Search Results (334)

Flower color is one of the most important ornamental traits of chrysanthemums. Previous studies have shown that high temperatures can cause the petals of some chrysanthemum varieties to fade; however, the molecular mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain poorly understood. This study examines the mechanisms of color change in purple chrysanthemums under high-temperature stress using combined metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses. Four chrysanthemum varieties—two heat-stable (‘Zi Feng Che’ and ‘Chrystal Regal’) and two heat-sensitive (‘Zi Hong Tuo Gui’ and ‘Zi Lian’)—were analyzed. High-temperature conditions (35 °C) significantly downregulated key anthocyanins in heat-sensitive varieties, particularly cyanidin-3-O-(3″,6″-O-dimalonyl)glucoside and pelargonidin-3-O-(3″,6″-O-dimalonyl)glucoside. Transcriptome analysis revealed differential gene expression involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis and degradation, with significant enrichment in the MAPK signaling, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathways. The study highlighted the differential expression of CHS, DFR, ANS, GT1, 3AT, and UGT75C1 genes in anthocyanin synthesis between heat-sensitive and heat-tolerant varieties. Compared to heat-stable varieties, the petals of heat-sensitive varieties exhibited greater differential expression of heat-responsive transcription factors, including HSFs, ERFs, MYBs, and WRKYs. Genes that show a significant negative correlation with the downregulated anthocyanins, including Cse_sc012959.1_g030.1 (βG), Cse_sc001798.1_g020.1 (MYB), Cse_sc006944.1_g010.1 (MYB), and Cse_sc000572.1_g090.1 (HSF), might regulate anthocyanin accumulation in chrysanthemums in response to high-temperature stress. These results provide guidance for the cultivation management and variety selection of chrysanthemums under high-temperature conditions. Additionally, they lay the foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of flower color stability under heat stress and for breeding new heat-tolerant varieties. Full article

Mikania micrantha (“mile-a-minute” weed) is a global invasive alien weed that can cause severe damage to agroforestry ecosystems and significant agricultural losses worldwide. Although chemical, manual, or mechanical control methods are widely used to control M. micrantha, RNA interference (RNAi)-based biocontrol methods have rarely been reported for this species. The MONOPTEROS (MP) gene, encoding an auxin response factor, plays an essential role in embryonic root initiation in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study, we identified the MP gene from M. micrantha via orthologous gene analysis. A total of 37 MP orthologous genes was identified in 4 plants, including 9 MP candidate genes in M. micrantha, 13 in Helianthus annuus, 6 in Chrysanthemum nankingense, and 9 in Lactuca sativa. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that an MP candidate gene in M. micrantha (Mm01G000655, named MmMP) was clustered into one clade with the MP gene in A. thaliana (AtMP). In addition, both MmMP and AtMP contain a B3-DNA binding domain that is shared by transcription factors that regulate plant embryogenesis. To study gene function, dsRNA against MmMP (dsMmMP) was applied to the roots of M. micrantha. Compared with those of the controls, the expression of MmMP was reduced by 43.3%, 22.1%, and 26.2% on the first, third, and fifth days after dsMmMP treatment, respectively. The dsMmMP-treated plants presented several morphological defects, mostly in the roots. Compared with water-treated plants, the dsMmMP-treated plants presented reduced developmental parameters, including root length, number of adventitious roots, root fresh and dry weights, plant height, and aboveground biomass. Additionally, safety assessment suggested that this dsMmMP treatment did not silence MP genes from non-target plants, including rice and tomato; nor did it inhibit root growth in those species. Collectively, these results suggest that MmMP plays an important role in root development in M. micrantha and provides a potential target for the development of species-specific RNAi-based herbicides. Full article

