Structures and activities of cystine knot peptides from the Violaceae plant family

Ligusticum sinense Oliv. cv. is a species of Umbelliferae (Apiaceae), a large plant family in the order Apiales. In this study, L. sinense hexane extract nanoemulsion gel (LHE-NEG) was investigated for mosquito repellency and compared to the standard chemical, N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), with the goal of developing a natural alternative to synthetic repellents in protecting against mosquito vectors. The results demonstrated that LHE-NEG afforded remarkable repellency against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles minimus, and Culex quinquefasciatus, with median protection times (MPTs) of 5.5 (4.5–6.0), 11.5 (8.5–12.5), and 11.25 (8.5–12.5) h, respectively, which was comparable to those of DEET-nanoemulsion gel (DEET-NEG: 8.5 (7.0–9.0), 12.0 (10.0–12.5), and 12.5 (10.0–13.5) h, respectively). Evaluation of skin irritation in 30 human volunteers revealed no potential irritant from LHE-NEG. The physical and biological stability of LHE-NEG were determined after being kept under heating/cooling cycle conditions. The stored samples of LHE-NEG exhibited some changes in appearance and differing degrees of repellency between those kept for 3 and 6 heating/cooling cycles, thus providing slightly shorter MPTs of 4.25 (4.0–4.5) and 3.25 (2.5–3.5) h, respectively, when compared to those of 5.0 (4.5–6.0) h in fresh preparation. These findings encourage commercially developed LHE-based products as an alternative to conventional synthetic repellents in preventing mosquito bites and helping to interrupt mosquito-borne disease transmission.

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Cytotoxic Agents in the Minor Alkaloid Groups of the Amaryllidaceae

Planta Medica ◽

10.1055/a-1380-1888 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jerald J. Nair ◽

Johannes van Staden

Keyword(s):

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Cell Line ◽

Structural Features ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Cytotoxic Agents ◽

Plant Family ◽

Structure Activity ◽

Significant Interest ◽

Different Types ◽

Minor Alkaloid

AbstractOver 600 alkaloids have to date been identified in the plant family Amaryllidaceae. These have been arranged into as many as 15 different groups based on their characteristic structural features. The vast majority of studies on the biological properties of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have probed their anticancer potential. While most efforts have focused on the major alkaloid groups, the volume and diversity afforded by the minor alkaloid groups have promoted their usefulness as targets for cancer cell line screening purposes. This survey is an in-depth review of such activities described for around 90 representatives from 10 minor alkaloid groups of the Amaryllidaceae. These have been evaluated against over 60 cell lines categorized into 18 different types of cancer. The montanine and cripowellin groups were identified as the most potent, with some in the latter demonstrating low nanomolar level antiproliferative activities. Despite their challenging molecular architectures, the minor alkaloid groups have allowed for facile adjustments to be made to their structures, thereby altering the size, geometry, and electronics of the targets available for structure-activity relationship studies. Nevertheless, it was seen with a regular frequency that the parent alkaloids were better cytotoxic agents than the corresponding semisynthetic derivatives. There has also been significant interest in how the minor alkaloid groups manifest their effects in cancer cells. Among the various targets and pathways in which they were seen to mediate, their ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cells is most appealing.

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Design, Pharmacology, and NMR Structure of a Minimized Cystine Knot with Agouti-Related Protein Activity†

Biochemistry ◽

10.1021/bi012000x ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 41 (24) ◽

pp. 7565-7572 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Pilgrim J. Jackson ◽

Joseph C. McNulty ◽

Ying-Kui Yang ◽

Darren A. Thompson ◽

Biaoxin Chai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nmr Structure ◽

Related Protein ◽

Protein Activity ◽

Cystine Knot ◽

Agouti Related Protein

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Phylogenomics of the plant family Araceae

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution ◽

10.1016/j.ympev.2014.02.017 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 75 ◽

pp. 91-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Claudia L. Henriquez ◽

Tatiana Arias ◽

J. Chris Pires ◽

Thomas B. Croat ◽

Barbara A. Schaal

Keyword(s):

Plant Family

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Homology-Based Interactions between Small RNAs and Their Targets Control Dominance Hierarchy of Male Determinant Alleles of Self-Incompatibility in Arabidopsis lyrata

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22136990 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (13) ◽

pp. 6990

Author(s):

Shinsuke Yasuda ◽

Risa Kobayashi ◽

Toshiro Ito ◽

Yuko Wada ◽

Seiji Takayama

Keyword(s):

Dominance Hierarchy ◽

Male Dominance ◽

Self Incompatibility ◽

Arabidopsis Halleri ◽

Plant Family ◽

Arabidopsis Lyrata ◽

Multiple Networks ◽

Target Sites ◽

Gains And Losses ◽

Linear Dominance Hierarchy

Self-incompatibility (SI) is conserved among members of the Brassicaceae plant family. This trait is controlled epigenetically by the dominance hierarchy of the male determinant alleles. We previously demonstrated that a single small RNA (sRNA) gene is sufficient to control the linear dominance hierarchy in Brassica rapa and proposed a model in which a homology-based interaction between sRNAs and target sites controls the complicated dominance hierarchy of male SI determinants. In Arabidopsis halleri, male dominance hierarchy is reported to have arisen from multiple networks of sRNA target gains and losses. Despite these findings, it remains unknown whether the molecular mechanism underlying the dominance hierarchy is conserved among Brassicaceae. Here, we identified sRNAs and their target sites that can explain the linear dominance hierarchy of Arabidopsis lyrata, a species closely related to A. halleri. We tested the model that we established in Brassica to explain the linear dominance hierarchy in A. lyrata. Our results suggest that the dominance hierarchy of A. lyrata is also controlled by a homology-based interaction between sRNAs and their targets.

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