Phosphoproteomics Reveals Regulation of Secondary Metabolites in Mahonia bealei Exposed to Ultraviolet-B Radiation

Mahonia bealei (M. bealei) is a traditional Chinese medicine containing a high alkaloid content used to treat various diseases. Generally, only dried root and stem are used as medicines, considering that the alkaloid content in M. bealei leaves is lower than in the stems and roots. Some previous research found that alkaloid and flavonoid contents in the M. bealei leaves may increase when exposed to ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation. However, the underlying mechanism of action is still unclear. In this study, we used titanium dioxide material enrichment and mass-based label-free quantitative proteomics techniques to explore the effect and mechanism of M. bealei leaves when exposed to UV-B treatment. Our data suggest that UV-B radiation increases the ATP content, photosynthetic pigment content, and some enzymatic/nonenzymatic indicators in the leaves of M. bealei. Moreover, phosphoproteomics suggests phosphoproteins related to mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction and the plant hormone brassinosteroid signaling pathway as well as phosphoproteins related to photosynthesis, glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the amino acid synthesis/metabolism pathway are all affected by UV-B radiation. These results suggest that the UV-B radiation activates the oxidative stress response, MAPK signal transduction pathway, and photosynthetic energy metabolism pathway, which may lead to the accumulation of secondary metabolites in M. bealei leaves.

\(\textit{rbc}\)L DNA region revealed as the best DNA barcode for identification of \(\textit{Mahonia}\) and \(\textit{Berberis}\) species (Berberidaceae)

Berberidaceae contains 17 genera and nearly 650 species, in which the genus Berberis and the genus Mahonia are sisters with a very close relationship and share many similar characteristics. In the past, the two genera were merged into the genus Berberis. At present, the Berberidaceae is at risk and is prioritized for conservation, especially the species of Mahonia and Berberis. In the fact, identification for the Berberidaceae species based on the morphology of parts for sale (such as roots, stems, leaves) without reproductive organs (flowers and fruits) is impossible. In recent years, molecular biology techniques are being applied widely and effectively in research on the evolution, classification and genetic diversity of populations. Study based on DNA has highly accurate and particularly useful for closely related species which morphological observations are not sufficient to distinguish. Results from DNA analysis allow authentic species, populations or individuals from un-intact specimens accurately and especially, it is not affected by objective factors such as the environment or human. In this study, we assessed the taxonomy ability of three commonly DNA barcoding regions used for classification including rbcL, trnH-psbA and ITS2 on 12 samples of the Berberidaceae family, in which 7 samples are genus Mahonia, 4 samples are genus Berberis and one sample of Epimedium was used as the control sample. The results of the study will contribute to the selection of suitable DNA barcode for the identification of Mahonia and Berberis samples. The results demonstrated that the rbcL region showed the most obvious ability to distinguish the 12 Berberidaceae species. The ITS2 sequences of Berberis julianeae and Mahonia bealei of Vietnam were submitted to GenBank with accession numbers MT073031 and MT008067, respectively. The sequence of rbcL of Mahonia bealei was also submitted to GenBank with accession number MT457415.1.

Phytochemistry and medicinal values of Mahonia bealei: A review

Purpose: To review the medicinal uses of Mahonia bealei, an important member of the genus Mahonia, with a focus on its various applications in Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as published scientific evidence on its effectiveness. Methods: Information in all available literature was retrieved using different search engines including NCBI, ISI Web of Knowledge and Google. Results: Several compounds have been extracted from M. bealei. These include alkaloids, triterpenes, flavonoids, phytosterols and lignans. Traditionally, the plant is used to treat dysentery, diarrhea and inflammation. Globally, scientists have used in vitro and in vivo techniques to evaluate the usefulness of compounds extracted from M. bealei with respect to their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant as well as anti-gastrin properties. Conclusion: Different parts of this plant still remain underexplored. Moreover, comparison of the properties of the isolated compounds has not been carried out, nor are there reports on the synergistic effects of extracts of the plant. Therefore, future research to address these areas may be useful in the discovery of new therapeutic agents.

20-Hydroxy-3-Oxolupan-28-Oic Acid, a Minor Component From Mahonia bealei (Fort.) Carr. Leaves Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory in Murine Macrophages

20-Hydroxyl-3-oxolupan-28-oic acid (HOA), a minor component from Mahonia bealei (Fort.) Carr. leaves, has been found to attenuate inflammatory responses. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we performed a comprehensive transcriptional study to investigate genetic changes. We used RNA sequencing technology to analyses the transcriptional changes in RAW 264.7 cells in a control group, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced group, and HOA-treated group. We identified 1,313 and 388 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the control/LPS group and LPS/HOA group, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) classification revealed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in a series of inflammatory and immune-related processes. The results of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses showed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in inflammatory-related pathways such as the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, chemokine signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, and Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway. The results of qPCR validation revealed that dynamic changes in immune-related mRNAs such as Saa3, Bcl2l1, Mapkapk2, Ccl9, Sdc4, Ddx3x, Socs3, Prdx5, Tlr4, Lif, IL15, Tnfaip3, Tet2, Tgf-β1, and Ccl20, which were significantly upregulated in the LPS group and downregulated in the HOA group. Taken together, these results suggest that HOA may be used as a source of anti-inflammatory agents as well as a dietary complement for health promotion.

Molecular characteristics of ITS-rDNA region of Mahonia bealei (Fortune) Carrière in Vietnam

In this research, we study on molecular characteristics of ITS-rDNA region of Mahonia bealei. The gotten result showed that, the ITS with 700 bp in length contained 24.1% Timin, 28.4% Guamin, 23.4% Adenin and 24.1% Cistezin. The average genetic difference between Mahonia genus and Berberis genus is 2,3% while with other genera is from 17% to 22%. The gotten result also demonstrated this ITS region can be useful and suitable for identification and study phylogenetic of Berberidaceae. Specific primer to amplify the ITS genome in the length of 300 bp of Mahonia bealei species aslo have been developed and synthesized. This ITS-300 genome sequence of Mahonia bealei was registered on the Gene Bank with accession number as MT 008067.