土壤不同水分条件对长春花(Catharanthus roseus)生活史型的影响

为了研究土壤中不同水分条件对长春花生活史型形成及生理代谢的影响,设置对照、轻度干旱、中度干旱和重度干旱等土壤水分梯度,对长春花(Catharanthus roseus(L.)G.Don)幼苗进行处理。对长春花形态指标进行聚类分析发现选择的20个聚类实体被分为2组,第1组为对照(CK)和轻度干旱(LD)处理的植株,第2组为中度干旱(MD)和重度干旱(HD)处理的植株。运用主成分分析(Principal component analysis,PCA)方法对不同土壤水分条件下长春花营养生长(Vegetative growth,V)、有性生殖(Sexual reproduction,S)和无性繁殖(Clone reproduction,C)等3类15种性状进行统计。结果显示,长春花在对照条件下生活史型为V0.39S0.54C0.07,轻度干旱为V0.36S0.50C0.14,中度干旱为V0.53S0.27C0.20,重度干旱为V0.45S0.09C0.46,干旱程度加强显著提高了无性繁殖的比重,降低了有性生殖的比例。同时,对长春花中文朵灵、长春质碱和脱水长春碱等生物碱的含量进行了动态测定,发现重度干旱下的文朵灵、长春质碱和脱水长春碱的含量在16d时分别是对照水平的1.5倍、2.3倍和3.1倍,表明干旱胁迫诱导生物碱积累,为长春花高效栽培提供了理论依据。     

Melovinone,an open chain analogue of melochinone from Melochia tomentosa

Melovinone, a new alkaloid isolated from the roots of Melochia tomentosa has been characterized as 3,7,8-trimethoxy-2-methyl-5(5′-phenylpentyl)-4-quinolinone.     

Pyridine alkaloid distribution in the hoplonemertines

Hoplonemertines possess a family of pyridine compounds affecting the nervous system (Kem, 1985). Anabaseine, the first pyridine to be isolated, stimulates nicotinic receptors. Two other substances, 2,3-bipyridyl and nemertelline (a tetrapyridyl) were isolated from Amphiporus angulatus. In this study samples of 19 species of hoplonemertines were surveyed for the presence of stable pyridines using thin layer chromatography. Pyridines were selectively detected with the Konig reagent.Pyridines were found to be nearly ubiquitous constituents of this taxonomic group. Nevertheless, individual species often differed in the pyridines present as well as the variety of compounds present. A new Konig-reactive pyridine was found in 11 hoplonemertine species. Only Zygonemertes virescens and Amphiporus lactifloreus contained anabasine. Only A. angulatus contained 2,3-bipyridyl and nemertelline. This initial survey suggests that differences in pyridine compositions between hoplonemertines may be a useful taxonomic character.     

3-Oxo-14α,15α-epoxyschizozygine: A new schizozygane indoline alkaloid from Schizozygia coffaeoides

The stem bark extract of Schizozygia coffaeoides (Apocynaceae) showed moderate antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ = 8–12 μg/mL) against the chloroquine-sensitive (D6) and chloroquine-resistant (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Chromatographic separation of the extract led to the isolation of a new schizozygane indoline alkaloid, named 3-oxo-14α,15α-epoxyschizozygine. In addition, two dimeric anthraquinones, cassiamin A and cassiamin B, were identified for the first time in the family Apocynaceae. The structures of the isolated compounds were deduced on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. The schizozygane indole alkaloids showed good to moderate antiplasmodial activities (IC₅₀ = 13–52 μМ).     

QTL mapping of foliar glycoalkaloid aglycones in Solanum tuberosum×S. berthaultii potato progenies: quantitative variation and plant secondary metabolism

 Glycoalkaloids are quantitatively inherited in Solanum, and in high concentrations they can be toxic to humans. The increased use of wild potato germplasm to improve the pest resistance, yield, and quality characteristics of cultivated potato may elevate or introduce new, more toxic glycoalkaloids into the cultivated gene pool. Therefore, it is important to increase our understanding of their inheritance, accumulation, and biosynthesis. Glycoalkaloids have two basic constituents – a glycosidic grouping and a steroid alkaloid skeleton. Steroid alkaloids are classified as solanidanes and spirosolanes, of which solanidine and solasodine are, respectively, representatives. RFLP-mapped, diploid, reciprocal backcross potato progenies involving the parents S. tuberosum and S. berthaultii, which produce solanidine and solasodine, respectively, were analyzed for segregation of the glycoalkaloids solanine, chaconine, solasodine and solamargine to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for the production of the aglycones solanidine and solasodine. The F₁ clone M200-30 exhibited low to nondetectable levels of solasodine and solanidine, suggesting that expression was controlled by recessive genes. In a backcross to berthaultii (BCB) and backcross to tuberosum (BCT), several QTLs for the accumulation of solasodine and solanidine were identified. Three QTLs explaining approximately 20% of the variation in solasodine were identified in BCB on chromosomes 4, 6, and 12. Similarly, three QTLs were identified in BCT on chromosomes 4, 8 and 11, but these accounted for only 10% of the variation observed in solasodine accumulation. Two QTLs for solanidine were identified in BCT on chromosomes 1 and 4. The QTL located on chromosome 1 was highly significant, accounting for 17% and 22% of the variation in solanidine accumulation in 1994 and 1995, respectively. This same QTL was also detected in BCB. The QTLs detected in this study probably represent structural and/or regulatory genes controlling the accumulation of solasodine and solanidine. Results are discussed in the context of steroid alkaloid accumulation and biosynthesis. Received: 27 August 1997 / Accepted: 16 March 1998     

Asymmetric synthesis of phenanthroindolizidine alkaloids with hydroxyl group at the C14 position and evaluation of their antitumor activities

The asymmetric total synthesis of the strongly cytotoxic phenanthroindolizidine alkaloid 3 was achieved. Using the same route, various derivatives were also synthesized. Cytotoxicity of those synthetic compounds was evaluated and compounds 19, 23, and 27 demonstrated potent cytotoxicities similar to that of 3. The in vivo antitumor efficacy of selected compounds was also evaluated and 23 demonstrated moderate antitumor efficacy.     

Occurrence of theobromine synthase genes in purine alkaloid-free species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Camellia</Emphasis> plants

Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) and theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine) are purine alkaloids that are present in high concentrations in plants of some species of Camellia. However, most members of the genus Camellia contain no purine alkaloids. Tracer experiments using [8-¹⁴C]adenine and [8-¹⁴C]theobromine showed that the purine alkaloid pathway is not fully functional in leaves of purine alkaloid-free species. In five species of purine alkaloid-free Camellia plants, sufficient evidence was obtained to show the occurrence of genes that are homologous to caffeine synthase. Recombinant enzymes derived from purine alkaloid-free species showed only theobromine synthase activity. Unlike the caffeine synthase gene, these genes were expressed more strongly in mature tissue than in young tissue. The nucleotide sequence data reported here have been deposited in the GenBank database under the accession numbers AB297451 (CjCS1), AB362882 (CgCS1), AB362883 (CgCS2), AB362884 (CkCS1), AB362885 (ClCS1), and AB362886 (CcCS2).