Project description:Amomum tsao-ko (Zingiberaceae) is an important edible and medicinal crop. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome of A. tsao-ko was determined using Illumina sequencing platform. The size of whole cp genome was 163,648 bp, containing a small single copy (SSC) region of 15,355 bp and a large single copy (LSC) region of 88,741 bp, which were separated by a pair of inverted repeat (IRs) regions (29,776 bp). The A. tsao-ko cp genome contained 133 genes, including eight ribosomal RNA genes (4 rRNA species), 38 transfer RNA genes (30 tRNA species) and 87 protein-coding genes (79 PCG species). The overall GC content of A. tsao-ko cp genome is 36.02%. To investigate the evolution status of A. tsao-ko, as well as Zingiberales, a phylogenetic tree with A. tsao-ko and other 16 species was constructed based on their complete chloroplast genomes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that A. tsao-ko was closely related to Alpinia zerumbet.
Project description:Amomum tsao-ko, as an edible and medicinal variety, has been cultivated for more than 600 years in China. Recently, two cultivars, A. tsao-ko and Amomum paratsao-ko, were found in A. tsao-ko planting area. The two cultivars are often confused because of the similar phenotype and difficult to distinguish through sensory judgment. In this study, the non-targeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics combined with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) were used for dissecting the two cultivars with phenotypic differences. According to principal component analysis (PCA) loading diagram and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) S-plot of the metabolites, the accumulation of major components including 1,8-cineole, α-phellandrene, (E)-2-decenal, (-)-β-pinene, (E)-2-octenal, 1-octanal, D-limonene, and decanal, were present differences between the two cultivars. Seven metabolites potential differentiated biomarkers as β-selinene, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, (E,Z)-2,6-dodecadienal, (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-decenal, isogeranial, 1,8-cineole and β-cubebene were determined. Although A. tsao-ko and A. paratsao-ko belong to the same genera and are similar in plant and fruit morphology, the composition and content of the main components were exposed significant discrepancy, so it is necessary to distinguish them. In this study, the discriminant model established by GC-MS or NIRS combined with multivariate analysis has achieved a good classification effect. NIRS has the advantages of simple, fast and nondestructive and can be used for rapid identification of varieties and fruit tissues.
Project description:This first-in-human (FIH) dose-escalation and dose-validation/expansion study will assess KO-2806, a farnesyl transferase inhibitor (FTI), as a monotherapy and in combination, in adult patients with advanced solid tumors.
Project description:In our search for novel plant-derived inhibitors of nitric oxide (NO) with potential for treating inflammatory diseases, the phytochemicals of Amomum tsao-ko fruits were investigated, leading to the isolation of one bicyclic nonane (1), three menthene skeleton monoterpenoids (2-4), and two acyclic monoterpenoids (5 and 6). Their structures were identified using one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. To the best of our knowledge, compounds 2-5 were obtained from the genus Amomum for the first time. All isolates were tested for their ability to inhibit lipopolysaccharide-stimulated NO overproduction in RAW264.7 cells. Compound 4 was found to inhibit NO production. Western blotting analysis indicated that active compound 4 can regulate inducible NO synthase expression. In addition, lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin 1 beta and interleukin-6 overproduction was reduced in a concentration-dependent manner.