Discrimination of the rare medicinal plant Dendrobium officinale based on naringenin, bibenzyl, and polysaccharides

The aim of this study was to establish a method for discriminating Dendrobium officinale from four of its close relatives Dendrobium chrysanthum, Dendrobium crystallinum, Dendrobium aphyllum and Dendrobium devonianum based on chemical composition analysis. We analyzed 62 samples of 24 Dendrobium species. High performance liquid chromatography analysis confirmed that the four low molecular weight compounds 4??,5,7-trihydroxyflavanone (naringenin), 3,4-dihydroxy-4??,5-dime-thoxybibenzyl (DDB-2), 3??,4-dihydroxy-3,5??-dimethoxybibenzyl (gigantol), and 4,4??-dihydroxy-3,3??,5-trimethoxybibenzy (moscatilin), were common in the genus. The phenol-sulfuric acid method was used to quantify polysaccharides, and the monosaccharide composition of the polysaccharides was determined by gas chromatography. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to differentiate among the five closely related species based on the chemical composition analysis. This proved to be a simple and accurate approach for discriminating among these species. The results also showed that the polysaccharide content, the amounts of the four low molecular weight compounds, and the mannose to glucose ratio, were important factors for species discriminant. Therefore, we propose that a chemical analysis based on quantification of naringenin, bibenzyl, and polysaccharides is effective for identifying D. officinale.     

Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analysis of Dendrobium officinale at Different Altitudes

In order to investigate the differences in the chemical composition of Dendrobium officinale at different altitudes, we collected Dendrobium officinale from different altitudes in Guizhou Province, China, and firstly determined its polysaccharide content by using a sulfuric acid-phenol color development method with reference to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and further determined its metabolites by using widely targeted metabolomics, and explored the differences in the chemical composition of Dendrobium officinale at different altitudes using multivariate statistical analysis. We found that the polysaccharide content was higher in plants growing at 1122 m, a total of 902 secondary metabolites were detected by wildly targeted metabolomics, and amino acids and their derivatives were more highly expressed at 1122 m, while other metabolites were more highly expressed at 835 m. Furthermore, we found that the phenolic acid compound nerugein was only present in plants at 835 m, and two lipid compounds, namely Lyso PE 20 : 4 and its isomer, were only present at 1122 m. Taken together, these results may provide a basis for the selection and clinical application of D. officinale cultivated at different altitudes.     

转录组和代谢组分析瘤菌根菌对铁皮石斛的促生机制

为筛选出促进铁皮石斛(Dendrobium officinale)生长的差异表达基因和差异代谢物,对瘤菌根菌与无菌盆栽铁皮石斛苗共生后形成的侧根根系进行转录组、代谢组和双组学联合分析。结果表明,转录组分析共找到262条差异表达基因富集到了35条通路中,其中内质网蛋白质加工通路途径的差异基因最多,其次为氨基糖和核苷酸糖代谢通路。代谢组分析共检测出194个差异代谢物富集到33个KEGG通路中,其中代谢途径的差异代谢物最多有133个,其次为不同环境的微生物代谢途径的差异代谢物有70个。通过联合分析,有9个差异基因的差异表达导致丝氨酸、谷氨酸、D-甘露糖和激素等代谢物的积累量发生变化,这可能是瘤菌根菌促进铁皮石斛生长的重要原因。因此,推测瘤菌根菌促进铁皮石斛生长与氨基酸、糖、植物激素的积累及相关基因的表达变化有关。     

Metabolic Analysis of Medicinal Dendrobium officinale and Dendrobium huoshanense during Different Growth Years

Metabolomics technology has enabled an important method for the identification and quality control of Traditional Chinese Medical materials. In this study, we isolated metabolites from cultivated Dendrobium officinale and Dendrobium huoshanense stems of different growth years in the methanol/water phase and identified them using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). First, a metabolomics technology platform for Dendrobium was constructed. The metabolites in the Dendrobium methanol/water phase were mainly sugars and glycosides, amino acids, organic acids, alcohols. D. officinale and D. huoshanense and their growth years were distinguished by cluster analysis in combination with multivariate statistical analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Eleven metabolites that contributed significantly to this differentiation were subjected to t-tests (P<0.05) to identify biomarkers that discriminate between D. officinale and D. huoshanense, including sucrose, glucose, galactose, succinate, fructose, hexadecanoate, oleanitrile, myo-inositol, and glycerol. Metabolic profiling of the chemical compositions of Dendrobium species revealed that the polysaccharide content of D. huoshanense was higher than that of D. officinale, indicating that the D. huoshanense was of higher quality. Based on the accumulation of Dendrobium metabolites, the optimal harvest time for Dendrobium was in the third year. This initial metabolic profiling platform for Dendrobium provides an important foundation for the further study of secondary metabolites (pharmaceutical active ingredients) and metabolic pathways.     