Edible flowers have been used since ancient times, but their potential for improving human health has not been explored. This study aimed to evaluate the profile of bioactive compounds (organic acids, phenolics, and carotenoids) and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of nine flower varieties with high concentrations of carotenoids or total phenolic compounds. Ninety-three edible flowers were analysed for physicochemical characteristics, total phenolic and carotenoid concentrations, and antioxidant activity (ABTS). Bioactive profiles were determined by rapid resolution liquid chromatography (RRLC), and antimicrobial activity was determined against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus mutans, and Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. Chrysanthemum x hybrid orange, Helianthus annuus yellow, Tagetes patula orange, Canna indica red, and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (orange1 and yellow) showed significant concentrations of total carotenoids. In contrast, Pelargonium hortorum orange2, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis red1, and Rosa x hybrid variety medium yellow showed high levels of total phenolics. The predominant compounds in these species were citric acid (991.4 mg/g DW in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis red1), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (936.2 mg/100 g DW in P. hortorum orange2), kaempferol (971. 9 mg/100 g DW in T. patula orange), quercetin glucoside (958.8 in C. x hybrid), quercetin (919.3 mg/100 g DW in T. patula), α-carotene, and β-carotene in T. patula orange (989.5 and 601.2 mg/100 g DW, respectively). Regarding antimicrobial activity, T. patula orange and P. hortorum orange2 inhibited bacterial growth, while C. x hybrid orange and P. hortorum orange2 inhibited Candida albicans, and the latter inhibited Candida tropicalis. These results indicate the potential of edible flowers as a natural source of bioactive compounds and as a tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Full article

The distribution characteristics of the microbial community in rhizosphere soils of different altitudinal gradients were explored to uncover ecological factors affecting microbial community composition. In this study, the community variations of bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere soil of Chrysanthemum indicum L. were analyzed. Samples were distributed along an altitudinal gradient of 300–1500 m above sea level in the Fuling watershed of the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China. The analysis was conducted using Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analyses. Through correlation analysis with ecological factors, the altitude distribution pattern and driving factors of soil microbial diversity in the mountainous and hilly region of Chongqing were explored. According to the results, the richness and diversity of rhizosphere soil bacteria increased with altitude, while fungi were the richest and most diverse at an altitude of 900 m. The composition of the microbial community differed among different altitudes. Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidota, Ascomycota, unclassified_k_Fungi, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota dominated the microbial community in rhizosphere soil. Correlation analysis showed that the distribution of rhizosphere soil microbial communities correlated with soil ecological factors at different altitudes. Moisture, pH, total nitrogen, total potassium, available potassium, urease, and catalase were significantly positively correlated with rhizosphere soil bacterial α-diversity, while their correlations with fungi were not significant. Variation partition analysis showed that the combined effects of soil physical and chemical factors, enzyme activity, and microbial quantity regulated bacterial community structure and composition. Their combined contributions (19.21%) were lower than the individual effects of soil physical and chemical factors (48.49%), enzyme activity (53.24%), and microbial quantity (60.38%). The effects of ecological factors on fungal communities differed: While the soil physical and chemical factors (44.43%) alone had a clear effect on fungal community structures, their combined contributions had no apparent effect. The results of this study not only contribute to a deeper understanding of the impact mechanism of altitude gradient on the diversity of rhizosphere soil microbial communities, but also provide a scientific basis for the protection and management of mountainous and hilly ecosystems. It lays a foundation for the future exploration of the relationship between microbial communities and plant–soil interactions. Full article

In this study, the effects of supplemental or night interruptional blue light (S-BL or NI-BL) positioning on morphological growth, photoperiodic flowering, and expression of floral genes in Chrysanthemum morifolium were investigated. Blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at an intensity of 30 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) were used for 4 h either (1) to supplement the white LEDs at the end of the 10 h short-day (SD10 + S-BL4) and 13 h long-day conditions (LD13 + S-BL4), or (2) to provide night interruption in the SD10 (SD10 + NI-BL4) and LD13 (LD13 + NI-BL4). The S-BL4 or NI-BL4 was positioned to illuminate either the shoot tip, the youngest leaf (vigorously growing the third leaf from the shoot tip), or the old leaf (the third leaf from the stem base). In the text, they will be denoted as follows: SD10 + S-BL4-S, -Y, or -O; SD10 + NI-BL4-S, -Y, or -O; LD13 + S-BL4-S, -Y, or -O; LD13 + NI-BL4-S, -Y, or -O. Normally, the LD13 conditions enhanced more vegetative growth than the SD10 periods. The growth of leaves, stems, and branches strongly responded to the S-BL4 or NI-BL4 when it was targeted onto the shoot tip, followed by the youngest leaf. The SD10 + S-BL4 or +NI-BL4 on the old leaf obviously suppressed plant extension growth, resulting in the smallest plant height. Under LD13 conditions, the flowering-related traits were significantly affected when the S-BL4 or NI-BL4 was shed onto the youngest leaf. However, these differences do not exist in the SD10 environments. At the harvest stage, other than the non-flowered LD13 treatment, the LD13 + S-BL4 irradiating the youngest leaf induced the most flowers, followed by the shoot tip and old leaf. Moreover, LD13 + NI-BL4 resulted in the latest flowering, especially when applied to the shoot tip and old leaf. However, the SD10 + S-BL4 or + NI-BL4 irradiated the shoot tip, youngest leaf, or old leaf all significantly earlier and increased flowering compared to the SD10 treatment. Overall: (1) Generally, vegetative growth was more sensitive to photoperiod rather than lighting position, while, during the same photoperiod, the promotion of growth was stronger when the light position of S-BL4 or NI-BL4 was applied to the shoot tip or the youngest leaf. (2) The photoperiodic flowering of these short-day plants (SDPs) comprehensively responded to the photoperiod combined with blue light positioning. Peculiarly, when they were exposed to the LD13 flowering-inhibited environments, the S-BL4 or NI-BL4 shed onto the leaves, especially the youngest leaves, significantly affecting flowering. Full article

