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Abstract Whether ex situ populations constructed in the limited nursery resources of botanical gardens can preserve enough genetic diversity of endangered plants in the wild remains uncertain. Here, a case study was conducted with Camellia tunghinensis, which is one of the species with the lowest natural distribution area in the sect. Chrysantha (golden camellia) of the family Theaceae. We investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of 229 samples from wild and ex situ populations using genotyping by sequencing (GBS). Core germplasm was constructed from these samples. The results showed that wild C. tunghinensis exhibited high genetic diversity, with observed heterozygosity of 0.257–0.293 and expected heterozygosity of 0.247–0.262. Compared with wild populations, the genetic diversity of ex situ populations established by transplanting wild seedlings was close to or even higher. However, the genetic diversity of those established by seed or cuttings of a few superior trees was lower. The Admixture analysis revealed that the structure of the ex situ populations derived from seeds and cuttings was relatively simple compared with the ex situ populations derived from transplanted wild seedlings and wild populations. These results suggested that direct transplanting of wild seedlings was more conducive to preserving the genetic diversity of endangered plants in the wild. In addition, wild populations demonstrated a small differentiation (mean FST = 0.044) among themselves, possibly due to long‐term and frequent gene flow between the wild populations. In contrast, moderate differentiation (mean FST > 0.05) was detected among ex situ populations and between ex situ and wild populations. This may be the combined result of the absence of gene flow pathways and strong selection pressure in various ex situ environments. Finally, 77 core germplasms were extracted from 229, likely representing the genetic diversity of C. tunghinensis. This study provides future strategies for the ex situ conservation and management of the golden camellia species and other rare and endangered plants.

In order to study the calcium speciation characteristics in leaves of golden Camellia species under different habitats, 10 species of golden Camellia from calcareous soil habitats and four species from acidic soil habitats were used as the research objects. The calcium content (Soil-Ca) and pH (Soil-pH) of habitat soil, and the contents of calcium nitrate and calcium chloride (AIC-Ca), water soluble organic acid calcium (H2O-Ca), calcium pectate (NaCl-Ca), calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate (HAC-Ca), calcium oxalate (HCl-Ca), calcium silicate (Res-Ca), and total calcium (Tot-Ca) of leaves were measured. The results were as follows: (1) the Soil-Ca and Soil-pH of calcareous soil were extremely significantly (P

In order to clarify the nutritional value characteristics and development and utilization direction of different parts of the rare karst plant Malania oleifera,, the mature fruits, leaf, branch bark and bark of M. oleifera collected from Jiaole Tiankeng, Bama County, Hechi City, Guangxi were used as materials in this study. The types and contents of essential nutrients, amino acids and minerals in different parts of M. oleifera were determined by the national standard analysis method of food nutrients in China, and the nutritional values of amino acids in different parts were evaluated. The results were as follows: (1) In terms of essential nutrients, except for naphtha, there were extremely significant differences in the contents of the remaining six essential nutrients among five parts (P

Keteleeria davidiana var. calcarea is an endangered plant endemic to China. It is mainly distributed in the karst areas of the Guangxi and Guizhou Provinces. It is characterized by small populations and intermittent distribution. This study aimed to explore the genetic diversity and mating system of wild populations of Keteleeria davidiana var. calcarea in fragmented habitats. To achieve this, we genotyped 46 maternal trees and 214 progenies from four fragmented populations of Keteleeria davidiana var. calcarea using nine pairs of microsatellite primers. The genetic diversity of Keteleeria davidiana var. calcarea (Ho = 0.68, He = 0.63) was lower than that of the species overall but higher than that of other Keteleeria plants. The incidence of unbiased expected heterozygosity (uHe) and allelic richness (Ar) was higher in the maternal generation than in the progeny. This suggests that the genetic diversity of the progeny was lower than that of the maternal generation. Keteleeria davidiana var. calcarea is divided into four populations, but there is significant genetic exchange between the populations according to STRUCTURE and gene flow analyses. The multilocus mating system analysis (MLTR) results indicate that the multilocus outcrossing rate (tm) was 0.902, the single-locus outcrossing rate (ts) was 0.606, the bimaternal inbreeding coefficient (tm-ts) was 0.295, and the coefficient of inbreeding depression(δ) was 0.904. These results suggest a certain degree of selfing and inbreeding in Keteleeria davidiana var. calcarea. To prevent problems associated with inbreeding and conserve the genetic diversity of Keteleeria davidiana var. calcarea, we recommend establishing seed gardens, using artificial pollination, and employing asexual propagation techniques for conservation intervention.

