Review
Plant Sciences
Shaoqun Zhou, Georg Jander
Summary: Plant-derived volatile organic compounds play key roles in interactions with insect herbivores, acting as toxic or deterrent agents, signal molecules, and priming signals for plant tissues. The functions of VOC blends are strongly influenced by environmental conditions and specific plant-insect interactions. The complexity of plant-insect chemical communication via VOCs is enriched by the sophisticated molecular perception mechanisms of insects, which influence insect behavior in ways that are not fully understood.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Review
Entomology
Stacy B. Endriss, Christina Alba, Ruth A. Hufbauer
Summary: This study evaluates the evolution of plant defense against herbivorous insects using an invasive species. The findings suggest that introduced populations can increase the concentration of secondary compounds to protect valuable young leaves from generalist herbivores. The study highlights the importance of considering within-plant defense mechanisms when assessing evolutionary changes in plant defenses.
ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Duan Wang, Bishnu Dawadi, Jing Qu, Jian Ye
Summary: Insect vector-borne diseases are a significant constraint for various crops. This review focuses on studies that illustrate how light regulates plant defense mechanisms against these diseases. Four major pathways involved in host defense against biotic stresses - innate immunity, phytohormone signaling, RNA interference, and protein degradation - are discussed. The potential of light-engineering technology and genome engineering technology for fine-tuning crop defense and yield is also explored.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Davina L. Saccaggi, Melanie Arendse, John R. U. Wilson, John S. Terblanche
Summary: The dataset presented in this study contains crucial information on imported plant products inspected by the South African Department of Agriculture's laboratories between 1994 and 2019, providing insights on contaminant organisms. Around 30% of the samples tested positive for contaminants, with 13% having multiple contaminants, with fungi, mites, and insects being the most common ones. This dataset serves as an important resource for analyzing contaminant organisms in international trade and informing strategies for risk assessment and biosecurity protocols.
Article
Biology
Kareem M. Mousa, Metwaly M. S. Metwaly, Mohammed Ali Alshehri, Samy M. Sayed, Osama M. Rakha
Summary: Soil pH can affect the growth and reproduction of cowpea aphids on bean seedlings. The performance of aphids is worse in a suitable pH range but uniformly low under unfavorable extreme pH conditions, except for the case of pH 8.1 where the best reproduction was observed.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Theresa Sporer, Johannes Koernig, Natalie Wielsch, Steffi Gebauer-Jung, Michael Reichelt, Yvonne Hupfer, Franziska Beran
Summary: Phyllotreta armoraciae, a specialist flea beetle, is able to accumulate high levels of glucosinolates in the body, partially avoiding plant myrosinase activity. In feeding experiments, Arabidopsis myrosinases hydrolyzed ingested glucosinolates, reducing the sequestration rate in adult beetles by up to 50%. The ability to tolerate plant myrosinase activity and a fast glucosinolate uptake mechanism are key adaptations of P. armoraciae to their brassicaceous host plants.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Jian Ye, Lili Zhang, Xuan Zhang, Xiujuan Wu, Rongxiang Fang
Summary: Plants face dual damage when infected with insect-borne microbial pathogens. Research has shown that many host genes involved in multistress resistance are related to innate immunity and plant hormone signaling, especially jasmonate and salicylic acid. Utilizing genome editing or chemical modulators to fine-tune crop defensive signaling offers potential for sustainable control of insect-borne diseases.
TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Boaz Negin, Georg Jander
Summary: The majority of plant specialized metabolites serve as defense mechanisms against herbivores, with identical or structurally distinct compounds repeatedly targeting the same herbivorous animals. This may be due to constraints in plant primary metabolism and limited accessible targets in animals. The complex biosynthetic pathways of unique defensive compounds in individual genera or species may complicate their repeated evolution in different plant species.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Pei-Qiong Shi, Xin-Yi Chen, Xiao-Sheng Chen, Ning Lv, Yuan Liu, Bao-Li Qiu
Summary: The study found that the whitefly Bemisia tabaci can transmit Rickettsia into plants through feeding and the bacteria can remain alive within the cotton plants for at least two weeks. Rickettsia affects gene expression in cotton plants, altering their defense capabilities against insects and ultimately increasing the fecundity of whiteflies without Rickettsia.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Gagan Garg, Lars G. Kamphuis, Philipp E. Bayer, Parwinder Kaur, Olga Dudchenko, Candy M. Taylor, Karen M. Frick, Rhonda C. Foley, Ling-Ling Gao, Erez Lieberman Aiden, David Edwards, Karam B. Singh
Summary: Narrow-leafed lupin is a high-protein grain suitable for sustainable farming. This study provides a reference genome and pan-genome assembly for narrow-leafed lupin, compares it with the genome of its close relative white lupin, and identifies key alkaloid regulatory genes and the deficiency of disease resistance genes in the narrow-leafed lupin genome. These findings offer new opportunities for lupin crop improvement.
