Search Results (67)

Morus alba L., a member of the Moraceae family, is known for its positive effects on human health, linked to the presence of different classes of secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, stilbenoids, and alkaloids, found in different parts of the plant. Stilbenoids, in particular, are mainly present at the root cortex level and, owing to their valuable activities, have attracted scientific interest in recent years. Since roots are a non-renewable source, in this study, M. alba in vitro callus cultures were established. The biomass with the appropriate growth and texture was selected for juice extraction, and the total phenol, flavonoid, and proanthocyanidin contents, along with the antioxidant activity, were estimated in the juices. The analyses throughout the callus growth cycle revealed the juice of 14-day-old calli to be the richest, resulting in the most active. In this juice, the LC-MS/MS-DAD analysis unveiled the presence of seventeen stilbenoids. Together with the data obtained by the nutritional analysis, the results showed that M. alba cell cultures have the potential to be utilised for producing innovative healthy food materials, bridging the gap between the ever-increasing natural-based-product demand and the need for more environmental, social, and economic development. Full article

Understanding yield improvement in horticultural systems depends on elucidating how multiple plant traits operate in concert to sustain productivity. Mulberry (Morus alba L.) provides a suitable model for examining such whole-plant integration. Under cold-region field conditions, a modern high-yield cultivar (‘Nongsang 14’) was compared with a traditional cultivar (‘Lusang 1’). Measurements encompassed canopy architecture, biomass allocation between roots and shoots, leaf economic traits, and gas-exchange parameters, allowing trait coordination to be evaluated across structural and physiological dimensions. Multivariate profiling—Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and correlation networks—was used to characterise phenotypic integration. The modern cultivar’s superior productivity emerged as a coordinated “acquisitive” trait syndrome. This strategy couples a larger canopy (higher LAI) and nitrogen-rich foliage (higher LNC) with greater stomatal conductance (G_s), operating together with reduced root-to-shoot allocation. These features form a tightly connected network where structural investment and physiological upregulation are synchronised to maximise carbon gain. These findings provide a whole-plant framework for interpreting high productivity, offering guidance for breeding programmes that target trait integration rather than single-trait optimisation. Full article

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, and the lung is one of the most frequent metastatic sites for HCC. In this study, we aimed to identify a mild active substance in Morus alba L. that can inhibit the pulmonary metastasis of HCC and reduce the drug resistance of clinical therapies. Further deepen the understanding of the anti-cancer functions of the mulberry active substances. In this study, we have screened and identified a flavonoid compound extracted from the root bark of the Morus alba L. named Kuwanon A (KA). Our research demonstrated that KA directly targeted the YWHAB (tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein beta) and mediated its dimer dissociation. Thereby inhibiting the MAPK pathway and affecting downstream biological functions, including cell cycle arrest and migration/invasion inhibition. The experiment results proved that KA could inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of highly metastatic HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, when KA was combined with the clinical drug sorafenib, it exhibited a synergistic effect in inhibiting HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In conclusion, KA demonstrated a favorable anti-tumor effect in HCC cells. Full article

Soil salinization severely limits plant growth and productivity. Mulberry (Morus alba L.), an economically and ecologically important tree, is widely cultivated, yet its salt-tolerance mechanisms at the seedling stage remain insufficiently understood. This study investigated the physiological and biochemical responses of two-year-old mulberry (‘Tailai Sang’) seedlings subjected to six NaCl treatments (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 300 mmol L⁻¹) for 28 days. Results showed that growth parameters and photosynthetic gas exchange exhibited dose-dependent declines. The reduction in net photosynthetic rate (Pn) was attributed to both stomatal limitations (decreased stomatal conductance) and non-stomatal limitations, as evidenced by a significant decrease in the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) under high salinity. To cope with osmotic stress, seedlings accumulated compatible solutes, including soluble sugars, proteins, and proline. Critically, mulberry seedlings demonstrated effective ion homeostasis by sequestering Na⁺ in the roots to maintain a high K⁺/Na⁺ ratio in leaves, a mechanism that was compromised above 150 mmol L⁻¹. Concurrently, indicators of oxidative stress—malondialdehyde (MDA) and H₂O₂—rose significantly with salinity, inducing the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, APX, and GR), which peaked at 150 mmol L⁻¹ before declining under extreme stress. A biomass-based LC₅₀ of 179 mmol L⁻¹ NaCl was determined. These findings elucidate that mulberry salt tolerance is a coordinated process involving three key mechanisms: osmotic adjustment, selective ion distribution, and a robust antioxidant defense system. This study establishes an indicative tolerance threshold under controlled conditions and provides a physiological basis for further field-based evaluations of ‘Tailai Sang’ mulberry for cultivation on saline soils. Full article

