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Evolutionary origins of taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Southeast Asia.

ABSTRACT: As an ancient clonal root and leaf crop, taro (Colocasia esculenta, Araceae) is highly polymorphic with uncertain genetic and geographic origins. We explored chloroplast DNA diversity in cultivated and wild taros, and closely related wild taxa, and found cultivated taro to be polyphyletic, with tropical and temperate clades that appear to originate in Southeast Asia sensu lato. A third clade was found exclusively in wild populations from Southeast Asia to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Our findings do not support the hypothesis of taro domestication in Papua New Guinea, despite archaeological evidence for early use or cultivation there, and the presence of apparently natural wild populations in the region (Australia and Papua New Guinea).

SUBMITTER: Ahmed I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7713977 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evolutionary origins of taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Southeast Asia.

Ahmed Ibrar I Lockhart Peter J PJ Agoo Esperanza M G EMG Naing Kyaw W KW Nguyen Dzu V DV Medhi Dilip K DK Matthews Peter J PJ

Ecology and evolution 20201102 23

As an ancient clonal root and leaf crop, taro (Colocasia esculenta, Araceae) is highly polymorphic with uncertain genetic and geographic origins. We explored chloroplast DNA diversity in cultivated and wild taros, and closely related wild taxa, and found cultivated taro to be polyphyletic, with tropical and temperate clades that appear to originate in Southeast Asia sensu lato. A third clade was found exclusively in wild populations from Southeast Asia to Australia and Papua New Guinea. O ...[more]

PMID: 33304557

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Antimetastatic activity isolated from Colocasia esculenta (taro).

Project description:Breast cancer mortality is primarily due to the occurrence of metastatic disease. We have identified a novel potential therapeutic agent derived from an edible root of the plant Colocasia esculenta, commonly known as taro, which has demonstrable activity in a preclinical model of metastatic breast cancer and that should have minimal toxicity. We have shown for the first time that a water-soluble extract of taro (TE) potently inhibits lung-colonizing ability and spontaneous metastasis from mammary gland-implanted tumors, in a murine model of highly metastatic estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and Her-2/neu-negative breast cancer. TE modestly inhibits the proliferation of some, but not all, breast and prostate cancer cell lines. Morphological changes including cell rounding were observed. Tumor cell migration was completely blocked by TE. TE treatment also inhibited prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis and downregulated cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 mRNA expression. We purified the active compound(s) to near homogeneity with antimetastatic activity comparable with stock TE. The active compound with a native size of approximately 25 kDa contains two fragments of nearly equal size. The N-terminal amino acid sequencing of both fragments reveals that the active compound is highly related to three taro proteins: 12-kDa storage protein, tarin and taro lectin. All are similar in terms of amino acid sequence, posttranslational processing and all contain a carbohydrate-binding domain. This is the first report describing compound(s) derived from taro that potently and specifically inhibits tumor metastasis.

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A Review on Viruses Infecting Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott).

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Tarin, a Potential Immunomodulator and COX-Inhibitor Lectin Found in Taro (Colocasia esculenta).

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Next generation sequencing of leaf transcriptome from taro (Colocasia esculenta) cultivars Niue, Palau 10, and Sam-07

Project description:Despite the fact that taro, colocasia esculenta, is an important staple food for millions of people around the world, its genome and transcriptome sequence has not yet been investigated. The objective of this study was to generate transcriptome sequence information from taro cultivars Niue, Palau 10, and Sam-07. Niue and Sam-07 are highly susceptible to the taro leaf blight (TLB) disease caused by Phytophthora colocasiae, to which Palau 10 is resistant. The analysis of the taro transcriptome will facilitate gene discovery, including genes that are responsible for TLB-resistance. Moreover, microsatellites (SSRs) developped from these data will be useful for marker-assisted breeding of improved taro cultivars, QTL mapping, and characterization of the genetic diversity in taro.

2018-09-30 | GSE87777 | GEO

Population Prehistory in Island Southeast Asia

Project description:Affymetrix single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array data were collected to study genome-wide patterns of genomic variation across a broad geographical range of Island Southeast Asian populations. This region has experienced an extremely complex admixture history. Initially settled ~50,000 years ago, Island Southeast Asia has since been the recipient of multiple waves of population movements, most recently by Austronesian-speaking groups ultimately from Neolithic mainland Asia and later arrivals during the historic era from India and the Middle East. We have genotyped SNPs in ~500 individuals from 30 populations spanning this entire geographical region, from communities close to mainland Asia through to New Guinea. Particular attention has been paid to genomic data that are informative for population history, including the role of recent arrivals during the historic era and admixture with archaic hominins.

2017-08-02 | GSE80534 | GEO