Physiological and biochemical mechanisms of drought regulating the size and color of heartwood in Dalbergia odorifera.

Drought has been found to affect the size and color of precious heartwood of Dalbergia odorifera, but the mechanism remains unclear. For this purpose, we performed the measurement of heartwood size, color, and flavonoid content and composition in a 15-year-old mixed plantation of D. odorifera and Santalum album that had been subjected to two levels of rainfall exclusion and control treatments for seven years, and carbon isotope labeling and anatomical observation in 2-year-old potted D.

Insights into phylogenetics through comparative plastomic resources.

The plastid is an essential organelle for its role in photosynthesis and energy production and its genomic information is always employed as important evolutionary markers to explore the relationship among species. Agarwood (), prized for its aromatic blend, finds extensive use in various cultures as incense and perfume. Despite its high economic importance, the phylogenetic status among based on plastomes remains ambiguous due to the lack of available plastomic resources.

Anatomical, chemical and endophytic fungal diversity of a Qi-Nan clone of (Lour.) Spreng with different induction times.

Recently, some new Qi-Nan clones of (Lour.) Spreng which intensively produces high-quality agarwood have been identified and propagated through grafting techniques. Previous studies have primarily focused on ordinary and the differences in composition when compared to Qi-Nan and ordinary .

Chromosome-level genome assemblies from two sandalwood species provide insights into the evolution of the Santalales.

Sandalwood is one of the most expensive woods in the world and is well known for its long-lasting and distinctive aroma. In our study, chromosome-level genome assemblies for two sandalwood species (Santalum album and Santalum yasi) were constructed by integrating NGS short reads, RNA-seq, and Hi-C libraries with PacBio HiFi long reads. The S.

Effects of Drought and Host on the Growth of Seedlings in Pot Culture.

is a semi parasitic plant and its growth is often restricted due to a lack of a host or water during plantation establishment. In this study, the effects of water and the host on the growth of seedlings were studied in pot culture. The results showed that the net photosynthetic rate and height of seedlings decreased significantly under drought stress.

Induction of heartwood formation in young Indian sandalwood ( L.) by gas elicitors.

Induction of heartwood formation in 6-year-old Indian sandalwood ( L.) trees by treatment with carbon dioxide, ethylene, nitrogen, and wounding was investigated. All treatments induced fragrant heartwood formation upward and downward from the drill hole.

Effects of various artificial agarwood-induction techniques on the metabolome of Aquilaria sinensis.

Background: Agarwood is a highly sought-after resinous wood for uses in medicine, incense, and perfume production. To overcome challenges associated with agarwood production in Aquilaria sinensis, several artificial agarwood-induction treatments have been developed. However, the effects of these techniques on the metabolome of the treated wood samples are unknown.

The yellowhorn AGL transcription factor gene XsAGL22 contributes to ABA biosynthesis and drought tolerance in poplar.

Regulation of abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis helps plants adapt to drought stress, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unclear. Here, a drought-induced transcription factor XsAGL22 was isolated from yellowhorn (Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge). Yeast one-hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that XsAGL22 can physically bind to the promoters of the ABA biosynthesis-related genes XsNCED6 and XsBG1, and a dual-luciferase assay showed that XsAGL22 activates the promoters of the later two genes.

A complete mitochondrial genome for fragrant Chinese rosewood (Dalbergia odorifera, Fabaceae) with comparative analyses of genome structure and intergenomic sequence transfers.

Background: Dalbergia odorifera is an economically and culturally important species in the Fabaceae because of the high-quality lumber and traditional Chinese medicines made from this plant, however, overexploitation has increased the scarcity of D. odorifera. Given the rarity and the multiple uses of this species, it is important to expand the genomic resources for utilizing in applications such as tracking illegal logging, determining effective population size of wild stands, delineating pedigrees in marker assisted breeding programs, and resolving gene networks in functional genomics studies.

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of (Salicaceae).

is a large evergreen tree species belonging to Salicaceae family, and its wood is tough, fine-grained, which makes it a good source of commercial use for building construction and furniture manufacturing. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of based on next generation sequencing and used these data to assess genomic resources. The size of the chloroplast genome was 157,852 bp, including a large single-copy region (85,888 bp), a small single-copy region (16,592 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats regions (27,686 bp).

Characterization of the chloroplast genome of Lain, a rosewood species from southeast China.

is a rosewood species in Southwest China with high wood and medicinal value. To clarify genetic background of , we sequenced chloroplast genome by Illumina Hiseq and PacBio Sequel. The whole genome was 148,437 bp in length, containing a large single copy region (77,723 bp), a small single copy region (18,462 bp) and a pair of inverted repeats regions (26,126 bp).

Changes in Non-Structural Carbohydrates, Wood Properties and Essential Oil During Chemically-Induced Heartwood Formation in .

The highly valuable heartwood of T. Chen, known as in traditional Chinese medicine, is formed very slowly, and there is a need to better understand the process and promote heartwood formation. Chemical induction is considered to be one of the promising methods to induce heartwood formation.

