Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are essential secondary metabolites produced by Papaver somniferum, widely recognized for their pharmaceutical importance. This study employs transcriptome sequencing and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to investigate the spatiotemporal expression patterns and regulatory networks of BIA-related genes across developmental stages and organs. A total of 23 co-expression modules were identified, revealing stage- and organ-specific dynamics in BIA biosynthesis. Key genes such as TYDC, PPO, and GsSRK demonstrated distinct regulatory roles during flowering and fruit maturation. Functional enrichment analysis uncovered critical pathways and transcription factors involved in alkaloid production. These findings enhance our understanding of the molecular regulation of BIAs and provide valuable insights for improving alkaloid yield through metabolic engineering and molecular breeding strategies.

Cannabis sativa is a medicinally and economically significant plant known for its production of cannabinoids, terpenoids, and other secondary metabolites. This study presents a transcriptomic analysis to elucidate tissue-specific expression and regulatory mechanisms across leaves, stems, and roots. A total of 2,530 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, with key genes such as terpene synthase (TPS) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) exhibiting elevated expression in leaf tissues, emphasizing their roles in terpenoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Alternative splicing (AS) analysis revealed 8,729 distinct events, dominated by exon skipping, contributing to transcriptomic diversity. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) prediction identified 3,245 candidates, many of which displayed tissue-specific expression patterns and co-expression with metabolic genes, suggesting regulatory roles in secondary metabolism. Additionally, 12,314 SNPs and 2,786 INDELs were detected, with notable enrichment in genes associated with secondary metabolite biosynthesis, particularly in leaf tissues. These findings advance the understanding of molecular mechanisms governing secondary metabolism and genetic diversity in C. sativa, providing valuable insights for future metabolic engineering and breeding strategies to enhance cannabinoid production.

在我国,鸦片罂粟的违法种植是境内阿片类毒品的主要来源.利用新型、高效的分子标记对鸦片罂粟进行溯源推断可以从源头上对毒品进行铲除,对涉毒案件的侦破具有重要意义.但是,由于地域特异性分子标记的缺乏,我国法庭科学中鸦片罂粟DNA溯源推断方法及体系一直处于空白阶段.基于此,本研究应用RAD简化测序技术对国内3个地区鸦片罂粟植株及1个特殊的蒂巴因品种进行了群体简化测序和组装,并对其SNP位点进行了开发和特异性检测.鸦片罂粟各地域(品种)间的特异性SNP位点结果分别为:甘肃品种(bai)1988个,蒂巴因品种(T)9959个,郑州品种(ZZ)12 080个;武汉品种(WH)3 110个.本研究获得的一系列罂粟地域(品种)特异性SNP位点,为今后罂粟溯源体系的构建提供了充足的分子标记支持.RAD简化测序技术更是为毒品原植物溯源体系的构建提供了一种理想的特异性位点获取方法,对于涉毒案件中及时发现、铲除毒品源头具有十分重要的意义.

癌症是威胁人类生命健康的重大疾病,目前全球每年约有880万人死于癌症.地下鼠营地下封闭黑暗环境生活,具有长寿和抗癌的特性,是国际抗癌研究的良好动物模型.我国地下鼠物种资源丰富,但有关地下鼠抗癌机理的研究亟待加强.2014年以来,郑州大学生命科学学院王振龙教授带领项目团队开展了地下鼠低氧适应的分子机制及其抗癌特性研究,发现了地下鼠低氧适应与抗癌特性的关系,为人类的癌症治疗研究提供重要线索.

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is a source of morphine, codeine, and semisynthetic derivatives, including oxycodone and naltrexone. Here, we report the de novo assembly and genomic analysis of P. somniferum traditional landrace 'Chinese Herbal Medicine'. Variations between the 2.62Gb CHM genome and that of the previously sequenced high noscapine 1 (HN1) variety were also explored. Among 79,668 protein-coding genes, we functionally annotated 88.9%, compared to 68.8% reported in the HN1 genome. Gene family and 4DTv comparative analyses with three other Papaveraceae species revealed that opium poppy underwent two whole-genome duplication (WGD) events. The first of these, in ancestral Ranunculales, expanded gene families related to characteristic secondary metabolite production and disease resistance. The more recent species-specific WGD mediated by transposable elements resulted in massive genome expansion. Genes carrying structural variations and large-effect variants associated with agronomically different phenotypes between CHM and HN1 that were identified through our transcriptomic comparison of multiple organs and developmental stages can enable the development of new varieties. These genomic and transcriptomic analyses will provide a valuable resource that informs future basic and agricultural studies of the opium poppy.