Review
Entomology
Ivana Tlak Gajger, Showket Ahmad Dar
Summary: Due to the ban of synthetic pesticides, new approaches to integrated pest management are needed. Bioactive compounds from wild plants play an essential role in the successful management of insect pests.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meng Yang, Yule Liu
Summary: This review focuses on the roles of autophagy in plant virus infection and offers a glimpse of recent advances in how plant viruses manipulate host autophagy pathways.
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhiyao Mao, Yang Ge, Yadong Zhang, Jian Zhong, Asim Munawar, Zengrong Zhu, Wenwu Zhou
Summary: In this study, the researchers analyzed the early defense responses of potato leaves to potato tuber moth (PTM) herbivory. They found that simulated and actual herbivory triggered similar hormonal and transcriptional responses in the plants. Microbes associated with PTM herbivory were found to regulate the phytohormones jasmonic acid (JA) and abscisic acid (ABA). Additionally, seven gene modules were identified to explain how potato plants respond to different PTM herbivory stimuli.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Huiwen Zhou, Juan Hua, Hongdi Li, Xinyu Song, Shihong Luo
Summary: Maize, originating from southern Mexico, has been bred into various hybrid varieties during domestication. It contains specialized plant metabolites (SPMs) that enable it to resist stresses and pathogens. A wide range of compounds, including terpenoids, phenolics, alkaloids, and others, have been identified in maize. These SPMs have diverse chemical structures and exhibit broad-spectrum biological activities, providing valuable insights for breeding and promoting the maize industry.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Corne F. H. van Der Linden, Michiel F. WallisDeVries, Sabrina Simon
Summary: Plant chemical defenses play a crucial role in shaping butterfly assemblages, with shared chemical defenses between plant families having a stronger impact on butterfly overlap than phylogenetic relatedness. Variability in butterfly-host relationships is attributed to the diversity of antiherbivore traits across plant families and insect herbivory associations.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mohamed A. O. Abdelfattah, Malak Dmirieh, Widad Ben Bakrim, Omar Mouhtady, Mosad A. Ghareeb, Michael Wink, Mansour Sobeh
Summary: Warburgia is a widely distributed genus that possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study found that an extract from Warburgia bark has significant antioxidant and anti-aging effects, making it a valuable source of bioactive compounds.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Widad Ben Bakrim, Agustina Dwi Retno Nurcahyanti, Malak Dmirieh, Ismail Mahdi, Abdelbaset M. Elgamal, Mohamed A. El Raey, Michael Wink, Mansour Sobeh
Summary: This study explored the phytochemical constituents and biological activities of the leaf extract from X. americana. The results showed that the leaves contain various secondary metabolites and exhibit antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiaging activities. The extract also demonstrated the ability to reverse oxidative stress and inhibit the activity of skin infection pathogens.
OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Michael Wink
Summary: Plants produce a variety of PSMs with different biological activities, which can act as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and antimicrobials, benefiting health and disease prevention. PSMs can act alone or in combinations, exhibiting characteristics of multitarget drugs.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Liviu G. Parau, Erjia Wang, Michael Wink
Summary: The population of Red-backed Shrikes is declining, and although genetic studies have shown considerable variability, there is no clear genetic structure indicating a panmictic population.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Vladimir G. Grinkov, Andreas Bauer, Helmut Sternberg, Michael Wink
Summary: Extra-pair copulation (EPC) is common in socially monogamous bird species, but its mechanisms and functions are still debated. This study on European pied flycatchers in Western Siberia found that about 20% of birds engage in extra-pair paternity (EPP), with loss of paternity more common in young males. EPCs can involve multiple partners, and the mates are mainly neighbors. The occurrence of EPP is higher in females nesting in high-quality territories. Fitness of within-pair offspring, EPO, and half-siblings did not differ significantly. This suggests that EPCs may be incidental side effects of selection.
