Chemistry of zerumbone. 2. Regulation of ring bond cleavage and unique antibacterial activities of zerumbone derivatives.
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Further investigation of the chemistry of the eleven-membered cyclic sesquiterpene, zerumbone, the major component of the wild ginger, Zingiber zerumbet Smith, has revealed a new selective epoxidation process, a further example of a novel Favorskii-initiated double ring contraction, and a regiospecific fragmentation of zerumbone dibromide derivatives. Several zerumbone derivatives were found to be selective inhibitors of the growth of gram-positive bacteria. (+info)
Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and phylogenetic analysis of floral genes from a paleoherb species, Asarum caudigerum.
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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Asarum caudigerum (Aristolochiaceae) is an important species of paleoherb in relation to understanding the origin and evolution of angiosperm flowers, due to its basal position in the angiosperms. The aim of this study was to isolate floral-related genes from A. caudigerum, and to infer evolutionary relationships among florally expression-related genes, to further illustrate the origin and diversification of flowers in angiosperms. METHODS: A subtracted floral cDNA library was constructed from floral buds using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). The cDNA of floral buds and leaves at the seedling stage were used as a tester and a driver, respectively. To further identify the function of putative MADS-box transcription factors, phylogenetic trees were reconstructed in order to infer evolutionary relationships within the MADS-box gene family. KEY RESULTS: In the forward-subtracted floral cDNA library, 1920 clones were randomly sequenced, from which 567 unique expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained. Among them, 127 genes failed to show significant similarity to any published sequences in GenBank and thus are putatively novel genes. CONCLUSIONS: Phylogenetic analysis indicated that a total of 29 MADS-box transcription factors were members of the APETALA3(AP3) subfamily, while nine others were putative MADS-box transcription factors that formed a cluster with MADS-box genes isolated from Amborella, the basal-most angiosperm, and those from the gymnosperms. This suggests that the origin of A. caudigerum is intermediate between the angiosperms and gymnosperms. (+info)
Deep sequencing of plant and animal DNA contained within traditional Chinese medicines reveals legality issues and health safety concerns.
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