The circumscriptions of sections Auganthus Pax ex Balf. f. and Ranunculoides Chen et C. M. Hu in the genus Primula L. have been controversial, due to the different treatments of P. filchnerae Knuth. W...The circumscriptions of sections Auganthus Pax ex Balf. f. and Ranunculoides Chen et C. M. Hu in the genus Primula L. have been controversial, due to the different treatments of P. filchnerae Knuth. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis using sequences from the ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. All five species of these two sections and some representatives of other related sections were sampled. The ITS trees show that P. filchnerae could be convincingly placed in sect. Auganthus , together with P. sinensis Sabine ex Lindl. and P. rupestris Balf. f. et Farrer, whereas sect. Ranunculoides contains two species: P. cicutariifolia Pax and P. merrilliana Schltr. These two sections are distantly related and their association with other sections needs further studies. This study also demonstrated that ITS sequences would be a suitable marker for the reconstruction of Primula phylogeny.展开更多
A new species, Primula pengzhouensis(Primulaceae), from central Sichuan, China, is described and illustrated. It is assigned to Primula sect. Aleuritia subsect. Yunnanensis, and is most similar to P. socialis,but can ...A new species, Primula pengzhouensis(Primulaceae), from central Sichuan, China, is described and illustrated. It is assigned to Primula sect. Aleuritia subsect. Yunnanensis, and is most similar to P. socialis,but can be easily distinguished from that species by its much larger flower and elliptic or ovate-elliptic leaves.展开更多
Primula vulgaris belongs to the genus Primula, members of which are frequently used in folk medicine. Various studies have investigated the cytotoxic effect of different Primula species, but there have been limited st...Primula vulgaris belongs to the genus Primula, members of which are frequently used in folk medicine. Various studies have investigated the cytotoxic effect of different Primula species, but there have been limited studies on the cytotoxic effect of P vulgaris. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effects, and possible mechanisms involved, of P vulgaris flower extract on human cervical cancer （HeLa） cells. The cytotoxic effect of the extract on HeLa cells was revealed using the MTT assay. Mechanisms involved in the extract＇s cytotoxic effect were then investigated in terms of apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, and the cell cycle, using fluorometric methods. P vulgaris flower extract exhibited selective cytotoxic effects against HeLa cells by arresting their cell cycle at the S phase, and inducing the number of apoptotic cells compared to normal fibroblast cells by reducing mitochondrial membrane potential in a concentration-dependent manner. This is the first study to reveal the antiproliferative effect ofP. vulgaris flower extract. Further studies are now needed to identify the cytotoxic molecules in the extract and their mechanisms.展开更多
[Objectives]To optimize the ultrasonic-assisted extraction process for total flavonoids in Primula sikkimensis Hook.[Methods]The effects of ethanol volume fraction,extraction time,extraction temperature,ultrasonic tim...[Objectives]To optimize the ultrasonic-assisted extraction process for total flavonoids in Primula sikkimensis Hook.[Methods]The effects of ethanol volume fraction,extraction time,extraction temperature,ultrasonic time and solid-to-liquid ratio on the yield of total flavonoids were investigated by single factor method,and the extraction process for total flavonoids in P.sikkimensis was optimized by Box-Behnken experimental design.[Results]The optimal extraction process for total flavonoids in P.sikkimensis was ethanol volume fraction 45%,extraction time 29 min,extraction temperature 80℃,solid-to-liquid 1∶40(g/mL)and ultrasonic time 10 min.Under such conditions,the average yield of total flavonoids in P.sikkimensis was 3.09%.[Conclusions]The optimized extraction process is simple and feasible,and is expected to provide a reference for the extraction of total flavonoids in P.sikkimensis.展开更多
Primula reinii(Primulaceae), a perennial herb belonging to the Primula section Reinii, occurs on wet,shaded rocky cliffs in the mountains of Japan. This threatened species comprises four varieties; these plants are ve...Primula reinii(Primulaceae), a perennial herb belonging to the Primula section Reinii, occurs on wet,shaded rocky cliffs in the mountains of Japan. This threatened species comprises four varieties; these plants are very localized and rare in the wild. In this study, 43 microsatellite markers were developed using MiSeq sequencing to facilitate conservation genetics of these critically endangered primroses. We developed novel microsatellite markers for three varieties of P. reinii, and tested its polymorphism and genetic diversity using natural populations. These novel markers displayed relatively high polymorphism; the number of alleles and expected heterozygosities ranged from 2 to 6(mean = 3.2) and 0.13 to 0.82(mean = 0.45), respectively. All loci were in Hardye Weinberg equilibrium. These microsatellite markers will be powerful tools to assess P. reinii genetic diversity and develop effective conservation and management strategies.展开更多
