[Photosynthetic characteristics of Emmenopterys henryi seedlings and their relationships with environmental factors].[Pubmed: 29745182]

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Contributions of historical and contemporary geographic and environmental factors to phylogeographic structure in a Tertiary relict species, Emmenopterys henryi (Rubiaceae).[Pubmed: 27137438]

Examining how historical and contemporary geographic and environmental factors contribute to genetic divergence at different evolutionary scales is a central yet largely unexplored question in ecology and evolution. Here, we examine this key question by investigating how environmental and geographic factors across different epochs have driven genetic divergence at deeper (phylogeographic) and shallower (landscape genetic) evolutionary scales in the Chinese Tertiary relict tree Emmenopterys henryi. We found that geography played a predominant role at all levels - phylogeographic clades are broadly geographically structured, the deepest levels of divergence are associated with major geological or pre-Quaternary climatic events, and isolation by distance (IBD) primarily explained population genetic structure. However, environmental factors are clearly also important - climatic fluctuations since the Last Interglacial (LIG) have likely contributed to phylogeographic structure, and the population genetic structure (in our AFLP dataset) was partly explained by isolation by environment (IBE), which may have resulted from natural selection in environments with divergent climates. Thus, historical and contemporary geography and historical and contemporary environments have all shaped patterns of genetic structure in E. henryi, and, in fact, changes in the landscape through time have also been critical factors.

Triterpenoids and steroids with cytotoxic activity from Emmenopterys henryi.[Pubmed: 23881457]

Two new ursane-type triterpenoids, 3β,19α,23-trihydroxyurs-12-en-24-al-28-oic acid (1) and 3β,19α,24-trihydroxy-23-norurs-12-en-28-oic acid (2), two new pregnane derivatives, 3β,12β-dihydroxy-5α-pregnane-14,16-dien-20-one (9) and 12β-hydroxy-5α-pregnane-14,16-dien-3,20-dione (10), and eight known compounds were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Emmenopterys henryi. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR experiments. Compounds 4, 11, and 12 showed cytotoxicity against HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7, and SW-480 cell lines with IC50 values in the range of 3.11-20.12 µM.

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for Emmenopterys henryi (Rubiaceae), a rare tree from China.[Pubmed: 22473982]

Compound microsatellite primers were developed for Emmenopterys henryi, an endangered deciduous tree endemic to China, to assess its genetic diversity and population structure as well as its evolutionary history.

[A study of the diversity of different geographical populations of Emmenopterys henryi using FTIR based on principal component analysis and cluster analysis].[Pubmed: 19093565]

Emmenopterys henryi, an endemic species in China, has been one of the grade II national key conservation rare and endangered plants. The spectra of stem and leaf of Emmenopterys henryi sampling from seven different geographical populations were determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry with OMNI-sampler directly, fast and accurately. A positioning technology of OMNIC E.S.P.5.1 intelligent software and ATR correction was used. It was scanned for the background before the determination of every example. The peak value and absorbance were ascertained using a method of baseline correction in infrared spectra. Based on the indices of wave number-absorbance from 721 to 3366 cm(-1), the differences of these infrared spectra were compared by the methods of principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. Results showed that there were some differences in FTIR spectra between stem and leaf of Emmenopterys henryi, so it was better to study the diversity of different geographical populations through using the leaf, for which the distance coefficient of clustering analysis plot and the position relationship of principal component analysis three-dimensional plot of the seven populations were bigger. Being far away from others populations, the infrared spectra of Emmenopterys henryi in Dapan Mountain and Gutian mountain had special characteristics, indicating significant diversity. At the same time, the infrared spectra of Jiulong Mountain, Wuyan Mountain and Songyang populations had their own characteristics. There were no significant difference in the position relationship of three-dimensional plot and distance coefficient of clustering analysis plot, showing that the chemical compositions of these three populations were of little difference, and the diversity differentiation was not remarkable. However, there were some significant differences in populations' diversity between Fengyang Mountain and Wencheng. It was indicated that the chemical composition of Emmenopterys henryi was affected by the special geographic positions and environment conditions. In a word, the remarkable differences in the chemical compositions of Emmenopterys henryi populations were consistent with their geographic distance far and near. The results also showed that there was good correspondence between the position relationship of PCA three-dimensional plot and distance coefficient of clustering analysis plot of the samples based on the indices of wave number-absorbance of FTIR and their geographic distance relationship. Therefore, FTIR can be used widely for studying and protecting the rare and endangered plants. It is not only provides the theoretic base of community ecology and ecosystem ecology of Emmenopterys henryi, but also has important theory and realistic meaning for exploring the mechanism of species endangerment, protecting and proliferating the populations of Emmenopterys henryi.

Genetic structure of endangered Emmenopterys henryi Oliv. based on ISSR polymorphism and implications for its conservation.[Pubmed: 17828435]

Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to determine the genetic variation and genetic differentiation of nine populations of Emmenopterys henryi Oliv., an endangered plant endemic to China. Relatively low genetic diversity was detected at population level (the percentage of polymorphic loci P=22.56%, the number of alleles per locus A=1.183+/-0.045, the effective number of alleles per locus A(E)=1.007+/-0.345, Nei's gene diversity h=0.071+/-0.017, Shannon information index I=0.104+/-0.025). However, the genetic diversity at species level was relatively high (P=56.05%; A=1.561+/-0.498, A(E)=1.325+/-0.371, h=0.191+/-0.199, I=0.287+/-0.284). Analysis of molecular variance showed that most of the ISSR variation (68.03%) in E. henryi occurred among populations. The estimated Nm from F (ST )was 0.235. It indicated that the fragmentation and isolation of populations might result from specific evolutionary history and anthropogenic activity. Consequently, genetic drift might play an important role in determining the genetic structure of E. henryi. Conservation strategies for this endangered species are proposed based on the genetic data.