Transcriptomics Reveals Host-Dependent Differences of Polysaccharides Biosynthesis in .

is a root holoparasitic herb that is mainly hosted in the roots of and distributed in the arid desert and saline-alkaline regions. The stem of is widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine and applied in anti-viral, anti-obesity and anti-diabetes, which largely rely on the bioactive components including: polysaccharides, flavonoids and triterpenes. Although the differences in growth characteristics of between and have been reported, the difference of the two hosts on growth and polysaccharides biosynthesis in as well as regulation mechanism are not limited. Here, the physiological characteristics and transcriptome of host in (CR) and (CS) were conducted. The results showed that the fresh weight, soluble sugar content and antioxidant capacity on a per stem basis exhibited a 3.3-, 3.0- and 2.1-fold increase in CR compared to CS. A total of 16,921 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed in CR versus CS, with 2573 characterized genes, 1725 up-regulated and 848 down-regulated. Based on biological functions, 50 DEGs were associated with polysaccharides and starch metabolism as well as their transport. The expression levels of the selected 37 genes were validated by qRT-PCR and almost consistent with their Reads Per kb per Million values. These findings would provide useful references for improving the yield and quality of .