Research progress of synthetic biology for tanshinones.

Synthetic biology research methods which design and build a new artificial biological systems (medicinal plants or microorganisms system) with specific physiological functions through clarifying and simulating the basic law of the biosynthesis of active components of traditional Chinese medicine, is considered to be a potential method to produce an abundant resources of bioactive components. Tanshinones is a kind of diterpene quinone compounds with important pharmacological activities from traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza. This article systematically introduced the research progress of the synthetic biology of S. miltiorrhiza, in order to provide references for studies on other terpenoid bioactive components of traditional Chinese medicines, and give new research strategies for the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine resources.

[Issues of large scale tissue culture of medicinal plant].

In order to increase the yield and quality of the medicinal plant and enhance the competitive power of industry of medicinal plant in our country, this paper analyzed the status, problem and countermeasure of the tissue culture of medicinal plant on large scale. Although the biotechnology is one of the most efficient and promising means in production of medicinal plant, it still has problems such as stability of the material, safety of the transgenic medicinal plant and optimization of cultured condition. Establishing perfect evaluation system according to the characteristic of the medicinal plant is the key measures to assure the sustainable development of the tissue culture of medicinal plant on large scale.

[Study on medicinal plant allelopathy and soil sickness based on ecological niche].

Based on the conception and theory of ecological niche, authors analyzed the cause of the allelopathy and soil sickness of medicinal plants and the relationship between them. Methods to resolve problems in the cultivating medicinal plant was found, that is to construct the ecological niche based on allelopathy theory and avoid the soil sickness.

[Modes and types of protecting natural resources of Chinese medicine].

To investigate a set of scientific and systematic methods for the sustainable utilization of natural resources of Chinese medicine. To summarize and review the studies on the reservation and sustainable using the resources of Chinese medicine. Five resource types, as well as the relevant reservation modes, are put forward for the Chinese medicine.

[Chemical stability of Salvia miltirrhiza hairy root].

OBJECTIVE: To study on the chemical stability of Salvia miltirrhiza hairy root. METHOD: The rolA gene was detected by PCR in DNA and the chemical contituent variances were detected by HPLC. RESULT: The rolA gene was found in all the 10 batches of the culfured hairy root. The similarities of the chromatographic fingerprints of the 10 batches are higher than 0. 95. CONCLUSION: There are no significant differences of the chemical constituents in 10 hairy root samples.

[Comparing of different methods on habitat adaptive division of Chinese material medica].

OBJECTIVE: To comparing two kinds habitat adaptive division of Chinese material medica with different models. METHOD: The habitat adaptive divisions of A. lancea according essential oil accumulation with two kinds pattern, model pattern and template pattern were carrid and compared. RESULT: Two habitat adaptive divisions of A. lancea maps according essential oil accumulation were gotten. CONCLUSION: Both model pattern and template pattern were efficient on habitat adaptive division of Chinese material medica, but they shoud bu used with different processesd and based different background [corrected]

[Construction and application of special analysis database of geoherbs based on 3S technology].

In this paper,the structures, data sources, data codes of "the spacial analysis database of geoherbs" based 3S technology are introduced, and the essential functions of the database, such as data management, remote sensing, spacial interpolation, spacial statistics, spacial analysis and developing are described. At last, two examples for database usage are given, the one is classification and calculating of NDVI index of remote sensing image in geoherbal area of Atractylodes lancea, the other one is adaptation analysis of A. lancea. These indicate that "the spacial analysis database of geoherbs" has bright prospect in spacial analysis of geoherbs.

[Change of microbial community in rhizoma sphere of cultivated Atractylodes lancea].