Vegetative propagation of mulberry (Morus alba L.) via sapling methods, due to the ability to exponentially multiply lateral buds on stem cuttings to enhance rapid shoot formation, is crucial for sericulture industries. The sprouting of mulberry using stubbles is an emerging method for rapid and mass production of mulberry leaves, but the growth mechanisms associated with its use remain obscure. This study is the first to report how the differential stubble lengths from mulberry plants alter and modulate phytohormones and the associated mechanisms. This study seeks to evaluate the growth mechanisms by elucidating the phytohormone signature modulation in response to differential stubble lengths of 0 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 20 cm, and a control via targeted metabolomics analysis in mulberry leaves. The results consistently show that the use of differential stubble lengths of mulberry promoted growth, the number of buds, aboveground biomass, and branch and leaf weights by improving the net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and intercellular CO₂ relative to the control. The differential stubble lengths not only caused contrasting responses in the contents of plant hormones, including salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), jasmonic acid (JA), and gibberellin (GA), but also modulated higher elemental contents relative to the control. The results further reveal significant and positive correlations between the phytohormones and all growth, biomass, and photosynthetic parameters, highlighting the role of phytohormones in the sprouting and rejuvenation of mulberry stubbles. Meanwhile, the targeted metabolomics analysis identified a total of 11 differentially accumulated phytohormones in response to the differential stubble lengths, which were significantly implicated and enriched in three major pathways, including the biosynthesis of plant hormones (ko01070), metabolic pathways (ko01100), and the plant hormone signal transduction pathway (ko04575). The use of stubbles for rapid leaf production in mulberry plants is of great importance to improve early sprouting and cutting survival, as well as shortening growth and rooting time, and is highly recommended for the sericulture industries. Full article

Mulberry (Morus alba L.), a species of significant ecological and economic importance, is widely cultivated for sericulture, soil conservation, and environmental restoration. Despite its remarkable resilience to environmental stresses, the combined impact of elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) and drought stress on aboveground–root–soil interactions remains poorly understood, particularly in the context of global climate change. Here, we investigated the effects of eCO₂ and drought on physiological leaf and root indicators, nutrient absorption and allocation, and soil properties in mulberry seedlings. Mulberry seedlings were grown in environmentally auto-controlled growth chambers under ambient CO₂ (420/470 ppm, day/night) or eCO₂ (710/760 ppm) and well-watered (75–85% soil relative water content, RWC), moderate-drought (55–65% RWC), or severe-drought (35–45% RWC) conditions. Results showed that both above- and below-ground plant biomass production were significantly promoted by eCO₂, particularly by 36% and 15% under severe drought, respectively. This could be attributed to several factors. Firstly, eCO₂ improved leaf photosynthesis by 25–37% and water use efficiency by 104–163% under drought stresses while reducing negative effects of drought on the effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry and the photochemical quenching coefficient. Secondly, eCO₂ significantly decreased proline accumulation while increasing soluble sugar contents, as well as peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities, in both leaves and roots under drought stress. Lastly, eCO₂ promoted soil sucrase, urease, and phosphatase activities, as well as plant nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake while facilitating their allocation into roots under drought stress. These findings demonstrate that eCO₂ enhanced the drought tolerance of mulberry plants through improvements in photosystem II efficiency, water use efficiency, antioxidative defense capacity, and nutrient uptake and allocation, providing critical insights for sustainable mulberry plantation management under future climate change scenarios. Full article

