The genome of the toxic invasive species Heracleum sosnowskyi carries an increased number of genes despite absence of recent whole-genome duplications.

Heracleum sosnowskyi, belonging to a group of giant hogweeds, is a plant with large effects on ecosystems and human health. It is an invasive species that contributes to the deterioration of grassland ecosystems. The ability of H. sosnowskyi to produce linear furanocoumarins (FCs), photosensitizing compounds, makes it very dangerous. At the same time, linear FCs are compounds with high pharmaceutical value used in skin disease therapies. Despite this high importance, it has not been the focus of genetic and genomic studies. Here, we report a chromosome-scale assembly of Sosnowsky's hogweed genome. Genomic analysis revealed an unusually high number of genes (55106) in the hogweed genome, in contrast to the 25-35 thousand found in most plants. However, we did not find any traces of recent whole-genome duplications not shared with its confamiliar, Daucus carota (carrot), which has approximately thirty thousand genes. The analysis of the genomic proximity of duplicated genes indicates on tandem duplications as a main reason for this increase. We performed a genome-wide search of the genes of the FC biosynthesis pathway and surveyed their expression in aboveground plant parts. Using a combination of expression data and phylogenetic analysis, we found candidate genes for psoralen synthase and experimentally showed the activity of one of them using a heterologous yeast expression system. These findings expand our knowledge on the evolution of gene space in plants and lay a foundation for further analysis of hogweed as an invasive plant and as a source of FCs.

The high-quality genome of Cryptotaenia japonica and comparative genomics analysis reveals anthocyanin biosynthesis in Apiaceae.

Cryptotaenia japonica, a traditional medicinal and edible vegetable crops, is well-known for its attractive flavors and health care functions. As a member of the Apiaceae family, the evolutionary trajectory and biological properties of C. japonica are not clearly understood. Here, we first reported a high-quality genome of C. japonica with a total length of 427 Mb and N50 length 50.76 Mb, was anchored into 10 chromosomes, which confirmed by chromosome (cytogenetic) analysis. Comparative genomic analysis revealed C. japonica exhibited low genetic redundancy, contained a higher percentage of single-cope gene families. The homoeologous blocks, Ks, and collinearity were analyzed among Apiaceae species contributed to the evidence that C. japonica lacked recent species-specific WGD. Through comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses of Apiaceae species, we revealed the genetic basis of the production of anthocyanins. Several structural genes encoding enzymes and transcription factor genes of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in different species were also identified. The CjANSa, CjDFRb, and CjF3H gene might be the target of Cjaponica_2.2062 (bHLH) and Cjaponica_1.3743 (MYB). Our findings provided a high-quality reference genome of C. japonica and offered new insights into Apiaceae evolution and biology.

The complete plastomes of thirteen Libanotis (Apiaceae, Apioideae) plants: comparative and phylogenetic analyses provide insights into the plastome evolution and taxonomy of Libanotis.

BACKGROUND: The genus Libanotis Haller ex Zinn, nom. cons., a contentious member of Apiaceae, encompasses numerous economically and medicinally significant plants, comprising approximately 30 species distributed across Eurasia. Despite many previous taxonomic insights into it, phylogenetic studies of the genus are still lacking. And the establishment of a robust phylogenetic framework remains elusive, impeding advancements and revisions in the taxonomic system for this genus. Plastomes with greater variability in their genetic characteristics hold promise for building a more robust Libanotis phylogeny. RESULTS: During our research, we sequenced, assembled, and annotated complete plastomes for twelve Libanotis species belong to three sections and two closely related taxa. We conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis through totally thirteen Libanotis plastomes for the genus, including an additional plastome that had been published. Our results suggested that Libanotis plastome was highly conserved between different subclades, while the coding regions were more conserved than the non-coding regions, and the IR regions were more conserved than the single copy regions. Nevertheless, eight mutation hotspot regions were identified among plastomes, which can be considered as candidate DNA barcodes for accurate species identification in Libanotis. The phylogenetic analyses generated a robustly framework for Libanotis and revealed that Libanotis was not a monophyletic group and their all three sections were polygenetic. Libanotis schrenkiana was sister to L. sibirica, type species of this genus, but the remainders scattered within Selineae. CONCLUSION: The plastomes of Libanotis exhibited a high degree of conservation and was effective in enhancing the support and resolution of phylogenetic analyses within this genus. Based on evidence from both phylogeny and morphology, we propose the recognition of "Libanotis sensu stricto" and provide taxonomic recommendations for other taxa that previously belonged to Libanotis. In conclusion, our study not only revealed the phylogenetic position and plastid evolution of Libanotis, but also provided new insights into the phylogeny of the family Apiaceae and phylogenetic relationships within the tribe Selineae.

