The chloroplast genome of Picrasma quassioides, a medicinally significant plant in traditional Asian medicine, was sequenced and analyzed to understand its genetic architecture and evolutionary relationships within Simaroubaceae. High‐throughput sequencing revealed a 160,013‐bp circular genome with a typical quadripartite structure, encoding 132 genes including 87 protein‐coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Comparative analysis with other Simaroubaceae species identified distinct patterns of nucleotide diversity between single‐copy and repeat regions, while examination of IR boundaries revealed dynamic evolutionary processes. Analysis of 101 SSR loci and 48 repeat sequences provided insights into genome organization and potential molecular markers for species identification. Selective pressure analysis across 78 protein‐coding genes demonstrated predominant purifying selection (average K_a/K_s ratio 0.23), with evidence of positive selection in specific genes. Phylogenetic reconstruction using 77 protein‐coding sequences confirmed Simaroubaceae's monophyly and revealed a close evolutionary relationship with Rutaceae. These findings advance our understanding of chloroplast genome evolution within Simaroubaceae while providing molecular tools for authentication and breeding of this valuable medicinal species. The comprehensive genomic characterization establishes a foundation for investigating the genetic basis of therapeutic properties in P. quassioides and facilitating its conservation.

This study comprehensively investigated the metabolic profiling, pharmacological potential, and biosynthetic regulation of alkaloids in three Murraya species (M. exotica, M. kwangsiensis, and M. tetramera). Through integrative multi-omics approaches, including metabolomics, transcriptomics, network pharmacology, and molecular docking, a total of 77 alkaloids were identified, categorized into 18 structural classes. Comparative analysis revealed species-specific accumulation patterns, with 50 alkaloids shared among all three species and unique metabolites detected in M. exotica and M. kwangsiensis. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed distinct alkaloid profiles, highlighting interspecies divergence. Network pharmacology identified 427 potential targets for 12 bioactive alkaloids, with core targets (PIK3CA, PIK3CD, MAPK8, and JAK2) implicated in cancer-related pathways such as PI3K-Akt signaling. Molecular docking demonstrated strong binding affinities between key alkaloids (tombozine, aegeline, and crotaleschenine) and oncogenic targets, suggesting antitumor mechanisms via modulation of proliferation and apoptosis. Transcriptomic analysis elucidated the biosynthetic pathway of tombozine, linking differential gene expression (DDC/TDC homologs) to species-specific alkaloid accumulation. These findings underscore the pharmacological diversity of Murraya alkaloids and provide a foundation for targeted drug development and sustainable utilization of medicinal plant resources.

Murraya, a valuable plant resource, plays a critical role in medicine, industry, and landscaping. Despite its significance, research on Murraya, as well as its development and utilization, remains limited. Therefore, investigating the metabolites and metabolic pathways within its germplasm is of considerable importance. In this study, we utilized LC-MS to comprehensively profile amino acids, nucleotides, saccharides, and vitamins in the leaves of three Murraya materials. In parallel, transcriptome analysis was conducted to unravel the metabolic pathways associated with key metabolites and to identify candidate genes. Our metabolomic profiling identified a total of 215 metabolites, including 95 saccharides, 85 amino acids, 25 nucleotides, and 10 vitamins. Among these, D-(+)-Maltose Monohydrate, L(+)-Arabinose, and DL-Xylose were identified as pivotal candidate metabolites contributing to the distinct characteristics of Murraya materials through differential metabolite analysis. Furthermore, transcriptome and qPCR analysis revealed 11 differentially expressed genes, which are proposed as potential regulators influencing the differential accumulation of these key metabolites. Our study reveals that among the three materials examined, Murraya tetramera exhibits heightened potential for medicinal and industrial applications. This research significantly advances our comprehension of the metabolic regulatory mechanisms at play within Murraya species. Furthermore, it lays a vital scientific groundwork that is instrumental for the advancement of medicinal resources, the enhancement of plant varieties, the expansion of industrial utilization, and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices for Murraya.

Piper sarmentosum Roxb. (Piperaceae) is a traditional medicinal herb native to Southeast Asia. The complete genome of P. sarmentosum was sequenced and characterized in this study with the aim of providing genomic resources for the evolution and molecular breeding of P. sarmentosum. It has a typical quadripartite structure, with a large single-copy (LSC) region of 88,979 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,274 bp, and two copies of 27,068 bp inverted-repeat regions (IRa and IRb). A total of 130 genes were annotated, comprising 85 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The phylogenetic tree showed that P. sarmentosum in the current study is closely related to Piper longum.

Picrasma quassioides is a member of the Simaroubaceae family and is widely used as a medicinal plant. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genome of P. quassioides. The chloroplast genome is 160,015 bp in length, with a large single-copy region of 87,136 bp, a small single-copy region of 18,069 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 27,405 bp. It contains a total of 110 unique genes, including 77 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. quassioides clustered well with Simaroubaceae plants, Eurycoma longifolia, Leitneria floridana, and Ailanthus latissimus.

Aneuploid ermpglasm is an important resource for genetic studies and identification of individual chromosomes in the cells of the aneuploid is an important step. The karyotype has already been established for purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.), but due to the high similarity in the morphology of several pairs of chromosomes in this species, it cannot be used to identify individual chromosomes in its own complement. The objectives of this study are to develop and evaluate the Giemsa C-banding technique for the purpose of identifying the individual chromosomes in Echinacea purpurea. The established karyotype with C-bands showed that all the 11 pairs of chromosomes possessed centromeric bands. Telomeric bands appeared most frequently in almost all the chromosomes with only two exceptions, the short arm of the chromosome 9 and the long arm of the chromosome 10. Intercalary bands were found mainly in the long arm of some chromosomes with only two exceptions, the chromosomes 1 and 2 that had intercalary bands on both arms. The chromosome 4 was the only chromosome where intercalary bands were absent. Chromosomes in E. purpurea could be stained with Giemsa to bear C-bands. By classifying the chromosomes into groups and judging the C-bands, each chromosome could be identified. The methods established in this study might be used for the identification of chromosome constitution in aneuploid E. purpurea created in a breeding program.