Chemical Basis of Floral Color Signals in Gesneriaceae: The Effect of Alternative Anthocyanin Pathways

Changes in floral pigmentation can have dramatic effects on angiosperm evolution by making flowers either attractive or inconspicuous to different pollinator groups. Flower color largely depends on the type and abundance of pigments produced in the petals, but it is still unclear whether similar color signals rely on same biosynthetic pathways and to which extent the activation of certain pathways influences the course of floral color evolution. To address these questions, we investigated the physical and chemical aspects of floral color in the Neotropical Gesnerioideae (ca. 1,200 spp.), in which two types of anthocyanins, hydroxyanthocyanins, and deoxyanthocyanins, have been recorded as floral pigments. Using spectrophotometry, we measured flower reflectance for over 150 species representing different clades and pollination syndromes. We analyzed these reflectance data to estimate how the Gesnerioideae flowers are perceived by bees and hummingbirds using the visual system models of these pollinators. Floral anthocyanins were further identified using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. We found that orange/red floral colors in Gesnerioideae are produced either by deoxyanthocyanins (e.g., apigenidin, luteolinidin) or hydroxyanthocyanins (e.g., pelargonidin). The presence of deoxyanthocyanins in several lineages suggests that the activation of the deoxyanthocyanin pathway has evolved multiple times in the Gesnerioideae. The hydroxyanthocyanin-producing flowers span a wide range of colors, which enables them to be discriminated by hummingbirds or bees. By contrast, color diversity among the deoxyanthocyanin-producing species is lower and mainly represented at longer wavelengths, which is in line with the hue discrimination optima for hummingbirds. These results indicate that Gesnerioideae have evolved two different biochemical mechanisms to generate orange/red flowers, which is associated with hummingbird pollination. Our findings also suggest that the activation of the deoxyanthocyanin pathway has restricted flower color diversification to orange/red hues, supporting the potential constraining role of this alternative biosynthetic pathway on the evolutionary outcome of phenotypical and ecological diversification.

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Co-expression clustering across flower development identifies modules for diverse floral forms in Achimenes (Gesneriaceae)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.8778 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e8778 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wade R. Roberts ◽

Eric H. Roalson

Keyword(s):

Flower Development ◽

Complex Traits ◽

Regulatory Networks ◽

Linear Models ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Flower Color ◽

Evolutionary Rates ◽

Pollination Syndrome ◽

Pollination Syndromes ◽

Hummingbird Pollination

Background Genetic pathways involved with flower color and shape are thought to play an important role in the development of flowers associated with different pollination syndromes, such as those associated with bee, butterfly, or hummingbird pollination. Because pollination syndromes are complex traits that are orchestrated by multiple genes and pathways, the gene regulatory networks have not been explored. Gene co-expression networks provide a systems level approach to identify important contributors to floral diversification. Methods RNA-sequencing was used to assay gene expression across two stages of flower development (an early bud and an intermediate stage) in 10 species of Achimenes (Gesneriaceae). Two stage-specific co-expression networks were created from 9,503 orthologs and analyzed to identify module hubs and the network periphery. Module association with bee, butterfly, and hummingbird pollination syndromes was tested using phylogenetic mixed models. The relationship between network connectivity and evolutionary rates (dN/dS) was tested using linear models. Results Networks contained 65 and 62 modules that were largely preserved between developmental stages and contained few stage-specific modules. Over a third of the modules in both networks were associated with flower color, shape, and pollination syndrome. Within these modules, several hub nodes were identified that related to the production of anthocyanin and carotenoid pigments and the development of flower shape. Evolutionary rates were decreased in highly connected genes and elevated in peripheral genes. Discussion This study aids in the understanding of the genetic architecture and network properties underlying the development of floral form and provides valuable candidate modules and genes for future studies.