Phylogeny and diversification of genus Sanicula L. (Apiaceae): novel insights from plastid phylogenomic analyses.

BACKGROUND: The genus Sanicula L. is a unique perennial herb that holds important medicinal values. Although the previous studies on Sanicula provided us with a good research basis, its taxonomic system and interspecific relationships have not been satisfactorily resolved, especially for those endemic to China. Moreover, the evolutionary history of this genus also remains inadequately understood. The plastid genomes possessing highly conserved structure and limited evolutionary rate have proved to be an effective tool for studying plant phylogeny and evolution. RESULTS: In the current study, we newly sequenced and assembled fifteen Sanicula complete plastomes. Combined with two previously reported plastomes, we performed comprehensively plastid phylogenomics analyses to gain novel insights into the evolutionary history of this genus. The comparative results indicated that the seventeen plastomes exhibited a high degree of conservation and similarity in terms of their structure, size, GC content, gene order, IR borders, codon bias patterns and SSRs profiles. Such as all of them displayed a typical quadripartite structure, including a large single copy region (LSC: 85,074-86,197 bp), a small single copy region (SSC: 17,047-17,132 bp) separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs: 26,176-26,334 bp). And the seventeen plastomes had similar IR boundaries and the adjacent genes were identical. The rps19 gene was located at the junction of the LSC/IRa, the IRa/SSC junction region was located between the trnN gene and ndhF gene, the ycf1 gene appeared in the SSC/IRb junction and the IRb/LSC boundary was located between rpl12 gene and trnH gene. Twelve specific mutation hotspots (atpF, cemA, accD, rpl22, rbcL, matK, ycf1, trnH-psbA, ycf4-cemA, rbcL-accD, trnE-trnT and trnG-trnR) were identified that can serve as potential DNA barcodes for species identification within the genus Sanicula. Furthermore, the plastomes data and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequences were performed to reconstruct the phylogeny of Sanicula. Although the tree topologies of them were incongruent, both provided strong evidence supporting the monophyly of Saniculoideae and Apioideae. In addition, the sister groups between Saniculoideae and Apioideae were strongly suggested. The Sanicula species involved in this study were clustered into a clade, and the Eryngium species were also clustered together. However, it was clearly observed that the sections of Sanicula involved in the current study were not respectively recovered as monophyletic group. Molecular dating analysis explored that the origin of this genus was occurred during the late Eocene period, approximately 37.84 Ma (95% HPD: 20.33-52.21 Ma) years ago and the diversification of the genus was occurred in early Miocene 18.38 Ma (95% HPD: 10.68-25.28 Ma). CONCLUSION: The plastome-based tree and ITS-based tree generated incongruences, which may be attributed to the event of hybridization/introgression, incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and chloroplast capture. Our study highlighted the power of plastome data to significantly improve the phylogenetic supports and resolutions, and to efficiently explore the evolutionary history of this genus. Molecular dating analysis explored that the diversification of the genus occurred in the early Miocene, which was largely influenced by the prevalence of the East Asian monsoon and the uplift of the Hengduan Mountains (HDM). In summary, our study provides novel insights into the plastome evolution, phylogenetic relationships, taxonomic framework and evolution of genus Sanicula.