Selenium is an indispensable trace element in the human body that plays an important role in maintaining life activities. The consumption of Se-rich crops provides a practical and effective way for the body to supplement Se. However, the Se content in crops is affected by the soil Se content and the interactions between other elements in the soil. In this study, the Tibetan Plateau of China was chosen as the study area. The random forest algorithm was applied to select four key indicators—selenium (Se), bioavailable phosphorus (P), cadmium (Cd), and bioavailable copper (Cu)—from 29 soil variables to predict the Se content in rapeseed, wheat, potato, pasture, and chrysanthemum crops. The results showed that, despite the rich soil Se resources in the Tibetan Plateau, only 20% of the crop samples met the national Se enrichment standard (>0.07 mg kg⁻¹). Compared with the traditional multiple linear regression method, the random forest model is more accurate, efficient, and reliable in predicting the Se content of crops. In cross-species crop prediction, which refers to the simultaneous cultivation and analysis of multiple distinct crop species within the same agricultural setting, the random forest model demonstrated superior performance, marking a significant breakthrough in cross-species crop research. This approach effectively eliminates the tedious process of conducting repetitive individual evaluations for different crop types in the same region, highlighting its innovative significance. Meanwhile, the Tibetan Plateau, known as the “Roof of the World”, is also of great research value. These results provide valuable references for the planning and management of Se-enriched farmlands, which will help improve the yield and quality of Se-enriched crops and promote the growth of farmers’ interests. Full article

Chrysanthemums and wild chrysanthemums are herbs with high application value. As edible plants of the Asteraceae family, they have good antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective properties. Chrysanthemums and wild chrysanthemums contain a wide variety of volatile organic compounds, and these volatile components are the main factors contributing to the flavor differences. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the volatile components of holland chrysanthemum from Bozhou, Anhui Province, Chu-chrysanthemum from Chuzhou, Anhui Province, Gong-chrysanthemums from Huangshan, Anhui Province, Huai-chrysanthemums from Jiaozuo, Henan Province, Hang-chrysanthemum from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and wild chrysanthemum from Dabie Mountain by headspace–gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) coupled with principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that Chrysanthemum and wild chrysanthemum contain alcohols, esters, hydrocarbons, ketones, aldehydes, acids, camphor, pyrazines and furans. Among them, alcohols, esters and hydrocarbons accounted for more than 15%. It was hypothesized that 2-methyl-1-propanol, 2-methylbutanol, 1-hexanol in alcohols and hexyl acetate, 3-methylbutyl acetate and ethyl 2-methylpropanoate in esters might be the main reasons for the alcoholic and sweet flavors of chrysanthemum and chrysanthemum officinale. Based on the principal component analysis, cluster analysis with the Euclidean distance and similarity analysis of fingerprints, it was found that there were significant differences in the volatile components in chrysanthemums from different origins, among which the differences between Chu-chrysanthemum and Hang-chrysanthemum were the most significant. In addition, as a genus of wild chrysanthemum with the same species, it contains a richer variety of volatile organic compounds, and the content of hydrocarbons and alcohols is significantly higher than that of chrysanthemum. Full article

