Stéphane Dussert

Ethnopharmacological relevance Spermacoce stachydea (Rubiaceae) is traditionally used for malaria treatment, yet its phytochemical composition, antioxidant properties, antiplasmodial activity, and safety profile remain insufficiently characterised. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive preclinical validation of its ethnomedicinal use.Methods The whole-plant methanolic extract was profiled by UHPLC-HRMS and GC–MS. Total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC), and condensed tannin (CTC) contents were quantified, and antioxidant capacity was assessed by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and ORAC assays. Antiplasmodial activity was evaluated in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum and in vivo in P. berghei ANKA-infected NMRI mice using suppressive, curative, and prophylactic models. Host-protective effects and safety were assessed through physiological, haematological, biochemical, and histopathological analyses in accordance with OECD guidelines.Results Phytochemical profiling revealed a diverse array of bioactive metabolites including flavonoids, terpenoids, coumarins, iridoids, alkaloids, and polyphenols. The extract exhibited a flavonoid-dominant phenolic profile (TPC: 33.99 ± 0.07 mg GAE/100 mg; TFC: 7.57 ± 0.03 mg QE/100 mg) and strong DPPH radical scavenging activity (774 ± 3.9 µmol AAE/g), comparable to Trolox and superior to quercetin. In vitro antiplasmodial activity was significant (IC₅₀ = 6.30 ± 0.13 µg/mL) with negligible haemolysis ( 5000 mg/kg) and 2000 mg/kg/day (subacute; NOAEL > 2000 mg/kg/day). The extract exhibited low toxicity, with an oral LD₅₀ > 5000 mg/kg and a subacute NOAEL of 2000 mg/kg.Conclusion S. stachydea demonstrated significant antiplasmodial, antioxidant, and host-protective activities with a favourable safety profile, validating its traditional use in malaria management and supporting its potential as a source of multitarget antimalarial compounds.

Correction to: Genetic Resources https://doi.org/10.46265/genresj.ASZO2413; published online 04 March 2025 Incorrect affiliationIn the published article, there was an error in the affiliations of Nilda Paulo-de-la-Réberdiere. Instead of “[h,g]”, it should have been“[g,h]”. Incorrect author namesIn the published article, two author names were incorrectly written:- Cristophe Jenny (correct: Christophe Jenny)- Françoise Nuissier (correct: Franciane Nuissier) Error in Table 1In the published article, there was an error in Table 1:- [Perennial plants in Guyana (PPG)]: Instead of “Guyana”, it should have been “French Guiana”.- [Coffea spp., Theobroma spp., Hevea spp., Dalbergia spp.]: Instead of Dalbergia, it should have been Aniba rosodora. The authors apologize for these errors and state that they do not affect the scientific conclusions of the article in any way.The PDF and HTML versions of the original article have been updated and are available at https://doi.org/10.46265/genresj.ASZO2413

Since their inception, the French academic organizations dedicated to agricultural research have developed plant collections in genebanks, often within a public–private framework, to support the study of plant traits and the development of new improved varieties. In addition, since the 2000s, a centre for genomic resources has also been established in France. Over the last 20 years, this decentralized system, consisting of the academic genebanks and the centre for genomic resources, has been supported by a national coordination structure. The objectives were to align the network activities with the framework proposed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for Biological Resource Centres and to foster collaboration with other national stakeholders involved in the conservation and characterization of plant genetic resources (PGR). In 2015, the network was named BRC4Plants and become part of the French National Research Infrastructure RARe (www.agrobrc-rare.org), supported by the French Ministry of Research. This paper describes BRC4Plants, its users, services and cross-cutting activities. We also highlight its relations with its national and international stakeholders involved in the conservation and characterization of PGRs. BRC4Plants aims to be a key player in addressing societal and research challenges regarding agroecology, climate change mitigation and healthy food systems.

In a few important plant families and genera, including Arecaceae, Fabaceae and the genus Coffea , the main seed storage polysaccharide is not starch but cell wall galactomannans. Such seeds are albuminous with a persistent copious living endosperm that accumulates galactomannans. However, our understanding of the regulation of endosperm maturation, cell wall formation and galactomannan biosynthesis in albuminous seeds remains very limited. To gain insights into these processes, a large RNA-seq dataset was produced (14 coffee species × 5 endosperm developmental stages) and scrutinized using gene coexpression network analysis. The network revealed tight transcriptional coordination of the core galactomannan biosynthetic machinery for sucrose import, glycolysis, nucleotide sugar synthesis and transport, arabinogalactan protein and cellulose synthesis, and regulation of the trans-Golgi network. The orchestration of galactomannan and oil accumulation during endosperm maturation appeared to be exerted by the transcription factors FUSCA3, WRINKLED1, SHINE2 and DREB2D. The latter was the only coexpression partner of galactomannan biosynthetic genes. Numerous key genes of galactomannan biosynthesis were significantly upregulated in coffee somatic embryos overexpressing DREB2D, which showed increased production of UDP-galactose and diversion towards raffinose family oligosaccharides. Further, most genes of the galactomannan coexpression module were identified as DREB2D target genes by DAP-seq analysis. Highlight: Gene coexpression network analysis of the maturing endosperm identified the AP2/ERF transcription factor DREB2D as a major regulator of galactomannan accumulation in the cell walls of albuminous coffee seeds.

For millennia, people have harvested fruits from the wild for their alimentation. Gradually, they have started selecting wild individuals presenting traits of interest, protecting and cultivating them. This was the starting point of their domestication. The passage from a wild to a cultivated status is accompanied by a modification of a number of morphological and genetic traits, commonly known as the domestication syndrome. We studied the domestication syndrome in Dacryodes edulis (G.Don) H.J.Lam (known as ‘African plum’ or ‘safoutier/prunier’), a socio-economically important indigenous fruit tree species in West and Central Africa. We compared wild and cultivated individuals for their sex distribution; flower, fruit and seed morphometric characteristics; seed germination temporal dynamic and fruit lipid composition. We found a higher percentage of male and male-hermaphrodite sexual types in wild populations than in cultivated ones; a lower fruit and seed mass in wild individuals; and similar mean time of germination, oil content and fatty acid composition between wild and cultivated individuals. Our results are interpreted in light of the presence of a domestication syndrome in D. edulis.