Complete chloroplast genome sequence of poisonous and medicinal plant Datura stramonium: organizations and implications for genetic engineering.

Datura stramonium is a widely used poisonous plant with great medicinal and economic value. Its chloroplast (cp) genome is 155,871 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure of the large (LSC, 86,302 bp) and small (SSC, 18,367 bp) single-copy regions, separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 25,601 bp). The genome contains 113 unique genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNAs and four rRNAs. A total of 11 forward, 9 palindromic and 13 tandem repeats were detected in the D. stramonium cp genome. Most simple sequence repeats (SSR) are AT-rich and are less abundant in coding regions than in non-coding regions. Both SSRs and GC content were unevenly distributed in the entire cp genome. All preferred synonymous codons were found to use A/T ending codons. The difference in GC contents of entire genomes and of the three-codon positions suggests that the D. stramonium cp genome might possess different genomic organization, in part due to different mutational pressures. The five most divergent coding regions and four non-coding regions (trnH-psbA, rps4-trnS, ndhD-ccsA, and ndhI-ndhG) were identified using whole plastome alignment, which can be used to develop molecular markers for phylogenetics and barcoding studies within the Solanaceae. Phylogenetic analysis based on 68 protein-coding genes supported Datura as a sister to Solanum. This study provides valuable information for phylogenetic and cp genetic engineering studies of this poisonous and medicinal plant.

Some Lithuanian ethnobotanical taxa: a linguistic view on thorn apple and related plants.

BACKGROUND: The perception and use of plants correspond with common plant names. The study of plant names may give insight into historical and recent use of plants. METHODS: Plant names in dictionaries and folklore have been evaluated. A etymological analysis of the names is provided. Onomasiological and semasiological aspects have been considered. Therefore, species named with names related to each other have been selected. RESULTS: Plant names containing the stem dag- or deg- may belong to either of two categories: incenses or thorny plants. Plants named in durn- have been in use as psychopharmaca. The name rymo points not to Rome but to the use of plants as anodyne or psychopharmaca.

Phytochemical and microscopic evaluation of cultivated Datura innoxia miller.

Using a sensitive analytical method, the total alkaloid content of Datura innoxia cultivated in Ibadan is reported at different stages of growth. Furthermore, the total hyoscine content of D. inoxia has been shown to peak during the harmattan season and to be at its lowest in the rainy season in Ibadan. The diagnostic microscopic features of this little studied species is also described.

Protein chemotaxonomy of genus Datura. IV. Amino acid sequence of Datura ferredoxins depends not on the species but the section of Datura plants from which it comes.

The complete amino acid sequences of [2Fe-2S] ferredoxins from Datura quercifolia (section Stramonium) and D. fastuosa (section Dutra) have been determined by automated Edman degradation of the entire Cm-protein and of the peptides obtained by tryptic digestion and CNBr treatment. The D. quercifolia and D. fastuosa ferredoxins exhibited identical amino acid sequences to D. stramonium (section Stramonium) and D. metal (section Dutra) ferredoxins, respectively. This result suggests that the amino acid sequence of Datura ferredoxins depends on the section but not the species of Datura plants.

Amino acid sequence of ferredoxin from Datura arborea.

The complete amino acid sequence of [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin from Datura arborea, "Tree Datura", has been determined by automated Edman degradation of the entire Cm-protein and of the peptides obtained by tryptic digestion and CNBr treatment. The D. arborea ferredoxin exhibited three and four differences, respectively, in the amino acid sequences when compared with the ferredoxins of D. stramonium and D. metel (herbaceous species). This result supports the idea of Bernhardi and Safford that 'Tree Datura' such as D. arborea should be considered as one section of the genus Datura and not a separate genus.

Identical amino acid sequence of ferredoxin from Datura metel and D. innoxia.

The complete amino acid sequence of the respective [2Fe-2S] ferredoxins from Datura metel (D. alba) and D. innoxia, have been determined by automated Edman degradation of the entire Cm-protein and of the peptides obtained by tryptic digestion and CNBr treatment. The ferredoxins from the two plants had an identical amino acid sequence, suggesting a very close taxonomic relationship between the two. This is the first report for the identical primary structure of Fds from different species of higher plants.

Protein chemotaxonomy of genus Datura: identical amino acid sequence of ferredoxin from two varieties of Datura stramonium.

The complete amino acid sequence of the respective [2Fe-2S] ferredoxins from two varieties of Datura stramonium, D. stramonium var. stramonium and D. stramonium var. tatula, have been determined by automated Edman degradation of the entire Cm-protein and of the peptides obtained by tryptic digestion and CNBr treatment. The ferredoxins from the two plants exhibited identical amino acid sequences, suggesting a very close taxonomic relationship between the two. This result supports the proposal by Blakeslee and others that these plants, at first named by Linnaeus as two distinct species, i.e. D. stramonium L. and D. tatula L., should be considered two varieties of a single species.