Ma Chi, Lin Yu, Yin Junjun, Zhu Lijuan, Fang Jinkai, Zhang Dan
School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Apr 7;26(7):3439. doi: 10.3390/ijms26073439.
The Araliaceae family has significant economic and medicinal value. However, the phylogenetic relationships and the expression patterns of key genes of the active triterpenoid substance within this family are still unclear. In this study, we employed comparative transcriptomics to analyze the transcriptomes of 19 species from 11 genera of Araliaceae, aiming to elucidate the evolutionary history of the family and the expression patterns of key genes in the ginsenoside biosynthesis pathway. Our results divide Araliaceae into two subfamilies: Aralioideae and Hydrocotyloideae. Aralioideae is further classified into three groups: the group, the group, and the Asian Palmate group. PhyloNet analysis reveals that the common ancestor of , , and was an allopolyploid, likely resulting from hybridization between and . Additionally, all Aralioideae species underwent the pg-β event, which may be critical for ginsenoside biosynthesis. We discovered that species exhibit distinct expression patterns of key enzyme genes (, , , ) compared to other Araliaceae species. These enzyme genes show independent evolutionary lineages in gene trees, suggesting unique functional adaptations that enable species to efficiently synthesize ginsenosides. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the conservation and utilization of Araliaceae germplasm resources.
五加科具有重要的经济和药用价值。然而，该科内活性三萜类物质的系统发育关系和关键基因的表达模式仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们采用比较转录组学方法分析了五加科11个属19个物种的转录组，旨在阐明该科的进化历史以及人参皂苷生物合成途径中关键基因的表达模式。我们的结果将五加科分为两个亚科：人参亚科和天胡荽亚科。人参亚科进一步分为三组： 组、 组和亚洲掌状组。系统发育网络分析表明， 、 和 的共同祖先是一个异源多倍体，可能是由 和 之间的杂交产生的。此外，所有人参亚科物种都经历了pg-β事件，这可能对人参皂苷的生物合成至关重要。我们发现， 物种与其他五加科物种相比，关键酶基因（ 、 、 、 ）表现出不同的表达模式。这些酶基因在基因树中显示出独立的进化谱系，表明其具有独特的功能适应性，使 物种能够高效地合成人参皂苷。本研究为五加科种质资源的保护和利用提供了理论基础。