Chrysanthemum morifolium cv. Fubaiju (CMF) is regarded as one of the three most renowned varieties of white Chrysanthemum in China, and different extraction methods have significant effects on its composition and activities. Therefore, six extractions were used in this study to assess the effects on extracts. The basic chemical composition showed that hot water extract (Hw) had the highest total phenolic content, alkali water immersion-assisted hot water extract (Al) had the highest content of protein, and enzyme-assisted hot water extract (Enz) had the highest content of carbohydrate. The UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS results evinced the presence of 19 small-molecule compounds, including chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, tuberonic acid glucoside, luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, and other substances. In addition, the antioxidant test found that the Hw exhibited the best 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (82.05 ± 1.59 mM TE/mg) and 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) (61.91 ± 0.27 mM TE/mg) scavenging ability. The anti-glycation test demonstrated that Enz possessed the most pronounced inhibitory effect on glycation products, including fructosamine and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Additionally, the Enz also exhibited the most significant inhibitory effect on the protein oxidation product N’-formylkynurenine. The correlation analysis revealed that there was a close relationship between antioxidant properties and glycation resistance of extracts, and tuberonic acid glucoside, 1,3-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 1,4-Dicaffeoylquinic acid, quercetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and isochlorogenic acid B were key small molecule components that affected activities. In summary, the extracts of CMF can be regarded as an excellent antioxidant and anti-glycosylation agent. Full article

Flavonoids are pharmacologically active compounds in flowers of Chrysanthemum morifolium ‘Boju’ (C. morifolium); however, the molecular regulatory network governing flower development remains largely elusive. Flower samples were collected at four stages, namely budding (BD), bud breaking (BB), early blooming (EB), and full blooming (FB), for omics analysis. We revealed distinct transcriptional regulation patterns at these four stages of the flower from the perspective of differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs). There are 152 DEGs shared among the three comparative groups (BD vs. BB, BB vs EB, EB vs FB), wherein the expression of 44 DEGs (including AtADT6, MDL3, and ROMT) continues to be upregulated, and 85 DEGs (including CYP81E, TPS-Cin-1, and TPS-Cin-2) showed persistent downregulation with flower development. Flavonoid-targeted metabolomics identified 118 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) in the FB group compared to the BD stage; the top three upregulated and downregulated metabolites are Cyanidin-3-O-(6″-O-malonyl)glucoside-5-O-glucoside, Luteolin-7-O-(6″-caffeoyl)rhamnoside, Kaempferol-3-O-(6″-p-coumaroyl)glucoside and Chrysoeriol-6,8-di-C-glucoside-7-O-glucoside, Kaempferol, Kaempferol-3,7-O-dirhamnoside, respectively. These DAMs were predominantly enriched in “flavonoid biosynthesis”, “isoflavonoid biosynthesis”, and “flavone and flavonol biosynthesis” pathways. AtADT6, MDL3, ROMT, CYP81E, TPS-Cin-1, and TPS-Cin-2 were correlated with kaempferol. Our findings provide a new idea for interfering with flavonoid production, especially kaempferol, in flowers. Full article

Chrysanthemum indicum L. capitulum is an enriched source of flavonoids with broad-ranging biological activities, mainly due to their anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, immune regulation, anti-microbial activity, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective effects. The O-methylation of various secondary metabolites has previously been demonstrated to be mainly catalyzed by S-adenosyl-L-methionine-dependent O-methyltransferase (OMT) proteins encoded by the OMT gene family. However, limited comprehensive study was published on the OMT gene family, especially the CCoAOMT subfamily, involved in the O-methylation of flavonoids in Chrysanthemum. Here, we analyzed the spatiotemporal expression patterns of C. indicum OMT genes in leaf and flower at different developmental stages. Transcriptome sequencing and qRT-PCR analysis showed that COMTs were mainly highly expressed in capitulum, especially in full bloom, while CCoAOMTs were mainly highly expressed in leaves. Correlation analysis of OMT gene expression and flavonoids accumulation revealed that four OMTs (CHR00029120, CHR00029783, CHR00077404, and CHR00078333) were putatively involved in most methylated flavonoids biosynthesis in the capitulum. Furthermore, we identified a true CCoAOMT enzyme, CiCCoAOMT1, and found that it catalyzed O-methylation of quercetin and luteolin at the 3′-OH position. In summary, this work provides an important theoretical basis for further research on the biological functions of OMTs in C. indicum. Full article