New Phenylpropanoids and Disulphides Dimers from Ferula Kuhistanica.

Five undescribed compounds, including three phenylpropanoid derivatives, 4'-methoxycinnamyl isobutyrate (1), 4'-methoxycinnamyl-2"-methyl butyrate (2) and (2Z)-3',4'-dimethoxycinnamyl isovalerate (3) and two disulphides dimers, kuhistanicasulphide A (7) and kuhistanicasulphide B (8) together with five known ones, including three phenylpropanoids (4-6) and two disulphides (9-10), were isolated from the roots of Ferula kuhistanica Korovin. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including IR, UV, HRESIMS, NMR and quantum 13C NMR DP4+ probability. Anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic (Hela, A549 and HT-29 cell lines) activities of the obtained compounds was tested, which compounds 4 and 5 demonstrated good anti-inflammatory with IC50 values of 25.41±2.30 µM and 31.70±3.82 µM, respectively.

Exploring Astrodaucus orientalis (L.) Drude: Phytochemical Analysis and its Biological Potential Against Alzheimer's and Diabetes.

In current study antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticholinesterase, and human carbonic anhydrase I, and II (hCA I and II) isoenzymes inhibition activities of Astrodaucus orientalis different parts were investigated. Achetylcholinesterse (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterse (BChE) inhibitory activities of octyl acetate were determined via molecular docking. Quantitative assessment of specific secondary metabolites was conducted using LC-MS/MS. An examination of chemical composition of essential oils was carried out by GC-MS/MS. A thorough exploration of plant's anatomical characteristics was undertaken. The highest phenolics level and DPPH antioxidant capacity were seen in root and fruit. Fruit essential oil demonstrated the highest AChE inhibition (44.13±3.61 %), while root dichloromethane sub-extract had the best inhibition towards BChE (86.13±2.58 %). Cytosolic hCA I, and II isoenzymes were influentially inhibited by root oil with 1.974 and 2.207 µM IC50 values, respectively. The most effective extracts were found to be root all extract/sub-extracts (except water) against C. tropicalis and C. krusei strains with MIC value 160>µg/mL. Sabinene (29.4 %), α-pinene (20.2 %); octyl acetate (54.3 %); myrcene (28.0 %); octyl octanoate (71.3 %) were found principal components of aerial parts, roots, flowers, and fruits, respectively. Flower essential oil, fruit dicloromethane and ethyl acetate exhibited potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with 900, 40, and 937 µg/mL IC50 values, respectively.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. apii race 4 threatening celery production in South Florida.

Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. apii (Foa), constitute a vascular disease affecting celery. This soil-borne pathogen is classified into four distinct pathogenic races: 1, 2, 3, and 4. Notably, race 4 emerges as the most virulent, representing the latest evolutionary development of this pathogen, which was first reported in 2013 in California. In 2022, celery plants in South Florida exhibited typical Fusarium wilt symptoms, with the disease reaching a 100% incidence and causing yield losses ranging from 20% to 100%. Given the significance of celery as a vegetable crop and the severity of this outbreak, the primary objective of this study was to identify and characterize the causal agent of Fusarium wilt in South Florida. The second goal aimed to test the pathogenicity and virulence of the Fusarium isolates from Florida on celery and parsley plants. Using race-specific primers and dual-loci phylogenetic analyses, the isolates surveyed in this study were identified as Foa race 4. Pathogenicity assays in the greenhouse showed that the Foa race 4 isolate from celery induced disease not only on the two celery cultivars (Duda 30 and Duda 71) but also on two commonly cultivated parsley varieties (Curly and Italian). Our study also revealed that Foa race 4 significantly (P < 0.05) affected plant health attributes in all cultivars, including plant height, total plant weight, and root weight. Interestingly, the pathogen exhibited higher (P < 0.0001) virulence on parsley than celery based on vascular discoloration. These findings strongly indicate the urgency of comprehending and managing Fusarium wilt on celery and related crops. Furthermore, the ability of Foa race 4 to affect different plant species highlights a potential threat to agricultural production, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to mitigate the impact of this virulent pathogen.

