Mapping of Purple Gene in Spears of Asparagus(Asparagus officinalis L.)

[Objectives]This study was conducted to find out regulatory genes related to purple in spears of asparagus(Asparagus officinalis L.).[Methods]The stable asparagus inbred line JX1513-5(the base of the spear is purple)and JLV1718-7(the base of the spear is green)were used as parents to study the genetic law of purple/green traits in their offspring.[Results]The results showed that the purple in the basal part of asparagus spear was controlled by a pair of alleles,and purple was dominant over green.The F 2 segregation population was resequenced by the bulk segregation analysis(BSA)method,and the purple trait in the basal part of asparagus spear was located in the interval of 24.51-25.08 Mb on Chr07 chromosome,which included 47 genes.According to the annotation information,three candidate genes were screened out:LOC109849403,LOC109849430 and LOC109849442.The candidate genes were verified by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR),and finally LOC109849442 was obtained as the candidate gene for controlling the purple/green trait in the basal part of asparagus spear.[Conclusions]This study lays a foundation for the breeding of new asparagus varieties and molecular marker-assisted breeding.

Biosynthesis of Copper Nanoparticles using an Extract of the root of Asparagus racemosus:Basic Synthesis,Antimicrobial,and Anti-oxidant Potentials

Copper nanoparticles(CuNPs)have emerged as a promising alternative due to their unique antimicrobial properties.The synthesis of CuNPs using Asparagus racemosus,commonly known as Shatavari,offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to producing nanomaterials.Moreover,the resulting CuNPs have been found to possess excellent antibacterial,and antioxidant properties,which further expands their potential applications in medicine and environmental remediation.In this article,we discussed the in vitro characterization of the CuNPs.In vitro studies revealed that CuNPs have the potential for biomedical applications and as a base nanomaterial for the construction of drug delivery and targeting vehicles.

Physiological and biochemical characteristics of boscalid resistant isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum from asparagus lettuce

Laboratory mutants of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum(Lib)de Bary,resistant to boscalid,have been extensively characterized.However,the resistance situation in the lettuce field remains largely elusive.In this study,among the 172 S.sclerotiorum isolates collected from asparagus lettuce field in Jiangsu Province,China,132 isolates(76.74%)exhibited low-level resistance to boscalid(Bos^(LR)),with a discriminatory dose of 5μg mL-1.In comparison to the boscalid-sensitive(BosS)isolates,most Bos^(LR)isolates demonstrated a slightly superior biological fitness,as evidenced by data on mycelial growth,sclerotium production and pathogenicity.Moreover,most Bos^(LR)isolates showed comparable levels of oxalic acid(OA)accumulation,increased exopolysaccharide(EPS)content and reduced membrane permeability when compared to the BosS isolates.Nevertheless,their responses to distinct stress factors diverged significantly.Furthermore,the effectiveness of boscalid in controlling Bos^(LR)isolates on radish was diminished compared to its efficacy on BosS isolates.Genetic mutations were identified in the SDH genes of Bos^(LR)isolates,revealing the existence of three resistant genotypes:I(^(A11V)at SDHB,SDHB^(A11V)),II(^(Q38R)at SDHC,SDHC^(Q38R))and III(SDHB^(A11V)+SDHC^(Q38R)).Importantly,no cross-resistance was observed between boscalid and other fungicides such as thifluzamide,pydiflumetofen,fluazinam,or tebuconazole.Our molecular docking analysis indicated that the docking total score(DTS)of the type I resistant isolates(1.3993)was lower than that of the sensitive isolates(1.7499),implying a reduced affinity between SDHB and boscalid as a potential mechanism underlying the boscalid resistance in S.sclerotiorum.These findings contribute to an enhanced comprehension of boscalid’s mode of action and furnish valuable insights into the management of boscalid resistance.

Manipulation of plant height in garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated aspSPL14 allele editing

Dear Editor,Reduction in plant height has been associated with yield increases and yield stability in a number of important crop species,such as wheat and rice[1].In these plants,dwarfing is mainly attributed to the inability to synthesize or respond to certain phytohormones,predominantly gibberellin(GA)[2].Ideal Plant Architecture 1(IPA1),an miR156 target gene,encodes SPL14 and it is able to bind directly to the promoters of multiple GA biosynthetic,signal,and deactivating genes in rice[3].Moreover,IPA1 loss-of-function mutants exhibit dwarf phenotypes[4].

