Xin-Yue Zhang's research while affiliated with Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology and other places

Gegen Qinlian Decoction(GQD) is commonly used for the clinical treatment of ulcerative colitis(UC) and other diseases, but its compatibility mechanism has not been elucidated systematically. In this study, the compatibility mechanism of GQD against UC was revealed based on the blood components in the mouse model of UC by network pharmacology. The targets of blood components of GQD were collected to construct a protein-protein interaction(PPI) network. The key targets were screened out according to the topological parameters of the network, and 16 core components were identified, such as puerarin, chrysin, berberine, and liquiritigenin, based on the key targets in the blood components. Functional enrichment analysis was performed on the key targets, and the regulatory network of the prescription was constructed, which elucidated the compatibility mechanism of the Chinese herbal drugs in the prescription at both target and pathway levels. The results showed that all the Chinese herbal drugs in GQD had heat-clearing and toxin-removing effects, and the four Chinese herbal drugs synergistically exerted their effects by co-regulating protooncogenes, such as FOS and JUN, and characteristically regulating signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) and interleukin-6(IL-6). The pathway analysis revealed that GQD exerted heat-clearing and toxin-removing effects mainly by regulating the inflammatory response-related signaling pathways, such as Toll-like receptor, tumor necrosis factor(TNF), and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK). Furthermore, the study revealed the synergistic effects of Chinese herbal drugs in GQD based on the TNF signaling pathway. The results showed that the sovereign drug Puerariae Lobatae Radix played a primary role in the regulation of targets in the TNF signaling pathway, the minister drugs Scutellariae Radix and Coptidis Rhizoma showed the synergistic effects with Puerariae Lobatae Radix, and the assistant and guiding drug Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma supported Puerariae Lobatae Radix in the key target NF-κB and the process of cell adhesion. The drugs in GQD showed good characteristics of compatibility in the TNF signaling pathway. This study is expected to provide the basis for the further exploration of the compatibility mechanism of GQD.

The germination of carrot seeds is a complex regulatory process and the relationship between phytohormone and carrot seed germination is unclear. We performed morphological observation, transcriptome sequencing, phytohormone content determination, and gene expression profiles analysis. The results showed that the white hypocotyls of carrot seeds grew rapidly on the 3 d, and cotyledons unfold on the 8 d. A total of 745 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to plant hormone signal transduction were identified at different germination stages (3, 5, 8 d), and most of the genes were up-regulated obviously in the later stage. The content of GA3 reached its peak on the first day of germination, with a content of 7.12 ng/g FW, and showed a trend of first decreasing, then increasing and decreasing. And the trend of GA4 content change was similar to GA3 content from 2 d to 8 d. The contents of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) showed a gradual increasing trend, while the content of abscisic acid (ABA) gradually decreased. The results of RT-qPCR showed that DcGA3ox1 and DcAOC expressed decreased, while DcGA20ox2 and DcYUCCA increased in the whole process. These results provide potential new insights for the efficient production of carrots..

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), which is one of the most critical plant diseases, is transmitted by Bemisia tabaci. TYLCV is a devastating disease of tomato, seriously affecting the growth of infected tomato plants. MYB transcription factors play central roles in plant development and pathogen defense response, but their functions in tomato defense response to TYLCV infection remain incompletely understood. In this study, a tomato MYB gene, SlMYB28 was identified. The open reading frame of SlMYB28 gene spans 702 bp, encoding 233 amino acids. SlMYB28 is an R2R3-MYB transcription factor. Nuclear localization assays revealed that SlMYB28 protein localizes to the nucleus. In the promoter region of SlMYB28 gene, a few cis-elements related to plant development or environmental stress responses were observed. SlMYB28 expression was strongly induced by TYLCV infection in TYLCV-susceptible cultivar ‘Jinpeng-1’and TYLCV-resistant cultivar ‘Zheza-301’. We further investigated the function of SlMYB28 in response to TYLCV by using virus-induced gene silencing. DNA content of TYLCV in SlMYB28-silenced tomato plant was lower than that of the negative control line. These results imply the involvement of SlMYB28 as a negative regulator in regulation of TYLCV infection in tomato.

