No abstract

By backcrossing to Raphanus sativus cv. 'Pink ball', 55 BC 2 plants were obtained from two sesquidiploidal BC 1 plants (MaRR, 2n = 32) between Moricandia arvensis (MaMa, 2n = 28) and R. sativus (RR, 2n = 18). Their somatic chromosome numbers ranged from 2n = 18 to 2n = 23, except for one hyperploid plant with 2n = 44. In the BC 3 generation, 64 plants (2n = 19) were generated from 16 BC 2 plants with 2n = 19~23. Each plant with 2n = 19 exhibited both morphological and physiological characteristics diagnostic for the presence of an added chromosome of M. arvensis genome, and showed predominantly the chromosome pairing type of 9II + 1I at metaphase I of PMCs. They were classified into twelve (a~l) types of monosomic chromosome addition lines (MALs) of alloplasmic (M. arvensis) R. sativus carrying M. arvensis cytoplasm by their morphological, physiological and cytogenetical characteristics. The mean of seed setting in the twelve types of MALs ranged from 2.88 grains (f-type) to 0.51 grains (j-type) per pollinated flower when they were backcrossed to R. sativus cv. 'Pink ball'. The transmission rates to the next generation through female gametes ranged from 32.5 % (f-and j-types) to 5.5 % (h-type) when smaller seeds were selectively grown. The specific characteristics of each type of MALs were transmitted from the BC 3 generation to the BC 4 and BC 5 ones without any modification. The MALs of the distinctive twelve types were also identified using RAPD markers in the BC 5 generation. Pollen fertility of the twelve types of MALs ranged from 85.6 % (c-type) to 3.4 % (l-type), although four types (g-, h-, i-and jtypes) exhibited complete male sterility. Furthermore, alloplasmic (M. arvensis) R. sativus plants (2n = 18) which were derived from male fertile MALs showed complete male sterility. The twelve types of MALs produced in this study should be useful materials to determine the localization of genes for agronomic traits on the individual chromosome of M. arvensis and the alloplasmic (M. arvensis) R. sativus should also be a useful material for the development of a new cytoplasmic male sterility system in R. sativus.

Chicoric acid (dicaffeoyl-tartaric acid), is a natural phenolic compound found in a number of plants, such as chicory (Cichorium intybus) and Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea), which possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and analgesic activities. Although these biological effects of chicoric acid have been investigated, there are no reports of its antiallergic-related anti-inflammatory effects in human mast cells (HMC)-1 or anaphylactic activity in a mouse model. Therefore, we investigated the antiallergic-related anti-inflammatory effect of chicoric acid and its underlying mechanisms of action using phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate plus calcium ionophore A23187 (PMACI)-stimulated HMC-1 cells. Chicoric acid decreased the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β. We studied the inhibitory effects of chicoric acid on the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and activation of caspase-1. However, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation was not sufficient to abrogate the stimulus. In addition, we investigated the ability of chicoric acid to inhibit compound 48/80-induced systemic anaphylaxis in vivo. Oral administration of chicoric acid at 20 mg/kg inhibited histamine release and protected mice against compound 48/80-induced anaphylactic mortality. These results suggest that chicoric acid has an antiallergic-related anti-inflammatory effect that involves modulating mast cell-mediated allergic responses. Therefore, chicoric acid could be an efficacious agent for allergy-related inflammatory disorders.

Conventional fluorescent lamps that are used in tissue culture are costly light sources, exhibiting excessive wavelength emission-bandwidth that must be replaced by alternative, less costly, and much lower power-consuming energy sources. The use of Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) is the best option due to their potential role as elicitors of secondary metabolite production in many plant models. Gynura procumbens (G. procumbens) is widely used for treating various diseases. Here, leaf explants were cultivated in MS medium that was supplemented with 0.5 mg/L of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 2.0 mg/L of benzylaminopurine (BAP) for 30 days under white, blue, and red LEDs. Secondary metabolites were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS). Blue LEDs elicited the highest antioxidant activity, total flavonoid, and phenolic content. Furthermore, the content of cyanidin-monoglucosides significantly increased under blue light.

In intergeneric crossings between Diplotaxis tenuifolia (2n = 22, DtDt) and five cultivars of Raphanus sativus (2n = 18, RR), an intergeneric F 1 hybrid was produced from the crossing of D. tenuifolia × R. sativus cv. '4-season leaf' through ovary culture followed by embryo culture. The induced amphidiploid (2n = 40, DtDtRR) showed well-regulated meiotic features at PMCs and a high pollen fertility (75 %). Three BC 1 hybrids with DtRR (2n = 29) or DtDtR (2n = 31) genome constitutions were obtained by the same embryo rescue procedure in the crossings of amphidiploid × R. sativus and D. tenuifolia × amphidiploid, respectively. In the successive backcrossings of two BC 1 hybrids (DtRR, 2n = 29) to R. sativus, 102 BC 2 hybrids were obtained by conventional pollination. In the reciprocal crossing of R. sativus × BC 1 hybrids, 12 reciprocal BC 2 hybrids were also produced without embryo rescue. The somatic chromosome number of 89 BC 2 hybrids with D. tenuifolia cytoplasm and 12 reciprocal BC 2 hybrids with R. sativus cytoplasm ranged from 2n = 18 to 2n = 23 that were estimated to carry 2n = 18 chromosomes of R. sativus and zero to five chromosomes of D. tenuifolia. Among them, 24.7 % of the BC 2 hybrids and 41.6 % of the reciprocal BC 2 hybrids were assumed to be monosomic addition lines (MALs, 2n = 19). The novel intergeneric hybrids obtained in this study could become useful materials for investigating the genetic effects on C 3 -C 4 intermediate traits at the genomic and chromosomal levels, as well as for estimating the performance of genetic improvement in Brassicaceae.