Hu Jinyuan, Wang Zishi, Xu He, Wang Zhenlong, Li Ning, Feng Rui, Yin Jianyu, Liu Fangru, Wang Baishi
School of Basic Medicine, Shenyang Key Laboratory for Phenomics, Liaoning Province Key Laboratory for Phenomics of Human Ethnic Specificity and Critical Illness (LPKL-PHESCI), Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, 110034, China.
School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
BMC Genomics. 2025 May 26;26(1):528. doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-11697-5.
Cannabis sativa is a medicinally and economically significant plant known for its production of cannabinoids, terpenoids, and other secondary metabolites. This study presents a transcriptomic analysis to elucidate tissue-specific expression and regulatory mechanisms across leaves, stems, and roots. A total of 2,530 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, with key genes such as terpene synthase (TPS) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) exhibiting elevated expression in leaf tissues, emphasizing their roles in terpenoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Alternative splicing (AS) analysis revealed 8,729 distinct events, dominated by exon skipping, contributing to transcriptomic diversity. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) prediction identified 3,245 candidates, many of which displayed tissue-specific expression patterns and co-expression with metabolic genes, suggesting regulatory roles in secondary metabolism. Additionally, 12,314 SNPs and 2,786 INDELs were detected, with notable enrichment in genes associated with secondary metabolite biosynthesis, particularly in leaf tissues. These findings advance the understanding of molecular mechanisms governing secondary metabolism and genetic diversity in C. sativa, providing valuable insights for future metabolic engineering and breeding strategies to enhance cannabinoid production.
大麻是一种在医学和经济上具有重要意义的植物，以其产生大麻素、萜类化合物和其他次生代谢产物而闻名。本研究进行了转录组分析，以阐明叶、茎和根中的组织特异性表达及调控机制。共鉴定出2530个差异表达基因（DEG），萜烯合酶（TPS）和苯丙氨酸解氨酶（PAL）等关键基因在叶组织中表达上调，突显了它们在萜类化合物和苯丙烷类生物合成中的作用。可变剪接（AS）分析揭示了8729个不同事件，以外显子跳跃为主，这有助于转录组的多样性。长链非编码RNA（lncRNA）预测鉴定出3245个候选物，其中许多表现出组织特异性表达模式并与代谢基因共表达，表明其在次生代谢中的调控作用。此外，检测到12314个单核苷酸多态性（SNP）和2786个插入缺失（INDEL），在与次生代谢产物生物合成相关的基因中显著富集，尤其是在叶组织中。这些发现推进了对大麻次生代谢和遗传多样性调控分子机制的理解，为未来提高大麻素产量的代谢工程和育种策略提供了有价值的见解。
