Targeting EBV-encoded products: Implications for drug development in EBV-associated diseases.

Epstein-Barr virus, a human gamma-herpesvirus, has a close connection to the pathogenesis of cancers and other diseases, which are a burden for public health worldwide. So far, several drugs or biomolecules have been discovered that can target EBV-encoded products for treatment, such as Silvestrol, affinity toxin, roscovitine, H20, H31, curcumin, thymoquinone, and ribosomal protein L22. These drugs activate or inhibit the function of some biomolecules, affecting subsequent signalling pathways by acting on the products of EBV. These drugs usually target LMP1, LMP2; EBNA1, EBNA2, EBNA3; EBER1, EBER2; Bam-HI A rightward transcript and BHRF1. Additionally, some promising findings in the fields of vaccines, immunological, and cellular therapies have been established. In this review, we mainly summarise the function of drugs mentioned above and unique mechanisms, hoping that we can help giving insight to the design of drugs for the treatment of EBV-associated diseases.

Analysis of Chemical Components in the Roots of Eight Intersubgeneric Hybrids of Paeonia.

Paeonia cultivars are famous ornamental plants, and some of them are also traditional Chinese medicinal resources. Intersubgeneric hybrids of Paeonia (IHPs) are formed by the hybridization of herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora) and tree peony (Paeonia×suffruticosa or lutea hybrid tree peony). The phenotypic characteristics of IHPs are similar to those of herbaceous peony, and their root systems are large and vigorous. However, their medicinal value has not been reported yet. In this study, the roots of eight IHP samples were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). A total of 18 compounds were identified, including phenols, paeonols, monoterpene glycosides, and tannins. The contents of monoterpene glycosides and tannins in IHPs were higher than herbaceous peony and tree peony, exceeding 44.76 mg/g DW and 11.50 mg/g DW, respectively. Three IHPs, 'Prairie Charm', 'Garden Treasure', and 'Yellow Emperor', with more types and a higher content of medicinal compounds, were screened out by cluster analysis. These IHPs have considerable potential for the development of medicinal resources.

Biogenesis of flavor-related linalool is diverged and genetically conserved in tree peony (Paeonia × suffruticosa).

Floral scent is an important and genetically complex trait in horticultural plants. Tree peony (Paeonia × suffruticosa) originates in the Pan-Himalaya and has nine wild species divided into two subsections, Delavayanae and Vaginatae. Their flowers are beloved worldwide for their sweet floral fragrance, yet the flavor-related volatiles and underlying biosynthetic pathways remain unknown. Here, we characterized the volatile blends of all wild tree peony species and found that the flavor-related volatiles were highly divergent, but linalool was a unique monoterpene in subsect. Delavayanae. Further detection of volatiles in 97 cultivars with various genetic backgrounds showed that linalool was also the characteristic aroma component in Paeonia delavayi hybrid progenies, suggesting that linalool was conserved and dominant within subsect. Delavayanae and its hybrids, instead of species and cultivars from subsect. Vaginatae. Global transcriptome analysis of all wild tree peony species and 60 cultivars revealed five candidate genes that may be involved in key steps of linalool biosynthesis; especially the expressions of three TPS genes, PdTPS1, PdTPS2, and PdTPS4, were significantly positively correlated with linalool emissions across tree peony cultivars. Further biochemical evidence demonstrated that PdTPS1 and PdTPS4 were the pivotal genes determining the species-specific and cultivar-specific emission of linalool. This study revealed a new insight into floral scent divergence in tree peony and would greatly facilitate our understanding of the phylogeny and evolution of Paeonia.

Effects of slight shading in summer on the leaf senescence and endogenous hormone and polyamine contents in herbaceous peony.

Herbaceous peony is a perennial root plant that likes light and is cold-resistant. During summer, high temperature and strong light intensity advance its entry into the leaf wilting stage, which limits the accumulation of nutrients and formation of strong buds and severely affects its growth and development the following year. In this study, the wild herbaceous peony species and two main cultivars, 'Zifengyu' and 'Hongfengyu', were subjected to slight shading and strong light environments in summer, and their effects on leaf senescence and endogenous hormone and polyamine contents were explored. Slight shading treatment significantly delayed withering, increased the leaf net photosynthetic rate, and increased the chlorophyll, soluble sugar, indole-3-acetic acid, zeatin, gibberellin, spermine, spermidine, putrescine, and polyamine contents. Additionally, slight shading significantly reduced the proline and abscisic acid contents. Slight shading during summer prolonged the green period and delayed leaf senescence. The tolerance of tested materials to strong light intensity in summer was ranked as follows: 'Zifengyu' > 'Hongfengyu' > wild species. In conclusion, this study revealed that summer leaf senescence is delayed in herbaceous peony through shading and growth regulators. Additional varieties should be evaluated to provide reference for high-efficiency, high-quality, and high-yield cultivation of herbaceous peony.

Effect of low storage temperature on pollen viability of fifteen herbaceous peonies.

In order to develop rich new varieties of peony flowers and solve the problems associated with non-synchronised flowering, a study was conducted to investigate pollen viability of fifteen herbaceous peony cultivars. Pollen was stored for more than one year under four storage conditions (4 °C, -4 °C, -20 °C, and -76 °C). In vitro germination and the I2-KI staining method were used to test pollen viability. For all cultivars, pollen stored at -76 °C showed a significantly slower rate of viability reduction when compared to all the other storage conditions. The differential results obtained using different pollen viability assays confirmed that the in vitro germination test showed lower viability compared to I2-KI staining method. The pollen tube length grew longer as storage temperature rose such as 'Hongfeng'. From the present study, it has been proved that the I2-KI staining method is more convenient and reliable than the in vitro germination test. Herbaceous peony pollen can be stored at 4 °C for hand-pollination among cultivars having non-synchronised flowering in a season, and that different storage temperature is suited to different herbaceous peony pollen for more than one year.