The chromosome-level draft genome of Dalbergia odorifera.

Background: Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen (Fabaceae) is an International Union for Conservation of Nature red-listed tree. This tree is of high medicinal and commercial value owing to its officinal, insect-proof, durable heartwood.

Comparative Analyses of Five Complete Chloroplast Genomes from the Genus (Fabacaeae).

is a genus of trees mainly distributed in tropical Asia, Africa, and South America. Some species of are rosewood tree species, having important economic value for timber, and for some species, medicinal value as well. Up to now, information about this genus with regard to the genomic characteristics of the chloroplasts has been limited.

Multifunctional memantine nitrate significantly protects against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity via inhibiting calcium influx and attenuating PI3K/Akt/GSK3beta pathway.

Overactivation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), cerebral vascular disorders and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We have previously designed and synthesized a series of memantine nitrate and some of them have shown vessel dilatory effects and neuroprotective effects; however, the detailed mechanisms have not been elucidated. In this study, we further demonstrated that memantine nitrate-06 (MN-06), one of the novel compounds derived from memantine, possessed significant neuroprotective effects against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in rat primary cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs).

Synergistic Roles of Biphasic Ethylene and Hydrogen Peroxide in Wound-Induced Vessel Occlusions and Essential Oil Accumulation in .

The heartwood of (), named "Jiang Xiang" in traditional Chinese medicine, is highly valuable. Mechanical wounding induced the production of "Jiang Xiang" in Ethylene and hydrogen peroxide (HO) are proposed to play vital roles in wound signaling. However, little is known about the role of ethylene or HO in the wound-induced formation of vessel occlusions and biosynthesis of "Jiang Xiang" in .

Neuroprotection against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity and induction of neurite outgrowth by T-006, a novel multifunctional derivative of tetramethylpyrazine in neuronal cell models.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by irreversible impairment of memory and cognitive function. The exact causes of Alzheimer's disease still remain unclear and current single target drugs could only offer limited therapeutic effect to the patients. We have previously reported that T-006, a promising anti-Alzheimer's compound derived from Chinese medicinal component tetramethylpyrazine, might protect neurons through inhibiting the overproduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS).

Potent Protection Against MPP-Induced Neurotoxicity via Activating Transcription Factor MEF2D by a Novel Derivative of Naturally Occurring Danshensu/Tetramethylpyrazine.

Danshensu (DSS) and tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) are active ingredients of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. and Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort that are widely used in oriental medicine. Structural combination of compounds with known biological activity may lead to the formation of a molecule with multiple properties or new function profile.

Sunitinib, a Clinically Used Anticancer Drug, Is a Potent AChE Inhibitor and Attenuates Cognitive Impairments in Mice.

Sunitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is clinically used for the treatment of cancer. In this study, we found for the first time that sunitinib inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE) at submicromolar concentrations in vitro. In addition, sunitinib dramatically decreased the hippocampal and cortical activity of AChE in a time-dependent manner in mice.

Tanshinone II A, a multiple target neuroprotectant, promotes caveolae-dependent neuronal differentiation.

Neuron loss is one fundamental features of neurodegenerative diseases. Stimulating endogenous neurogenesis, especially neuronal differentiation, might potentially provide therapeutic effects to these diseases. In this study, tanshinone II A (TIIA), a multiple target neuroprotectant, was demonstrated to promote dose-dependent neuronal differentiation in three cell models of immortalized C17.

Indirubin-3-Oxime Effectively Prevents 6OHDA-Induced Neurotoxicity in PC12 Cells via Activating MEF2D Through the Inhibition of GSK3β.

Indirubin-3-oxime (I3O), a synthetic derivative of indirubin, was originally designed as potent inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) for leukemia therapy. In the current study, we have shown, for the first time, that I3O prevented 6-hydroxydopamine (6OHDA)-induced neuronal apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation in PC12 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. GSK3β inhibitors but not CDK5 inhibitors reduced the neurotoxicity induced by 6OHDA.

Substantial Neuroprotective and Neurite Outgrowth-Promoting Activities by Bis(propyl)-cognitin via the Activation of Alpha7-nAChR, a Promising Anti-Alzheimer's Dimer.

The cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) could be ascribed to the progressive loss of functional neurons in the brain, and hence, agents with neuroprotection and neurite outgrowth-promoting activities that allow for the replacement of lost neurons may have significant therapeutic value. In the current study, the neuroprotective and the neurite outgrowth-promoting activities and molecular mechanisms of bis(propyl)-cognitin (B3C), a multifunctional anti-AD dimer, were investigated. Briefly, B3C (24 h pretreatment) fully protected against glutamate-induced neuronal death in primary cerebellar granule neurons with an IC50 value of 0.

A Potent Multi-functional Neuroprotective Derivative of Tetramethylpyrazine.

Neurodegenerative disorders are one of the leading causes of death among the elderly. Therapeutic approaches with a single target have proven unsuccessful in treating these diseases. Structural combination of multi-functional compounds may lead to a molecule with multiple properties.