Complete chloroplast of four Sanicula taxa (Apiaceae) endemic to China: lights into genome structure, comparative analysis, and phylogenetic relationships.

BACKGROUND: The genus Sanicula comprises ca. 45 taxa, widely distributed from East Asia to North America, which is a taxonomically difficult genus with high medicinal value in Apiaceae. The systematic classification of the genus has been controversial for a long time due to varied characters in key morphological traits. China is one of the most important distributed centers, with ca. 18 species and two varieties. At present, chloroplast genomes are generally considered to be conservative and play an important role in evolutionary relationship study. To investigate the plastome evolution and phylogenetic relationships of Chinese Sanicula, we comprehensively analyzed the structural characteristics of 13 Chinese Sanicula chloroplasts and reconstructed their phylogenetic relationships. RESULTS: In present study, four newly complete chloroplast genome of Sanicula taxa by using Illumina sequencing were reported, with the typical quadripartite structure and 155,396-155,757 bp in size. They encoded 126 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 32 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. Genome structure, distributions of SDRs and SSRs, gene content, among Sanicula taxa, were similar. The nineteen intergenic spacers regions, including atpH-atpI, ndhC-trnM, petB-petD, petD-rpoA, petN-psbM, psaJ-rpl33, rbcL-accD, rpoB-trnC, rps16-trnQ, trnE-psbD, trnF-ndhJ, trnH-psbA, trnN-ndhF, trnS-psbZ, trnS-trnR, trnT-trnF, trnV-rps12, ycf3-trnS and ycf4-cemA, and one coding region (ycf1 gene) were the most variable. Results of maximum likelihood analysis based on 79 unique coding genes of 13 Chinese Sanicula samples and two Eryngium (Apiaceae-Saniculoideae) species as outgroup taxa revealed that they divided into four subclades belonged to two clades, and one subclade was consistent with previously traditional Sanicula section of its system. The current classification based on morphology at sect. Sanicla and Sect. Tuberculatae in Chinese Sanicula was not supported by analysis of cp genome phylogeny. CONCLUSIONS: The chloroplast genome structure of Sanicula was similar to other angiosperms and possessed the typical quadripartite structure with the conserved genome arrangement and gene features. However, their size varied owing to expansion/contraction of IR/SC boundaries. The variation of non-coding regions was larger than coding regions of the chloroplast genome. Phylogenetic analysis within these Chinese Sanicula were determined using the 79 unique coding genes. These results could provide important data for systematic, phylogenomic and evolutionary research in the genus for the future studies.

The plastid genome of twenty-two species from Ferula, Talassia, and Soranthus: comparative analysis, phylogenetic implications, and adaptive evolution.

BACKGROUND: The Ferula genus encompasses 180-185 species and is one of the largest genera in Apiaceae, with many of Ferula species possessing important medical value. The previous studies provided more information for Ferula, but its infrageneric relationships are still confusing. In addition, its genetic basis of its adaptive evolution remains poorly understood. Plastid genomes with more variable sites have the potential to reconstruct robust phylogeny in plants and investigate the adaptive evolution of plants. Although chloroplast genomes have been reported within the Ferula genus, few studies have been conducted using chloroplast genomes, especially for endemic species in China. RESULTS: Comprehensively comparative analyses of 22 newly sequenced and assembled plastomes indicated that these plastomes had highly conserved genome structure, gene number, codon usage, and repeats type and distribution, but varied in plastomes size, GC content, and the SC/IR boundaries. Thirteen mutation hotspot regions were detected and they would serve as the promising DNA barcodes candidates for species identification in Ferula and related genera. Phylogenomic analyses with high supports and resolutions showed that Talassia transiliensis and Soranthus meyeri were nested in the Ferula genus, and thus they should be transferred into the Ferula genus. Our phylogenies also indicated the monophyly of subgenera Sinoferula and subgenera Narthex in Ferula genus. Twelve genes with significant posterior probabilities for codon sites were identified in the positively selective analysis, and their function may relate to the photosystem II, ATP subunit, and NADH dehydrogenase. Most of them might play an important role to help Ferula species adapt to high-temperatures, strong-light, and drought habitats. CONCLUSION: Plastome data is powerful and efficient to improve the support and resolution of the complicated Ferula phylogeny. Twelve genes with significant posterior probabilities for codon sites were helpful for Ferula to adapt to the harsh environment. Overall, our study supplies a new perspective for comprehending the phylogeny and evolution of Ferula.

