Genome-wide survey and expression analysis of the OMT gene family in .

Background: O-methyltransferase (OMT) is an important rate-limiting enzyme that plays a vital role in synthesizing various key metabolites, such as benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIA). Nevertheless, there is a dearth of extensive research on the analysis of the OMT gene family in , a main source of cepharanthine with an anti-coronavirus effect.

Methods: Two OMT family genes, and , were identified from the high-quality genome of during this investigation.

Characterization and Molecular Engineering of a -Methyltransferase from Edible Leaves Involved in Nuciferine Biosynthesis.

Lotus leaf, traditionally used as both edible tea and herbal medicine in Asia, contains nuciferine, a lipid-lowering and weight-loss compoud. The biosynthetic pathways of nuciferine in remain unclear. We characterized a specific -methyltransferase, NnNMT, which had a novel function and catalyzed only nuciferine synthesis from the aporphine-type alkaloid -nornuciferine.

Brain-age prediction: Systematic evaluation of site effects, and sample age range and size.

Structural neuroimaging data have been used to compute an estimate of the biological age of the brain (brain-age) which has been associated with other biologically and behaviorally meaningful measures of brain development and aging. The ongoing research interest in brain-age has highlighted the need for robust and publicly available brain-age models pre-trained on data from large samples of healthy individuals. To address this need we have previously released a developmental brain-age model.

The CYP80A and CYP80G Are Involved in the Biosynthesis of Benzylisoquinoline Alkaloids in the Sacred Lotus ().

Bisbenzylisoquinoline and aporphine alkaloids are the two main pharmacological compounds in the ancient sacred lotus (). The biosynthesis of bisbenzylisoquinoline and aporphine alkaloids has attracted extensive attention because bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids have been reported as potential therapeutic agents for COVID-19. Our study showed that can catalyze C-O coupling in both -methylcoclaurine and -methylcoclaurine to produce bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids with three different linkages.

Normative Modeling of Brain Morphometry Across the Lifespan Using CentileBrain: Algorithm Benchmarking and Model Optimization.

We present an empirically benchmarked framework for sex-specific normative modeling of brain morphometry that can inform about the biological and behavioral significance of deviations from typical age-related neuroanatomical changes and support future study designs. This framework was developed using regional morphometric data from 37,407 healthy individuals (53% female; aged 3-90 years) following a comparative evaluation of eight algorithms and multiple covariate combinations pertaining to image acquisition and quality, parcellation software versions, global neuroimaging measures, and longitudinal stability. The Multivariate Factorial Polynomial Regression (MFPR) emerged as the preferred algorithm optimized using nonlinear polynomials for age and linear effects of global measures as covariates.

Visualization and identification of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in various tissues.

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in lotus () seed plumules and leaves exhibit significant tissue specificity for their pharmacological effects and potential nutritional properties. Herein, 46 benzylisoquinoline alkaloids were identified via UPLC-QTOF-HRMS, of which 9 were annotated as glycosylated monobenzylisoquinoline alkaloids concentrated in the seed plumules. The spatial distribution of targeted benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in leaves, seed plumules, and milky sap was determined via MALDI-MSI.

Collision Cross Section Prediction Based on Machine Learning.

Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is a powerful separation technique providing an additional dimension of separation to support the enhanced separation and characterization of complex components from the tissue metabolome and medicinal herbs. The integration of machine learning (ML) with IM-MS can overcome the barrier to the lack of reference standards, promoting the creation of a large number of proprietary collision cross section (CCS) databases, which help to achieve the rapid, comprehensive, and accurate characterization of the contained chemical components. In this review, advances in CCS prediction using ML in the past 2 decades are summarized.

Functional characterization and key residues engineering of a regiopromiscuity -methyltransferase involved in benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis in .

Lotus (), an ancient aquatic plant, possesses a unique pharmacological activity that is primarily contributed by benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs). However, only few genes and enzymes involved in BIA biosynthesis in have been isolated and characterized. In the present study we identified the regiopromiscuity of an -methyltransferase, designated NnOMT6, isolated from ; NnOMT6 was found to catalyze the methylation of monobenzylisoquinoline 6-/7-, aporphine skeleton 6-, phenylpropanoid 3-, and protoberberine 2-.

Discovery of unreported ginkgolides of anti-PAF activity using characteristic ion and neutral loss recognition strategy in Ginkgo biloba L.

Ginkgolides are the most important bioactive components of Ginkgo biloba L, of which ginkgolide B has been successfully developed and marketed as a drug. The reported ginkgolides are very rare and exhibit a complex matrix due to the chemodiversity of Ginkgo biloba L. Herein, the global profile of characteristic ion and neutral loss recognition strategy were used for to discover eight undescribed ginkgolides, very rare cyclohexane ginkgolides R-V, ginkgolides D-F, and eight known ginkgolides.

Qualitative analysis and differentiation of ginkgo cultivars based on UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS with the characteristic ion and neutral loss strategy combined with chemometric methods.

The identification of chemical constituents can assist the discovery of active ingredients and can differentiate herbs with multiple cultivars. In this study, a diagnostic ion and neutral loss filtering strategy was developed for the qualitative analysis of ginkgo leaf. The strategy is based on an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Identification and quantification of oligomeric proanthocyanidins, alkaloids, and flavonoids in lotus seeds: A potentially rich source of bioactive compounds.

Untargeted metabolomics was performed to study the profiles of 101 chemicals in lotus seeds using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. Among them, 16 dimeric, 18 trimeric, and 4 tetrameric proanthocyanidins were theoretically identified based on the degree of polymerization, and the number of linkages and the presence of two dihydroflavonols and three glycosylated alkaloids were determined for the first time. The proanthocyanidin, flavonoid, amino acid, and total compound contents were quantified, revealing decreases in their levels during maturation as well as a polymerization process formation of polymers from monomers during seed maturation.

Comprehensive Investigation of the Differences of the Roots of Wild and Cultivated (Edgew) Heim Based on Macroscopic and Microscopic Identification Using HPLC Fingerprint.

(Edgew) Heim () is an important Tibetan medicine with demonstrated medicinal efficacy and promising developmental value. A previous study of was limited to vague morphological and microscopic descriptions, restricting its clinical application and further development as a medicine. The goal of this study was to comprehensively characterize wild and cultivated products of using macroscopic and microscopic identification using HPLC fingerprint.