Chrysanthemum, an agricultural economic crop with ornamental, medicinal, and edible values, faces the problem of continuous cropping obstacles in its cultivation. As a potential soil conditioner used to address continuous cropping obstacles (CCOs), the applicability of biochar in chrysanthemum cultivation has become a research hotspot. This study explored the effects of three different types of biochar (rice straw biochar = RB, pig manure biochar = PB, and sludge biochar = SB) on soil for chrysanthemum that had been continuously cultivated for eight years through pot experiments. The results indicate that the addition of biochar significantly reduced soil water loss. Compared with CK, the water retention rates of the SB and PB treatments increased by 25.4% and 18.4%, respectively. In the PB treatment, the contents of available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium (AK) increased by 85% and 164%, respectively. The available nitrogen (AN) content showed the highest increase under the SB treatment. All three types of biochar could improve the pH value of chrysanthemum soil with CCOs (increased by 0.4–5.4%). The results of microbial community diversity showed that, compared with CK, PB and RB slightly reduced the diversity of bacterial communities in chrysanthemum soil with CCOs (by 1.50% and 0.41%, respectively). However, the SB treatment increased the diversity of bacterial communities in chrysanthemum soil with CCOs (by 0.41%). At the same time, SB and PB significantly inhibited the diversity of fungal communities (reduced by 15.15% and 6.67%, respectively), while RB promoted the diversity of fungal communities (increased by 5.45%). Furthermore, the analysis results of bacterial phyla and genera indicated that PB and SB had enhancing effects on the beneficial bacterial phylum Actinobacteriota (8.66% and 4.64%) and the beneficial bacterial genus Nocardioides (23.29% and 9.69%). Additionally, the PB treatment enhanced the beneficial bacterial phylum Firmicutes (7.03%). The analysis results of fungal genera and phyla indicated that PB contributed to an increase in the beneficial fungal phylum Ascomycota (1.51%). RB significantly enhanced the beneficial fungal genus Chaetomium (56.34%). Additionally, all three types of biochar effectively reduced the abundance of the harmful fungal phylum Basidiomycota (30.37–73.03%). In the PB and SB treatments, the harmful fungal phylum Mucoromycota was significantly decreased (by 36.22% and 62.60%, respectively). Finally, all three types of biochar reduced the abundance of harmful fungal genera Acremonium (1.15–35.19%) and Phoma (97.1–98.7%). In this study, we investigated the effect of three kinds of biochar (RB, PB, and SB) on the soil of chrysanthemum continuous cropping through potting experiments and found that they could significantly reduce water loss, enhance water retention, increase the soil nutrient content, improve the pH value, regulate microbial communities, increase beneficial microorganisms, and reduce harmful microorganisms. These results provide a scientific basis for addressing barriers to continuous cropping (CC) while supporting the sustainability of agriculture and the development of agroecology. Full article

Vase life is a decisive measure of the marketability of post-harvest physiology in cut flowers. In the process of petal senescence, the cut chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum × morifolium) ‘Pingpong’ group develops severe capitulum collapse which manifests as wilting and browning, leading to shorter vase life. Melatonin (MT), tea polyphenols (TPs), and chitosan (CT) are natural alternatives to chemical compounds with proven preservation effects. In this study, the possibility of mitigating capitulum collapse using the preservation solutions of these three eco-friendly ingredients was investigated on four varieties from the ‘Pingpong’ group, aiming to delay the senescence process. The effects on vase life of 0.02/0.04 mmol·L⁻¹ MT, 200/400 mg·L⁻¹ TPs, and 0.10/0.20 g·L⁻¹ CT were, respectively, assessed with the basis of 20 g·L⁻¹ sucrose and 250 mg·L⁻¹ citric acid. The yellow and white varieties tend to have a longer vase life compared with the green and pink varieties. Compared to the control with only base ingredients, the greatest delay in capitulum collapse was observed with 0.04 mmol·L⁻¹ MT in the yellow variety, maximizing the vase life to 13.4 days. MT maintained the best ornamental quality of the capitulum by decelerating fresh weight and flower diameter loss in terms of all varieties. TPs significantly increased flower diameter to improve vase life up to four more days. However, CT caused significant negative effects on vase life, with severe loss of both flower diameter and fresh weight. Therefore, the application of 0.04 mmol·L⁻¹ MT and 200 mg·L⁻¹ TPs was suggested to enhance the marketability of cut ‘Pingpong’, which highlighted the eco-friendly potential of post-harvest treatments. Full article