Identification of Apiaceae using ITS, ITS2 and psba-trnH barcodes.

Apiaceae plants are used as medicinal herbs, pesticides, spices, and vegetables; thus, accurately identifying Apiaceae species is important. The grassland ecosystem of Heilongjiang Province in northern China has huge reserves of wild Apiaceae plants, but few reports have systematically documented their diversity. In this study, 275 Apiaceae plants of 23 species in 18 genera were collected from this area. We identified Apiaceae species by using nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS/ITS2) and psbA-trnH (chloroplast non-coding region) sequences based on experimental data. The identification efficiency of ITS, ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences was determined and evaluated by sequence alignment and analysis, intraspecific and interspecific genetic distance analyses, and phylogenetic tree construction. ITS, ITS2 could distinguish 21 species from 17 genera of Apiaceae with good identification effect. When identifying species in the Apiaceae family, ITS2 can be used as the core barcode and psbA-trnH can be used as the supplementary barcode. These results can enrich the reference Apiaceae DNA barcode database.

Molecular phylogenetic study of flavonoids in medicinal plants: a case study family Apiaceae.

The current study examined the phylogenetic pattern of medicinal species of the family Apiaceae based on flavonoid groups production, as well as the overall mechanism of the key genes involved in flavonol and flavone production. Thirteen species of the family Apiaceae were used, including Eryngium campestre from the subfamily Saniculoideae, as well as Cuminum cyminum, Carum carvi, Coriandrum sativum, Apium graveolens, Petroselinum crispum, Pimpinella anisum, Anethum graveolens, Foeniculum vulgare, Daucus carota, Ammi majus, Torilis arvensis, and Deverra tortuosa from the subfamily Apioideae. The seeds were cultivated, and the leaves were collected to estimate flavonoids and their groups, physiological factors, transcription levels of flavonol and flavone production-related genes. The phylogenetic relationship between the studied species was established using the L-ribosomal 16 (rpl16) chloroplast gene. The results revealed that the studied species were divided into two patterns: six plant species, E. campestre, C. carvi, C. sativum, P. anisum, An. graveolens, and D. carota, contained low content of flavonoids, while the other seven species had high content. This pattern of flavonoids production coincided with the phylogenetic relationships between the studied species. In contrast, the phylogeny of the flavonol and flavone synthase genes was incompatible with the quantitative production of their products. The study concluded that the increment in the production of flavonol depends on the high expression of chalcone synthase, chalcone isomerase, flavanone 3 hydroxylase, flavonol synthase, the increase of Abscisic acid, sucrose, and phenyl ammonia lyase, while flavone mainly depends on evolution and on the high expression of the flavone synthase gene.

Essential Oil Composition of Fruits of Eight Ferulago Species Growing in Türkiye and Multivariate Statistical Analyses.

