Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a key role in many physiological processes of plants, and it was also applied to fields of medicinal plant biotechnology. The article presents a review of some recent application of ABA in enhancing the production of secondary metabolites of medicinal plants, improving the in vitro conservation in medicinal plant tissue culture system.
Abscisic Acid ; metabolism ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Plant Growth Regulators ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; metabolism

Secondary metabolites are the result of that plant interaction with biological and non-biological factors in the long-term evolution process, and play an important role in plant growth, development and physiology. The effective components of medicinal plant are usually the secondary metabolites in plant cells, and the synthesis of them are affected by a variety of factors, such as environmental impact. Acquirement of the secondary metabolites via callus culture has the advantage of low cost and less environmental impact. The synthesis and accumulation of medicinal plant secondary metabolites are not only controlled by light, temperature and pH, but also infected by germplasm, plant growth regulator and elicitor. This article presents a review of the influencing factors, and provides a basis for further study and development.
Light ; Plant Growth Regulators ; metabolism ; Plant Physiological Phenomena ; radiation effects ; Plants ; metabolism ; radiation effects ; Temperature

Uridine diphosphate glycosyltransferase(UGT) is a highly conserved protein in plants, which usually functions in secondary metabolic pathways. This study used the Hidden Markov Model(HMM) to screen out members of UGT gene family in the whole genome of Dendrobium officinale, and 44 UGT genes were identified. Bioinformatics was used to analyze the structure, phylogeny, and promoter region components of D. officinale genes. The results showed that UGT gene family could be divided into four subfamilies, and UGT gene structure was relatively conserved in each subfamily, with nine conserved domains. The upstream promoter region of UGT gene contained a variety of cis-acting elements related to plant hormones and environmental factors, indicating that UGT gene expression may be induced by plant hormones and external environmental factors. UGT gene expression in different tissues of D. officinale was compared, and UGT gene expression was found in all parts of D. officinale. It was speculated that UGT gene played an important role in many tissues of D. officinale. Through transcriptome analysis of D. officinale mycorrhizal symbiosis environment, low temperature stress, and phosphorus deficiency stress, this study found that only one gene was up-regulated in all three conditions. The results of this study can help understand the functions of UGT gene family in Orchidaceae plants and provide a basis for further study on the molecular regulation mechanism of polysaccharide metabolism pathway in D. officinale.
Dendrobium/genetics* ; Plant Growth Regulators ; Glycosyltransferases/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Mycorrhizae ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins/metabolism*

Abscisic acid, a plant hormone that inhibits growth, is a key factor in balancing plant endogenous hormones and regulating growth and metabolism. Abscisic acid can improve the drought resistance and salt tolerance of crops, reduce fruit browning, reduce the incidence rate of malaria and stimulate insulin secretion, so it has a broad application potential in agriculture and medicine. Compared with traditional plant extraction and chemical synthesis, abscisic acid synthesis by microorganisms is an economic and sustainable route. At present, a lot of progress has been made in the synthesis of abscisic acid by natural microorganisms such as Botrytis cinerea and Cercospora rosea, while the research on the synthesis of abscisic acid by engineered microorganisms is rarely reported. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Yarrowia lipolytica and Escherichia coli are common hosts for heterologous synthesis of natural products due to their advantages of clear genetic background, easy operation and friendliness for industrial production. Therefore, the heterologous synthesis of abscisic acid by microorganisms is a more promising production method. The author reviews the research on the heterologous synthesis of abscisic acid by microorganisms from five aspects: selection of chassis cells, screening and expression enhancement of key enzymes, regulation of cofactors, enhancement of precursor supply and promotion of abscisic acid efflux. Finally, the future development direction of this field is prospected.
Abscisic Acid/metabolism* ; Plant Growth Regulators/metabolism* ; Plants/metabolism* ; Yarrowia/metabolism*

Plant trichomes are special structures that originate from epidermal outgrowths. Trichomes play an important role in plant defense against pests and diseases, and possess economic and medicinal values. Study on molecular mechanism of plant trichomes will contribute to the molecular design breeding and genetic improvement of crops. In recent years, the regulation mechanism of trichome development has been basically clarified in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, while great progresses are also found in other plant species. In this review, we focus on the developmental regulation of trichome formation from gene and phytohormones levels in Arabidopsis and cotton (with unicellular trichomes), as well as in tomato and Artemisia annua (with multicellular trichomes). The research progress associated with trichomes is also introduced in other typical monocotyledons and dicotyledons. Finally, the research and application of plant trichomes are prospected.
Arabidopsis/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Gossypium/genetics* ; Lycopersicon esculentum ; Plant Growth Regulators/metabolism* ; Trichomes/genetics*

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of S-3307 spraying time and density on photosynthetic characteristic of Ligusticum chuanxiong.

METHODThe photosynthetic characteristic of L. chuanxiong under different S-3307 spraying time and density was studied by plot cultivation experiment.

RESULTThe content of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in leaf increased when the spraying density was 20, 40, 80 mg x L(-1), while the net photosynthetic rate was the maximum. When the spraying density was 160 mg x L(-1), the content of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll as well as net photosynthetic rate were not increased.