OBJECTIVE: To find the development rules of microbial community in rhizoma sphere of the cultivated Atractylodes lancea. METHOD: Total bacteria, fungi and actinomyces were counted by CFU x g(-1) though dilution plate method. And genomic DNA of microbes were extracted and amplified by primers of E. coli's 27f and 1492r to get the 16S rDNA, then the restriction endonuclease Hinf was used to digest the 16S rDNA. RESULT: Total bacteria, fungi and actinomyces in 2-year old soil were lower than in 1-year old soil, they decreased 46. 14%, 49. 25%, 31.88% respectively and made the ratio of themselves changed. At the same time, all the 8 soil samples got fine 16S rDNA bands, which were about 1500 bp. And the main bands of most of the samples were found at 1000 bp, but the weak bands of each were different although most bands in the same year samples were more similar than in different year ones. CONCLUSION: It is indicated that the change of soil microbial community may has some relation to the continous cropping barrier of A. lancea.

[Prevention of soil deterioration during cultivation of medicinal plants].

This paper summarized the aspects of the soil deterioration due to continuous growth of medicinal plants, such as nutrition insufficient, pH variation, harmful salt accumulating, harmful microbe and allelopathic substance increasing, soil physics and chemistry properties variation. And the ways to prevent and rehabilitate the deteriorated soil was indicated, which included anti-adversity species selecting, scientific management such as whorl cropping, nutrient elements supplement, usage of physical methods, nutrient liquid cultivating and VAM inoculating etc.

[The status and changes of soil nutrients in rhizosphere of cultivated Atractylodes lancea].

OBJECTIVE: To find the status and changes of the soil nutrients in rhizosphere of Atractylodes lancea. METHOD: Total nitrogen (total N), available K, available P, organic matter (ORG), available nitrogen and pH in rhizosphere soil of the wild growing A. lancea in 3 sites, MS, LT and MFS, and the cultivated ones with different ages in LT were detected. RESULT: The contents of total nitrogen (total N), available K, available P, organic matter (ORG), available nitrogen and pH value in rhizosphere soil were significant different between MS, LT and MFS (P < 0.01). The results of the 6 detected parameters in MS were the lowest, in MFS were the highest and in LT were in the middle. The total N, ORG and available N in the cultivated A. lancea were lower than that in the wild ones (P < 0.01) and available P and pH value in the cultivated A. lancea were higher than that in wild ones (P < 0.01) and there was no difference in available K between the wild and cultivated ones in LT (P > 0.05); 3 available P in rhizosphere soil of the two years old A. lancea were higher than of the one year old A. lancea (P < 0.01) and there were no difference of total N, ORG, available N, available K and pH value in rhizosphere soil of A. lancea between one year and two years plant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: It is indicated that the growth of A. lancea in Mt. Mao is faced nutrient stress.

[Habitat characteristics for the growth of Atractylodes lancea based on GIS].

OBJECTIVE: To study the habitat characteristics for the growth of Atractylodes lancea. METHOD: The leading factors for the growth of A. lancea are determined after stepwise regression, and the limiting factor are determined by field study, literature search,and weather records. The mean values of leading factors and the limiting factors of A. lancea for 30 years were applied to do spatial interpolation using IDIRIEIW softwares. An overlay was prerformed using data obtained in Mt. Maoshan and the general habitat of A. Iancea. RESULT: It was found that precipitation is one of the dominant climate factors that affects the quality of A. lancea. High temperature was one of the limiting factor which influences the living of A. lancea. The best habitat was determined to be: annual mean temperature more than 15 degrees C, monthly mean minimum temperature between - 2- -1 degrees C, monthly mean maximum temperature about 32 degrees C, lowest tolerable temperature - 17- -15 degrees C, drought season 1 - 2 months, annual mean precipitation between 1000 - 1160 mm. CONCLUSION: Mt. Maoshan was characterized by having high temperature, short drought season and adequate precipitation. The growth of A. Lancea is a result of environmental stress.

[Development of the study on germplasm resources of medicinal plants: construction of core collection].

According to the successful experience of studying on crops, this paper introduced the conception of the core collection of medicinal plants, and analyzed the characteristic and the way to construct it. Studies on the core collection would fulfill the management and utilize the germplasm resources conveniently and provide a new idea and a method to study on the germplasm resources of medicinal plants. It is necessary to study on the core collection for the development of the germplasm resources of medicinal plants.