In this study, the composition of the volatile oils obtained from the fruits of 8 Ferulago species (Ferulago cassia Boiss., F. isaurica Pesmen, F. humilis Boiss., F. macrosciadia Boiss. & Balansa, F. setifolia K.Koch, F. silaifolia (Boiss.) Boiss., F. syriaca Boiss., F. trojana Akalin & Pimenov) growing naturally in Türkiye were examined by means of GC/MS and GC-FID and α-pinene was determined to be present in the fruits of four species along with other monoterpenes as major components. Principal Component Analyses (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) was performed, utilizing ten major components in the eight essential oils. Also, a Venn diagram was used to demonstrate chemotaxonomical variations in the composition of the essential oils of eight Ferulago species.

Essential Oils of Ferulago glareosa Kandemir&Hedge Roots and Aerial Parts: PCA and HCA Analyses.

Ferulago glareosa Kandemir & Hedge. is an endemic species of the family Apiaceae for Turkey and has interesting morphological characteristics compared to the other members of the genus Ferulago Koch. In this study we investigated the essential oil compositions of the roots and aerial parts of F. glareosa for the first time and compared them with essential oil compositions of the roots and aerial parts of other species of the genus. In our study, major components of the essential oil of the roots were determined to be 2,3,6-trimethylbenzaldehyde (32.2 %), falcarinol (23.7 %), hexadecanoic acid (9.5 %) and 2,5-dimethoxy-p-cymene (5.9 %); and major components of the essential oil of the aerial parts were found to be α-pinene (33.7 %), p-cymene (14.8 %), γ-terpinene (13.2 %), (Z)-ß-ocimene (12.4 %) and terpinolene (8.2 %). The essential oil compositions of F. glareosa root compare with essential oils components in the literature differ varies greatly. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) was performed with Minitab software, utilizing 8 major components in the published 20 literatures, as well as in this study. Principal Component Analyses (PCA) were used in order to demonstrate chemotaxonomical variations in the composition of the essential oils of Ferulago species.

Novel Cytotoxic Sesquiterpene Ester Derivatives from the Roots of Ferula mervynii.

This study is the first chemical investigation of Ferula mervynii M. Sagiroglu & H. Duman, an endemic species to Eastern Anatolia. The isolations of nine compounds including six previously undescribed sesquiterpene esters, 8-trans-cinnamoyltovarol (1), 8-trans-cinnamoylantakyatriol (3), 6-acetyl-8-trans-cinnamoyl-3-epi-antakyatriol (5), 6-acetyl-8-trans-cinnamoylshiromodiol (6), 6-acetyl-8-trans-cinnamoylfermedurone (7), and 6-acetyl-8-trans-cinnamoyl-(1S),2-epoxyfermedurone (8), were described along with three known sesquiterpene esters, 6-acetyl-8-benzoyltovarol (2), 6-acetyl-8-trans-cinnamoylantakyatriol (4), and ferutinin (9). The structures of novel compounds were elucidated through extensive spectroscopic analyses and quantum chemistry calculations. The putative biosynthetic pathways for compounds 7 and 8 were discussed. The extracts and isolated compounds were tested for cytotoxic activity against the COLO 205, K-562, MCF-7 cancer cell lines, and Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell (HUVEC) lines using MTT assay. Compound 4 showed the highest activity against the MCF-7 cell lines with an IC50 value of 16.74±0.21 µM.

First report of konjac mosaic virus in Spuriopimpinella brachycarpa in Korea.