Identification,characterization, and expression of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">SWEET</Emphasis> gene family in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phalaenopsis equestris</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dendrobium officinale</Emphasis>

Sugars are important molecules that function not only as primary metabolites, but also as nutrients and signal molecules in plants. The sugar transport protein genes family SWEET has been recently identified. The availability of the Dendrobium officinale and Phalaenopsis equestris genome sequences offered the opportunity to study the SWEET gene family in this two orchid species. We identified 22 and 16 putative SWEET genes, respectively, in the genomes of D. officinale and P. equestris using comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. Based on phylogenetic comparisons with SWEET proteins from Arabidopsis and rice, the DoSWEET and PeSWEET proteins could be divided into four clades; among these, clade II specifically lacked PeSWEETs and clade IV specifically lacked DoSWEETs, and there were orthologs present between D. officinale and P. equestris. Protein sequence alignments suggest that there is a predicted serine phosphorylation site in each of the highly conserved MtN3/saliva domain regions. Gene expression analysis in four tissues showed that three PeSWEET genes were most highly expressed in the flower, leaf, stem, and root, suggesting that these genes might play important roles in growth and development in P. equestris. Analysis of gene expression in different floral organs showed that five PeSWEET genes were highly expressed in the column (gynostemium), implying their possible involvement in reproductive development in this species. The expression patterns of seven PeSWEETs in response to different abiotic stresses showed that three genes were upregulated significantly in response to high temperature and two genes were differently expressed at low temperature. The results of this study lay the foundation for further functional analysis of SWEET genes in orchids.     

Specificity and preference of mycorrhizal associations in two species of the genus Dendrobium (Orchidaceae)

Dendrobium is a large genus of tropical epiphytic orchids. Some members of this genus are in danger of extinction across China. To investigate orchid mycorrhizal associations of the genus Dendrobium, plants from two Dendrobium species (Dendrobium officinale and Dendrobium fimbriatum) were collected from two habitats in Guangxi Province, China, and clone libraries were constructed to identify the mycorrhizal fungi of individual plants. A low and high degree of specificity was observed in D. officinale and D. fimbriatum, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the majority of Dendrobium mycorrhizal fungi are members of the Tulasnellaceae, but, in some plants, members of the Ceratobasidiaceae and Pluteaceae were also found. In D. officinale, individual plants associated with more than three fungi simultaneously, and, in some cases, associations with five fungi at the same time. One fungus was shared by individual plants of D. officinale collected from the two habitats. In D. fimbriatum, only one fungal partner was found in each population, and this fungus differed between populations. The two species of Dendrobium sampled from the same habitat did not share any fungal taxa. These results provide valuable information for conservation of these orchid species.     

Comparison of metabolomics of Dendrobium officinale in different habitats by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS

Dendrobium officinale has been considered over past centuries to be extremely valuable for use as an herbal medicine in South Asian countries. In this work, the chemical profiles of D. officinale from different habitats were systematically characterized using ultra-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and multivariate analysis. The principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares analysis (OPLS-DA) of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS data displayed an obvious separation. Several flavonoids and terpenoids derivatives contribute to the quantitative chemotypic variation within and between the samples as observed. These findings lead to a better understanding of the phytochemical variation of D. officinale which can aid in quality control of raw material.     

