Identification and expression analysis of flavonoid O-methyltransferases gene family in Artemisia argyi / 药学学报

italic>Artemisia argyi (A. argyi) is a Chinese herbal medicine in China. The main active components are volatile oils, flavonoids, and other compounds, which have various pharmacological activities. Methoxylated flavonoids are the main active ingredients in A. argyi. Flavonoid O-methyltransferase (FOMT) is a key enzyme in the O-methylation of flavonoids. In order to further understand the function and characteristics of FOMT proteins, this paper carried out the whole genome mining and identification of FOMT genes in A. argyi and performed phylogenetic, chromosomal localization, gene sequence characterization, subcellular localization prediction, protein structure, gene structure analysis, and expression pattern analysis. The results showed that a total of 83 FOMT genes were identified in the genome of A. argyi. The phylogenetic tree shows that FOMT genes are divided into two subgroups, CCoAOMT (caffeoyl CoA O-methyltransferase) subfamily (32 genes) and COMT (caffeic acid O-methyltransferase) subfamily (51 genes). Gene sequence analysis showed that the number of amino acids encoded by FOMT was 70-734 aa, the molecular weight was 25 296.55-34 241.3 Da, and the isoelectric point was 4.51-9.99. Compared with 32 members of the CCoAOMT subfamily, nearly 1/3 of the 51 members of the COMT subfamily were hydrophobic proteins and 2/3 were hydrophilic proteins. Subcellular localization prediction showed that more than 80% of CCoAOMT subfamily members were located in the cytoplasm, and 96% of COMT subfamily members were located in the chloroplast. COMT subfamily members have more motifs than CCoAOMT subfamily members. The N-terminal motifs of COMT subfamily proteins are relatively variable, while the C-terminal motifs are relatively conserved. Expression pattern analysis showed that CCoAOMT subfamily members were mainly expressed in roots, while COMT members were mainly expressed in leaves. Some FOMTs showed the tissue expression specificity by real-time quantitative PCR analysis, especially in leaves. In this study, we identified and analyzed the FOMT gene family in A. argyi, and provided a theoretical basis for further research on the function of FOMTs and the biosynthesis of methylated flavonoids in A. argyi.

Analysis and Evaluation on Leaf Quality of Different Artemisia argyi Germplasm Resources / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To analyze the quality differences among different germplasm resources of <italic>Artemisia argyi </italic>and to screen out the specific germplasm by comprehensively evaluating 14 quality traits of 100 germplasm resources. Method:Germplasm resources of <italic>A. argyi </italic>were collected from all over the country. The output rate of moxa and the content of total volatile oil in <italic>A. argyi</italic> leaves were determined，and the contents of 12 flavonoids and phenolic acids in<italic> A. argyi </italic>leaves were detected by ultra performance liquid chromatography（UPLC）. The correlation analysis，principal component analysis and clustering analysis were used to comprehensively evaluate the quality of <italic>A. argyi</italic>. Result:There was rich genetic diversity of<italic> A. argyi</italic> germplasm resources，and the variation coefficients of 14 quality traits ranged from 25.67% to 127.34%，among which the coefficient of variation of chlorogenic acid，cryptochlorogenic acid，isoxiafotaside，isochlorogenic acid B and isochlorogenic acid A was more than 70%，with high variation. The output rate of moxa was negatively correlated with 9 quality traits，while the content of total volatile oil was positively correlated with 10 quality traits，and most of the flavonoids and phenolic acids had synergistic effects. 12 flavonoids and phenolic acids were analyzed by principal component analysis，and 4 principal components could be extracted. The highest contents of flavonoids and phenolic acids were found in S98（Hangzhou，Zhejiang province），S84（Longhui county，Shaoyang city，Hunan province），S66（Futian river town，Macheng city，Hubei province），S35 （Balihu town，Qichun county，Huanggang city，Hubei province），and S15 （Fudao town，Tangyin county，Anyang city，Henan province）. The systematic clustering analysis showed that the 100 germplasm could be divided into four groups when the euclidean distance was 8.0，with 90，3，3，3 and 4 accessions in group Ⅰ，Ⅱ，Ⅲ and Ⅳ，respectively. The germplasm resources in group Ⅱ contained the highest content of flavonoids and phenolic acids，the group Ⅲ contained the highest content of total volatile oil and the group Ⅳ contained the highest output rate of moxa. Conclusion:The leaf quality of different <italic>A. argyi </italic>germplasms is different. This study can provide the basis for the quality evaluation and variety breeding of <italic>A. argyi</italic> germplasm resources.