Spuriopimpinella brachycarpa Nakai (Common name, Chamnamul; family Apiaceae) is a plant whose leaves are consumed as a vegetable and used as a folk medicine in Korea (Kim et al., 2020). In February 2020, seven samples of S. brachycarpa leaf showing virus symptoms including yellowing, vein chlorosis, chlorotic lesions, and severe mottling were collected from a greenhouse in Busan, South Korea, to diagnose the potential disease (Fig. S1a, b). The disease incidence rate in the greenhouse was >10% (2,970 m2). To identify the causal virus, we analyzed leaf dip preparation and thin sections of the symptomatic leaves by transmission electron microscopy. Filamentous virus particles and pinwheel structures were observed, indicating the presence of a potyvirus (Fig. S1c, d). To confirm these results, the symptomatic leaf samples were further analyzed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using potyvirus universal primers (Table S2) and direct sequencing of the PCR products. All samples were positive for konjac mosaic virus (KoMV). To exclude the possibility of infection by multiple viruses, we performed high-throughput sequencing (HTS) on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 system (Macrogen Inc., Seoul, South Korea). There were two contigs (9,267 and 2,851 nt) mapping to KoMV sequences. A large contig (9,267 nt; 705,967 mapped reads; mean read coverage of 11,351.4x) showed about 80% identity (93% coverage) with KoMV-F (GenBank accession no. NC_007913) isolated from Amorphophallus konjac in Japan (Nishiguchi et al., 2006). To isolate KoMV from S. brachycarpa, we mechanically inoculated leaf extracts from symptomatic samples onto Chenopodium quinoa as an assay host via three single-lesion passages, followed by propagation in Nicotiana benthamiana. In a bioassay of the KoMV isolate (KoMV-BS), we mechanically inoculated sap from infected N. benthamiana onto 31 indicator plants including Cryptotaenia japonica (Apiaceae), which is similar to S. brachycarpa (Table S3). KoMV-BS systemically induced vein chlorosis and/or leaf mottling in four Nicotiana species and C. japonica, and chlorotic local lesions in upper leaves of C. quinoa; no symptoms were observed in 25 other indicator plants. These results were confirmed by RT-PCR. Next, we obtained the complete genome sequence of KoMV-BS using HTS and 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends, with newly designed primers (Table S2). The assembled full-length KoMV-BS genome sequence was 9,392 nt in length, excluding the poly(A) tail, and encoded a polyprotein composed of 3,060 amino acids. The sequence was deposited in GenBank (accession no. OR001914). BLAST analysis showed 84~88% and 90~98% identities at CP nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively with the reported KoMV isolates, confirming the virus to be an isolate of KoMV (synonym; Japanese hornwort mosaic virus, zantedeschia mosaic virus) (Adams et al., 2005; Nishiguchi et al., 2006). KoMV infection was first reported in A. konjac from Japan (Shimoyama et al. 1992) and has been spread worldwide as one of the major causal agents of viral diseases in calla lily (Liao et al., 2020). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of KoMV infection in S. brachycarpa. To date, cucumber mosaic virus and tobacco mosaic virus have been reported to infect S. brachycarpa in Korea (Yoon et al., 2016; 2017). Our findings will be helpful for developing virus-management strategies to prevent yield and quality loss in S. brachycarpa.

Chemistry, Bioactivity, and Prediction of the Quality Marker (Q-Marker) of Ferula Plants in China: A Review.

The genus of Ferula belongs to the family Apiaceae, and many Ferula plants are used as traditional Chinese medicines. Ferula plants were initially identified as early as the "Newly Revised Materia Medica" written in the Tang Dynasty (AD 659), and several of them are also recognized as the traditional medicines of the Uygur, Kazakh, and Mongolian. Ferula plants are distributed in China, Russia, India, Africa, Central Asia, and other places. Currently, the chemical components derived from Ferula plants are mainly coumarins, sesquiterpenes, and volatile oils. Ferula plants can exhibit diverse pharmacological activities such as anti-allergy, analgesia, relieving cough, anticoagulation, and anti-tumor. Therefore, this article summarized the domestic research conducted on the genus Ferula, appropriately combines the research status of the foreign genus Ferula, and describes the chemical composition, biological activity, toxicity issues, and Q-marker prediction. In addition, all the related studies about the genus Ferula are summarized by analyzing the various databases such as CNKI, Wanfang data, PubChem and SciFinder.

Characteristics of Phenolic Compounds in Peucedanum japonicum According to Various Stem and Seed Colors.

