Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Alterations in the Primary Metabolites and Potential Pathways in the Vegetative Growth of Morchella sextelata.

Morchella sextelata, one of the true morels, has recently been artificially cultivated with stable production in China. Analysis of the variations in primary metabolites during the vegetative stages of M. sextelata is critical for understanding the metabolic process. In this study, three developmental stages were categorized based on morphological and developmental changes, including the young mushroom period, marketable mature period, and physiological maturity period. Untargeted metabolomics-based mass spectrometry was used to analyze the change of metabolites during the growth stages of M. sextelata. The result showed that the metabolites' content at the different growth stages were significantly different. The relative contents of linoleic acid, mannitol, oleamide, and betaine were higher at each growth stage. Flavor substances were significantly metabolizable during commodity maturity, while amino acids, organic acids, and lipids were significantly metabolizing at physiological maturity. Pathway analysis of the most significant changes involved Pyrimidine metabolism, Vitamin B6 metabolism, Arginine biosynthesis, Lysine biosynthesis, and Lysine degradation. The results can provide a theoretical basis for further clarifying the metabolic regulation mechanism and lay the foundation for optimizing the cultivation process of M. sextelata.

Integration of Transcriptomics and Metabolomics for Understanding the Different Vegetative Growth in Morchella Sextelata.

Morchella sextelata is an edible and medicinal fungus with high nutritional, medicinal, and economic value. Recently, M. sextelata has been produced through artificial cultivation in China, but its stable production remains problematic because the details of its growth and development process are limitedly understood. Herein, to investigate the dynamic process of M. sextelata development, we integrated the transcriptomics and metabolomics data of M. sextelata from three developmental stages: the young mushroom period (YMP), marketable mature period (MMP), and physiological maturity period (PMP). The results showed that the transcriptome changed dynamically at different stages and demonstrated the significant enrichment of pathways that regulate plant growth and development, such as N-glycan biosynthesis and carbon and purine metabolism. Similarly, small-molecule metabolites, such as D-fructose-1,6-biphosphate, which was upregulated during the YMP, dihydromyricetin, which was upregulated during the MMP, and L-citrulline, which was upregulated during the PMP, also showed phase-dependent characteristics. Then, combined analysis of the transcriptome data and metabolome traits revealed that the transcriptome may affect metabolic molecules during different growth stages of M. sextelata via specific enzymes, such as α-glucosidase and glucanase, which were included in two opposite transcriptome modules. In summary, this integration of transcriptomics and metabolomics data for understanding the vegetative growth of M. sextelata during different developmental stages implicated several key genes, metabolites, and pathways involved in the vegetative growth. We believe that these findings will provide comprehensive insights into the dynamic process of growth and development in M. sextelata and new clues for optimizing the methods for its cultivation application.

New Triterpenoid Saponins from Green Vegetable Soya Beans and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities.

Ten compounds were isolated and identified from green vegetable soya beans, of which five are new triterpenoid saponins (1-5) and five are known compounds (6-10). The chemical structures of the five triterpenoid saponins (1-5) were elucidated to be 3ß,24-dihydroxy-22ß,30-epoxy-30-oxoolean-12-en 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-glucuronopyranoside, 1; 3ß,24-dihydroxy-22ß,30-epoxy-30-oxoolean-12-en 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-(3″-O-formyl)-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-glucuronopyranoside, 2; 22-keto-3ß,24-dihydroxy oleanane-12-ene 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-(3″-O-formyl)-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-glucuronopyranoside, 3; 3ß,22ß,24-trihydroxy oxyolean-18(19)-ene-29-acid 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-glucuronopyranoside, 4; and punicanolic acid 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-ß-d-glucuronopyranoside, 5 from the spectroscopic data (IR, GTC/FID, HR-ESI-MS, and 1D and 2D NMR). The nitric oxide release inhibitions of compounds 1-10 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells were evaluated, and the data suggested that compounds 1, 2, and 5 might possess moderate anti-inflammatory activities, with IC50 values of 18.8, 16.1, and 13.2 µM, respectively.

Identification of Two Additional Susceptibility Loci for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Chinese Population.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate the associations between the rs1250569 (zinc finger MIZ-type containing 1, ZMIZ1), rs1042522 (tumour protein p53, TP53), and rs10114470 (tumour necrosis factor-like cytokine 1A, TL1A) polymorphisms and the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a Chinese (Han) population. We analysed the expression of genes that predispose patients to Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: A total of 381 IBD patients and 517 healthy controls were recruited into our study. Polymorphisms at the three loci were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-ligation detection reactions (PCR-LDR). Genotype-phenotype correlations were analysed. Blood and gut samples were obtained and analysed using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry to investigate the mRNA and protein levels and in situ expression of genes found to predispose patients to IBD. Furthermore, the expression of susceptible genes was further verified using a mouse dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis model. RESULTS: No significant association was detected between rs1250569 and rs1042522 genotypes and CD or UC susceptibility. However, the frequency of allele A of rs1250569 was much higher in CD patients than that in healthy controls (55.03% vs. 48.48%, respectively; p = 0.044). The mutation rates at rs10114470 were dramatically lower at both the genotype and allele level in patients than those in healthy controls (p = 0.002 at both the genotype and allele level). Additionally, increased ZMIZ1 and TL1A levels were detected in intestinal samples obtained from both IBD patients and DSS-treated mice. CONCLUSION: rs1250569 (ZMIZ1) and rs10114470 (TL1A) are two novel loci that indicate susceptibility to IBD in Han-Chinese patients. Consistent with previous studies, TL1A expression levels were higher in Chinese Han IBD patients and DSS-treated mice. Most importantly, we found that ZMIZ1 expression was markedly higher in both IBD patients and mice with experimentally induced colitis, suggesting that ZMIZ1 plays important roles in the pathogenesis of IBD.