Dataset on intergenic spacer regions of chloroplast genome and potential DNA barcode of Hoya varticillata var varticillata in Vietnam.

Hoya verticillata var verticillata, an epiphytic plant, is both an ornamental and a valuable medicinal plant. However, H. verticillata has a similar morphology to other species belonging to the Hoya genus, so it is challenging to distinguish the H. verticillata var verticillata, plant accurately. Alternatively, if H. verticillata var verticillata, is deformed or powdered, it is more challenging to identify. This dataset includes information on H. verticillata var verticillata, samples collected from the natural environment and four chloroplast DNA markers to support H. verticillata var verticillata, species identification. Phylogenetic analysis based on sequences of intergenic spacer regions (trnK-rps16, rps16-trnQ, psbI-atpA, and ndhC-trnV) shows that H. verticilata var verticillata, is very closely related and distributed in the same group as Hoya carnosa with a Bootstrap coefficient of 99-100 %. Four intergenic spacer region sequences, trnK-rps16, rps16-trnQ, psbI-atpA, and ndhC-trnV from the chloroplast genome are potential DNA barcoding candidates to distinguish H. verticilata var verticillata, from different species in the Hoya genus.

Three new minor steroidal glycosides from the whole plants of Hoya parasitica (Wall. ex Hornem.) Wight.

Three new minor steroidal glycosides were isolated from the whole plants of Hoya parasitica (Wall. ex Hornem.) Wight. Their structures were further elucidated as 3ß,4α-dihydroxy-5ß-spirost-(25)27-en-1ß-yl O-α-L-arabinopyranoside (1), 3ß-hydroxy-5ß-spirost-25(27)-en-1ß-yl O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-ß-D-xylopyranoside (2), and (23S,24S,25S)-3ß,4α,23,24-tetrahydroxy-5ß-spirostan-1ß-yl O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-ß-D-fucopyranoside (3) through interpretation of the spectroscopic data (one-dimensional and two-dimensional) and mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the isolation of spirostane-type steroidal saponins from the Hoya genus.

Analysis of the Chloroplast Genome of Ficus simplicissima Lour Collected in Vietnam and Proposed Barcodes for Identifying Ficus Plants.

Ficus simplicissima Lour. is an Asian species of fig tree in the family Moraceae. The chloroplast (cp) genome of F. simplicissima m3 was sequenced using the Pacbio sequel platform. The F. simplicissima cpDNA has a size of 160,321 bp in length, of which GC content accounts for 36.13%. The cp genome of F. simplicissima consists of a single large copy (LSC) with a size of 91,346 bp, a single small copy (SSC) with a size of 20,131 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats with a size of 24,421 to 24,423 bp. The cp genome of F. simplicissima has 127 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes, and 34 tRNA genes; 92 simple sequence repeats and 39 long repeats were detected in the cpDNA of F. simplicissim. A comparative cp genome analysis among six species in the Ficus genus indicated that the genome structure and gene content were highly conserved. The non-coding regions show more differentiation than the coding regions, and the LSC and SSC regions show more differences than the inverted repeat regions. Phylogenetic analysis supported that F. simplicissima m3 had a close relationship with F. hirta. The complete cp genome of F. simplicissima was proposed as a chloroplast DNA barcoding for genus-level in the Moraceae family and the psbA-trnH gene region for species-level identification.

The columbamine O-methyltransferase gene (CoOMT) is capable of increasing alkaloid content in transgenic tobacco plants.

BACKGROUND: In the alkaloid biosynthetic pathways of Stephania and Rannunculaceae, columbamine O-methyltransferase (CoOMT) is an important enzyme that catalyses the formation of the tetrahydropalmatin (rotundin) biosynthesis pathway. In this study, the transgenic construct pBI121-35S-CoOMT-cmyc-Kdel was designed successfully. METHODS AND RESULTS: The real-time RT-PCR results proved that the CoOMT transgene was successfully introduced into Nicotiana tabacum L. plants and produced mRNA. Its transcription levels in three transgenic tobacco lines, T0-7, T0-9, and T0-20, in the T0 generation were higher than those in wild-type tobacco plants. By analysing Western blots and ELISAs, three T0 generation transgenic tobacco lines also expressed recombinant CoOMT (rCoOMT) protein with a molecular weight of approximately 40 kDa, and its contents ranged from 0.048 µg mg-1 to 0.177 µg mg-1. These data illustrated that the CoOMT transgene was expressed; thus, the rCoOMT protein synthesis efficiency increased significantly in comparison with that of the wild-type tobacco plants. The total alkaloid contents ranged from 2.12 g 100 g-1 (of dry weight) to 3.88 g 100 g-1 (of dry weight). The T0-20 plant had the highest total alkaloid content (3.88 g 100 g-1 of dry weight), followed by the T0-7 line (2.75 g 100 g-1 of dry weight). The total alkaloid contents of the CoOMT transgenic tobacco lines increased by approximately 1.09-1.83-fold compared to the wild-type tobacco plants. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study on the transformation and expression of the CoOMT gene in N. tabacum plants. Initial results of the analysis of transgenic plants proved that the transgenic structure pBI121- CoOMT-Cmyc-Kdel can be used for transformation into Stephania plants.