Chromosome numbers and morphology are important characteristics of a species and its evolution. Root tips are the most commonly used tissue as a source of actively dividing cells for chromosome visualization in plants. Previously, rapidly growing root tips were collected from germinating kernels or from seedlings growing in pots or fields. However, the use of adventitious roots (ARs) derived from aerial tissue as meristems for chromosome visualization has always been overlooked. Here, we successfully induced ARs in 12 materials that were investigated, with the exception of Sorghum nitidum. Using ARs meristem we obtained high-quality chromosome spreads for Morus alba, Broussonetia papyrifera, Lolium multiflorum, Sorghum sudanense, S. propinquum, S. bicolor × S. sudanense, Zea mays, Z. mexicana, Glycine max, Medicago sativa, and Brassica napus. The results reported here demonstrate that layering is an alternative and effective method for producing meristematic cells for high-quality chromosome preparation in plant species producing ARs. For species that produce ARs by layering, this protocol is particularly valuable for the development of cost-effective and high-throughput non-invasive cytogenetic studies. Full article

Inonotus hispidus (Bull.) P. Karst., is a medicinal fungus, which parasitizes broad-leaved tree such as Morus alba L., Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr., and Ulmus macrocarpa Hance. To elucidate the internal relationship between I. hispidus and its hosts, this study analyzed endophytic bacteria and fungi in the roots of M. alba and F. mandshurica growing I. hispidus using the 16S rDNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing technologies; and conducted widely targeted metabolomics research using UPLC-MS/MS. The results showed that Cyanobacteria and unidentified chloroplasts had the highest relative abundance at the phylum and genus levels, respectively. For endophytic fungi, Ascomycota was dominant at the phylum level, while Pleosporales gen Incertae sedis and Oncopodiella were the dominant genera in the roots of M. alba and F. mandshurica, respectively. Widely targeted metabolomics identified 562 differential metabolites and 46 metabolic pathways. Correlation analysis revealed that Xanthobacteraceae, Pseudorhodoplanes, and Bauldia were potential regulators of phenolic acids and phenylpropanoids biosynthesis. Additionally, the genus Oncopodiella was primarily associated with the enrichment of lipids, amino acids, sugars, phenolic acids, and other compounds. This result provides significant insights into the size of the fruiting body, resource development, and active ingredients of I. hispidus from different tree sources. Full article

Salinity is one of the most serious threats to sustainable agriculture. The Salt Overly Sensitive (SOS) signaling pathway plays an important role in salinity tolerance in plants, and the SOS2 gene plays a critical role in this pathway. Mulberry not only has important economic value but also is an important ecological tree species; however, the roles of the SOS2 gene associated with salt stress have not been reported in mulberry. To gain insight into the response of mulberry to salt stress, SOS2 (designated MulSOS2) was cloned from mulberry (Morus atropurpurea Roxb), and sequence analysis of the amino acids of MulSOS2 showed that it shares some conserved domains with its homologs from other plant species. Our data showed that the MulSOS2 gene was expressed at different levels in different tissues of mulberry, and its expression was induced substantially not only by NaCl but also by ABA. In addition, MulSOS2 was exogenously expressed in Arabidopsis, and the results showed that under salt stress, transgenic MulSOS2 plants accumulated more proline and less malondialdehyde than the wild-type plants and exhibited increased tolerance to salt stress. Moreover, the MulSOS2 gene was transiently overexpressed in mulberry leaves and stably overexpressed in the hairy roots, and similar results were obtained for resistance to salt stress in transgenic mulberry plants. Taken together, the results of this study are helpful to further explore the function of the MulSOS2 gene, which provides a valuable gene for the genetic breeding of salt tolerance in mulberry. Full article

Three new compounds (1, 11, and 12), together with 32 known ones, were isolated from the root bark of Morus alba L. using various chromatographic methods. The structures of the undescribed compounds were elucidated based on 1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS dataanalysis, while the known ones were identified by comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. All the isolates were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against human gastric cancer HGC27 cells by CCK-8 assay. Among them, compounds 5, 8, 10, and 30 exhibited cytotoxic activities on HGC27 cells with IC₅₀ values of 33.76 ± 2.64 μM, 28.94 ± 0.72 μM, 6.08 ± 0.34 μM, and 10.24 ± 0.89 μM, respectively. Furthermore, compound 10 was confirmed to reduce proliferation ability, increase apoptosis rate, and inhibit cell migration pathway by annexin V/PI double staining experiment, transwell experiment, and Western blot analysis. Full article

