Accumulation Pattern of Flavonoids during Fruit Development of Lonicera maackii Determined by Metabolomics

Lonicera maackii (Caprifoliaceae) is a large, upright shrub with fruits that contain many bioactive compounds. Flavonoids are common active substances in L. maackii. However, there is a dearth of information about the accumulation of these flavonoids and their possible medicinal value. We used targeted metabolomics analysis based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) to analyze five developmental stages of L. maackii fruit. A total of 438 metabolites were identified in the five developmental stages, including 81 flavonoids and derivatives. The 81 flavonoids included 25 flavones and derivatives, 35 flavonols and derivatives, two isoflavones, three cyanidins and derivatives, eight procyanidins, and eight flavanones. In addition, we outlined the putative flavonoid biosynthesis pathway and screened their upstream metabolites. More importantly, we analyzed the accumulation patterns of several typical flavones and flavonols. The results reported here improved our understanding of the dynamic changes in flavonoids during fruit development and contributed to making full use of the medicinal value of L. maackii fruit.

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Low Overnight Temperature-Induced Gibberellin Accumulation Increases Locule Number in Tomato

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20123042 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (12) ◽

pp. 3042

Author(s):

Yanbing Li ◽

Meihua Sun ◽

Hengzuo Xiang ◽

Yudong Liu ◽

Hui Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Hormone ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Flower Bud ◽

Tomato Plants ◽

Locule Number ◽

Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽

Flower Bud Differentiation

The number of locules in tomato affects fruit size, shape, and the incidence of malformation. Low temperature increases locule number and the incidences of malformation in tomato plants. In this study, three flower bud developmental stages (pre-flower bud differentiation, sepal and petal primordium formation, and carpel primordium formation) under different night temperatures (10, 15, and 20 °C) were used to analyze the reason behind locule number change using an RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) approach, Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). The results showed that the “plant hormone signal transduction”, “starch and sucrose metabolism”, and “diterpenoid biosynthesis” categories were remarkably activated during flower bud differentiation. Transcripts of gibberellin (GA)-related genes and endogenous levels of GAs were analyzed, and it was discovered that SlGA2ox genes were significantly downregulated and bioactive GA1 and GA4 accumulated at lower overnight temperature. Exogenous application of bioactive GA1, GA4, and PAC (paclobutrazol) showed that GA1 and GA4 increased the locule number, while PAC decreased the locule number. Taken together, our results suggest that lower overnight temperature reduced the expression of SlGA2ox genes, leading to GA1 and GA4 accumulation, thereby increasing locule number in tomato.

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Identification of Nutritional Ingredients and Medicinal Components of Pueraria lobata and Its Varieties Using UPLC-MS/MS-Based Metabolomics

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26216587 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (21) ◽

pp. 6587

Author(s):

Ding Huang ◽

Xiaohong Shang ◽

Ying Wang ◽

Liang Xiao ◽

Ruhong Ming ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography ◽

Pueraria Lobata ◽

Metabolome Analysis ◽

Chinese Medicines ◽

Material Basis ◽

Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry ◽

Medicinal Value ◽

Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass

Pueraria lobata and its variety P. lobata var. thomsonii are both traditional Chinese medicines that have high nutritional and medical value; whereas another variety, P. lobata var. montana has low nutritional and medicinal value and can cause ecological disasters. The material basis of different nutritional and medicinal values, which are caused by metabolite differences among these varieties, remains to be further clarified. Here, we performed ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based widely targeted metabolome analysis on Pueraria lobata, P. lobata var. thomsonii, and P. lobata var. montana. Among them, a total of 614 metabolites were identified, and distinguished from each other using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Our results suggest that the nutritional differences between P. lobata and its varieties can be explained by variations in the abundance of amino acids, nucleotides, saccharides, and lipids; differences in flavonoids, isoflavones, phenolic acids, organic acids, and coumarins contents caused the differences in the medicinal quality of P. lobata and its varieties. Additionally, the key metabolites responsible for the classification of the three Pueraria varieties were identified. This study provides new insights into the underlying metabolic causes of nutritional and medicinal variation in P. lobata and its varieties.

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