Cannabis sativa is a well-known plant species that has great economic and ecological significance. An incomplete genome of cloned C. sativa was obtained by using SOAPdenovo software in 2011. To further explore the utilization of this plant resource, we generated an updated draft genome sequence for wild-type varieties of C. sativa in China using PacBio single-molecule sequencing and Hi-C technology. Our assembled genome is approximately 808 Mb, with scaffold and contig N50 sizes of 83.00 Mb and 513.57 kb, respectively. Repetitive elements account for 74.75% of the genome. A total of 38,828 protein-coding genes were annotated, 98.20% of which were functionally annotated. We provide the first comprehensive de novo genome of wild-type varieties of C. sativa distributed in Tibet, China. Due to long-term growth in the wild environment, these varieties exhibit higher heterozygosity and contain more genetic information. This genetic resource is of great value for future investigations of cannabinoid metabolic pathways and will aid in promoting the commercial production of C. sativa and the effective utilization of cannabinoids. The assembled genome is also a valuable resource for intensively and effectively investigating the C. sativa genome further in the future.

The mandarin voles (Lasiopodomys mandarinus) is a subterranean rodent that spends its entire life underground in burrow systems, having to endure a hypoxic environment. In this study, we used the embedded artificial tunnel method in a natural burrow system to measure oxygen (O-2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and the temperature and humidity in the underground burrows of mandarin voles in Xinzheng, Henan Province, China during the spring and summer of 2015. Our results show that 1) the depth and complexity of the burrow were higher during summer than during spring; 2) maximal CO2 levels (2.55%) and minimal O-2 levels (16.04%) were recorded in the underground burrows during summer; and 3) the temperature and humidity in the underground burrows were relatively stable during spring and summer. In conclusion, mandarin voles face hypoxic/hypercapnic stress predominantly during summer. The humidity and temperature of the burrows were relatively stable and were not affected by seasonal variation. The burrow system of mandarin voles was more complex and deeper during the rainy summer season. Our study provides a basis for further investigations regarding the evolutionary, physiological, and molecular basis of hypoxia-hypercapnia in mandarin voles.

Nutrient intake of animals is influenced by an interplay of external and internal factors, such as food availability and reproductive state, respectively. We used the nutritional geometry framework to analyze individual-based data on energy and nutrient intake in relation to reproductive state in a population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta tcheliensis), which live in a harsh high-latitude habitat, the Taihangshan mountains of China, and exhibit strong reproductive seasonality. We combined data over a 3-year period on food availability, diets, reproductive output, and components of maternal investment to understand how Taihangshan macaques respond to variation in food availability and nutrition in reproduction. Our results show there was high interannual variation in availability of an important staple source of fat and carbohydrates (nonprotein energy), seeds of oak (Quercus spp). Despite this variability in seed availability skewing the dietary macronutrient ratios considerably (from 12.96% to 30.12% dietary energy from protein), total metabolizable energy intake was maintained across years during pregnancy. Lactating females had higher mean daily energy intakes than pregnant females. As in pregnant females, energy intake was maintained constant across years, but only when seed availability enabled the contribution of available protein to energy intake to be maintained between 15.32% (2013) and 17.97% (2015). In 2014, when seeds were scarce, lactating females had a shortfall in energy intake compared with 2013 and 2015. This corresponded with a reduction in the number of females giving birth (11 out of 23), but there was no interannual difference in survival rates. Compared to 2013 and 2015, in 2014 females had greater weight loss (drew on body reserves), moved less, and spent more time nursing their offspring. We discuss implications of these results for range limitation in Taihangshan macaques.

We used Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii) to study the effects of levonorgestrel (L) and quinestrol(Q)on the reproduction of rodents.A two-way ANOVA experiment,L(+/ -) × Q(+/ -),was performed on four groups of Brandt's voles.Each group included seven pairs of voles (14 individuals in total) and was given a dose of 2 mg/kg daily using the method of pouring belly in seven days. The Brandt's voles were then mated and their weight and reproduction were recorded.After thirty days,the reproductive organs were weighted and the levels of hormones in blood were measured.The results showed that Q could significantly reduce Brandt's weight,especially after 14 days of pouring belly(it was reduced by 18.16%).L and Q both significantly inhibited the reproduction of Brandt's voles.The L-Q-group had a pregnancy rate of 85.70%,while the L+Q- group only had 7.14%,and the other two groups had none.L significantly increased testis index(-2.11%—66.67%) and epididymis index (18.18%—160.00%),and Q promoted L's positive effects on the two indexes.Q significantly inhibited uterus index (-64.20%—-30.56%) and testis index (-43.16%—-3.22%),and L decreased the suppression of Q on the two indexes.There were no significant effects of Q on estradiol,testosterone,urofollitrophin and corticosterone contents.L significantly inhibited the expression of urofollitrophin(-11.83%—-55.38%), and Q increased the suppression of L. In conclusion,Q inhibits the reproduction of Brandt's voles,whereas L has a weaker suppression than Q. The combined usage of L and Q can reduce Q' s suppression.