Mori Folium (Morus alba leaf, MF) and Mori Cortex Radicis (Morus alba root cortex, MR) have been studied for their anti-obesity effects by enhancing the browning process and inhibiting adipogenesis. However, important aspects of their protective mechanisms have not been thoroughly investigated, which could aid in developing functional food. Thus, this study aims to determine the synergistic effects of MF and MR against obesity and its associated mechanisms. In an in vitro cell culture model of brown adipocytes, a 1:1 mixture of MF and MR showed a synergistic effect on the expression of brown adipocyte-specific genes, including Ucp-1, Ppargc1a, Cbp/p300-interacting transactivator (Cited), Prdm16, Tbx1, and Fgf21 compared with either MF- or MR-treated conditions. Moreover, they demonstrated the involvement of cAMP and Ca2+ in induction of brown adipocyte-specific genes. In an in vivo model using HFD-fed mice, MF/MR significantly inhibited weight gain, plasma cholesterol, LDL, TG content, fat mass, and adipocyte size. Furthermore, MF/MR inhibited morphological alteration and the expressions of fatty acid synthesis genes such as Srebp1 and Fasn in the white adipose tissue. Thermogenesis genes were recovered in the brown adipose tissue with MF/MR supplementation, indicating that MF/MR regulated adipocytic dysmetabolism where AMPK signaling is involved. In conclusion, these results suggested that MF/MR regulates brown and beige adipocyte processes, providing one of the preventive functional food/herbal medicines against obesity and its associated metabolic diseases. Full article

Mulberry (Morus alba) is a significant plant with numerous economic benefits; however, its growth and development are affected by nutrient levels. A high level of magnesium (Mg) or magnesium nutrient starvation are two of the significant Mg factors affecting plant growth and development. Nevertheless, M. alba’s metabolic response to different Mg concentrations is unclear. In this study, different Mg concentrations, optimal (3 mmol/L), high (6 mmol/L and 9 mmol/L), or low (1 and 2 mmol/L) and deficient (0 mmol/L), were applied to M. alba for three weeks to evaluate their effects via physiological and metabolomics (untargeted; liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS)) studies. Several measured physiological traits revealed that Mg deficiency and excess Mg altered net photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, leaf Mg content and fresh weight, leading to remarkable reductions in the photosynthetic efficiency and biomass of mulberry plants. Our study reveals that an adequate supply of the nutrient Mg promoted the mulberry’s physiological response parameters (net photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, leaf and root Mg content and biomass). The metabolomics data show that different Mg concentrations affect several differential metabolite expressions (DEMs), particularly fatty acyls, flavonoids, amino acids, organic acid, organooxygen compounds, prenol lipids, coumarins, steroids and steroid derivatives, cinnamic acids and derivatives. An excessive supply of Mg produced more DEMs, but negatively affected biomass production compared to low and optimum supplies of Mg. The significant DEMs correlated positively with mulberry’s net photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, leaf Mg content and fresh weight. The mulberry plant’s response to the application of Mg used metabolites, mainly amino acids, organic acids, fatty acyls, flavonoids and prenol lipids, in the KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways. These classes of compounds were mainly involved in lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, the biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, the biosynthesis of other amino acids, the metabolism of cofactors and vitamin pathways, indicating that mulberry plants respond to Mg concentrations by producing a divergent metabolism. The supply of Mg nutrition was an important factor influencing the induction of DEMs, and these metabolites were critical in several metabolic pathways related to magnesium nutrition. This study provides a fundamental understanding of DEMs in M. alba’s response to Mg nutrition and the metabolic mechanisms involved, which may be critical to the mulberry genetic breeding program. Full article