A New Enolate Furostanoside from Asparagus Filicinus

A new enolate derivative of furostanol glycoside, named asparagusin A, was isolated from the roots of Asparagus filicinus and established as 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl(1-->4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (25S)-furost-20(22)-ene-3 beta, 26-diol 26-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) by spectroscopic and chemical methods. Asparagusin A (1) exhibited a cytotoxic activity effect on PC12 cells.

Two New Furostanol Glycosides from Asparagus cochinchinensis

Two new furostanol oligoglycosides named as aspacochioside A (1) and B (2) were isolated from the roots of Asparagus cochinchinensis (Lour.) Merr.. Their structures were elucidated to be 3-O-[{a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(14)}{b-D-glucopyranosyl}]-26-O-[b-D-glucopy- ranosyl]-(25S)-5b-furostane-3b,22a,26-triol 1 and 3-O-[{a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(14)}{b-D-glu- copyranosyl}]-26-O-[b-D-glucopyranosyl]-22a-methoxy-(25S)-5b-furostane-3b,26-diol 2 on the basis of spectroscopic techniques and chemical methods.

Chromosome-level genome assembly,annotation and evolutionary analysis of the ornamental plant Asparagus setaceus

Asparagus setaceus is a popular ornamental plant cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions globally.Here,we constructed a chromosome-scale reference genome of A.setaceus to facilitate the investigation of its genome characteristics and evolution.Using a combination of Nanopore long reads,Illumina short reads,10×Genomics linked reads,and Hi-C data,we generated a high-quality genome assembly of A.setaceus covering 710.15 Mb,accounting for 98.63%of the estimated genome size.A total of 96.85%of the sequences were anchored to ten superscaffolds corresponding to the ten chromosomes.The genome of A.setaceus was predicted to contain 28,410 genes,25,649(90.28%)of which were functionally annotated.A total of 65.59%of the genome was occupied by repetitive sequences,among which long terminal repeats were predominant(42.51%of the whole genome).Evolutionary analysis revealed an estimated divergence time of A.setaceus from its close relative A.officinalis of~9.66 million years ago,and A.setaceus underwent two rounds of whole-genome duplication.In addition,762 specific gene families,96 positively selected genes,and 76 resistance(R)genes were detected and functionally predicted in A.setaceus.These findings provide new knowledge about the characteristics and evolution of the A.setaceus genome,and will facilitate comparative genetic and genomic research on the genus Asparagus.

Furostanol Saponins from Asparagus cochinchinensis and Their Cytotoxicity

Phytochemical investigation on the roots of Asparagus cochinchinensis led to the isolation of one new furostanol saponin,named 26-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-22α-hydroxyl-(25R)-Δ5(6)-furost-3β,26-diol-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)]-β-d-glucopyranoside(1),along with three known congeners(2‒4).The structure of new saponin was elucidated via comprehensive inspection of its HRMS and NMR spectral data as well as chemical technology,whereas those of known ones were identified by comparison of their NMR and MS spectral data with those reported in literatures.All isolated saponins were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects on two human liver(MHCC97H)and lung adenocarcinoma(H1299)cancer cells in vitro.Among them,both 1 and 2 showed significant cytotoxicity against above mentioned cell lines.Further studies revealed that these two saponins could significantly inhibit their proliferation of MHCC97H and H1299 cells.

A new Furostanoside from Asparagus filicinus

A new furostanoside, aspafilioside D (1) has been isolated from the root of Asparagus filicinus. Its structure was determined by spectral and chemical methods.

A New Furost-20(22)-ene Oligoglycoside from Asparagus cochinchinensis

A new furost-20(22)-ene oligoglycoside named as aspacochioside C was isolated from the roots of Asparagus cochinchinensis (Lour.) Merr.. Its structure was elucidated to be 26-O-b- D-glucopyranosyl-(25S)-5b-furost-20(22)-en-3b,26-diol-3-O-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(14)-b-D- glucopyranoside on the basis of spectroscopic techniques including 1D and 2D NMR experiments.