CONCLUSIONS-3307 spraying can raise the photosynthetic capacity of L. chuanxiong and promote the form of assimilation products.

Chlorophyll ; metabolism ; Ligusticum ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Photosynthesis ; drug effects ; Plant Growth Regulators ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of plant growth substances on induction and culture of callus from Rhodiola quadrifida and also to analyze salidroside contents in the callus.

METHODThe optimum combination of plant growth substances in MS solid medium for induction and culture of callus was established using orthogonal design. The contents of salidroside was analyzed by HPLC.

RESULTMS medium containing 2,4-D 1 mg x L(-1), NAA 2 mg x L(-1), 6-BA 0.5 mg x L(-1) and KT 0.1 mg x L(-1) could induce the callus from R. quadrifida most effectively;the induction rate was 83.3%. The optimized combination of plant growth substances for callus subculture was 2,4-D 1 mg x L(-1), 6-BA 0.1 mg x L(-1) and KT 0.5 mg x L(-1). The dry weight could reach 11.77 g x L(-1) when the callus was cultured in the optimum medium for 30 d and salidroside content was 0.28%.

CONCLUSIONThe quantities of plant growth substances required for induction and culture of callus are different in R. quadrifida. The callus could produce salidroside.

Culture Media ; Glucosides ; metabolism ; Phenols ; metabolism ; Plant Growth Regulators ; pharmacology ; Plant Stems ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Rhodiola ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Tissue Culture Techniques ; methods

OBJECTIVETo distinguish female and male plants of Gynostemma pentaphyllum quickly and accurately in the stage of seedling and to understand the relation between sex differentiation and endogenous plant hormone.

METHODStained methods of BTB and enzyme linked immuno-sorbent Assay were used.

RESULT10 Hours after being dyed, the liquid extract of female plants turned into yellow, while extract of male ones turned green. There were obvious differences on iPAs and GA(1 + 3) contents but no differences on IAA and ABA contents between male and female plants during the stages of seedling and vegetative growth.

CONCLUSIONBTB can be used for distinguishing female and male plants and there were a certain relation between sex and endogenous plant hormones.

Gibberellins ; metabolism ; Gynostemma ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plant Growth Regulators ; metabolism ; Plant Leaves ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Sex Factors

Water cultured propagation technology of Polygonum multiflorum was investigated with Rooting Powder No. 2 (ABT 2) comparison experiments, and the dynamic changes of endogenous hormones including indole acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), zeatin riboside (ZRs) contents and activities of indoleacetic acid oxidase (IAAO), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) were analyzed during rooting period. The results showed that rooting percentage of softwood cutting with 50 mg x L(-1) ABT2 and 10 mg x L(-1) ABT2 + 0.2% Urea + 0.2% KH2PO4 treatments was 94%, rooting percentage of softwood cuttings of control was 46% only. The adventitious rooting displayed three distinct phases i. e. root-inducing, root formation and root-elongating phases. The dynamic changes of contents of endogenous plant hormones (IAA, ABA, ZRs) and activities of IAAO, PPO tested were tightly related to the rooting process of soft-wood cuttings in P. multiflorum. During root-inducing phase the contents of IAA, ABA and ZRs decreased sharply, whereas ZRs content and IAAO activity kept higher level. IAA content reached the peak and PPO activity increased obviously during root formation phase, while IAAO activities and ABA, ZRs contents declined to minimum. During root-elongating phase PPO, IAAO activities were higher and IAA, ABA, ZRs contents kept steady. During rooting ABT2 (50 mg x L(-1)) treatment increased the content of IAA and PPO activity in cuttings, while the opposite result occurred in contents of ZRs, ABA and IAAO activity.
Catechol Oxidase ; metabolism ; Culture Techniques ; Kinetics ; Peroxidases ; metabolism ; Plant Growth Regulators ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Plant Roots ; drug effects ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Polygonum ; drug effects ; growth & development ; metabolism

To achieve sustainable resources use of Polygonum multiflorum, adventitious roots were efficiently induced and cultured by suspension culture. In order to obtain optimal medium for induction adventitious roots from the young stems of P. multiflorum, MS medium was optimized by supplementing with different concentrations of sucrose and plant growth substances. The optimal medium for suspension culture of adventitious roots was determined by orthogonal design. The adventitious roots with suspension culture were subcultured, and the growth curve was also determined. Furthermore, the effective compound in adventitious roots was detected. The result indicated that the optimal medium for efficient induction of adventitious roots was MS medium containing 4% w/v sucrose, supplemented with 2.0 mg x L(-1) NAA, and 0.2 mg x L(-1) 6-BA. The optimal medium for suspension culture of adventitious roots was MS medium containing 3% sucrose, supplemented with 2.0 mg x L(-1) NAA, and 0.2 mg x L(-1) ABT-7.2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxyl-diphenyl-ethylene-2-O-beta-D-glucoside was detected in adventitious roots, which was effective compound in medicinal material of P. multiflorum. In conclusion, the experiment achieved efficient induction and suspension culture of adventitious roots of P. multiflorum, and laid a foundation for the research on the sustainable use of traditional Chinese medicine resources.
Culture Media ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Plant Growth Regulators ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Polygonaceae ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Sucrose ; metabolism ; Tissue Culture Techniques ; methods