This study aimed to explore the effects of different concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and indene-naphthaleneacetic acid (ABT-1) on the rooting and dynamic changes of the endogenous hormone content of Australian Mulberry (vegetable Mulberry) and Kirin mulberry (Fruit Mulberry) hardwood cuttings. As exhibited by the results, the rooting process of both vegetable mulberry and fruit mulberry could be divided into three stages, namely the initiation stage (1–18 days), the callus formation stage (18–28 days), and the adventitious root formation and elongation stage (28–48 days). The two treatments with 1000 mg·L⁻¹ ABT-1 and 500 mg·L⁻¹ ABT-1 achieved the highest rooting efficiencies of vegetable mulberry and fruit mulberry, significantly higher than those of other treatments (p < 0.01), with average rooting rates of 63.3% and 68.7%, and rooting efficiency indices of 25.3 and 34.3, respectively. During the rooting process, the contents of endogenous IAA and zeatin riboside (ZR) and the ratios of IAA/ABA and IAA/ZR presented a trend of decreasing before increasing, while the abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA) contents exhibited a trend of increasing before decreasing, and the gibberellin (GA₃), strigolactone (SL), and IBA contents showed a continuous decreasing trend. Hence, ABT-1 was effective in inducing the synthesis of IAA, IBA, JA, and SL, reducing the contents of ABA, ZR, and GA₃, and promoting the rooting of vegetable mulberry and fruit mulberry cuttings. For fruit mulberry and vegetable mulberry cuttings, the optimal concentrations of ABT-1 were 500 mg·L⁻¹ and 1000 mg·L⁻¹, respectively, demonstrating applicability for the efficient propagation of Morus alba L. cuttings. Full article

Mulberry (Morus, Moraceae) is an important economic plant that is considered zinc-rich. Zinc (Zn) is a micronutrient that plays vital roles in various bio-processes in plants and animals. In the present study, a comparative transcriptome analysis associated with physiological indicators was performed to reveal the potential mechanism in different organs in response to zinc toxicity in mulberry. Physiological indicators in mulberry plants treated with increasing concentrations of zinc were monitored to reveal the tolerance limits to zinc concentration. Transcriptome analysis of different organs in mulberry under excess zinc stress was performed to reveal the spatial response to zinc stress. The results show that the hormone signaling pathway and secondary metabolism including lignin biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis and sugar metabolism are important for excess zinc treatment responses. In addition, the organ-based spatial response of these pathways is indicated. Lignin biosynthesis mainly responds to zinc stress in lignified tissues or organs such as stems, flavonoid biosynthesis is the main response to zinc stress in leaves, and sugar metabolism is predominant in roots. Further co-expression network analysis indicated candidate genes involved in the organ-based spatial response. Several transcription factors and genes involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, cell wall biogenesis and sugar metabolism were further validated and designed as organ-based response genes for zinc stress. Full article

Enhancing the capacity of fruit trees to propagate via cuttings is an important endeavor for the high-quality development of the fruit industry. Optimizing the conditions for the cutting propagation of mulberry seedlings is an important factor that influences the industrial production of this plant; however, the currently used mulberry breeding technology system is not mature. In this experiment, an orthogonal design was used to intercept semi-woody shoots of Yueshenda 10 as cuttings and set different hormone concentrations (200, 500, 800, and 1000 mg/L), different hormone types (NAA, IBA, IAA, and ABT-1), and different soaking times (10, 30, 60, and 120 min) for cuttings. The effects of the three factors on the rooting of mulberry cuttings were investigated by soaking the cuttings in clean water for 10 min as a control. The results showed that the primary and secondary order of the three factors affecting the rooting rate of cuttings was hormone concentration > hormone type > soaking time, and the concentration of exogenous hormones had a significant impact on all rooting indicators (p < 0.05). In addition, the rooting rate (66.24%), average number of roots (7.54 roots/plant), and rooting effect index (4.23) of Yueshenda 10 cuttings reached the optimal level when soaked with 800 mg/L ABT-1 for 30 min. The longest root length (10.20 cm) and average root length (4.44 cm) of cuttings achieved the best results when soaked with 800 mg/L NAA for 60 min and 500 mg/L NAA for 30 min, respectively. On balance, it is considered that the preferred solution is to soak the cuttings of Yueshenda 10 with 800 mg/L ABT1 solution for 0.5 h. Full article