Integration of full-length transcriptomics and targeted metabolomics to identify benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes in Corydalis yanhusuo

Corydalis yanhusuo W.T.Wang is a classic herb that is frequently used in traditional Chinese medicine and is efficacious in promoting blood circulation,enhancing energy,and relieving pain.Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids(BIAs)are the main bioactive ingredients in Corydalis yanhusuo.However,few studies have investigated the BIA biosynthetic pathway in C.yanhusuo,and the biosynthetic pathway of species-specific chemicals such as tetrahydropalmatine remains unclear.We performed full-length transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to identify candidate genes that might be involved in BIA biosynthesis and identified a total of 101 full-length transcripts and 19 metabolites involved in the BIA biosynthetic pathway.Moreover,the contents of 19 representative BIAs in C.yanhusuo were quantified by classical targeted metabolomic approaches.Their accumulation in the tuber was consistent with the expression patterns of identified BIA biosynthetic genes in tubers and leaves,which reinforces the validity and reliability of the analyses.Full-length genes with similar expression or enrichment patterns were identified,and a complete BIA biosynthesis pathway in C.yanhusuo was constructed according to these findings.Phylogenetic analysis revealed a total of ten enzymes that may possess columbamine-O-methyltransferase activity,which is the final step for tetrahydropalmatine synthesis.Our results span the whole BIA biosynthetic pathway in C.yanhusuo.Our full-length transcriptomic data will enable further molecular cloning of enzymes and activity validation studies.

The next steps in academic integrity-education,awareness,norms,duty and law

We conducted and analyzed several internet surveys in order to understand the profile of global research integrity and ethical awareness,encompassing global population distribution.These were(1)the global distribution of Committee of Publishing Ethics(COPE)membership;(2)the global distribution of“Integrity”or“Ethics”journals;(3)the level of academic integrity awareness in European higher education institutions and(4)awareness of academic integrity in the top universities of Asia and Africa.The results of this survey series highlight seriously imbalanced awareness of research integrity and publishing ethics across the world,especially in developing areas with the highest population density.We therefore propose a new index,the“Academic Integrity Awareness Index”for future discussions across the linked spheres of publishing and research.