Water dropwort is one of Apiaceae vegetables. Dark treatment could help to promote the degradation of chlorophyll and improve exterior quality and flavor of vegetable crops. Previous studies showed that the chlorophylls content would dramatically reduce in the dark, while the chlorophylls content would be promoted after regular light recovery. However, the understanding of the metabolic mechanism is limited in water dropwort. We treated the water dropwort under the dark at 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 25 days, then, recovered with regular light for 2 and 4 days, respectively. The total of chlorophylls content gradually degraded and the chlorophyll a content decreased faster than chlorophyll b content during dark treatment in water dropwort. After regular light recovery, the expression levels of the genes related to chlorophyll synthesis and transformation were increased, while the expression levels of PPH and PAO degradation-related genes decreased gradually. The water dropwort sprouted a large amount of newborn petioles and leaf blades after 16 days dark treatment. After regular light recovery, chlorophyll content and gene expression level both increased slowly. The plants would maintain lower chlorophyll content for a long time and have a longer shelf-life after 16 days dark treatment. Taken together, the results suggested that the best time of blanching culture for water dropwort is 16 days. This study could help to elucidate the chlorophyll metabolism in water dropwort during blanching culture and provide new perspectives for screening the best time of dark treatment for water dropwort.

Apigenin and anthocyanin biosyntheses share common precursors in plants. Flavone synthase (FNS) converts naringenin into apigenin in higher plants. Celery is an important edible and medical vegetable crop that contains apigenin in its tissues. However, the effect of high AgFNS gene expression on the apigenin and anthocyanins contents of purple celery remains to be elucidated. In this study, the AgFNS gene was cloned from purple celery (‘Nanxuan liuhe purple celery’) and overexpressed in this purple celery to determine its influence on anthocyanins and apigenin contents. Results showed that the AgFNS gene was 1,068 bp, which encodes 355 amino acid residues. Evolution analysis showed that the AgFNS protein belongs to the FSN I type. In AgFNS transgenic celery, the anthocyanins content in petioles was lower than that wild-type celery plants. Apigenin content increased in the petioles of AgFNS transgenic celery. The transcript levels of the AgPAL, AgC4H, AgCHS, and AgCHI genes were up-regulated, whereas those of the AgF3H, AgF3′H, AgDFR, AgANS, and Ag3GT genes were down-regulated in the petioles of AgFNS transgenic plants compared with wild-type celery plants. This work provides basic knowledge about the function of the AgFNS gene in the anthocyanin and apigenin biosyntheses of celery.

The male-sterile carrot is an effective material for carrot breeding. The atp6 gene is involved in carrot fertility. However, the differences in lengths, copies, and expression profiles of the atp6 gene in fertile and male-sterile lines of carrot are unclear. In this study, one copy atp6 gene was found in the mtDNAs of ‘Kuroda’ (fertility, 954 bp) and ‘Wuye-BY’ (male sterility, 819 bp) carrot lines, while two copies atp6 genes (Wuye-L and Wuye-D, 954 bp and 819 bp, respectively) were found in the mtDNA of ‘Wuye’ (fertility). Two putative conserved domains have been detected in the carrot atp6 protein. Evolutionary analysis showed that the atp6 protein sequences of Wuye-L and Kuroda were clustered in the same branch, while Wuye-D and Wuye-BY were clustered in the same branch. The atp6 gene was higher expressed in the flowers of ‘Kuroda’ and ‘Wuye’ (Wuye-L), while lower expressed in ‘Wuye-BY’ and ‘Wuye’ (Wuye-D).

Key message Carrot root development associates lignin deposition and regulation. Abstract Carrot is consumed worldwide and is a good source of nutrients. However, excess lignin deposition may reduce the taste and quality of carrot root. Molecular mechanisms underlying lignin accumulation in carrot are still lacking. To address this problem, we collected taproots of wild and cultivated carrots at five developmental stages and analyzed the lignin content and characterized the lignin distribution using histochemical staining and autofluorescence microscopy. Genes involved in lignin biosynthesis were identified, and their expression profiles were determined. Results showed that lignin was mostly deposited in xylem vessels of carrot root. In addition, lignin content continuously decreased during root development, which was achieved possibly by reducing the expression of the genes involved in lignin biosynthesis. Carrot root may also prevent cell lignification to meet the demands of taproot growth. Our results will serve as reference for lignin biosynthesis in carrot and may also assist biologists to improve carrot quality.