Diversity of Artemisia argyi germplasm resources based on agronomic and leaf phenotypic traits / 中国中药杂志

In this study, in order to evaluate the phenotypic diversity of Artemisia argyi germplasm resources and improve its efficiency of cultivation and breeding, 100 accessions of A. argyi germplasm resources from 58 regions in China were collected, 20 agronomic traits and leaf phenotypic traits were observed and described. The data were used for phenotypic diversity analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The result showed that the genetic diversity index of 20 traits ranged from 0.82 to 4.37, among which the largest was the base depth and the smallest was the leaf width; the coefficient of variation of the 12 quantitative traits ranged from 10.55% to 41.47%. the highest coefficient of variation was the height of dead leaves, and the smallest was the content of chlorophyll, except for the angle of branches, all the quantitative characters tended to be normal distribution. The correlation analysis showed that 28 pairs of traits had significant correlation(P<0.01), and 13 pairs had significant correlation(P<0.05). According to principal component analysis, 20 traits were simplified into 9 principal components, and the cumulative contribution rate was 73.414%, nine traits including plant height, dead leaves heigh, stem diameter, symmetry of leave base, stipule, leaf tip shape, depth of the first pair of lobes, depth of the second pair of lobes and leaf yield were selected as key indexes for evaluating agronomic traits and leaf phenotypic traits of A.argyi germplasm resources. With cluster analysis, 100 accessions of A.argyi were classified into 3 groups, the groupⅠincluded the dwarf plants with thick stem and large leaf, the groupⅡincluded high plants with wide leaf and high yield, the group Ⅲ included dwarf plants with thin stem and flat bottom shape of leaf, which could provide the basis for cultivation identification and variety breeding of A.argyi germplasm resources.

Morphological comparison of glandular and non-glandular trichomes between Artemisia stolonifera and A. argyi / 中国中药杂志

The basic features of glandular and non-glandular trichomes on leaves of Artemisia argyi( germplasms from Qichun,Ningbo,Tangyin,and Anguo,respectively) and related species A. stolonifera were observed by scanning electron microscopy( SEM)and compared. There were significant differences in trichome characteristics of leaves at all parts of A. argyi and A. stolonifera,which were closely related to the difference in chemical components. The length of non-glandular trichomes and size of glandular trichomes on middle leaves were the stablest. A. argyi and A. stolonifera can be distinguished by the density of glandular trichome. Additionally,the four germplasms of A. argyi can be discriminated via the density and curvature of non-glandular trichome. The density of non-glandular trichomes was the highest in A. stolonifera. For A. argyi,the germplasm from Qichun had the highest density of non-glandular trichomes on the abaxial surfaces of upper leaves and that from Ningbo had the largest non-glandular trichome curvature. With regard to the germplasm from Anguo,the T-shaped non-glandular trichomes of long stalks on the adaxial surfaces of the middle leaves were lodging-susceptible,and those with slender heads were wave-like. Statistics results of A. argyi and A. stolonifera are as follows: largest glandular trichomes on the adaxial and abaxial surfaces and highest glandular trichome density on the abaxial surfaces of the lower leaves in A. argyi germplasm from Ningbo,highest density of non-glandular trichomes on the abaxial surfaces of upper leaves in A. stolonifera,and highest density of glandular trichomes and non-glandular trichomes on the adaxial surfaces of the upper leaves in A. argyi germplasm from Qichun. According to the observation result under fluorescence microscope( FM),flavonoids were closely related to the size and density of non-glandular trichomes and size of glandular trichomes. The fluorescence intensity was the strongest and fluorescence area was the largest for flavonoids in A. argyi germplasms from Qichun and Tangyin,while the fluorescence for flavonoids was the weakest in A. stolonifera. It was the first time to observe and analyze the trichome ultrastructure of A. argyi leaves at different positions by SEM and FM. This study clarifies the differences between A. stolonifera and four famous A. argyi germplasms,which provides new evidence for the microscopic identification of A. argyi and its related species and serves as a reference for the study of the relationship of A. argyi structure with its components and functions.