Mycorrhizal fungi plays important roles in the seed germination and subsequent growth of orchids. The research of fungi in orchid roots, especially dominant mycorrhizal fungi is critical for orchids protection. In this study, the fungal community and composition of mycorrhizal fungi in roots, rhizomes and rhizosphere soil of Bulbophyllum tianguii grown in three terrestrial environments were analyzed by the second generation sequencing technology. The results of OTU clustering and α and β diversity analysis showed that there were significant differences in fungal communities in roots, rhizomes and rhizosphere soil of B. tianguii. The total number of OTUs in rhizomes was much less than that in roots and rhizosphere soil. The number of OTUs in rhizosphere soil and the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi were the highest. Meanwhile, the species and abundance of mycorrhizal fungi in roots and rhizomes of B. tianguii were different from those in rhizosphere soil. For different elevations, compared with B. tianguii that grow in middle of Tiankeng and top of Tiankeng, the OTUs number of B. tianguii in orchid garden is richest, and the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi in orchid garden was significantly higher than other locations. Among the three different habitats of B. tianguii, the number of OTUs in humus soil and stone habitats was notably higher than tree habitats, and the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi in humus soil was the highest. The analysis of mycorrhizal fungi in different habitats and altitudes of B. tianguii showed that Sebacina and Exophiala were the dominant mycorrhizal fungi in B. tianguii. The results of species annotation, phylogenetic tree and co-occurrence network analysis showed the dominant mycorrhizal fungi of B. tianguii mainly included Sebacina, Cladosporium, Exophiala, Fusarium. This study reveals the symbiotic relationship between Sebacina, Exophiala, Cladosporium and the B. Tianguii. It will provide a theoretical basis for the protection and biological function study of B. Tianguii.

Golden Camellia species are highly specific to certain soil environments. Most species are only native to calcareous soils in karst regions, except for a few that grow only in acidic soils. Our aim is to elucidate the adaptation mechanisms of the species of calcareous-soil golden Camellia (CSC) and acidic-soil golden Camellia (ASC) to habitat soils through plant–soil nutrient characteristics and their relationships. We investigated 30 indices for soils and plants. Compared with ASC, CSC had more fertile soil, while their plant tissues exhibited stronger Ca, P, and Mn and weaker K storage, which may be important mechanisms for adapting to habitat soils. However, ASC showed a higher biological absorption coefficient (BAC) for nutrients, which may contribute to the adaptation of ASC to relatively barren acidic soils. Both CSC and ASC showed much higher BAC and accumulation of Ca than other nutrients. We also found that the concentrations of nutrients in the different tissues varied considerably between species. Correlation analysis revealed 135 significant relationships between the 30 indices, with the soil pH and soil Ca levels being the most important factors influencing the nutrient uptake network. This information helps in understanding the adaptation mechanisms of karst plants to habitat soils.

Background: GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is a four-carbon nonprotein amino acid that has hypotensive, diuretic, and tranquilizing properties. Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) is the key enzyme to generate GABA. A simple and economical method of preparing and immobilizing GAD would be helpful for GABA production. In this study, the GAD from Lactobacillus fermentum YS2 was expressed under the control of a stress-inducible promoter and was purified and immobilized in a fusion form, and its reusability was investigated. Results: The fusion protein CBM-GAD was expressed in Escherichia coli DH5α carrying pCROCB-gadB, which contained promoter PrpoS, cbm3 (family 3 carbohydrate-binding module from Clostridium thermocellum) coding sequence, the gadB gene from L. fermentum YS2 coding for GAD, and the T7 terminator. After a one-step purification of CBM-GAD using regenerated amorphous cellulose (RAC) as an adsorbent, SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a clear band of 71 kDa; the specific activity of the purified fusion protein CBM-GAD reached 83.6 ± 0.7 U·mg-1. After adsorption onto RAC, the immobilized GAD with CBM3 tag was repeatedly used for GABA synthesis. The protein-binding capacity of RAC was 174 ± 8 mg·g-1. The immobilized CBM-GAD could repeatedly catalyze GABA synthesis, and 8% of the initial activities was retained after 10 uses. We tested the conversion of monosodium glutamate to GABA by the immobilized enzyme; the yield reached 5.15 g/L and the productivity reached 3.09 g/L·h. Conclusions: RAC could be used as an adsorbent in one-step purification and immobilization of CBM-GAD, and the immobilized enzyme could be repeatedly used to catalyze the conversion of glutamate to GABA.