Article
Zoology
Roberto Carlos Frias-Soler, Andreas Bauer, Markus A. Grohme, Georgina Espinosa Lopez, Maria Gutierrez Costa, Alexander Llanes-Queved, Frank Van Slobbe, Marcus Frohme, Michael Wink
Summary: By developing a library of microsatellite loci primers and using genetic markers, researchers conducted genetic and population genetics studies on flamingos. They found that the flamigos can be grouped into two major clades, and there is limited connectivity between Caribbean flamingo populations. The small Galapagos colony is threatened due to low genetic diversity.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tamer Albayrak, Jose Antonio Davila Garcia, Ozlem Ozmen, Filiz Karadas, Duygu Ates, Michael Wink
Summary: The Chukar Partridge is one of the most important game birds in its native range, with two main genetic lineages. Farming and releasing Chukar Partridges can lead to genetic differentiation from wild populations. Wild populations in Turkey can be divided into six management units, with the population from Gokceada Island showing the highest genetic divergence. Intraspecific hybridization between wild and captive populations causes introgression and homogenization. Considering the genetic structure and management units of Chukar Partridge is crucial for preserving the genetic integrity of the species.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Agustina Dwi Retno Nurcahyanti, Fonny Cokro, Martha P. Wulanjati, Mona F. Mahmoud, Michael Wink, Mansour Sobeh
Summary: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a multifactorial syndrome associated with economic burden and healthcare costs, requiring multiple drug treatments that may have interactions and side effects. Therefore, developing new safe and effective drugs for MS is necessary.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Abeer H. A. Abdelhafiz, Rabah A. T. Serya, Deena S. Lasheen, Nessa Wang, Mansour Sobeh, Michael Wink, Khaled A. M. Abouzid
Summary: A novel compound with strong cytotoxic activity against doxorubicin-resistant cancer cells was discovered in this study. This compound also demonstrated ABCB1 inhibitory activity, which could potentially overcome multidrug resistance in cancer cells by reducing the resistance to doxorubicin.
JOURNAL OF ENZYME INHIBITION AND MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rajeev K. Singla, Ronita De, Thomas Efferth, Bruno Mezzetti, Md Sahab Uddin, Sanusi, Fidele Ntie-Kang, Dongdong Wang, Fabien Schultz, Kiran R. Kharat, Hari Prasad Devkota, Maurizio Battino, Daniel Sur, Ronan Lordan, Sourav S. Patnaik, Christos Tsagkaris, Chandragiri Siva Sai, Surya Kant Tripathi, Mihnea-Alexandru Gaman, Mosa E. O. Ahmed, Elena Gonzalez-Burgos, Smith B. Babiaka, Shravan Kumar Paswan, Joy Ifunanya Odimegwu, Faizan Akram, Jesus Simal-Gandara, Magali S. Urquiza, Aleksei Tikhonov, Himel Mondal, Shailja Singla, Sara Di Lonardo, Eoghan J. Mulholland, Merisa Cenanovic, Abdulkadir Yusif Maigoro, Francesca Giampieri, Soojin Lee, Nikolay T. Tzvetkov, Anna Maria Louka, Pritt Verma, Hitesh Chopra, Scarlett Perez Olea, Johra Khan, Jose M. Alvarez Suarez, Xiaonan Zheng, Michal Tomczyk, Manoj Kumar Sabnani, Christhian Delfino Villanueva Medina, Garba M. Khalid, Hemanth Kumar Boyina, Milen Georgiev, Claudiu T. Supuran, Eduardo Sobarzo-Sanchez, Tai-Ping Fan, Valeria Pittala, Antoni Sureda, Nady Braidy, Gian Luigi Russo, Rosa Anna Vacca, Maciej Banach, Gerard Lizard, Amira Zarrouk, Sonia Hammami, Ilkay Erdogan Orhan, Bharat B. Aggarwal, George Perry, Mark J. S. Miller, Michael Heinrich, Anupam Bishayee, Anake Kijjoa, Nicolas Arkells, David Bredt, Michael Wink, Bernd L. Fiebich, Gangarapu Kiran, Andy Wai Kan Yeung, Girish Kumar Gupta, Antonello Santini, Massimo Lucarini, Alessandra Durazzo, Amr El-Demerdash, Albena T. Dinkova-Kostova, Alejandro Cifuentes, Eliana B. Souto, Muhammad Asim Masoom Zubair, Pravin Badhe, Javier Echeverria, Jaroslaw Olav Horbanczuk, Olaf K. Horbanczuk, Helen Sheridan, Sadeeq Muhammad Sheshe, Anna Maria Witkowska, Ibrahim M. Abu-Reidah, Muhammad Riaz, Hammad Ullah, Akolade R. Oladipupo, Victor Lopez, Neeraj Kumar Sethiya, Bhupal Govinda Shrestha, Palaniyandi Ravanan, Subash Chandra Gupta, Qushmua E. Alzahrani, Preethidan Dama Sreedhar, Jianbo Xiao, Mohammad Amin Moosavi, Parasuraman Aiya Subramani, Amit Kumar Singh, Ananda Kumar Chettupalli, Jayanta Kumar Patra, Gopal Singh, Tomasz M. Karpinski, Fuad Al-Rimawi, Rambod Abiri, Atallah F. Ahmed, Davide Barreca, Sharad Vats, Said Amrani, Carmela Fimognari, Andrei Mocan, Lucian Hritcu, Prabhakar Semwal, Md Shiblur Rahaman, Mila Emerald, Akinleye Stephen Akinrinde, Abhilasha Singh, Ashima Joshi, Tanuj Joshi, Shafaat Yar Khan, Gareeballah Osman Adam Balla, Aiping Lu, Sandeep Ramchandra Pai, Imen Ghzaiel, Niyazi Acar, Nour Eddine Es-Safi, Gokhan Zengin, Azazahemad A. Kureshi, Arvind Kumar Sharma, Bikash Baral, Neeraj Rani, Philippe Jeandet, Monica Gulati, Bhupinder Kapoor, Yugal Kishore Mohanta, Zahra Emam-Djomeh, Raphael Onuku, Jennifer R. Depew, Omar M. Atrooz, Bey Hing Goh, Jose Carlos Andrade, Bikramjit Konwar, V. J. Shine, Joao Miguel Lousa Dias Ferreira, Jamil Ahmad, Vivek K. Chaturvedi, Krystyna Skalicka-Wozniak, Rohit Sharma, Rupesh K. Gautam, Sebastian Granica, Salvatore Parisi, Rishabh Kumar, Atanas G. Atanasov, Bairong Shen