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Genetic architecture of floral traits in bee- and hummingbird-pollinated sister species of Aquilegia (columbine)

10.1101/2021.04.12.439277 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Molly B. Edwards ◽

Gary P. T. Choi ◽

Nathan J. Derieg ◽

Ya Min ◽

Angie C. Diana ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Qtl Mapping ◽

Candidate Genes ◽

Genetic Architecture ◽

Genetic Basis ◽

Single Locus ◽

Floral Traits ◽

Pollination Syndromes ◽

Evolutionary Consequence ◽

Floral Color ◽

Hummingbird Pollination

Interactions with animal pollinators have helped shape the stunning diversity of flower morphologies across the angiosperms. A common evolutionary consequence of these interactions is that some flowers have converged on suites of traits, or pollination syndromes, that attract and reward specific pollinator groups. Determining the genetic basis of these floral pollination syndromes can help us understand the processes that contributed to the diversification of the angiosperms. Here, we characterize the genetic architecture of a bee-to-hummingbird pollination shift in Aquilegia (columbine) using QTL mapping of 17 floral traits encompassing color, nectar composition, and organ morphology. In this system, we find that the genetic architectures underlying differences in floral color are quite complex, and we identify several likely candidate genes involved in anthocyanin and carotenoid floral pigmentation. Most morphological and nectar traits also have complex genetic underpinnings; however, one of the key floral morphological phenotypes, nectar spur curvature, is shaped by a single locus of large effect.

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Convergent changes in gene expression associated with repeated transitions between hummingbird and bee pollinated flowers

10.1101/706127 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Martha L. Serrano-Serrano ◽

Anna Marcionetti ◽

Mathieu Perret ◽

Nicolas Salamin

Keyword(s):

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

De Novo ◽

Data Availability ◽

Pollination Syndromes ◽

Genetic Changes ◽

Floral Color ◽

Hummingbird Pollination ◽

Flower Traits ◽

Genetic Mechanisms ◽

Repeated Evolution

AbstractThe repeated evolution of convergent floral shapes and colors in angiosperms has been largely interpreted as the response to pollinator-mediated selection to maximize attraction and efficiency of specific groups of pollinators. The genetic mechanisms contributing to certain flower traits have been studied in detail for model system species, but the extent by which flowers are free to vary and how predictable are the genetic changes underlying flower adaptation to pollinator shifts still remain largely unknown.Here, we aimed at detecting the genetic basis of the repeated evolution of flower phenotypes associated with pollinator shifts. We assembled and compared de novo transcriptomes of three phylogenetic independent pairs of Gesneriaceae species, each with contrasting flower phenotype adapted to either bee or hummingbird pollination. We assembled and analyzed a total of 14,059 genes and we showed that changes in expression in 550 of them was associated with the pollination syndromes. Among those, we observed genes with function linked to floral color, scent, shape and symmetry, as well as nectar composition. These genes represent candidates genes involved in the build-up of the convergent floral phenotypes.This study provides the first insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the repeated evolution of pollination syndromes. Although the presence of additional lineage-specific responses cannot be excluded, these results suggest that the convergent evolution of genes expression is involved in the convergent build-up of the pollination syndromes. Future studies aiming to directly manipulate certain genes will integrate our knowledge on the key genes for floral transitions and the pace of floral evolution.Data availabilityRaw Illumina reads will be available in the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) in NCBI database. The assembled transcriptomes and their annotation will by available in DRYAD repository. Details and accession ID will be provided at the time of the manuscript acceptance.

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Co-expression clustering across flower development identifies modules for diverse floral forms in Achimenes (Gesneriaceae)

10.1101/817221 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Wade R Roberts ◽

Eric H Roalson

Keyword(s):

Flower Development ◽

Complex Traits ◽

Gene Networks ◽

Linear Models ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Flower Color ◽

Evolutionary Rates ◽

Pollination Syndrome ◽

Pollination Syndromes ◽

Hummingbird Pollination

AbstractBackgroundGenetic pathways involved with flower color and shape are thought to play an important role in the development of flowers associated with different pollination syndromes, such as those associated with bee, butterfly, or hummingbird pollination. Because pollination syndromes are complex traits that are orchestrated by multiple genes and pathways, the gene networks have not been explored. Gene co-expression networks provide a systems level approach to identify important contributors to floral diversification.MethodsRNA-sequencing was used to assay gene expression across two stages of flower development (an early bud and an intermediate stage) in 10 species of Achimenes (Gesneriaceae). Two stage-specific co-expression networks were created from 9503 orthologs and analyzed to identify module hubs and the network periphery. Module association with bee, butterfly, and hummingbird pollination syndromes was tested using phylogenetic mixed models. The relationship between network connectivity and evolutionary rates (dN/dS) was tested using linear models.ResultsNetworks contained 65 and 62 modules that were largely preserved between developmental stages and contained few stage-specific modules. Over a third of the modules in both networks were associated with flower color, shape, and pollination syndrome. Within these modules, several hub nodes were identified that related to the production of anthocyanin and carotenoid pigments and the development of flower shape. Evolutionary rates were decreased in highly connected genes and elevated in peripheral genes.DiscussionThis study aids in the understanding of the genetic architecture and network properties underlying the development of floral form and provides valuable candidate modules and genes for future studies.