Economic value and exploiting approaches of sea asparagus, a seawater-irrigated vegetable

Sea asparagus is a newly emerging seawater-irrigated vegetable. Firstly, the economic value of sea asparagus was introduced, and then, someexploiting approaches of sea asparagus werefully reviewed. The exploiting approaches mainly include fresh vegetable, pickle, bio-salt, health-care products, animal feed, vegetable oil, bio-diesel and skin-care products.

Comparison of the Hypoglycemic, Hypolipidemic and Hepatoprotective Effects of<i>Asparagus racemosus</i>Linn. in Combination with Gliclazide and Pioglitazone on Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

In recent years, the popularity of medicinal plants as a remedy has been increased manifold due to having minimal adverse effects. The current study aimed to compare the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of the ethanolic extract of Asparagus racemosus (EEAR) Linn. alone and combinedly with conventional antidiabetic agents (gliclazide and pioglitazone) in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in male Wister albino rats by the administration of single intra-peritoneal injection of alloxan monohydrate (120 mg/kg b.w.). Effect of oral administration of two different doses of EEAR (200 and 400 mg/kg b.w.), gliclazide (10 mg/kg b.w.) and pioglitazone (10 mg/70kg/b.w.) alone for 2 weeks and a combination of EEAR (200 mg/kg b.w.) with either gliclazide (10 mg/kg b.w.) or pioglitazone (10 mg/70kg/b.w.) for 2 weeks were examined on hypoglycemic activity on 0th, 5th, 10th and 14th day of treatment. After 2 weeks of treatment, hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects were estimated by serum biochemical markers such as total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminases (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate trans-aminases (SGPT) and total protein (TP) with the help of commercially available kits. The survival rate, body weight and organ weight were also measured. Alloxan treatment resulted in persistent hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and liver dysfunction in rats. Treatment with EEAR at different doses improved hyperglycemia significantly (p th and 14th day of treatment in a dose-dependent mood when compared to the disease control rats, gliclazide treated rats and pioglitazone treated rats. The combination therapy significantly (p th, 10th and 14th day of treatment as compared to that of disease control rats, gliclazide treated rats and pioglitazone treated rats. Proposed adjunct therapy also markedly (p < 0.001;p < 0.01, p < 0.001) improved serum TG, HDL and LDL level with insignificant change in VLDL and TC level while comparing with groups receiving gliclazide treated rats and pioglitazone treated rats. Administration of different doses of EEAR markedly (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001;p < 0.05, p < 0.01;p < 0.05) reduced the activity of TC, TG, LDL, VLDL and HDL cholesterol levels in a dose-dependent approach with respect to that of gliclazide treated rats and pioglitazone treated rats. The effect of combination therapy significantly (p < 0.001;p < 0.001;p < 0.01, p < 0.001) decreased the SGOT, SGPT and TP hepatic enzyme levels when compared to disease control rats, gliclazide treated rats and pioglitazone treated rats indicated improvement in liver dysfunctions. Administration of different doses of EEAR noticeably (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001;p < 0.05, p < 0.01;p < 0.05, p < 0.01) reduced the liver enzymes level including SGOT, SGPT and TP in a dose-dependent manner as compared to the disease control rats, gliclazide treated rats and pioglitazone treated rats. The maximum survival rate (100%) was observed in rats of combination treated rats. No significant changes in the body weight and organ weight to body weight ratio were observed except the groups that were given combined therapy showed improvement in the liver and pancreas weight. Our study suggests that the EEAR potentiates the activity of gliclazide and pioglitazone in controlling blood glucose levels, modifies the lipid profile and improves in liver dysfunction on alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

Bud and spear development of asparagus under constant temperature

Objectives of our study were to quantify the effects of apical dominance and bud cluster activity on asparagus yield patterns and to collect data for process-oriented modeling of the asparagus crop. Plants were grown in 40 L containers. After four years the soil above the asparagus crowns was removed and the containers were placed in a growth chamber at 20°C for three months. During this time, spear length was measured daily except at weekends, and spears were cut when longer than 25 cm. Each spear was assigned to a bud cluster, defined as a dense group of buds clearly distinct from other bud groups on the crown. Although temperature was constant, several properties measured in this study changed during the experiment. The number of active bud clusters first increased then decreased, the lag time between spears growing at the same cluster increased, and the relative growth rate of spears decreased. The constant increase of harvested spears per plant stopped abruptly when the plants ran out of viable buds. At the crop level, i.e. the average for all plants, which is normally monitored in field trials, the transition from linear yield increase to zero increase was less abrupt since plants stopped growing spears on different dates. In our study asparagus yield, i.e. the number of harvested spears, was not limited by low carbohydrate in storage roots, but by a lack of viable buds. This was concluded from the abrupt halt in spear production observed in all plants despite the fact that some plants still had considerable carbohydrate content.

