Wang Chao, Tan Lei, Zhang Zhonghui, Li Xianggui, Xia Linghao, Cao Peng, Tong Haiyang, Ou Xumin, Li Shixuan, Zhang Jianing, Li Chun, Yang Jun, Jiao Wen-Biao, Wang Shouchuang
National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, School of Breeding and Multiplication (Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication), Hainan University, Sanya Hainan, 572025, China.
National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, College of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Sanya Hainan, 572025, China.
Mol Hortic. 2025 May 2;5(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s43897-025-00146-2.
Areca catechu, as a traditional Chinese medicine, contains a high concentration of therapeutic compounds. However, the biosynthesis of these compounds is largely unexplored. We present a haplotype-resolved genome assembly and annotation for A. catechu, with chromosome-level genome sizes of 2.45 Gb (Ac. Hap1) and 2.49 Gb (Ac. Hap2). A comparative analysis of the haplotypes revealed significant divergence, including multiple Mb-level large inversions. Furthermore, A. catechu shared two whole genome duplications with other palm plants and its genome size had increased due to the insertion of transposons within the last 2.5 million years. By integrating transcriptomics and metabolomics, two tandem genes (AcGNMT1 and AcGNMT2) were negatively associated with guvacine and trigonelline in gene-metabolite interaction network. AcGNMT1, AcGNMT2 and their three homologous genes were involved in the conversion of guvacine to arecoline. Further analyses tested the function of AcUGT71CE15, AcUGT74CJ38, AcUGT87EE5 and AcUGT83S982 as glucosyltransferases, and AcUGT78AP14 was identified as a rhamnosyltransferase involved in flavonol glycosylation. Our study provides a high-quality genome of A. catechu, characterizes the arecoline biosynthetic pathway and expands the understanding of the diversity of UDP-glucosyltransferase and UDP-rhamnosyltransferase, offering insights into the potential of A. catechu for the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds.
槟榔作为一种传统中药，含有高浓度的治疗性化合物。然而，这些化合物的生物合成在很大程度上尚未得到探索。我们展示了槟榔的单倍型解析基因组组装和注释，其染色体水平的基因组大小分别为2.45 Gb（Ac. Hap1）和2.49 Gb（Ac. Hap2）。对单倍型的比较分析揭示了显著差异，包括多个Mb级别的大倒位。此外，槟榔与其他棕榈植物共享两次全基因组复制，并且由于在过去250万年中插入转座子，其基因组大小有所增加。通过整合转录组学和代谢组学，在基因-代谢物相互作用网络中，两个串联基因（AcGNMT1和AcGNMT2）与古液碱和胡芦巴碱呈负相关。AcGNMT1、AcGNMT2及其三个同源基因参与了古液碱向槟榔碱的转化。进一步分析测试了AcUGT71CE15、AcUGT74CJ38、AcUGT87EE5和AcUGT83S982作为糖基转移酶的功能，并且鉴定出AcUGT78AP14是一种参与黄酮醇糖基化的鼠李糖基转移酶。我们的研究提供了高质量的槟榔基因组，表征了槟榔碱生物合成途径，并扩展了对UDP-糖基转移酶和UDP-鼠李糖基转移酶多样性的理解，为槟榔在生物活性化合物生物合成方面的潜力提供了见解。