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What Can Digitization Do For Formulated Product Innovation and Development

10.26434/chemrxiv.11763864.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

James McDonagh ◽

William Swope ◽

Richard L. Anderson ◽

Michael Johnston ◽

David J. Bray

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Quality Data ◽

High Quality Data ◽

Base Level ◽

Hybrid Approaches ◽

Digital Ecosystem ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Chemical Simulation ◽

High Level ◽

Physical And Chemical

Digitization oﬀers signiﬁcant opportunities for the formulated product industry to transform the way it works and develop new methods of business. R&D is one area of operation that is challenging to take advantage of these technologies due to its high level of domain specialisation and creativity but the beneﬁts could be signiﬁcant. Recent developments of base level technologies such as artiﬁcial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML), robotics and high performance computing (HPC), to name a few, present disruptive and transformative technologies which could oﬀer new insights, discovery methods and enhanced chemical control when combined in a digital ecosystem of connectivity, distributive services and decentralisation. At the fundamental level, research in these technologies has shown that new physical and chemical insights can be gained, which in turn can augment experimental R&D approaches through physics-based chemical simulation, data driven models and hybrid approaches. In all of these cases, high quality data is required to build and validate models in addition to the skills and expertise to exploit such methods. In this article we give an overview of some of the digital technology demonstrators we have developed for formulated product R&D. We discuss the challenges in building and deploying these demonstrators.<br>

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High-Performance Natural Rubber/Graphene Composites from a Uniquely Designed Physical and Chemical Hybrid-Network

International Polymer Processing ◽

10.3139/217.3889 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 146-157

Author(s):

B.-L. Yu ◽

L.-C. Jiang ◽

K. Huang ◽

X.-L. Liu ◽

X.-M. Shao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Rubber ◽

High Performance ◽

Hybrid Network ◽

Physical And Chemical

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Validated Stability Indicating HPTLC Method for the Estimation of Amoxapine in Different Stress Conditions

Current Pharmaceutical Analysis ◽

10.2174/1573412914666171228163122 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 273-279

Author(s):

Shweta G. Rangari ◽

Nishikant A. Raut ◽

Pradip W. Dhore

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Limit Of Detection ◽

Degradation Products ◽

Analysis Data ◽

Peak Height ◽

Good Resolution ◽

Stability Indicating ◽

Limit Of Quantitation ◽

Wide Range ◽

Hptlc Method

Background:The unstable and/or toxic degradation products may form due to degradation of drug which results into loss of therapeutic activity and lead to life threatening condition. Hence, it is important to establish the stability characteristics of drug in various conditions such as in temperature, light, oxidising agent and susceptibility across a wide range of pH values.Introduction:The aim of the proposed study was to develop simple, sensitive and economic stability indicating high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for the quantification of Amoxapine in the presence of degradation products.Methods:Amoxapine and its degraded products were separated on precoated silica gel 60F254 TLC plates by using mobile phase comprising of methanol: toluene: ammonium acetate (6:3:1, v/v/v). The densitometric evaluation was carried out at 320 nm in reflectance/absorbance mode. The degradation products obtained as per ICH guidelines under acidic, basic and oxidative conditions have different Rf values 0.12, 0.26 and 0.6 indicating good resolution from each other and pure drug with Rf: 0.47. Amoxapine was found to be stable under neutral, thermal and photo conditions.Results:The method was validated as per ICH Q2 (R1) guidelines in terms of accuracy, precision, ruggedness, robustness and linearity. A good linear relationship between concentration and response (peak area and peak height) over the range of 80 ng/spot to 720 ng/spot was observed from regression analysis data showing correlation coefficient 0.991 and 0.994 for area and height, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) for area were found to be 1.176 ng/mL and 3.565 ng/mL, whereas for height, 50.063 ng/mL and 151.707 ng/mL respectively.Conclusion:The statistical analysis confirmed the accuracy, precision and selectivity of the proposed method which can be effectively used for the analysis of amoxapine in the presence of degradation products.