Chrysanthemum morifolium is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae family that is used as a medicine and food owing to its superior pharmacological properties. Irrespective of its application, C. morifolium must be dried before use. Shade drying (YG) and heat drying (HG) are the two drying methods used in most origins. Given the abundance of flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids, the primary medicinal active constituents of C. morifolium, it is important to determine whether the composition and content of these compounds are altered during the drying processes. To test this, the changes in the chemical composition of C. morifolium flowers after YG and HG using full-spectrum, non-targeted LC/GC–MS−based metabolomics and, subsequently, the three indicator components of C. morifolium—chlorogenic acid, 3,5−dicaffeoylquinic acid, and luteolin−7−O−glucoside—were accurately quantified by HPLC. The results of the non-targeted metabolomics analysis revealed that YG- and HG-processed C. morifolium differed significantly with respect to chemical contents, especially flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids. The levels of the indicator components and their precursors also differed significantly between the YG and HG treatments. The contents of most of the flavonoids and key phenolic acids, terpenoids, and carbohydrates were higher with YG than with HG pre-treatment. These results revealed the changes in the chemical composition of C. morifolium during the YG and HG processes, thus providing a reference for the further optimization of the production and processing of chrysanthemums. Full article

Chrysanthemum morifolium ‘11-C-2’ is a variety of chrysanthemums with high ornamental and tea value, experiencing significant market demand. However, as cultivation areas expand, issues such as viral infection, germplasm degradation, low proliferation coefficient, and slow proliferation rate arise, necessitating the establishment of an efficient in vitro regeneration system. This study, based on the principles of orthogonal experimental design, explored the regeneration system of Chrysanthemum cultivar ‘11-C-2’ using sterile seedlings. The research focused on three key stages: adventitious bud differentiation, rooting culture, and acclimatization–transplantation, employing shoot-bearing stem segments and leaves as explants. The findings indicate that the optimal explant for the Chrysanthemum ‘11-C-2’ sterile seedlings is the shoot-bearing stem segment. The best medium for adventitious bud differentiation was determined to be MS supplemented with 1.5 mg/L 6-BA and 0.5 mg/L NAA. Bud differentiation began on day 17 with a 100% differentiation rate, completing around day 48. The maximum differentiation coefficient reached 87, with an average of 26.67. The adventitious buds were then cultured for rooting in the optimal medium of 1/2 MS supplemented with 0.1 mg/L NAA. Rooting was initiated on day 4 and was completed by day 14, achieving a rooting rate of 97.62%. After a 5-day acclimatization under natural light, the rooted seedlings were transplanted into a growth substrate with a peat-to-vermiculite ratio of 1:2. The plants exhibited optimal growth, with a transplantation survival rate of 100%. The findings provide data support for the efficient large-scale propagation of ‘11-C-2’ and lay the foundation for germplasm preservation and genetic transformation research of tea chrysanthemums. Full article

Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt. is an important medicinal plant in traditional Uyghur medicine. The skin-lightening potential of the flower has been recognized recently; however, the active compounds responsible for that are not clear. In this work, tyrosinase, a target protein for regulating melanin synthesis, was immobilized on the Whatman paper for the first time to screen skin-lightening compounds present in the flower. Quercetagetin-7-O-glucoside (1), marein (2), and okanin (3) were found to be the enzyme inhibitors. The IC₅₀ values of quercetagetin-7-O-glucoside (1) and okanin (3) were 79.06 ± 1.08 μM and 30.25 ± 1.11 μM, respectively, which is smaller than 100.21 ± 0.11 μM of the positive control kojic acid. Enzyme kinetic analysis and molecular docking were carried out to investigate their inhibition mechanism. Although marein (2) showed a weak inhibition effect in vitro, it inhibited the intracellular tyrosinase activity and diminished melanin production in melanoma B16 cells as did the other two inhibitors. The paper-based ligand fishing method developed in this work makes it effective to quickly screen tyrosinase inhibitors from natural products. This is the first report on the tyrosinase inhibitory effect of those three compounds, showing the promising potential of Coreopsis tinctoria for the development of herbal skin-lightening products. Full article