Genetic evaluation of twenty seed sources of Asparagus racemosus

A field trial of 20 seed sources of Asparagus racemosus was conducted at the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India to evaluate their performance of different economic traits. Genotypic variance, phenotypic variance, genotypic coefficient of variance （GCV） and phenotypic coefficient of variance （PCV） for number of shoots, shoot height, shoot weight, number of roots, root length, root diameter and root weight were calculated. Maximum genotypic and phenotypic variance was observed in shoot height among the shoot - related traits and root length among the root - related traits. For the shoot height, genotypic variance, phenotypic variance, genotypic coefficient of variance, phenotypic coefficient of variance were 231.80, 3924.80, 61.26 and 1037.32, respectively, where those of the root length were 9.55, 16.80, 23.46 and 41.27, respectively. The maximum genetic advance and genetic gain were obtained for shoot height among the shoot-related traits and root length among the root-related traits. Index values were developed for all the seed sources based on the four most important traits, and Panthnagar （Uttrakhand）, Jodhpur （Rajasthan）, Dehradun （Uttarakhand）, Chandigarh （Punjab）, Jammu （Jammu and Kashmir） and Solan （Himachal Pradesh）, were promising seed sources for root production.

The effect of Asparagus officinalis polysaccharide on erythrocyte of S_(180) mice played in immunological reaction of lymphocytes

Objective To contrast the roles of Asparagus officinalis polysaccharide on erythrocyte of S180 mice played in immunological reaction of lymphocytes.To study the effect of Asparagus officinalis polysaccharide on the erythrocyte function of S180 mice.Methods Suspensions of lymphocytes(1×106/mL)and autologous plasma were respectively separated from anticoaguted whole blood of healthy mice with the lymphocyte separation medium.The erythrocytes(1×108/mL)were separated from whole blood of Asparagus officinalis polysaccharide mice.Using the autologous plasm as reactive medium,the role of erythrocytes in regulating the immunological reaction of lymphocytes was appraised.The expression of CD25 on lymphocytes was detected using flow cytometry.Results The immunogical regulating ability of erythrocyte in mice with control groups is much lower than that of normal groups,and the immunogical regulating ability of erythrocyte in mice with Asparagus officinalis polysaccharide groups is much higher than that of control groups.Conclusions According to the effects of erythrocyte CD35 on the immuno-response of lymphocyte and the different of the expression of CD25 on lymphocytes,we prove that Asparagus officinalis polysaccharide can improve the erythrocyte function of S180 mice.

Study on HepG-2 apoptosis induced by saponins isolated from Asparagus and the effects on the activities of caspase-3,8,9

Objective To study the effect of saponins of asparagus on apoptosis and the variations of caspase8,caspase-9 and caspase-3 activity in the process of asparagus induced apoptosis in HepG-2,to investigate the apoptosis mechanism further.Methods Asparagus on apoptosis effects on tumor cells cultured-HepG-2 with different concentrations at different time,IC50 value was measured by MTT assay,the apoptosis rate was determined by FCM with AnnexinV/PI staining,their apoptotic morphology were observed by electron microscopy and Colorimetric method was used to measure caspase-8,9 and caspase-3 activities.Results Experiments of antitumour in vivo showed that saponins of asparagus can inhibit the growth of tumor cell of HepG-2 in evidence,IC50 was 101.15 mg·L-1.Cultured for 72 h,the apoptosis rate had positive increased with concentrations.Apoptotic morphology was observed by electron microscopy.The activities of caspase-8,caspase-9 and caspase-3 had positive increased with concentrations.And have significant difference compared with negative control group(P<0.01).The activities of caspase-8 were high at 24 h,but the activities of caspase-9 and caspase-3 is high at 48 h.Conclusions Aaponins of asparagus can inhibit the growth of tumor cell of HepG2,and the underlying mechanism might be related to up regulation of caspase-8,9 activity which subsequently transforms caspase-3 into its active form.

