State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Key Laboratory of Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
Nat Commun. 2024 May 11;15(1):3991. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48235-y.
Citrus reticulata cv. Chachiensis (CRC) is an important medicinal plant, its dried mature peels named "Guangchenpi", has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat cough, indigestion, and lung diseases for several hundred years. However, the biosynthesis of the crucial natural products polymethoxylated flavonoids (PMFs) in CRC remains unclear. Here, we report a chromosome-scale genome assembly of CRC with the size of 314.96 Mb and a contig N50 of 16.22 Mb. Using multi-omics resources, we discover a putative caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (CcOMT1) that can transfer a methyl group to the 3-hydroxyl of natsudaidain to form 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone (HPMF). Based on transient overexpression and virus-induced gene silencing experiments, we propose that CcOMT1 is a candidate enzyme in HPMF biosynthesis. In addition, a potential gene regulatory network associated with PMF biosynthesis is identified. This study provides insights into PMF biosynthesis and may assist future research on mining genes for the biosynthesis of plant-based medicines.
枳实(Citrus reticulata cv. Chachiensis,CRC)是一种重要的药用植物,其干燥成熟果皮称为“广陈皮”,已被用作中药治疗咳嗽、消化不良和肺部疾病数百年。然而,CRC 中关键天然产物多甲氧基黄酮(PMFs)的生物合成仍不清楚。在这里,我们报道了 CRC 的染色体规模基因组组装,大小为 314.96 Mb,串联 N50 为 16.22 Mb。利用多组学资源,我们发现了一个假定的咖啡酸-O-甲基转移酶(CcOMT1),它可以将一个甲基转移到 natsudaidain 的 3-羟基上,形成 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-七甲氧基黄酮(HPMF)。基于瞬时过表达和病毒诱导的基因沉默实验,我们提出 CcOMT1 是 HPMF 生物合成的候选酶。此外,还确定了与 PMF 生物合成相关的潜在基因调控网络。本研究为 PMF 生物合成提供了新的见解,并可能有助于未来挖掘植物药生物合成基因的研究。