Prasad Mrinalini, Mathur Shivangi, Singh Deeksha, Ranjan Rajiv
Plant Biotechnology Lab, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed to be University), Dayalbagh, Agra, 282005, India.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 23;15(1):2943. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-87434-5.
Piper longum, commonly known as long pepper, is highly valued for its bioactive alkaloid piperine, which has diverse pharmaceutical and culinary applications. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing and de novo transcriptome assembly to analyze the transcriptomes of P. longum leaves, roots, and spikes. Our dataset consisted of 173,381 high-quality transcripts, with functional annotations highlighting key pathways involved in lysine biosynthesis and secondary metabolite production. We identified 8041 simple sequence repeats (SSRs), primarily trinucleotide repeats, adding valuable genetic markers. Additionally, we uncovered 21,235 transcription factors (TFs) across 65 families, including bHLH, NAC, and MYB, which are essential in regulating metabolism. KEGG pathway analysis categorized 4730 transcripts into 377 pathways, focusing on piperine biosynthesis, including phenylpropanoid and L-lysine metabolism. Our research identified 14 expressed genes encoding enzymes crucial for tropane, piperidine, and pyridine alkaloid biosynthesis, shedding light on piperine production mechanisms. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed varying piperine concentrations, with spikes showing the highest content, followed by roots and leaves. This comprehensive analysis of the P. longum transcriptome offers valuable insights into the genetics and regulatory networks underlying piperine biosynthesis, identifying molecular markers and genes that hold significant potential for enhancing the plant's biological and pharmaceutical applications.
荜茇，通常被称为长胡椒，因其生物活性生物碱胡椒碱而备受重视，胡椒碱具有多种制药和烹饪用途。在本研究中，我们使用高通量测序和从头转录组组装来分析荜茇叶片、根和穗的转录组。我们的数据集由173,381个高质量转录本组成，功能注释突出了参与赖氨酸生物合成和次生代谢产物产生的关键途径。我们鉴定出8041个简单序列重复序列（SSR），主要是三核苷酸重复序列，增加了有价值的遗传标记。此外，我们在65个家族中发现了21,235个转录因子（TF），包括bHLH、NAC和MYB，它们在调节代谢中至关重要。KEGG通路分析将4730个转录本分类到377条通路中，重点是胡椒碱生物合成，包括苯丙烷类和L-赖氨酸代谢。我们的研究鉴定出14个表达基因，这些基因编码对托烷、哌啶和吡啶生物碱生物合成至关重要的酶，揭示了胡椒碱的产生机制。高效液相色谱（HPLC）显示胡椒碱浓度各不相同，穗中的含量最高，其次是根和叶。对荜茇转录组的这种全面分析为胡椒碱生物合成的遗传学和调控网络提供了有价值的见解，鉴定出了对增强植物的生物学和制药应用具有巨大潜力的分子标记和基因。
