A novel biological sources consistency evaluation method reveals high level of biodiversity within wild natural medicine:A case study of Amynthas earthworms as"Guang Dilong"

For wild natural medicine,unanticipated biodiversity as species or varieties with similar morphological characteristics and sympatric distribution may co-exist in a single batch of medical materials,which affects the efficacy and safety of clinical medication.DNA barcoding as an effective species identification tool is limited by its low sample throughput nature.In this study,combining DNA minibarcode,DNA metabarcoding and species delimitation method,a novel biological sources consistency evaluation strategy was proposed,and high level of interspecific and intraspecific variations were observed and validated among 5376 Amynthas samples from 19 sampling points regarded as"Guang Dilong"and 25 batches of proprietary Chinese medicines.Besides Amynthas aspergillum as the authentic source,8 other Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units(MOTUs)were elucidated.Significantly,even the subgroups within A.aspergillum revealed here differ significantly on chemical compositions and biological activity.Fortunately,this biodiversity could be controlled when the collection was limited to designated areas,as proved by 2796"decoction pieces"samples.This batch biological identification method should be introduced as a novel concept regarding natural medicine quality control,and to offer guidelines for in-situ conservation and breeding bases construction of wild natural medicine.

先兆子痫及胎儿宫内发育迟缓的胎盘共表达模块分析及基因富集分析

目的:研究先兆子痫(PE)及胎儿宫内发育迟缓(IUGR)致孕产妇及胎儿死亡的致病基因及相关通路。方法:利用加权基因共表达网络分析法(WGCNA)分析正常、PE、IUGR及PE&IUGR胎盘组织的基因测序数据集,寻找有意义的基因模块并构建共表达网络,并针对关键基因集进行富集分析。结果:在PE组中存在323个基因与此性状有关(r=0.42,P<0.05),在IUGR组中存在318个基因与此性状有关(r=0.4,P<0.05)。进一步基于相关基因的富集分析,提示了与PE以及IUGR发生发展有关的重要生物通路。结论:本研究提示了PE及IUGR发生发展的特异性参与基因及相应信号通路,为进一步研究其胎盘发生机制提供了新思路。