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Phytochemical, Analytical and Medicinal Studies of Holoptelea integrifolia Roxb. Planch - A Review

Current Traditional Medicine ◽

10.2174/2215083805666190521103308 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 270-277 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Vijay Kumar ◽

Simranjeet Singh ◽

Ragini Bhadouria ◽

Ravindra Singh ◽

Om Prakash

Keyword(s):

Liquid Chromatography ◽

Thin Layer ◽

Thin Layer Chromatography ◽

High Performance ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Toxicological Studies ◽

Wide Range ◽

Layer Chromatography

Holoptelea integrifolia Roxb. Planch (HI) has been used to treat various ailments including obesity, osteoarthritis, arthritis, inflammation, anemia, diabetes etc. To review the major phytochemicals and medicinal properties of HI, exhaustive bibliographic research was designed by means of various scientific search engines and databases. Only 12 phytochemicals have been reported including biologically active compounds like betulin, betulinic acid, epifriedlin, octacosanol, Friedlin, Holoptelin-A and Holoptelin-B. Analytical methods including the Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Liquid Chromatography With Mass Spectral (LC-MS) analysis have been used to analyze the HI. From medicinal potency point of view, these phytochemicals have a wide range of pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor. In the current review, it has been noticed that the mechanism of action of HI with biomolecules has not been fully explored. Pharmacology and toxicological studies are very few. This seems a huge literature gap to be fulfilled through the detailed in-vivo and in-vitro studies.

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RELaTED Project: New Developments on Ultra-Low Temperature District Heating Networks

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2020065008 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 25

Author(s):

Antonio Garrido Marijuan ◽

Roberto Garay ◽

Mikel Lumbreras ◽

Víctor Sánchez ◽

Olga Macias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Temperature ◽

High Performance ◽

Waste Heat ◽

District Heating ◽

Hot Water ◽

Thermal Systems ◽

Heating Source ◽

Wide Range ◽

Thermal Sources ◽

Heating Networks

District heating networks deliver around 13% of the heating energy in the EU, being considered as a key element of the progressive decarbonization of Europe. The H2020 REnewable Low TEmperature District project (RELaTED) seeks to contribute to the energy decarbonization of these infrastructures through the development and demonstration of the following concepts: reduction in network temperature down to 50 °C, integration of renewable energies and waste heat sources with a novel substation concept, and improvement on building-integrated solar thermal systems. The coupling of renewable thermal sources with ultra-low temperature district heating (DH) allows for a bidirectional energy flow, using the DH as both thermal storage in periods of production surplus and a back-up heating source during consumption peaks. The ultra-low temperature enables the integration of a wide range of energy sources such as waste heat from industry. Furthermore, RELaTED also develops concepts concerning district heating-connected reversible heat pump systems that allow to reach adequate thermal levels for domestic hot water as well as the use of the network for district cooling with high performance. These developments will be demonstrated in four locations: Estonia, Serbia, Denmark, and Spain.

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Applicability of Cork as Novel Modifiers to Develop Electrochemical Sensor for Caffeine Determination

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14010037 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 37

Author(s):

Mayra K. S. Monteiro ◽

Djalma R. Da Silva ◽

Marco A. Quiroz ◽

Vítor J. P. Vilar ◽

Carlos A. Martínez-Huitle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electrochemical Sensor ◽

Linear Response ◽

High Performance ◽

Low Cost ◽

Pharmaceutical Formulations ◽

Caffeine Concentration ◽

Real Samples ◽

Wide Range ◽

Potential Use

This study aims to investigate the applicability of a hybrid electrochemical sensor composed of cork and graphite (Gr) for detecting caffeine in aqueous solutions. Raw cork (RAC) and regranulated cork (RGC, obtained by thermal treatment of RAC with steam at 380 °C) were tested as modifiers. The results clearly showed that the cork-graphite sensors, GrRAC and GrRGC, exhibited a linear response over a wide range of caffeine concentration (5–1000 µM), with R2 of 0.99 and 0.98, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD), estimated at 2.9 and 6.1 µM for GrRAC and GrRGC, suggest greater sensitivity and reproducibility than the unmodified conventional graphite sensor. The low-cost cork-graphite sensors were successfully applied in the determination of caffeine in soft drinks and pharmaceutical formulations, presenting well-defined current signals when analyzing real samples. When comparing electrochemical determinations and high performance liquid chromatography measurements, no significant differences were observed (mean accuracy 3.0%), highlighting the potential use of these sensors to determine caffeine in different samples.

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