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Jul 13, 2023

Researchers Unlock the Evolutionary Secrets of a Cancer

By John Innes CentreFebruary 17, 2023 (Scutellaria barbata) known in China as banzhilian. Credit: Phil Robinson UK and Chinese researchers have unlocked the evolutionary secrets behind the medicinal

By John Innes CentreFebruary 17, 2023

(Scutellaria barbata) known in China as banzhilian. Credit: Phil Robinson

UK and Chinese researchers have unlocked the evolutionary secrets behind the medicinal herb barbed skullcap’s ability to produce cancer-fighting compounds.

The CEPMAS collaboration utilized DNADNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule composed of two long strands of nucleotides that coil around each other to form a double helix. It is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms that carries genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA)." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]">DNA sequencing technology to piece together the genomic sequence of the skullcap plant (Scutellaria barbata), commonly known as banzhilian in China.

This gave researchers the genetic information – a microevolutionary history – required to identify how the plant produces the compound scutebarbatine A, which acts against a range of cancer cells.

Professor Cathie Martin, Group Leader at the John Innes Centre, and one of the authors of the study said, “We have found that the primary metabolite has activity against cancer cells but not non-cancer cells which are especially important for an anti-cancer metabolite. Now we are looking to develop synthetic methods for producing more of the lead compound.”

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), to isolate medicinal chemistry from the plant, the herb is boiled in water for two hours and the extract is dried to produce a powder and taken as a decoction (concentrated liquid). Now, with the knowledge of the genes that make up the biochemical pathway behind the anti-cancer activity of the herb, researchers are close to being able to synthesize larger quantities of compounds more rapidly and sustainably by using a host such as yeast.

The research which appears in the journal Molecular Plant is led by CEPAMS, a partnership between the John Innes Centre and the Chinese Academy of Science and supported by The Royal Society.

“This is a fantastic collaboration about developing interesting drug leads from natural resources and shows the practical value of focusing on the microevolution of a speciesA species is a group of living organisms that share a set of common characteristics and are able to breed and produce fertile offspring. The concept of a species is important in biology as it is used to classify and organize the diversity of life. There are different ways to define a species, but the most widely accepted one is the biological species concept, which defines a species as a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring in nature. This definition is widely used in evolutionary biology and ecology to identify and classify living organisms." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]">species,” said Professor Martin.

The Skullcap genus has been used for centuries in TCM for the treatment of different medical conditions. Clinical work has shown that preparations based on Scutellaria barbata during chemotherapy can reduce the risk of metastatic tumors.

CEPAMS Group Leader based in Shanghai Dr. Evangelos Tatsis said, “Natural products have long been the lead compounds for the discovery of new drugs. By following the trail of the traditional Chinese plants, we can develop new anti-cancer medicines and this research marks a crucial step in that direction.”

Plant-based traditional medicines have long been used to provide leads for new drug discovery, and plant-natural products like vinblastine and taxol are used clinically as anticancer drugs.

TCM is one of the best-cataloged systems with empirical information about the therapeutic properties of herbal remedies.

Anti-cancer drugs obtained from traditional Chinese medicine have higher efficacy than chemical synthetic drugs and with less toxic side effects.

Reference: “The genomes of medicinal skullcaps reveal the polyphyletic origins of clerodane diterpene biosynthesis in the family Lamiaceae” by Haixiu Li, Song Wu, Ruoxi Lin, Yiren Xiao, Ana Luisa Malaco Morotti, Ya Wang, Meytal Galilee, Haowen Qin, Tao Huang, Yong Zhao, Xun Zhou, Jun Yang, Qing Zhao, Angelos K. Kanellis, Cathie Martin and Evangelos C. Tatsis, 13 January 2023, Molecular Plant.DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.01.006