The Buyi are a socio-linguistic group in Yunnan Province of southwest China that have a long history of using medicinal plants as part of their indigenous medical system.Given the limited written documentation of the ...The Buyi are a socio-linguistic group in Yunnan Province of southwest China that have a long history of using medicinal plants as part of their indigenous medical system.Given the limited written documentation of the Buyi indigenous medical system,the objective of this paper is to document the medicinal plants of the Buyi and associated traditional knowledge and transmission.Field research was conducted in four villages in Lubuge Township of Luoping County in Yunnan Province using ethnobotanical methodologies including participatory observation,semi-structured interviews,key informant interviews,and focus group discussions to elicit information on medicinal plants.In total,120 informants(including 15 key informants who are healers)were interviewed.This study found that a total of 121 medicinal plant species belonging to 64 families are used by the Buyi including by local healers to treat different diseases.Among the medicinal plants recorded in this study,56 species(46%)have not previously been documented in the scientific literature as having medicinal value,highlighting the pressing need for ethnobotanical documentation in indigenous communities.The most frequently used medicinal part was the leaf(24.9%of documented plants),and the most common preparation method was decoction(62.8%of medicinal).Medicinal plants were mainly used to treat rheumatism(12.4%of plants),trauma and injuries(9.6%).The documented plants are also used for other non-medicinal purposes including food,fodder,fencing,and ornamental.In addition,35 of the medicinal plants are considered poisonous and are used by local Buyi healers for medicine.The traditional Buyi beliefs and practices associated with the documented medicinal plants likely contributes to their conservation in the environments and around Buyi communities.This study further highlights that ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Buyi is at risk of disappearing due to increased introduction and use of modern medicine in Buyi communities,livelihood changes,rapid modernization,and urbanization.Research,policy,and community programs are urgently needed to conserve the biocultural diversity associated with the Buyi medical system including ethnobotanical knowledge towards supporting both environmental and human wellbeing.展开更多
The evolutionarily conserved mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)cascades relay extracellular signals into cells,triggering a variety of cellular responses.We previously revealed NtMPK4 as a positive regulator of ni...The evolutionarily conserved mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)cascades relay extracellular signals into cells,triggering a variety of cellular responses.We previously revealed NtMPK4 as a positive regulator of nicotine biosynthesis;however,its upstream regulation remains unclear.Here,we characterized a MAPK cascade,comprising NtMEKK1b,NtMPKK2a,and NtMPK4,that promotes nicotine biosynthesis.This signaling module transduces external cues,including jasmonate and pathogen elicitors such as flg22,into post-translational modifications that enhance transcriptional activity and pathway gene expression.NtMPKK2a physically interacts with and phosphorylates NtMPK4 in vivo,confirming its role as an upstream kinase.RNAi-mediated silencing of NtMPKK2a significantly reduced the expression of nicotine pathway genes and decreased nicotine accumulation,whereas induced-overexpression of NtMPKK2a upregulated nicotine pathway genes and increased nicotine contents in tobacco hairy roots.Overexpression of NtMPKK2a in tobacco cells enhanced the transactivation activity of a NIC2-locus Ethylene Response Factor NtERF221 on Putrescine N-methyltransferase(NtPMT)promotor,further supporting its role in promoting nicotine biosynthesis.Furthermore,we identified NtMEKK1b,a tobacco MEKK that interacts with NtMAPKK2a in yeast cells.Knock-down of NtMEKK1b in transgenic tobacco plants attenuated the expression of nicotine pathway genes and reduced nicotine contents,whereas induced-overexpression of NtMEKK1b upregulated gene expression and nicotine accumulation.Our findings uncover a previously uncharacterized MAPK cascade module,NtMEKK1b-NtMPKK2a-NtMPK4,that regulates nicotine biosynthesis,highlighting the importance of posttranslational regulation in nicotine biosynthesis.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31870316,31761143001)Key Laboratory of Ethnomedicine(Minzu University of China)of Ministry of Education of China(KLEMZZ201906,KLEM-ZZ201904)+3 种基金Jiansheng Fresh Herb Medicine R&D Foundation(JSYY-20190101-043)Biodiversity Survey and Assessment Project of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China(2019HJ2096001006)Minzu University of China(Collaborative Innovation Center for Ethnic Minority Development and YLDXXK201819)Ministry of Education of China and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs of China(B08044).
