suggest that effective processing can significantly improve catechin retention and flavor characteristics, providing new insights into how tea preparation affects taste.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

During the oolong tea withering process, abiotic stresses induce significant changes in the content of various flavor substances and jasmonic acid (JA). However, the changes in chromatin accessibility during withering and their potential impact remain poorly understood. By integrating ATAC-seq, RNA-seq, metabolite, and hormone assays, we characterized the withering treatment-induced changes in chromatin accessibility, gene expression levels, important metabolite contents, and JA and JA-ILE contents.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In plants, 5mC DNA methylation is an important and conserved epistatic mark involving genomic stability, gene transcriptional regulation, developmental regulation, abiotic stress response, metabolite synthesis, etc. However, the roles of 5mC DNA methylation modification (5mC methylation) in tea plant growth and development (in pre-harvest processing) and flavor substance synthesis in pre- and post-harvest processing are unknown. We therefore conducted a comprehensive methylation analysis of four key pre-harvest tissues (root, leaf, flower, and fruit) and two processed leaves during oolong tea post-harvest processing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As the main flavor components of tea, the contents of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), theanine and caffeine are regulated by ambient temperature. However, whether the biosynthesis of EGCG, theanine and caffeine in response to temperature is regulated by endogenous hormones and its mechanism is still unclear. In this study, tea cuttings cultivated in the phytotron which treated at different temperatures 15℃, 20℃, 25℃ and 30℃, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a flavoured and healthy compounds in tea, is affected by the ecological factors. However, the biosynthetic mechanisms of EGCG in response to the ecological factors remian unclear. In this study, a response surface method with a Box-Behnken design was used to investigate the relationship between EGCG accumulation and ecological factors; further, integrative transcriptome and metabolome analyses were performed to explore the mechanism underlying EGCG biosynthesis in response to environmental factors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Nuclear factor 90 (NF90), one of the double-stranded RNA binding proteins (DSRBP), is involved in many cellular biological processes, includes cell proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis, cell cycle and immunity. However, its role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and the significance of expression in clinics, remains unknown. The aim of this study was to uncover the relationship between the NF90 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and clinical outcomes in NPC patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Catechins are crucial in determining the flavour and health benefits of tea, but it remains unclear that how the light intensity regulates catechins biosynthesis. Therefore, we cultivated tea plants in a phytotron to elucidate the response mechanism of catechins biosynthesis to light intensity changes.

Results: In the 250 μmol·m·s treatment, the contents of epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate and total catechins were increased by 98.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

MicroRNAs are endogenous non-coding small RNAs playing crucial regulatory roles in plants. Tea, a globally popular non-alcoholic drink, is rich in health-enhancing catechins. In this study, 69 conserved and 47 novel miRNAs targeting 644 genes were identified by high-throughout sequencing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fufang Ejiao Syrup (FES) is a widely used immune-boosting Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Eastern Asian countries. This study attempts to investigate the bioactive compounds in FES. First, FES extract was separated into fractions to facilitate the investigation and 72 compounds were identified using LC-MS(n).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Three new norlignans, glechomols A-C (1-3, respectively), together with a known compound, 4-ethylcatechol (4), were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of Glechoma longituba (NaKai) Kupr. Their structures were elucidated by the detailed analysis of 1D and 2D NMR and HR-MS data. Glechomols A-C were the first norlignans reported from genus Glechoma, and compound 4 was also isolated from genus Glechoma for the first time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ractopamine was reacted with two carrier proteins, human serum albumin and bovine thyroglobulin, as immunogen and coating antigen, respectively. Using a conventional immunization protocol, we generated a stable murine monoclonal antibody toward ractopamine, which had high affinities. The clone was found to be of IgG(2a) subclass with kappa light chain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF