Unveiling the Role of β-Glucosidase Genes in 's Secondary Metabolism: A Genome-Wide Analysis.

β-glucosidases (BGLUs) are abundant enzymes in plants that play pivotal roles in cell wall modification, hormone signal transduction, secondary metabolism, defense against herbivores, and volatile compound release. , a perennial herb revered for its therapeutic properties, lacks a comprehensive analysis of its gene family despite the critical role these genes play in plant secondary metabolism. This study aims to perform a genome-wide analysis of the gene family in () to elucidate their functions and regulatory mechanisms in secondary metabolite biosynthesis. We conducted a genome-wide screening to identify , followed by phylogenetic analysis to classify these genes into groups. Sequence characteristics were analyzed to predict functional roles. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were examined to assess conservation and polymorphism among different landraces. Expression profiles of were evaluated under sodium acetate and salicylic acid elicitor treatments and across different tissues. The accumulation of phylogenetic metabolites in different treatments and tissues was also analyzed by HPLC and LCMS detection to explore the correlation between gene expression and metabolite accumulation. A total of 23 genes were identified and classified into eight distinct groups. Sequence analysis suggested diverse functions related to hormone responses, secondary metabolism, and stress resistance. with SSR sequences were conserved yet showed polymorphism among different landraces. Under elicitor treatments, expression profiling revealed that significantly modulate the synthesis of secondary metabolites such as dactylorhin A and militarine. Tissue-specific expression analysis indicated that and were highly expressed in tubers compared to other tissues, suggesting their central role and a potential negative regulatory effect in metabolite accumulation. The elicitor NaAc can regulate metabolite synthesis by modulating the expression of . The gene family in is integral to the modulation of secondary metabolite biosynthesis and accumulation and can respond to elicitors to promote the synthesis of militarine. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the further exploration of gene functions and their regulatory mechanisms, advancing the production of medicinally active compounds in