Tartary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) FtTT8 Inhibits Anthocyanin Biosynthesis and Promotes Proanthocyanidin Biosynthesis.

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is an important plant, utilized for both medicine and food. It has become a current research hotspot due to its rich content of flavonoids, which are beneficial for human health. Anthocyanins (ATs) and proanthocyanidins (PAs) are the two main kinds of flavonoid compounds in Tartary buckwheat, which participate in the pigmentation of some tissue as well as rendering resistance to many biotic and abiotic stresses. Additionally, Tartary buckwheat anthocyanins and PAs have many health benefits for humans and the plant itself. However, little is known about the regulation mechanism of the biosynthesis of anthocyanin and PA in Tartary buckwheat. In the present study, a bHLH transcription factor (TF) FtTT8 was characterized to be homologous with AtTT8 and phylogenetically close to bHLH proteins from other plant species. Subcellular location and yeast two-hybrid assays suggested that FtTT8 locates in the nucleus and plays a role as a transcription factor. Complementation analysis in Arabidopsis tt8 mutant showed that FtTT8 could not recover anthocyanin deficiency but could promote PAs accumulation. Overexpression of FtTT8 in red-flowering tobacco showed that FtTT8 inhibits anthocyanin biosynthesis and accelerates proanthocyanidin biosynthesis. QRT-PCR and yeast one-hybrid assay revealed that FtTT8 might bind to the promoter of NtUFGT and suppress its expression, while binding to the promoter of NtLAR and upregulating its expression in K326 tobacco. This displayed the bidirectional regulating function of FtTT8 that negatively regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis and positively regulates proanthocyanidin biosynthesis. The results provide new insights on TT8 in Tartary buckwheat, which is inconsistent with TT8 from other plant species, and FtTT8 might be a high-quality gene resource for Tartary buckwheat breeding.

Description of three new species of Benedictus (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) from China, with comments on their biology and modified ethanol traps for collecting flea beetles.

The diversity and biology of the moss and leaf litter-inhabiting flea beetles are still poorly known. In this study, three new species of Benedictus are described from China: Benedictusfuanensis Ruan & Konstantinov, sp. nov., Benedictusquadrimaculatus Ruan & Konstantinov, sp. nov., and Benedictuswangi Ruan & Konstantinov, sp. nov. Comments on their biology are given. Benedictusquadrimaculatus has a highly unusual morphological feature not reported before in flea beetles: black spots on the abdominal tergites that are visible through the elytra. Traditional and modified ethanol traps were tested and proven useful for collecting leaf litter- and moss-inhabiting flea beetles. Based on our tests, eight traps could collect one specimen each day in the testing sites in Fujian Province; three traps could collect one specimen each day in the testing sites in Guangdong Province.

Genome-wide analysis of BBX gene family in Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum).

BBX (B-box), a zinc finger transcription factor with one or two B-box domains, plays an important role in plant photomorphogenesis, growth, and development as well as response to environmental changes. In this study, 28 Tartary buckwheat BBX (FtBBX) genes were identified and screened using a comparison program. Their physicochemical properties, gene structures, conserved motifs, distribution in chromosomal, and phylogeny of the coding proteins, as well as their expression patterns, were analyzed. In addition, multiple collinearity analysis in three monocots and three dicot species illustrated that the BBX proteins identified from monocots clustered separately from those of dicots. Moreover, the expression of 11 candidate BBX genes with probable involvement in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis was analyzed in the sprouts of Tartary buckwheat during light treatment. The results of gene structure analysis showed that all the 28 BBX genes contained B-box domain, three genes lacked introns, and these genes were unevenly distributed on the other seven chromosomes except for chromosome 6. The 28 proteins contained 10 conserved motifs and could be divided into five subfamilies. BBX genes of Tartary buckwheat showed varying expression under different conditions demonstrating that FtBBXs might play important roles in Tartary buckwheat growth and development. This study lays a foundation for further understanding of Tartary buckwheat BBX genes and their functions in growth and development as well as regulation of pigmentation in Tartary buckwheat.

Global transcriptome analysis and identification of genes involved in nutrients accumulation during seed development of rice tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum Tararicum).

Tartary buckwheat seeds are rich in various nutrients, such as storage proteins, starch, and flavonoids. To get a good knowledge of the transcriptome dynamics and gene regulatory mechanism during the process of seed development and nutrients accumulation, we performed a comprehensive global transcriptome analysis using rice tartary buckwheat seeds at different development stages, namely pre-filling stage, filling stage, and mature stage. 24 819 expressed genes, including 108 specifically expressed genes, and 11 676 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. qRT-PCR analysis was performed on 34 DEGs to validate the transcriptome data, and a good consistence was obtained. Based on their expression patterns, the identified DEGs were classified to eight clusters, and the enriched GO items in each cluster were analyzed. In addition, 633 DEGs related to plant hormones were identified. Furthermore, genes in the biosynthesis pathway of nutrients accumulation were analyzed, including 10, 20, and 23 DEGs corresponding to the biosynthesis of seed storage proteins, flavonoids, and starch, respectively. This is the first transcriptome analysis during seed development of tartary buckwheat. It would provide us a comprehensive understanding of the complex transcriptome dynamics during seed development and gene regulatory mechanism of nutrients accumulation.

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Heliconius melpomene rosina (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae).

The Postman Butterfly (Heliconius melpomene) is one of the heliconiine butterflies found in the Central and South America. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of its subspecies, Heliconius melpomene rosina, is determined for the first time. Results show that this circular genome is 15,327 bp in length, and consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and a putative control region (D-loop). The genome organization, nucleotide composition and codon usage are identical to those reported from other butterfly mitochondrial genomes. The whole nucleotide composition is 39.33% of A, 42.33% of T, 10.88% of C and 7.46% of G, with a relatively lower level of G and an extremely higher AT content of 81.66%. Most of the PCGs initiate with the ATN start codons except for ND1 and COX1 genes, which separately start with TTG and CGA. Totally 13 PCGs terminate with the standard canonical stop codons of TAA/TAG/TGA or an incomplete stop codon of T- -. The mitochondrial genome sequence reported here would be potentially useful for the phylogenetic studies in butterflies.

The complete mitochondrial genome of fungus-growing termite, Macrotermes natalensis (Isoptera: Macrotermitinae).

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of a fungus-growing termite, Macrotermes natalensis, with the total length of 16,325 bp, is reported for the first time. This mtgenome harbors 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 1 control region (D-loop). The total base composition is 44.1% of A, 21.5% of T, 11.5% of G, and 22.9% of C, so the percentage of A and T (65.6%) is much higher than that of G and C. Most of the genes are distributed on H-strand, except for four subunit genes (ND1, ND4, ND4L, ND5) and eight tRNA genes. All protein-coding genes start with an ATN codon, and terminate with the canonical stop codon (TAA/TAG) or a single T (T- -). The complete mitochondrial genome sequence reported here adds a new genetic resource for the genus Macrotermes and might be useful for phylogenetic and systematic analyses within the genus Macrotermes.