€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY***** Wimpee CF Morgan R Wrobel R An aberrant plastid ribosomal RNA gene cluster in the root parasite Conopholis americana. In: Plant Mol Biol (1992 Jan) 18(2):275-85 ISSN: 0167-4412 The plastid ribisomal RNA (rRNA) operon of the achlorophyllous root parasite Conopholis americana was completely sequenced. Full-length rRNA genes are retained in the gene cluster, but significant divergence has occurred in the 16S, 23S and 5S genes. Both the 16S- 23S intergenic spacer and the 4.5S-5S intergenic spacer have suffered substantial deletions, including the two tRNA genes typically found in prokaryotic and plastid 16S-23S spacers. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Wimpee CF Wrobel RL Garvin DK A divergent plastid genome in Conopholis americana, an achlorophyllous parasitic plant. In: Plant Mol Biol (1991 Jul) 17(1):161-6 ISSN: 0167-4412 We have used heterologous probes to investigate the degree of sequence conservation in the plastid genome of Conopholis americana, a totally achlorophyllous angiosperm which exists as a root parasite on red oaks. Although Conopholis is completely nonphotosynthetic, it retains a plastid genome in which certain regions, including that which contains the ribosomal RNA genes, are highly conserved. Other regions, including those containing the genes for numerous photosynthesis proteins, are either absent or highly divergent. We also find that the 16S and 23S ribosomal genes of the Conopholis plastid are transcribed and processed, implying a potentially functional genetic apparatus. These results are in agreement with findings reported recently for a related root parasite, Epifagus virginiana (dePamphilis and Palmer, 1990). Furthermore, the plastid genome is maintained in high copy number in fruit tissue, whereas mature seeds have an approximately 10-fold lower copy number. Registry Numbers: EC 3.1.21 (DNA Restriction Enzymes) 9007-49-2 (DNA) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ **CHUNG-KUO CHUNG YAO TSA CHIH CHINA JOURNAL OF CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA* Tu PF He YP Lou ZC [Herbalogical studies on rou congrong (herba Cistanchis)] In: Chung Kuo Chung Yao Tsa Chih (1994 Jan) 19(1):3-5, 61 ISSN: 1001-5302 (Published in Chinese) This paper deals with the investigation of the original plants of Rou Congrong and Cao Congrong recorded in the herbalogical works of the past dynasties. The results have shown that Rou Congrong is the dried fleshy stem of Cistanche deserticola and C. salsa, and Cao Congrong is the dried fleshy stem of Orobanche coerulescens. The substitutes and false drugs of Rou Congrong were also investigated. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****CURRENT GENETICS***** Taylor GW Wolfe KH Morden CW dePamphilis CW Palmer JD Lack of a functional plastid tRNA(Cys) gene is associated with loss of photosynthesis in a lineage of parasitic plants. In: Curr Genet (1991 Dec) 20(6):515-8 ISSN: 0172-8083 We recently reported that the gene for chloroplast tRNA(Cys)(GCA) is a pseudogene in the plastid DNA of Epifagus virginiana, a non- photosynthetic parasitic flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae. Since this is the only tRNA(Cys) gene in the plastid genome, and since Epifagus appears to possess a functional plastid translational apparatus, it seems probable that nuclear-encoded tRNAs are imported into plastids to effect translation. In this study we have surveyed species closely related to Epifagus to establish how widespread the loss of this tRNA gene has been. We find that Conopholis americana, another non-photosynthetic parasite, lacks the gene altogether, but that seven closely-related photosynthetic plants (both parasitic and free-living) maintain an intact chloroplast tRNA(Cys) gene. Thus, the tRNA(Cys) gene appears to have become non-functional at the same time that photosynthetic ability was lost. This may be because the levels of putatively imported tRNAs are sufficient to meet the demands of plastid gene expression under nonphotosynthetic conditions only. Registry Numbers: 63231-63-0 (RNA) 9007-49-2 (DNA) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****PLANTA MEDICA***** Lahloub MF Zaghloul AM el-Khayaat SA Afifi MS Sticher O 2'-O-acetylpoliumoside: a new phenylpropanoid glycoside from Orobanche ramosa. In: Planta Med (1991 Oct) 57(5):481-5 ISSN: 0032-0943 A new phenylpropanoid glycoside, 2'-O-acetylpoliumoside, as well as two known compounds--acteoside and 2'-O-acetylacteoside--have been isolated from the aerial parts of Orobanche ramosa. The structures have been elucidated by spectroscopic methods and supported by chemical evidences. Registry Numbers: 133393-81-4 (brandioside) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Afifi MS Lahloub MF el-Khayaat SA Anklin CG Ruegger H Sticher O Crenatoside: a novel phenylpropanoid glycoside from Orobanche crenata. In: Planta Med (1993 Aug) 59(4):359-62 ISSN: 0032-0943 A new phenylpropanoid glycoside, crenatoside, as well as the known phenylpropanoid, acteoside, have been isolated from the aerial parts of Orobanche crenata. Their structures have been determined by spectroscopic methods as well as by means of chemical evidence. Registry Numbers: 145985-09-7 (crenatoside) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€