Analysis and evaluation of volatile oil content in leaves of different Artemisia argyi germplasm resources / 中国中药杂志

Volatile oil is the main effective component and an important quality indicator of Artemisia argyi leaves. In this study, 100 germplasm resources of A. argyi were collected from all the related habitats in China. The total volatile oils in A. argyi leaves were extracted by steam distillation and the content was determined by GC-MS. The result demonstrated that the content of total volatile oils was in the range of 0.53%-2.55%, with the average of 1.43%. A total of 39 chemical constituents were identified from the volatile oils, including 13 shared by the 100 germplasm resources. Clustering analysis of the 39 constituents showed that the 100 A. argyi samples were categorized into groups Ⅰ(9), Ⅱ(2), Ⅲ(66) and Ⅳ(23), and group Ⅲ had the most volatile medicinal components, with the highest content. Five principal components(PCs) were extracted from 13 shared constituents, which explained 73.454% of the total variance. PC1, PC2, and PC3 mainly reflected the pharmacological activity of volatile oils and the rest two the aroma information. The volatile oils identified in this study lay a foundation for variety breeding of and rational utilization of volatile oils in A. argyi leaves.

Influencing factors for the psychological burden of depressive patients'caregivers / 预防医学

Objective To investigate the influencing factors for the psychological burden of depressive patients' caregivers. Methods We enrolled the chief caregivers of depressive patients who were hospitalized in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital as our subjects. We investigated them by Caregiver Burden Inventory, Social Support Revalued Scale (SSRS) , Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Suicide Risk Assessment Scale, and learned influencing factors for the psychological burden of these caregivers by multiple linear regression analysis. Results We totally enrolled 101 subjects and collected 96 questionnaires (95.04%) . The 96 respondents scored (24.88±12.94) points in the psychological burden and 54 of which scored more than 20 points, accounted for 56.25%. The positive rate of mental pressure was 65.63%, which was the lowest; the positive rate of social burden was 93.75%, which was the highest. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the objective support (β=-1.856, P=0.002), subjective support (β=0.526, P=0.008) and high suicidal score of depressive patients (β=0.290, P=0.048) were the influencing factors for the psychological burden of depressive patients' caregivers. Conclusion More than half of the caregivers have psychological burden, which is associated with objective support, subjective support and high suicidal score of depressive patients.

Analysis of varieties and standards of Composite medicinal plants used in Dai medicine / 中国中药杂志

The study aims to analyze the varieties and standards of compositae medicinal plants used in Dai medicine. The results showed that there were 78 species (including varieties) compositae plants recorded in literatures, which belongs to 63 medicinal materials varieties. And 47 original plants (60.25%) were recorded in Chinese medicinal material standards. In those standards and literatures of Dai medicine, there are great differences in translated Chinese names, original plants, medicinal parts, and efficacy of medicinal plants. Therefore, the variety systematization and the quality standards of Dai medicine should be strengthened.

A prenatal ultrasound study of cerebral sulci and gyrus development in fetuses with tetralogy of Fallot / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the development of the cerebral sulci and gyrus and cerebral blood flow in fetuses with tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) in the second and third trimesters using ultrasound imaging.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty fetuses (23-33weeks) with ToF diagnosed using ultrasound imaging between December, 2015 and September, 2016 were analyzed in this study. The development of the cerebral sulci and gyrus was evaluated by measuring the parietal-occipital fissure (POF) depth, POF angle, sylvian fissure (SF) depth, SF width, uncovered insular width, calcarine fissure (CF) depth, hemisphere depth on the views of POF, SF and CF, uncovered insular ratio, biparietal diameter (BPD), and head circumference (HC). Cerebral hemodynamics were assessed by measuring the umbilical artery resistance index, umbilical artery pulsation index, middle cerebral artery pulsation index (MCA-PI), middle cerebral artery resistance index, the cerebral-to-placental resistance ratio, and the cerebroplacental ratio.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In ToF fetuses, the POF depth, SF depth, CF depth, BPD, HC and hemisphere depth on the views of parietal-occipital sulcus and calcarine sulcus were significantly smaller than those in the control group (P<0.05). The middle cerebral artery resistance index, middle cerebral artery pulsation index, the cerebral-to-placental resistance ratio and the cerebroplacental ratio were also significantly lower in ToF fetuses than in the control group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The cerebral sulci and gyrus in ToF fetuses in second and third trimesters show underdevelopment compared with those in normal fetuses, and the changes in hemodynamics caused by abnormal cardiac structure might be one of the reasons for cerebral sulci and gyrus underdevelopment in fetuses with ToF.</p>