A new subspecies, Primula obconica subsp. fujianensis, is described. The genus Primula is widely distributed throughout China, but it has never been previously recorded in Fujian and Jiangsu. Recently the authors coll...A new subspecies, Primula obconica subsp. fujianensis, is described. The genus Primula is widely distributed throughout China, but it has never been previously recorded in Fujian and Jiangsu. Recently the authors collected a specimen of the genus from Fujian for the first time. It is obviously closely related to P. obconica, which is one of the most common species in China, ranging from western Yunnan and Sichuan through Guizhou, Hubei to Hunan and northern Guangdong, with its most easterly extension in southern Jiangxi. Morphologically, the Fujian plant is characterized by its much smaller stature and by the scapes being shorter than the leaf rosette, and in many ways it is more closely related to P. obconica subsp. parva, but can be easily distinguished by its smaller, white and homostylous flowers. As it is isolated both in distribution and reproduction with other subspecies of P. obconica, here it is described as a new subspecies.展开更多
Floral syndrome is one of the key components of plant pollination syndromes,affecting variety of evolutionary and ecological processes in angiosperms.The evolutionary transition from self-incompatible heterostyly to s...Floral syndrome is one of the key components of plant pollination syndromes,affecting variety of evolutionary and ecological processes in angiosperms.The evolutionary transition from self-incompatible heterostyly to self-compatible homostyly occurred repeatedly in angiosperm families.Although the evolution of heterostyly and homostyly has been deeply studied,our understanding on their differences in ecological strategies is still lacking.In this work,using the floral syndrome and distributions of the Primula in China we compared the spatial pattern of floral syndrome frequency and its climatic determinants.Our results reveal that distylous and homostylous Primula have similar primary centers of species diversity in southwest China,while distylous species have larger range size than homostylous ones.Temperature seasonality is the dominant climate factor of these geographic patterns,but its effect is much stronger in distylous than in homostylous Primula.Distylous species have larger flower size and number,and fruit size than homostylous ones.Climate,especially temperature seasonality mainly influenced species range size via its effects on floral syndrome.Our study suggests that homostyly is likely derived from heterostylous ancestors in similar geographical context,and larger reproductive investment in floral phenotype may provide compensatory mechanisms for obligate out-breeding heterostyly.Future investigations regarding the evolutionary history and tolerance or resistance to environmental change between distyly and homostyly may greatly advance our understanding of their spatial pattern and adaptative differences.展开更多
文摘The circumscriptions of sections Auganthus Pax ex Balf. f. and Ranunculoides Chen et C. M. Hu in the genus Primula L. have been controversial, due to the different treatments of P. filchnerae Knuth. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis using sequences from the ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. All five species of these two sections and some representatives of other related sections were sampled. The ITS trees show that P. filchnerae could be convincingly placed in sect. Auganthus , together with P. sinensis Sabine ex Lindl. and P. rupestris Balf. f. et Farrer, whereas sect. Ranunculoides contains two species: P. cicutariifolia Pax and P. merrilliana Schltr. These two sections are distantly related and their association with other sections needs further studies. This study also demonstrated that ITS sequences would be a suitable marker for the reconstruction of Primula phylogeny.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570193)the Special Funds for the Young Scholars of Taxonomy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ZSBR-012)
文摘A new species, Primula pengzhouensis(Primulaceae), from central Sichuan, China, is described and illustrated. It is assigned to Primula sect. Aleuritia subsect. Yunnanensis, and is most similar to P. socialis,but can be easily distinguished from that species by its much larger flower and elliptic or ovate-elliptic leaves.
文摘Primula vulgaris belongs to the genus Primula, members of which are frequently used in folk medicine. Various studies have investigated the cytotoxic effect of different Primula species, but there have been limited studies on the cytotoxic effect of P vulgaris. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effects, and possible mechanisms involved, of P vulgaris flower extract on human cervical cancer （HeLa） cells. The cytotoxic effect of the extract on HeLa cells was revealed using the MTT assay. Mechanisms involved in the extract＇s cytotoxic effect were then investigated in terms of apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, and the cell cycle, using fluorometric methods. P vulgaris flower extract exhibited selective cytotoxic effects against HeLa cells by arresting their cell cycle at the S phase, and inducing the number of apoptotic cells compared to normal fibroblast cells by reducing mitochondrial membrane potential in a concentration-dependent manner. This is the first study to reveal the antiproliferative effect ofP. vulgaris flower extract. Further studies are now needed to identify the cytotoxic molecules in the extract and their mechanisms.