Summary: The development of digital technologies and open innovation approaches has enabled the creation of virtual organizations and enterprises. The International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce (INPST) is an open innovation platform that brings together individuals and organizations interested in natural product scientific research. This study presents an overview of INPST activities and showcases the use of Twitter as a powerful networking tool, demonstrated through the 2021 INPST Twitter Networking Event.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eman M. Kabbash, Zeinab T. Abdel-Shakour, Sherweit H. El-Ahmady, Michael Wink, Iriny M. Ayoub
Summary: This study analyzed the chemical composition of ethanolic extracts of olive leaves from different cultivars using HPLC/PDA/ESI-MS/MS, and identified 49 phytochemicals. Seasonal variation was observed to impact the chemical composition.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Paloma Lucia Guerra-Avila, Tereso J. Guzman, Jose Alfredo Dominguez-Rosales, Pedro Macedonio Garcia-Lopez, Alejandra Beatriz Cervantes-Garduno, Michael Wink, Carmen Magdalena Gurrola-Diaz
Summary: This study evaluated the antidiabetic effect of different dose combinations of C gamma and lupanine on a T2D rat model, and assessed the biochemical parameters and liver gene expression profile. The combination of 28 mg/kg BW C gamma + 20 mg/kg BW lupanine significantly reduced glycemia and lipid levels, and positively influenced the expression of several genes associated with oxidative stress, apoptosis regulation, and glucose and fatty-acid homeostasis.
Article
Ornithology
Justyna Kubacka, Anna Dubiec, Judith Korb, Volker Salewski, Andrzej Dyrcz, Julien Foucher, Benedikt Giessing, Bernd Leisler, Karl Schulze-Hagen, Michael Wink, Hanna Panagiotopoulou
Summary: The loss of breeding habitat and depletion of genetic diversity can have significant negative effects on species, particularly habitat specialists. This study focused on the Aquatic Warbler, a threatened European songbird that breeds in fens which have been fragmented and lost over time. Using microsatellite loci, the researchers compared samples collected recently with those obtained about two decades earlier to explore changes in genetic diversity, population size, structure, and gene flow. The results indicate low genetic diversity, changes in allele frequencies, and high gene flow between distant breeding sites, suggesting resilience to habitat fragmentation and potential success in recolonizing restored habitat patches.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Rano Mamadalieva, Vahobjon Khujaev, Michal Soral, Nilufar Z. Mamadalieva, Michael Wink
Summary: The genus Allochrusa, native to Central Asia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Caucasus, has been widely used in folk medicine and in the preparation of sweets and detergents. It contains a variety of secondary metabolites, including triterpene glycosides, ecdysteroids, flavonoids, volatile compounds, fatty acids, polysaccharides, pectins, hemicelluloses, and other phytochemicals. Pharmacological studies have shown that compounds and extracts from Allochrusa species exhibit anti-inflammatory, adjuvant, hemolytic, cytotoxic, antifungal, analgesic, antioxidant, and other activities. This review summarizes the chemical compounds and diverse biological activities of the Allochrusa genus.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Rano Mamadalieva, Vaxobjon Xujayev, Farukh S. Sharopov, Michael Wink
Summary: A crude methanol extract from the roots of Allochrusa gypsophiloides was characterized chemically, revealing the presence of six major bisdesmosidic saponins. Five of these compounds were reported for the first time in this species. The water extract of A. gypsophiloides exhibited the highest cytotoxicity among the tested extracts, with IC50 values of 23.6 and 31.9 μg/mL in CCR-CEM and CEM/ADR5000 cell lines, respectively.
NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH
(2023)