Genetic diversity assessment and ex situ conservation strategy of the endangered Dendrobium officinale (Orchidaceae) using new trinucleotide microsatellite markers

Dendrobium officinale (Orchidaceae) is an endangered plant species with important medicinal value. To evaluate the effectiveness of ex situ collection of D. officinale genetic diversity, we developed 15 polymorphic trinucleotide microsatellite loci of D. officinale to examine the genetic diversity and structure of three D. officinale germplasm collections comprising 120 individuals from its germplasm collection base and their respective wild populations consisting of 62 individuals from three provinces in China. The three germplasm collections showed reductions in gene diversity and average number of alleles per locus, but an increase in average number of rare alleles (frequency?≤?0.05) per locus in comparison to their wild populations. However, the differences in gene diversity between the germplasm collections and wild populations were not statistically significant. The analysis using STRUCTURE revealed evident differences in genetic composition between each germplasm collection and its wild population, probably because the D. officinale individuals with distinct genotypes in each wild population were unevenly selected for establishing its germplasm collection. For conservation management plans, we propose that D. officinale individuals with rare alleles need to be conserved with top priority, and those individuals with the most common alleles also should be concerned. The 15 new microsatellite loci may be used as a powerful tool for further evaluation and conservation of the genetic diversity of D. officinale germplasm resources.     

基于转录组测序的铁皮石斛植物甾醇生物合成相关基因分析

为了解铁皮石斛(Dendrobium officinale)植物甾醇的生物合成途径,利用Illumina HiSeq 4000高通量测序技术对茎和叶进行转录组测序,比较植物甾醇生物合成关键酶基因的表达。结果表明,共获得43 085条Unigenes,其中24 459条在Nr、Swiss-prot、KOG和KEGG数据库获得注释,7 333条获得共同注释。KEGG代谢途径分析表明,铁皮石斛植物甾醇生物合成分为3个阶段,共有50个Unigenes (30种酶)参与。表达分析表明,DXR和HMED的表达量明显高于MK和MVD;成熟期茎、叶SMT1的表达量比生长期高,SMT2则生长期高于成熟期;同一时期,SMT1和SMT2在叶的表达量都比茎高。这为铁皮石斛植物甾醇的开发利用和调控植物甾醇生物合成研究提供了科学依据。     

硝酸镧和兰科菌根真菌对铁皮石斛生理特性的影响

利用盆栽的方式研究了不同硝酸镧水平(0、1.0、3.0、5.0和7.0mg·L-1)下接种兰科菌根真菌对铁皮石斛生物量、多糖和蛋白质合成的影响,并分析了叶绿素含量、丙二醛(MDA)含量以及超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)和过氧化物酶(POD)活性的变化,以探讨硝酸镧和兰科菌根真菌对铁皮石斛生理特性的影响。结果表明:(1)添加适量的硝酸镧有利于菌根真菌侵染和菌根发育,提高铁皮石斛幼苗生物量。(2)在接种菌根真菌的同时添加5.0mg·L-1的硝酸镧,铁皮石斛的根重、茎叶重和总生物量均达到最大,分别是未添加硝酸镧以及未接种对照组的4.26倍、4.98倍和4.87倍,其菌根侵染率也高达92.8%;而且可显著提高叶片中叶绿素含量,并显著降低细胞内的丙二醛含量。(3)在适量(5.0mg·L-1)的硝酸镧水平下接种菌根真菌能促进铁皮石斛幼苗多糖和蛋白质的合成,并显著提高细胞内SOD、CAT和POD活性。研究认为,菌根真菌与适宜浓度硝酸镧(5.0 mg·L-1)联合使用能显著促进铁皮石斛菌根的形成,增强植株的生理活性和适应能力,提高其生物量和多糖等活性成分的积累,有效改善铁皮石斛的药用品质。     

Genetic variation and conservation of the endangered Chinese endemic herb Dendrobium officinale based on SRAP analysis

Dendrobium officinale (Orchidaceae) is used for traditional medicine and is critically endangered in China. To investigate the genetic structure of this species and to offer some advice on conservation strategies, 84 individuals from nine wild populations of D. officinale were analyzed using the method of sequence-related amplified polymorphism. A high level of genetic diversity was detected (PPB = 88.07%, H _E = 0.2880) at the species level. However, the genetic diversity at the population level was lower (PPB = 51.68%, H _E = 0.1878) in comparison with other species with similar life history characteristics. Based on analysis of molecular variation, there was moderate variation between pairs of populations with Φ _ST values ranging from 0.1327 to 0.4151 and on average 27.05% of the genetic variation occurred among populations. Two main clusters were shown in UPGMA using TFPGA, which is consistent with the result of principal coordinate analysis using NTSYS. In situ conservation is the first advocated and and ex situ should be proposed at the same time to protect the endangered plant and to preserve germplasm resources.