基金Supported by Project of Sichuan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine(18ZRYB04).
文摘[Objectives]To optimize the ultrasonic-assisted extraction process for total flavonoids in Primula sikkimensis Hook.[Methods]The effects of ethanol volume fraction,extraction time,extraction temperature,ultrasonic time and solid-to-liquid ratio on the yield of total flavonoids were investigated by single factor method,and the extraction process for total flavonoids in P.sikkimensis was optimized by Box-Behnken experimental design.[Results]The optimal extraction process for total flavonoids in P.sikkimensis was ethanol volume fraction 45%,extraction time 29 min,extraction temperature 80℃,solid-to-liquid 1∶40(g/mL)and ultrasonic time 10 min.Under such conditions,the average yield of total flavonoids in P.sikkimensis was 3.09%.[Conclusions]The optimized extraction process is simple and feasible,and is expected to provide a reference for the extraction of total flavonoids in P.sikkimensis.
基金financially and technically supported by FASMAC Co., Ltd. (Kanagawa, Japan)The Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (#4-1403)
文摘Primula reinii(Primulaceae), a perennial herb belonging to the Primula section Reinii, occurs on wet,shaded rocky cliffs in the mountains of Japan. This threatened species comprises four varieties; these plants are very localized and rare in the wild. In this study, 43 microsatellite markers were developed using MiSeq sequencing to facilitate conservation genetics of these critically endangered primroses. We developed novel microsatellite markers for three varieties of P. reinii, and tested its polymorphism and genetic diversity using natural populations. These novel markers displayed relatively high polymorphism; the number of alleles and expected heterozygosities ranged from 2 to 6(mean = 3.2) and 0.13 to 0.82(mean = 0.45), respectively. All loci were in Hardye Weinberg equilibrium. These microsatellite markers will be powerful tools to assess P. reinii genetic diversity and develop effective conservation and management strategies.
文摘A new subspecies, Primula obconica subsp. fujianensis, is described. The genus Primula is widely distributed throughout China, but it has never been previously recorded in Fujian and Jiangsu. Recently the authors collected a specimen of the genus from Fujian for the first time. It is obviously closely related to P. obconica, which is one of the most common species in China, ranging from western Yunnan and Sichuan through Guizhou, Hubei to Hunan and northern Guangdong, with its most easterly extension in southern Jiangxi. Morphologically, the Fujian plant is characterized by its much smaller stature and by the scapes being shorter than the leaf rosette, and in many ways it is more closely related to P. obconica subsp. parva, but can be easily distinguished by its smaller, white and homostylous flowers. As it is isolated both in distribution and reproduction with other subspecies of P. obconica, here it is described as a new subspecies.
基金funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China(#31901216,#32230067)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(23GH02029)+1 种基金support by the Norwegian Metacenter for Computational Science(NOTURproject NN9601K).
文摘Floral syndrome is one of the key components of plant pollination syndromes,affecting variety of evolutionary and ecological processes in angiosperms.The evolutionary transition from self-incompatible heterostyly to self-compatible homostyly occurred repeatedly in angiosperm families.Although the evolution of heterostyly and homostyly has been deeply studied,our understanding on their differences in ecological strategies is still lacking.In this work,using the floral syndrome and distributions of the Primula in China we compared the spatial pattern of floral syndrome frequency and its climatic determinants.Our results reveal that distylous and homostylous Primula have similar primary centers of species diversity in southwest China,while distylous species have larger range size than homostylous ones.Temperature seasonality is the dominant climate factor of these geographic patterns,but its effect is much stronger in distylous than in homostylous Primula.Distylous species have larger flower size and number,and fruit size than homostylous ones.Climate,especially temperature seasonality mainly influenced species range size via its effects on floral syndrome.Our study suggests that homostyly is likely derived from heterostylous ancestors in similar geographical context,and larger reproductive investment in floral phenotype may provide compensatory mechanisms for obligate out-breeding heterostyly.Future investigations regarding the evolutionary history and tolerance or resistance to environmental change between distyly and homostyly may greatly advance our understanding of their spatial pattern and adaptative differences.
