Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Molecules. 2024 Apr 19;29(8):1877. doi: 10.3390/molecules29081877.

Analysis Transcriptome and Phytohormone Changes Associated with the Allelopathic 
Effects of Ginseng Hairy Roots Induced by Different-Polarity Ginsenoside 
Components.

Zhou T(1)(2), Li Q(1), Huang X(1), Chen C(1).

Author information:
(1)Jilin Ginseng Academy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 
130117, China.
(2)School of Medical Technology, Beihua University, Jilin 132013, China.

The allelopathic autotoxicity of ginsenosides is an important cause of 
continuous cropping obstacles in ginseng planting. There is no report on the 
potential molecular mechanism of the correlation between polarity of ginsenoside 
components and their allelopathic autotoxicity. This study applied a combination 
of metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis techniques, combined with apparent 
morphology, physiological indexes, and cell vitality detection of the ginseng 
hairy roots, through which the molecular mechanism of correlation between 
polarity and allelopathic autotoxicity of ginsenosides were comprehensively 
studied. The hairy roots of ginseng presented more severe cell apoptosis under 
the stress of low-polarity ginsenoside components (ZG70). ZG70 exerted 
allelopathic autotoxicity by regulating the key enzyme genes of cis-zeatin (cZ) 
synthesis pathway, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) synthesis pathway, and jasmonates 
(JAs) signaling transduction pathway. The common pathway for high-polarity 
ginsenoside components (ZG50) and ZG70 to induce the development of allelopathic 
autotoxicity was through the expression of key enzymes in the gibberellin (GA) 
signal transduction pathway, thereby inhibiting the growth of ginseng hairy 
roots. cZ, indole-3-acetamid (IAM), gibberellin A1 (GA1), and 
jasmonoyl-L-isoleucine (JA-ILE) were the key response factors in this process. 
It could be concluded that the polarity of ginsenoside components were 
negatively correlated with their allelopathic autotoxicity.

DOI: 10.3390/molecules29081877
PMCID: PMC11053915
PMID: 38675697 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.


2. Foods. 2023 Oct 18;12(20):3821. doi: 10.3390/foods12203821.

The Impact of Photosynthetic Characteristics and Metabolomics on the Fatty Acid 
Biosynthesis in Tea Seeds.

Jiang L(1), Liu S(2), Hu X(1), Li D(1), Chen L(1), Weng X(1), Zheng Z(1), Chen 
X(2), Zhuang J(2), Li X(2), Chen Z(3), Yuan M(1).

Author information:
(1)Jinhua Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinhua 321017, China.
(2)International Institute of Tea Industry Innovation for the Belt and Road, 
Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
(3)Zhejiang Cultivated Land Quality and Fertilizer Management Station, Hangzhou 
310020, China.

The synthesis of tea fatty acids plays a crucial role in determining the oil 
content of tea seeds and selecting tea tree varieties suitable for harvesting 
both leaves and fruits. However, there is limited research on fatty acid 
synthesis in tea trees, and the precise mechanisms influencing tea seed oil 
content remain elusive. To reveal the fatty acid biosynthesis mechanism, we 
conducted a photosynthetic characteristic and targeted metabolomics analysis in 
comparison between Jincha 2 and Wuniuzao cultivars. Our findings revealed that 
Jincha 2 exhibited significantly higher net photosynthetic rates (Pn), stomatal 
conductance (Gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) compared with Wuniuzao, indicating 
the superior photosynthetic capabilities of Jincha 2. Totally, we identified 94 
metabolites with significant changes, including key hormone regulators such as 
gibberellin A1 (GA1) and indole 3-acetic acid (IAA). Additionally, linolenic 
acid, methyl dihydrojasmonate, and methylthiobutyric acid, precursors required 
for fatty acid synthesis, were significantly more abundant in Jincha 2 compared 
with Wuniuzao. In summary, our research suggests that photosynthetic rates and 
metabolites contribute to the increased yield, fatty acid synthesis, and oil 
content observed in Jincha 2 when compared with Wuniuzao.

DOI: 10.3390/foods12203821
PMCID: PMC10606020
PMID: 37893714

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.


3. J Exp Bot. 2023 Nov 21;74(21):6505-6521. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erad311.

NtMYB1 and NtNCED1/2 control abscisic acid biosynthesis and tepal senescence in 
Chinese narcissus (Narcissus tazetta).

Yang J(1), Huang J(1), Wu X(1), Xu Y(1), Gu Z(1), Chen Y(1), Zhang Y(1), Ren 
Y(1), Miao Y(1).

Author information:
(1)Fujian Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Biology, Fujian Agriculture and 
Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.

Chinese narcissus (Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis cv. 'Jinzhanyintai') is one 
of the 10 most famous traditional flowers of China, having a beautiful and 
highly ornamental flower with a rich fragrance. However, the flower longevity 
affects its commercial appeal. While petal senescence in Narcissus is 
ethylene-independent and abscisic acid-dependent, the regulatory mechanism has 
yet to be determined. In this study, we identified a R2R3-MYB gene (NtMYB1) from 
Narcissus tazetta and generated oeNtMYB1 and Ntmyb1 RNA interference mutants in 
Narcissus as well as an oeNtMYB1 construct in Arabidopsis. Overexpressing NtMYB1 
in Narcissus or Arabidopsis led to premature leaf yellowing, an elevated level 
of total carotenoid, a reduced level of chlorophyll b, and a decrease in 
photosystem II fluorescence (Fv/Fm). A dual-luciferase assay and chromatin 
immunoprecipitation-quantitative PCR revealed that NtMYB1 directly binds to the 
promoter of NtNCED1 or NtNCED2 and activates NtNCED1/2 gene expression both in 
vitro and in vivo. Moreover, overexpressing NtMYB1 accelerated abscisic acid 
biosynthesis, up-regulated the content of zeatin and abscisic acid, and 
down-regulated the level of β-carotene and gibberellin A1, leading to petal 
senescence and leaf yellowing in Narcissus. This study revealed a regulatory 
process that is fundamentally different between non-photosynthetic organs and 
leaves.

© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the 
Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please 
email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad311
PMID: 37625033 [Indexed for MEDLINE]


4. J Agric Food Chem. 2023 Apr 12;71(14):5770-5782. doi:
10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06846.  Epub 2023 Mar 28.

Predicted Three-Dimensional Structure of the GCR1 Putative GPCR in Arabidopsis 
thaliana and Its Binding to Abscisic Acid and Gibberellin A1.

Hernández PM, Arango CA(1), Kim SK(2), Jaramillo-Botero A(2), Goddard WA 3rd(2).

Author information:
(1)Department of Chemical Sciences, Universidad Icesi, Cali, Valle del Cauca 
760031 Colombia.
(2)Materials and Process Simulation Center (MC-139-74), California Institute of 
Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.

GCR1 has been proposed as a plant analogue to animal G-protein-coupled receptors 
that can promote or regulate several physiological processes by binding 
different phytohormones. For instance, abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin A1 
(GA1) have been shown to promote or regulate germination and flowering, root 
elongation, dormancy, and biotic and abiotic stresses, among others. They may 
act through binding to GCR1, which would put GCR1 at the heart of key signaling 
processes of agronomic importance. Unfortunately, this GPCR function has yet to 
be fully validated due to the lack of an X-ray or cryo-EM 3D atomistic structure 
for GCR1. Here, we used the primary sequence data from Arabidopsis thaliana and 
the GEnSeMBLE complete sampling method to examine 13 trillion possible packings 
of the 7 transmembrane helical domains corresponding to GCR1 to downselect an 
ensemble of 25 configurations likely to be accessible to the binding of ABA or 
GA1. We then predicted the best binding sites and energies for both 
phytohormones to the best GCR1 configurations. To provide the basis for the 
experimental validation of our predicted ligand-GCR1 structures, we identify 
several mutations that should improve or weaken the interactions. Such 
validations could help establish the physiological role of GCR1 in plants.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06846
PMID: 36977192 [Indexed for MEDLINE]


5. ACS Omega. 2023 Jan 4;8(2):1957-1966. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04743.
eCollection  2023 Jan 17.

Structural Elucidation of Relevant Gibberellic Acid Impurities and In Silico 
Investigation of Their Interaction with Soluble Gibberellin Receptor GID1.

Caboni P(1), Laus A(2), Eloh K(3), Ntalli NG(4), Casula M(1), Di Giorgi S(5), 
Tocco G(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Cittadella Universitaria di 
Monserrato, Blocco A, 09042, Monserrato, Italy.
(2)Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 
Blocco A, 09042, Monserrato, Italy.
(3)University of Kara, Po Box 404 Kara, Togo.
(4)Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological 
Institute, 8 S. Delta Str., 14561 Athens, Greece.
(5)Ministero della Salute, Direzione Generale per l'Igiene e la Sicurezza degli 
Alimenti e della Nutrizione, Viale Giorgio Ribotta, 5, 00144 Roma, Italy.

Gibberellin derivatives are a family of tetracyclic diterpenoid plant hormones 
used in agriculture as plant growth regulators included in the European 
Directive 91/414. In the pesticide peer review process and to assess their 
toxicological relevance and product chemical equivalence, the European Food 
Safety Authority (EFSA) highlighted data gaps such as the identification of 
hydrolysis products and unknown impurities. The aspect of impurity 
characterization and quantitation is challenging and requires the use of 
hyphenated analytical techniques. In this regard, we used an LC-QTOF/MS and NMR 
analysis for the characterization of gibberellic acid impurities found in 
technical products. Gibberellic acid impurities such as gibberellin A1 (GA 1 ), 
3-isolactone gibberellic acid (iso-GA 3 ), gibberellenic acid, 
1α,2α-epoxygibberellin A3 (2-epoxy- GA 3 ), and 
(1α,2β,3α,4bβ,10β)-2,3,7-trihydroxy-1-methyl-8-methylenegibb-4-ene-1,10-dicarboxylic 
acid were identified and successfully characterized. Moreover, an in silico 
investigation on selected gibberellic acid impurities and derivatives and their 
interactions with a gibberellin insensitive dwarf1 (GID1) receptor has been 
carried out by means of induced fit docking (IFD), generalized-Born surface area 
(MM-GBSA), and metadynamics (MTD) experiments. A direct HPLC method with DAD and 
MS for the detection of gibberellic acid and its impurities in a technical 
sample has been developed. Moreover, by means of the in silico characterization 
of the GID1 receptor-binding pocket, we investigated the receptor affinity of 
the selected gibberellins, identifying compounds (2) and (4) as the most 
promising hit to lead compounds.

© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04743
PMCID: PMC9850740
PMID: 36687088

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing financial 
interest.