Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are essential secondary metabolites produced by Papaver somniferum, widely recognized for their pharmaceutical importance. This study employs transcriptome sequencing and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to investigate the spatiotemporal expression patterns and regulatory networks of BIA-related genes across developmental stages and organs. A total of 23 co-expression modules were identified, revealing stage- and organ-specific dynamics in BIA biosynthesis. Key genes such as TYDC, PPO, and GsSRK demonstrated distinct regulatory roles during flowering and fruit maturation. Functional enrichment analysis uncovered critical pathways and transcription factors involved in alkaloid production. These findings enhance our understanding of the molecular regulation of BIAs and provide valuable insights for improving alkaloid yield through metabolic engineering and molecular breeding strategies.

Cannabis sativa is a medicinally and economically significant plant known for its production of cannabinoids, terpenoids, and other secondary metabolites. This study presents a transcriptomic analysis to elucidate tissue-specific expression and regulatory mechanisms across leaves, stems, and roots. A total of 2,530 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, with key genes such as terpene synthase (TPS) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) exhibiting elevated expression in leaf tissues, emphasizing their roles in terpenoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Alternative splicing (AS) analysis revealed 8,729 distinct events, dominated by exon skipping, contributing to transcriptomic diversity. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) prediction identified 3,245 candidates, many of which displayed tissue-specific expression patterns and co-expression with metabolic genes, suggesting regulatory roles in secondary metabolism. Additionally, 12,314 SNPs and 2,786 INDELs were detected, with notable enrichment in genes associated with secondary metabolite biosynthesis, particularly in leaf tissues. These findings advance the understanding of molecular mechanisms governing secondary metabolism and genetic diversity in C. sativa, providing valuable insights for future metabolic engineering and breeding strategies to enhance cannabinoid production. Transcriptomic profiling of wild Cannabis sativa identified 2,530 DEGs with tissue- and stage-specific patterns in secondary metabolism. Integrated analysis revealed extensive alternative splicing, lncRNA co-expression, and metabolic gene variants associated with cannabinoid pathways. qRT-PCR validation confirmed RNA-seq-based expression trends of key metabolic genes across root, stem, and leaf tissues.

Burned skeletal remains are often critical evidence for human identification in fires, deliberate burning, aircraft accidents, explosions, and similar events because bone persists under extreme thermal conditions. However, extensive DNA degradation caused by high-temperature burning poses a major challenge to conventional short tandem repeat (STR) profiling. In recent years, DNA hybridization capture has emerged as a promising molecular approach for enriching target fragments from highly degraded samples, offering new opportunities to overcome key limitations in DNA analysis of burned bone. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which high-temperature burning alters the physicochemical properties of bone and affects DNA preservation. Particular emphasis is placed on multilevel thermal changes across temperature ranges, including collagen denaturation, hydroxyapatite crystal reorganization, DNA strand fragmentation, and chemical modification. On this basis, we review the current workflow for forensic DNA analysis of burned bone, including skeletal element selection, decontamination and bone powder preparation, decalcification strategies, silica-based extraction and purification, STR profiling, and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). We further discuss the differential applicability of complete and incomplete decalcification protocols for burned bone samples, the advantages of ancient DNA (aDNA) extraction methods for highly charred remains, and the forensic utility of automated extraction systems. Given the extremely low DNA yield, severe fragmentation, inhibitor interference, and lack of standardized protocols associated with extensively burned samples, this review also evaluates the potential of DNA hybridization capture and targeted enrichment technologies. Because hybridization capture does not require intact double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) templates and can efficiently recover target sequences from ultrashort DNA fragments, it may be particularly well suited to burned skeletal material, although the current forensic evidence base remains limited. This review provides an integrated overview of burned bone DNA analysis, from thermal damage mechanisms to targeted enrichment strategies, and highlights how hybridization capture may extend forensic practice beyond identification toward DNA phenotyping.

Gastric cancer remains a major health burden, and the molecular events that accompany the transition from normal gastric epithelium to malignancy (and the factors that facilitate dissemination) are incompletely defined. In particular, the cellular phenotypes that precede overt transformation and the role of copper-linked metabolic stress in this process are not well understood. We integrated 2 public single-cell RNA-seq datasets of gastric tissues (gene expression omnibus) using canonical correlation analysis-based batch correction and performed quality control and pre/post-integration assessments. Epithelial subclusters were annotated and analyzed by dimensionality reduction, pseudotime inference (monocle; natural-spline model ~sm.ns[Pseudotime]), gene ontology/Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment, and pathway activity scoring (gene set variation analysis/gene set enrichment analysis). Immune dysfunction/exclusion was evaluated (e.g., tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion). To evaluate genetic evidence, we conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) using circulating copper as the exposure and benign gastric tumors (FinnGen) and gastric cancer (Genome-Wide Association Study Catalog) as outcomes; standard diagnostics (e.g., F -statistics, I²_GX, pleiotropy/heterogeneity tests, MR-PRESSO) were applied. We identified a putative transitional epithelial phenotype between normal and malignant states, characterized by attenuation of lineage functions (e.g., gastric-acid-related signatures) and enrichment of stress-adaptation programs. Along pseudotime, module scores for stress response to copper ion increased from normal to transition cells and decreased along the tumor branch; metastatic epithelial cells showed attenuated copper-stress signatures together with enhanced motility/tumor programs, consistent with phenotypic convergence across metastatic sites. Primary tumor epithelium exhibited reinforced cell-cycle activity and immune-response attenuation, with immune dysfunction exceeding that of normal epithelium. In MR analyses, genetically proxied variation in circulating copper was positively associated with risk of both benign and malignant gastric tumors, with directions concordant across estimators and diagnostics not indicating major violations (findings consistent with a deleterious causal contribution under standard MR assumptions). Single-cell and genetic evidence prioritize copper-linked metabolic stress and epithelial remodeling (together with immune dysfunction) as testable axes in early gastric epithelial transformation and dissemination. While the patterns are consistent with a causal contribution of higher systemic copper, they do not constitute proof; orthogonal tissue validation and functional perturbation of copper-handling/cuproptosis pathways, alongside expanded genetic analyses (e.g., multivariable/colocalization), are warranted. These insights suggest potential avenues for prevention and targeted intervention.