Ixeris dentata var. albiflora is considered as a potential therapeutic agent against mithridatism, calculous, indigestion, pneumonia, hepatitis, and tumors as well as good seasoned vegetable in Far East countries. Phytoene synthase (PSY), phytoene desaturase (PDS) ξ-carotene desaturase (ZDS), lycopene β-cyclase (LCYB), lycopene ε-cyclase (LCYE), ε-ring carotene hydroxylase (CHXB), and zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZDS) are vital enzymes in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. We have examined these seven genes from I. dentata that are participated in carotenoid biosynthesis utilizing an Illumina/Solexa HiSeq 2000 platform. In silico analysis of the seven deduced amino acid sequences were revealed its closest homology with other Asteracea plants. Further, we explored transcript levels and carotenoid accumulation in various organs of I. dentata using quantitative real time PCR and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. The highest transcript levels were noticed in the leaf for all the genes while minimal levels were noticed in the root. The maximal carotenoid accumulation was also detected in the leaf. We proposed that these genes expressions are associated with the accumulation of carotenoids. Our findings may suggest the fundamental clues to unravel the molecular insights of carotenoid biosynthesis in various organs of I. dentata.

Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN) is a crucial oriental medicinal herb that grows especially in Korea and the Far-East countries. It contains chemically active compounds like pyranocoumarins, polyacetylenes and essential oils, which might be useful for treatment of several chronic diseases. It has been used for centuries as a traditional medicine in Southeast Asia, but in Western countries is used as a functional food and a major ingredient of several herbal products. The genus Angelica is also known as ‘female ginseng’ due to its critical therapeutic role in female afflictions, such as gynecological problems. However, it is well-documented that the AGN pyranocoumarins may play vital beneficial roles against cancer, neurodisorders, inflammation, osteoporosis, amnesia, allergies, depression, fungi, diabetes, ischemia, dermatitis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and androgen. Though numerous studies revealed the role of AGN pyranocoumarins as therapeutic agents, none of the reviews have published their molecular mechanism of action. To the best of our knowledge, this would be the first review that aims to appraise the biosynthesis of AGN’s major active pyranocoumarins, discuss effective extraction and formulation methods, and detail the molecular action mechanism of decursin (D), decursinol angelate (DA) and decursinol (DOH) in chronic diseases, which would further help extension of research in this area.

The volatile components of Origanum dayi Post were analyzed in 10 wild populations grown in a limited area. ANOVA tests showed no significant differences among the compositions of plants that grew in different locations, which suggests that differences in composition are of genetic origin and do not spring from environmental variation. However, the use of new statistical methods (such as use of the correlation coefficient, r, as a parametric value) revealed that, despite their reduced range of variation, most of the 22 soil properties (SPs) measured correlated with the composition of the volatile components. This analysis also indicated that the main volatile components were modified in parallel in response to SP variations. It is concluded that variations in soil properties affected the composition of volatile components in O. dayi, and that the main influencing factors were soil microelement contents and texture. This study highlights the need for highly sensitive statistical tools to determine the actual influence of environmental factors in natural environments, especially when their range of variation is small.

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Licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza spp.) is an important herb, but the major portion of the national demand is imported to Korea because the domestic production base is vulnerable. We performed basic molecular breeding research for domestic cultivation and production. All publicly available G. uralensis EST sequences, which totaled 56,089, were assembled into 4,821 unigenes and examined for microsatellites. Eight polymorphic microsatellite loci were identified and 16 G. uralensis and 6 G. glabra accessions, which were collected from different locations, were genotyped using the microsatellites. Genetic diversity within the accessions was estimated by construction of a dendrogram. The dendrogram was clustered into two groups. The results showed that there is a correlative genetic relationship between species. The microsatellite markers were found to be useful for diversity analysis as they are able to successfully distinguish the Glycyrrhiza accessions.