Liang Jiabei, Jiang Chao, Peng Huasheng, Shi Qinghua, Guo Xiang, Yuan Yuan, Huang Luqi
1] State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, P.R. China [2] College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, People's Republic of China 610072.
1] State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, P.R. China [2] Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Resources, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China 100875.
Sci Rep. 2015 Jan 23;5:7985. doi: 10.1038/srep07985.
Ginseng, which is the root of Panax ginseng (Araliaceae), has been used in Oriental medicine as a stimulant and dietary supplement for more than 7,000 years. Older ginseng plants are substantially more medically potent, but ginseng age can be simulated using unscrupulous cultivation practices. Telomeres progressively shorten with each cell division until they reach a critical length, at which point cells enter replicative senescence. However, in some cells, telomerase maintains telomere length. In this study, to determine whether telomere length reflects ginseng age and which tissue is best for such an analysis, we examined telomerase activity in the main roots, leaves, stems, secondary roots and seeds of ginseng plants of known age. Telomere length in the main root (approximately 1 cm below the rhizome) was found to be the best indicator of age. Telomeric terminal restriction fragment (TRF) lengths, which are indicators of telomere length, were determined for the main roots of plants of different ages through Southern hybridization analysis. Telomere length was shown to be positively correlated with plant age, and a simple mathematical model was formulated to describe the relationship between telomere length and age for P. ginseng.
人参是五加科人参属植物的根，在东方医学中作为兴奋剂和膳食补充剂已使用了7000多年。年份久的人参植株在药用方面的效力要高得多，但人参的年份可以通过不正当的种植方式来伪造。端粒在每次细胞分裂时都会逐渐缩短，直到达到临界长度，此时细胞进入复制性衰老。然而，在一些细胞中，端粒酶会维持端粒长度。在本研究中，为了确定端粒长度是否反映人参的年份以及哪个组织最适合进行此类分析，我们检测了已知年份的人参植株的主根、叶、茎、侧根和种子中的端粒酶活性。发现主根（根茎以下约1厘米处）的端粒长度是年份的最佳指标。通过Southern杂交分析确定了不同年份植株主根的端粒末端限制片段（TRF）长度，以此作为端粒长度的指标。结果表明，端粒长度与植株年份呈正相关，并建立了一个简单的数学模型来描述人参端粒长度与年份之间的关系。