Background Subterranean rodents have evolved many features to adapt to their hypoxic environment. The brain is an organ that is particularly vulnerable to damage caused by exposure to hypoxic conditions. To investigate the mechanisms of adaption to a hypoxic underground environment, we carried out a cross-species brain transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing and identified genes that are differentially expressed between the subterranean vole Lasiopodomys mandarinus and the closely related above-ground species Lasiopodomys brandtii under chronic hypoxia [10.0% oxygen (O 2 )] and normoxia (20.9% O 2 ). Results A total of 355 million clean reads were obtained, including 69,611 unigenes in L. mandarinus and 69,360 in L. brandtii . A total of 235 and 92 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by comparing the hypoxic and control groups of L. mandarinus and L. brandtii , respectively. A Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that upregulated DEGs in both species had similar functions in response to hypoxia, whereas downregulated DEGs in L. mandarinus were enriched GO terms related to enzymes involved in aerobic reactions. In the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis, upregulated DEGs in L. mandarinus were associated with angiogenesis and the increased O 2 transport capacity of red blood cells, whereas downregulated DEGs were associated with immune responses. On the other hand, upregulated DEGs in L. brandtii were associated with cell survival, vascular endothelial cell proliferation, and neuroprotection, while downregulated genes were related to the synaptic transmission by neurons. Conclusions L. mandarinus actively adapts its physiological functions to hypoxic conditions, for instance by increasing O 2 transport capacity and modulating O 2 consumption. In contrast, L. brandtii reacts passively to hypoxia by decreasing overall activity in order to reduce O 2 consumption. These results provide insight into hypoxia adaptation mechanisms in subterranean rodents that may be applicable to humans living at high altitudes or operating in other O 2 -poor environments.

There is considerable interest in examining how circadian rhythms function and evolve in subterranean rodents that spend its entire life in underground, darkness environments. Here, we investigated the evolution of PER and CRY genes that are important for mammalian biological clocks in the subterranean rodents. We performed phylogenetic analyses using newly sequenced PER and CRY from the subterranean rodent Lasiopodomys mandarinus, the related aboveground rodent Lasiopodomys brandtii, sequences from other rodents available in public databases. The constructed phylogenetic tree revealed no convergence among subterranean rodents. Phylogenetic and selection-pressure analyses revealed the effect of purifying selection (ω < 1) on PER and CRY in subterranean rodents. Additionally, evidence of positive selection on the CRY1 and PER3 genes in several subterranean rodent species suggests adaptations to a dark habitat. Most of the positively selected sites in CRY1 and PER3 were on the C-terminus. Our findings suggest that PER and CRY are highly conserved during evolution as subterranean rodents adapted to the darkness environment, and that the C-terminal domain of CRY1 and PER3 may be the core regulatory structure of circadian rhythms. The study advances our understanding of how major circadian genes evolved in subterranean rodents.

Social hierarchy commonly exists in animal societies, affecting both the endocrine functioning and the behavior of animals. In nonhuman primates, the relationship between social rank and cortisol levels varies across species and even within species. Here, we assessed the relationships between social rank and fecal cortisol levels in adult male Taihangshan macaques (rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta tcheliensis) from the provisioned, free-ranging Wulongkou-2 (WLK-2) group inhabiting Wulongkou Scenic Area, Jiyuan, China. From March to May 2014, we recorded 195 agonistic behaviors and collected 54 fresh fecal samples from eight adult male Taihangshan macaques. Males were assigned a social rank according to an agonistic behavior matrix, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was then used to measure the cortisol concentration in the fecal samples. We found that social rank among the eight male Taihangshan macaques in WLK-2 group followed a strict linear hierarchy, and that fecal cortisol levels were significantly higher and more variable in low-ranking males than in more dominant individuals. Age was not significantly associated with social rank or fecal cortisol levels. Our results suggest that social rank and maintenance of the social hierarchy within the WLK-2 group is a chronic stressor, with low-ranking males maintaining heightened stress levels and enlarged reactive scope relative to dominant males. This provides new support for the theory that social environment can influence endocrine functioning.

