Project description:These experiments were designed to determine the usefulness of the spurge/cassava euphorbiaceae arrays for investigating gene expression in other euphorbs. Keywords: heterologous hybridization euphorbia
Project description:This study is a time course of growth induction (0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hrs) following the breaking of paradormancy in underground buds of the perennial weed leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula). Keywords: Time course, growth induction, apical dominance, paradormancy, root buds, leafy spurge
Project description:Transcriptome changes were investigated for Euphorbia esula (leafy spurge) seeds with a focus on the effect of constant and diurnal fluctuating temperature on dormancy and germination. Leafy spurge seeds do not germinate when incubated for 21 days at 20°C constant temperatures, but nearly 30% germinate after 21 days under fluctuating temperatures 20:30°C (16:8 h). Incubation at 20°C for 21 followed by 20:30°C resulted in approximately 63% germination in about 10 days. A cDNA microarray representing approximately 22,000 unique sequences was used to profile transcriptome changes.
Project description:Liver fibrosis represents an unmet clinical need. Building on the high screening hit rate of Euphorbiaceae diterpenoids in our previous anti-fibrotic campaigns, we constructed a library of 29 myrsinane diterpenoids from the roots of Euphorbia prolifera in the current study. This collection features three skeletal subtypes and includes 13 new compounds, euphpronoids A-M (1-13), whose structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, ECD calculations, chemical correlation, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Anti-liver fibrosis screening of this library in TGF-β1-stimulated LX-2 cells revealed ten compounds that significantly suppressed fibronectin (FN) expression. The most active hit, compound 11, dose-dependently reduced the protein levels of FN, α-smooth muscle actin, and collagen I. Mechanistic studies indicated that 11 exerts its anti-fibrotic effect by inhibiting the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. These findings underscore the potential of the myrsinane scaffold as a promising structural motif for anti-liver fibrosis drug development.