Effect of Asparagus polysaccharide on the number and activity of erythrocyte complement receptor 1 (CD35) of S_(180) mice

Objective To study the effect of Asparagus officinalis polysaccharide on the number and activity of erythrocyte complement receptor 1 in S180 mice.Methods Red blood cells from mice venous blood were labeled by rat anti-mouse CD35 monoclonal antibody and FITC-conjugated goat anti-mouse antibody.Using flow cytometry,we determined the number of ECR1.Using microscope,we studied the adherence between erythrocyte immunity and C3b receptor or tumor-cell by RBC-C3bRR and DTER.Results Comparing the mean value of the number of CR1 on each RBC of high and middle groups with control groups,the mean value of the number of CR1,RBC-C3bRR and DTER of Asparagus officinalis polysaccharide groups are increased significantly.Conclusions Asparagus officinalis polysaccharide can improve the erythrocyte function of S180 mice,which may be one of its most important antitumor mechanisms.

Development and assessment of tyrosinase inhibitory activity of liposomes of Asparagus racemosus extracts

The purpose of this study was to develop liposomal formulations of Asparagus racemosus root extract(AR1-6)as well as evaluate the physicochemical properties and in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activity.Liposomes composed of AR1-6 to lipid weight ratio of 1:10 and lecithin(LEC)or Phospholipon
90G(PC90G)as structural phospholipid at 7:3 molar ratio to CHOL were prepared by various methods,i.e.chloroform-film(CF),reverse-phase evaporation(REV),polyol dilution(PD),and freeze-drying of monophase solution(MFD)methods.The results revealed that vesicles prepared by CF and MFD were multilamellar whereas those prepared by REV and PD were oligolamellar in nature with particle sizes ranging from 0.26 to 13.83 mm.The zeta potentials were in the range of
1.5 to
39.3 mV.AR1-6 liposomes with LEC possessed significantly higher entrapment than those with PC90G.The highest entrapment efficiency and in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activity of 69.08%and 25%,respectively,were obtained from liposomes having LEC and prepared by PD method.The tyrosinase inhibitory activity were in the rank order of LEC>PC90G,and PD>CF>REV>MFD.It could be concluded that the mechanism of vesicle forming in each method of preparation was the key factor influencing physicochemical properties,particularly vesicle type,size,surface charge,and entrapment,which were well correlated with the biological activity.

Preparation and physicochemical/antimicrobial characteristics of asparagus cellulose

Due to the increased potential for application of natural biopolymers in the food industry,the goal of this study was to prospectively produce antimicrobial films using asparagus residue.In this study,cellulose was extracted from asparagus residue,and then 3 cellulose solutions of 0.008,0.01 and 0.025 g/mL were applied to prepare films using a phase inversion process.Films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),X-ray diffraction(XRD),thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The film produced by 0.01 g/mL asparagus cellulose solution exhibited a swelling ratio of 125.4%and excellent antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus using the disk agar diffusion method.This study presents a promising method for producing antimicrobial films with asparagus residue.

Nucleotide Sequence Variations in a Medicinal Relative of Asparagus, <i>Asparagus cochinchinensis</i>(Lour.) Merrill (Asparagaceae)

To determine the eVolutionary history of Asparagus cochinchinensis (Asparagaceae), we investigated the geographic pattern of its nucleotide sequence variations in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China. We found 21 polymorphic nucleotide sites by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, which gave rise to a total of 15 haplotypes, labeled A to O. The A-type was found only in inland China (Guizhou and Sichuan), and the other haplotypes in China extended to several lineages;therefore, A. cochinchinensis may have its origin in the interior of China. The I-type has large distribution area and it also experienced a quick expansion in relative recent years. Haplotype differentiation was observed between the eastern and western side of the Central Mountain Ridge in Taiwan. Two lineages were found in Japan, one in the Yaeyama Islands and the other in remaining areas of Japan, implying that A. cochinchinensis independently colonized in Japan at least twice.