Total polyphenol and total flavonoid assays were performed to characterize the relationships between the color of Peucedanum japonicum (PJ) seed coat and stem and the content of phytochemical compounds. The samples were divided into two groups based on their stem and seed coat color, with each group containing 23 samples. The stem color group was subdivided into green, light red, and red, whereas the seed coat color group was divided into light brown, brown, and dark brown. In the stem color group, the light red stems exhibited the highest content of phytochemical compounds, with levels over 10% higher than those of the stems of the other colors. Moreover, among the top ten samples with the highest total polyphenol content, eight samples were light red, and the light red group also exhibited the highest total flavonoid content among the examined color groups. In terms of the seed coat color, the plants grown from dark brown seeds exhibited the highest contents of both total polyphenols and total flavonoids. In conclusion, PJ plants with dark brown seeds and light red stems contained the highest levels of phytochemical compounds. Collectively, our findings provide a valuable basis for future seed selection of PJ for pharmaceutical purposes.

Apiaceae Medicinal Plants in China: A Review of Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Bolting and Flowering (BF), and BF Control Methods.

Apiaceae plants have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the removing dampness, relieving superficies, and dispelling cold, etc. In order to exploit potential applications as well as improve the yield and quality of Apiaceae medicinal plants (AMPs), the traditional use, modern pharmacological use, phytochemistry, effect of bolting and flowering (BF), and approaches for controlling BF were summarized. Currently, about 228 AMPs have been recorded as TCMs, with 6 medicinal parts, 79 traditional uses, 62 modern pharmacological uses, and 5 main kinds of metabolites. Three different degrees (i.e., significantly affected, affected to some extent, and not significantly affected) could be classed based on the yield and quality. Although the BF of some plants (e.g., Angelica sinensis) could be effectively controlled by standard cultivation techniques, the mechanism of BF has not yet been systemically revealed. This review will provide useful references for the reasonable exploration and high-quality production of AMPs.

Ethnobotany, Biological Activities and Phytochemical Compounds of Some Species of the Genus Eryngium (Apiaceae), from the Central-Western Region of Mexico.

There are approximately 250 species of Eryngium L. distributed throughout the world, with North America and South America being centers of diversity on this continent. In the central-western region of Mexico there may be around 28 species of this genus. Some Eryngium species are cultivated as leafy vegetables, ornamental, and medicinal plants. In traditional medicine they are used to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, among others. This review addresses the phytochemistry and biological activities, as well as traditional uses, distribution, and characteristics of the eight species of Eryngium reported as medicinal in the central-western region of Mexico: E. cymosum, E. longifolium, E. fluitans (or mexicanum), E. beecheyanum, E. carlinae, E. comosum, E. heterophyllum, and E. nasturtiifolium. The extracts of the different Eryngium spp. have shown biological activities such as hypoglycemic, hypocholesterolemic, renoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant, among others. E. carlinae is the most studied species, and phytochemical analyses, performed mainly by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), have shown its content of terpenoids, fatty acids, organic acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, sterols, saccharides, polyalcohols, and aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. According to the results of this review on Eryngium spp., they constitute a relevant alternative as a source of bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical, food, and other industries. However, there is a lot of research to be conducted regarding phytochemistry, biological activities, cultivation, and propagation, in those species with few or no reports.

Novel Cytotoxic Sesquiterpene Coumarin Ethers and Sulfur-Containing Compounds from the Roots of Ferula turcica.

Six new sesquiterpene coumarin ethers, namely turcicanol A (1), turcicanol A acetate (2), turcicanol B (3), turcica ketone (4), 11'-dehydrokaratavicinol (5), and galbanaldehyde (6), and one new sulfur-containing compound, namely turcicasulphide (7), along with thirty-two known secondary metabolites were isolated from the root of the endemic species Ferula turcica Akalin, Miski, & Tuncay through a bioassay-guided isolation approach. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and comparison with the literature. Cell growth inhibition of colon cancer cell lines (COLO205 and HCT116) and kidney cancer cell lines (UO31 and A498) was used to guide isolation. Seventeen of the compounds showed significant activity against the cell lines.