目前,国内刑事技术领域涉及木材DNA种属鉴定的方法尚属空白.在盗砍盗伐、非法走私、假冒仿造木材类案件中,常因木材种类无法判定造成案件无法侦办和诉讼.白木香(Aquilaria sinensis)又称沉香,为桃金娘目(Myrtales)瑞香科(Thymelaeaceae)沉香属(Aquilaria),是木材市场炙手可热的木材种类.近几年,DNA条形码(DNA barcoding)[1-2]技术发展迅速,方法成熟稳定,已广泛应用于动植物的种属鉴定中.本文基于DNA条形码技术,建立识别木材种属的方法,并对1例市售疑似白木香木材进行检验,为将来涉及木材类案件中木材种属的鉴定提供一定的参考.

Vitaceae are a family of dicotyledons that contain 16 genera and more than 700 species. Among them, Vitis is a typical genus mainly distributed in East Asia, North America, Europe, and Central Asia. Grapes mainly propagate via asexual reproduction and have many inter-regional exchange events among varieties, which lead to homonym or synonym phenomena and difficulties in classification and identification. In this study, we compared the conserved coding regions of four species of Vitis and developed 93 conserved sequences. We found that a sequence homologous to KOG3174 could be used to develop polymorphic molecular markers. We designed three pairs of primers, which could be implemented for the identification of the four species of Vitis at the molecular level.

A typical social group of rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is composed of multi-males and multi-females. Females are philopatric,forming kin-bonded subgroups (i. e.,matrilines) . Males often disperse into non-natal groups during puberty or elder age,while adult males in the social group are mainly immigrants. This is suggested to reduce of inbreeding and /or the enhancement of male reproductive success. However,adult males are frequently observed to stay in their natal group after puberty for one or few years. Although complex factors (e. g.,social relationship,inbreeding avoidance, reproductive success) could respond to the dispersal,difference in reproductive success could be the main driver. Therefore,it is reasonable to hypothesize that the reproductive success of the natal males would be lower than that of those immigrant males. From March 2010 to January 2014,non-invasive sampling (i. e.,fecal DNA) was adopted to test the parentage of the macaques born during 2009 and 2013 in a free-ranging group of Taihangshan macaques (M. m. tcheliensis) . This group inhabits Mt. Wangwu area within the Taihangshan Macaque National Nature Reserve, Jiyuan,China. Fecal DNA samples were collected from 76 macaques,including 19 adult females and their offspring,and 6 adult males (4 immigrants and 2 natal males) . The results showed that: (1) 36 out of 51 offspring could be assigned to their genetic fathers; (2) the 4 immigrants sired 34 offspring in contrast to 2 offspring sired by a natal male (ZM),and none of the genotyped offspring was assigned to BB; and (3) the average offspring for each immigrant adult males (1. 97, 95％ CI: [1. 02,2. 91]) were higher than that of the natal adult (0. 5) . The findings demonstrate that the reproductive success of immigrant male rhesus macaques is higher than that of the natal rhesus males,supporting our prediction.

罂粟作为鸦片及海洛因的毒品原植物,在非法种植与运输案件物证检测中,其物种鉴定一直是案件侦破和定性的关键.本文综合分析了国内外有关罂粟遗传分子标记研究的现状,针对鸦片罂粟SSR及SNP标记缺乏这一难题,阐述了简化基因组测序技术应用于罂粟标记开发的可能和前景.

Background Within multi-male and multi-female mammalian societies, paternity assignment is crucial for evaluating male reproductive success, dominance hierarchy, and inbreeding avoidance. It is, however, difficult to determine paternity because of female promiscuity during reproduction. Noninvasive molecular techniques (e.g., fecal DNA) make it possible to match the genetic father to his offspring. In the current study, a troop of free-ranging Taihangshan macaques ( Macaca mulatta tcheliensis ) in Mt. Taihangshan area, Jiyuan, China, was selected for studying the paternity. We successfully screened a set of microsatellite loci from fecal DNA and evaluated the efficiency of these loci for paternity testing using clearly recorded data of maternity. Results The results showed that: 1) ten loci out of 18 candidate microsatellite loci were amplified successfully in the fecal samples of Taihangshan macaques. The error probability in maternity assignments and paternity testing was very low as indicated by their power of discrimination (0.70 to 0.95), power of exclusion (0.43 to 0.84), and the values of polymorphic information content ranging from 0.52 to 0.82; 2) the combined probability of exclusion in paternity testing for ten qualified loci was as high as 99.999%, and the combined probability of exclusion reached 99.99% when the seven most polymorphic loci were adopted; 3) the offspring were assigned to their biological mother correctly and also matched with their genetic father. Conclusions We concluded that the ten polymorphic microsatellite loci, especially a core set of seven most polymorphic loci, provided an effective and reliable tool for noninvasive paternity testing in free-ranging rhesus macaques.