文摘The Buyi are a socio-linguistic group in Yunnan Province of southwest China that have a long history of using medicinal plants as part of their indigenous medical system.Given the limited written documentation of the Buyi indigenous medical system,the objective of this paper is to document the medicinal plants of the Buyi and associated traditional knowledge and transmission.Field research was conducted in four villages in Lubuge Township of Luoping County in Yunnan Province using ethnobotanical methodologies including participatory observation,semi-structured interviews,key informant interviews,and focus group discussions to elicit information on medicinal plants.In total,120 informants(including 15 key informants who are healers)were interviewed.This study found that a total of 121 medicinal plant species belonging to 64 families are used by the Buyi including by local healers to treat different diseases.Among the medicinal plants recorded in this study,56 species(46%)have not previously been documented in the scientific literature as having medicinal value,highlighting the pressing need for ethnobotanical documentation in indigenous communities.The most frequently used medicinal part was the leaf(24.9%of documented plants),and the most common preparation method was decoction(62.8%of medicinal).Medicinal plants were mainly used to treat rheumatism(12.4%of plants),trauma and injuries(9.6%).The documented plants are also used for other non-medicinal purposes including food,fodder,fencing,and ornamental.In addition,35 of the medicinal plants are considered poisonous and are used by local Buyi healers for medicine.The traditional Buyi beliefs and practices associated with the documented medicinal plants likely contributes to their conservation in the environments and around Buyi communities.This study further highlights that ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Buyi is at risk of disappearing due to increased introduction and use of modern medicine in Buyi communities,livelihood changes,rapid modernization,and urbanization.Research,policy,and community programs are urgently needed to conserve the biocultural diversity associated with the Buyi medical system including ethnobotanical knowledge towards supporting both environmental and human wellbeing.
基金supported partially by the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center(KTRDC),University of Kentucky.
文摘The evolutionarily conserved mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)cascades relay extracellular signals into cells,triggering a variety of cellular responses.We previously revealed NtMPK4 as a positive regulator of nicotine biosynthesis;however,its upstream regulation remains unclear.Here,we characterized a MAPK cascade,comprising NtMEKK1b,NtMPKK2a,and NtMPK4,that promotes nicotine biosynthesis.This signaling module transduces external cues,including jasmonate and pathogen elicitors such as flg22,into post-translational modifications that enhance transcriptional activity and pathway gene expression.NtMPKK2a physically interacts with and phosphorylates NtMPK4 in vivo,confirming its role as an upstream kinase.RNAi-mediated silencing of NtMPKK2a significantly reduced the expression of nicotine pathway genes and decreased nicotine accumulation,whereas induced-overexpression of NtMPKK2a upregulated nicotine pathway genes and increased nicotine contents in tobacco hairy roots.Overexpression of NtMPKK2a in tobacco cells enhanced the transactivation activity of a NIC2-locus Ethylene Response Factor NtERF221 on Putrescine N-methyltransferase(NtPMT)promotor,further supporting its role in promoting nicotine biosynthesis.Furthermore,we identified NtMEKK1b,a tobacco MEKK that interacts with NtMAPKK2a in yeast cells.Knock-down of NtMEKK1b in transgenic tobacco plants attenuated the expression of nicotine pathway genes and reduced nicotine contents,whereas induced-overexpression of NtMEKK1b upregulated gene expression and nicotine accumulation.Our findings uncover a previously uncharacterized MAPK cascade module,NtMEKK1b-NtMPKK2a-NtMPK4,that regulates nicotine biosynthesis,highlighting the importance of posttranslational regulation in nicotine biosynthesis.