Liquidambar formosana (Hamamelidaceae) is a tertiary relic species widely distributed in subtropical areas, and is a common endemic broad-leaved tree species in south China. Here, we report and describe for the first time the complete chloroplast genome of L. formosana based on Illumina double-ended sequencing data. The complete plastid genome was 160,425 bp, which contained inverted repeats (IR) of 26,266 bp separated by a large single-copy (LSC) and a small single-copy (SSC) of 88,971 bp and 18,922 bp, respectively. The cpDNA contains 132 genes, comprising 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the plastome is 37.9%. The phylogenetic analysis of 18 selected chloroplast genomes demonstrated that L. formosana was close to the species Sinowilsonia henryi.

The herb pair is the basic form of compatibility and application of traditional Chinese medicine. Herb pairs have the advantages of simple structure, clear compatibility and effective characteristics, and are suitable for scientific research. Rhizoma Coptidis-Fructus Evodiae is a relatively fixed combination of two herbs commonly used in clinical Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine uses it to treat various diseases caused by damp-heat accumulation in the liver and gallbladder, and spleen and stomach. The two medicines in the herb pair are opposite in nature but complement each other, and can achieve a great effect based on simple combination. Modern research shows that the herb pair has a w'ide range of pharmacological effects and good anti-tumor, analgesic, bacteriostatic and anti-inflammatory activity, and show good curative effects on stress ulcers, functional dyspepsia, chronic colitis, etc. This paper reviewed the research progress on the herb pair of Rhizoma Coptidis-Fructus Evodiae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignancies and can occur at any time in a woman's life. This paper analyzed the etiology and pathogenesis of ovarian cancer in traditional Chinese medicine, and simply sorted out the methods and means of oral administration and external application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of ovarian cancer, hoping to provide new therapeutic ideas for the treatment of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata contains alkaloids, flavonoids, polysaccharides, organic acids and organic alkalis, among which diester alkaloids are important effective ingredients, which can be used for treating heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, coronary heart disease, hypotension, shock and other diseases. However, it also contains the main ingredients that produce toxic effects and are highly toxic to the cardiovascular system, nervous system, digestive system, reproductive system, embryos, and livers and kidneys. In this study, we analyzed the toxicity-reducing and efficacy-enhancing effects of the compatibility of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata with with single herbs Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, Zingiber ojjicinale Rose, and Rheumpalmatum L., aiming to provide references for further exploring the appropriate compatibility conditions of traditional Chinese medicine in the future and improving the safety of the clinical application of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional Chinese medicine Aconm Lateral is Radix Praeparaia ( Fuzi) is pungent and sweet in taste, hot in nature, and has high toxicity. It governs the meridians of the heart, kidney and spleen. It has the functions of restoring yang to save from collapse, dispersing cold and removing dampness, and warming the middle to relieve pain. It is often used for the treatment of yang collapse, cold limbs, weak pulse, heart yang deficiency, heart pain due to chest impediment, abdominal cold-pain, kidney yang deficiency, impotence and cold in womb, and syndrome of exogenous disease due to yang deficiency, etc. Its great yang qi and strong medicinal properties often bring about toxic and adverse effects. However, after processing or combination with other medicinal materials, the effects of Aconm Lateralis Radix Praeparaia are quite different. Not only the toxicity is greatly reduced, but also the curative effects are strengthened. Through searching related literature, this paper reviewed the researches about the toxicity reduction and curative effect improvement of Aconm Lateralis Radix Praeparaia, in order to provide a certain theoretic reference for future further research of Aconm Lateralis Radix Praeparaia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]