GmDREB6, a soybean transcription factor, notably affects the transcription of the NtP5CS and NtCLC genes in transgenic tobacco under salt stress conditions.

Soil is contaminated with salinity, which inhibits plant growth and development and reduces crop yields. The DREB (dehydration responsive element binding protein) gene responds to salt stresses through enhanced transcriptional expression and activation of genes involved in plant salinity resistance. In this study, we present the results of the analysis of the expression of the GmDREB6 transgene, a gene that encodes the soybean DREB6 transcription factor, regulating the transcription of the NtP5CS and NtCLC genes in transgenic tobacco under salt stress conditions. The transcription of GmDREB6, NtP5CS, and NtCLC in transgenic tobacco lines was confirmed by qRT-PCR. Under salt stress conditions, the GmDREB6 gene transcription levels in the transgenic tobacco lines L1 and L9 had increased from 2.40- to 3.22- fold compared with the condition without salinity treatment. Two transgenic lines, L1 and L9, had transcription levels of the P5CS gene that had increased from 1.24- to 3.60- fold compared with WT plants. For the NtCLC gene, under salt stress conditions, the transgenic lines had transcription levels that had increased by 3.65-4.54 (fold) compared with WT plants (P < 0.05). The L1-transgenic tobacco line showed simultaneous expression of both the GmDREB6 transgene and two intrinsic genes, the NtP5CS and NtCLC genes. This study demonstrated that expression of the GmDREB6 gene from soybean increases the transcription levels of the NtP5CS and NtCLC genes in transgenic tobacco plants under salt stress conditions. The analysis results have suggested that the GmDREB6 gene is a potential candidate for improving the salt tolerance of plants, opening up research and development opportunities for salt stress-tolerant crops to respond to climate change and the rise in sea levels.

Overexpression of the GmDREB6 gene enhances proline accumulation and salt tolerance in genetically modified soybean plants.

Soybean plants are sensitive to the effects of abiotic stress and belong to the group of crops that are less drought and salt tolerant. The identification of genes involved in mechanisms targeted to cope with water shortage is an essential and indispensable task for improving the drought and salt tolerance of soybean. One of the approaches for obtaining lines with increased tolerance is genetic modification. The dehydration-responsive element binding proteins (DREBs), belonging to the AP2 family, are trans-active transcription factors that bind to the cis-sequences of the promoter for activating the expression of the target genes that mediate drought and salt tolerant responses. In this study, the GmDREB6 transgene was introduced into DT84 cultivar soybean plants, using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The efficacy of GmDREB6 overexpression in enhancing the transcriptional level of GmP5CS and proline accumulation in genetically modified (GM) soybean plants was also assayed. The results demonstrated that ten GM soybean plants (T0 generation) were successfully generated from the transformed explants after selecting with kanamycin. Among these plantlets, the presence of the GmDREB6 transgene was confirmed in nine plants by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and eight plants showed positive results in Southern blot. In the T1 generation, four GM lines, labelled T1-2, T1-4, T1-7, and T1-10, expressed the recombinant GmDREB6 protein. In the T2 generation, the transcriptional levels of the GmP5CS gene were higher in the GM lines than in the non-transgenic plants, under normal conditions and also under conditions of salt stress and drought, ranging from 1.36 to 2.01 folds and 1.58 to 3.16 folds that of the non-transgenic plants, respectively. The proline content was higher in the four GM soybean lines, T2-2, T2-4, T2-7, and T2-10 than in the non-transgenic plants, ranging from 0.82 µmol/g to 4.03 µmol/g. The proline content was the highest in the GM T2-7 line (7.77 µmol/g). In GM soybean lines, T2-2, T2-4, T2-7, and T2-10 proline content increased after plants were subjected to salt stress for seven days, in comparison to that under normal conditions, and ranged from 247.83% to 300%, while that of the non-GM plants was 238.22%. These results suggested that GmDREB6 could act as a potential candidate for genetic engineering for improving tolerance to salt stresses.