Wang Wanhua, Gao Shuhui, Sun Yi, Yang Hong, Li Jinlong, Li Jing, Zheng Xianhui, Yang Guane
School of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Medicinal Basic Research Innovation Center of Chronic Kidney Disease, Ministry of Education, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 3;20(6):e0319989. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319989. eCollection 2025.
The content of Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide (CPPS) is a critical indicator of the quality and quantity of Codonopsis pilosula (C. pilosula), though the biosynthetic mechanism of CPPS accumulation through the application of Rhodopseudomonas palustris (R. palustris) remains unclear. Therefore, when planting C. pilosula, we applied R. palustris through spraying and root irrigation (10 ml), and harvested its fresh roots, stems and leaves as experimental materials. Agronomic traits and CPPS content were determined, while transcriptome sequencing was analyzed, with gene expression verified by fluorescence quantitative PCR. The results revealed that the phenotype of C. pilosula was improved, and the content of CPPS in roots, stems, and leaves increased by 90.22%, 61.11%, and 20.00%, respectively. Following sequencing, 10,880, 8,578, and 12,340 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in response to R. palustris application. The DEGs in each tissue were primarily enriched in starch and sucrose metabolism, phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, MAPK signaling pathways, and plant hormone signal transduction. A total of 12 genes encoding sucrose synthase (SUS), hexokinase (HK), β-fructofuranosidase (sacA), and fructokinase (scrK) were significantly upregulated in the tissues, with expression levels higher in roots than in stems and leaves. Additionally, 10 genes encoding proteins with jasmonate ZIM domains (JAZ), coronatine-insensitive protein 1 (COI1), and transcription factor MYC2 (MYC2) may be closely associated with the improvement of agronomic traits in C. pilosula. This study demonstrated that C. pilosula's response to exogenous R. palustris induced the activation of SUS, HK, sacA, scrK, JAZ, COI1, and MYC2 activities. The upregulation of genes regulating these enzymes contributed to the increased CPPS content and the enhancement of agronomic traits in C. pilosula. These findings provide a reference for cultivating high-quality C. pilosula at the molecular level.
党参多糖（CPPS）的含量是党参质量和产量的关键指标，然而通过应用沼泽红假单胞菌（R. palustris）来积累CPPS的生物合成机制仍不清楚。因此，在种植党参时，我们通过喷雾和根部浇灌（10毫升）应用了沼泽红假单胞菌，并收获其新鲜的根、茎和叶作为实验材料。测定了农艺性状和CPPS含量，同时进行了转录组测序分析，并通过荧光定量PCR验证了基因表达。结果表明，党参的表型得到改善，根、茎和叶中CPPS的含量分别增加了90.22%、61.11%和20.00%。测序后，在响应沼泽红假单胞菌应用的过程中，分别在根、茎、叶中鉴定出10,880、8,578和12,340个差异表达基因（DEGs）。每个组织中的DEGs主要富集在淀粉和蔗糖代谢、苯丙烷类和黄酮类生物合成、糖酵解/糖异生、MAPK信号通路以及植物激素信号转导中。共有12个编码蔗糖合酶（SUS）、己糖激酶（HK）、β-呋喃果糖苷酶（sacA）和果糖激酶（scrK）的基因在这些组织中显著上调，其表达水平在根中高于茎和叶。此外，10个编码具有茉莉酸ZIM结构域（JAZ）、冠菌素不敏感蛋白1（COI1）和转录因子MYC2（MYC2）的基因可能与党参农艺性状的改善密切相关。本研究表明，党参对外源沼泽红假单胞菌的响应诱导了SUS、HK、sacA、scrK、JAZ、COI1和MYC2活性的激活。调控这些酶的基因上调有助于党参中CPPS含量的增加和农艺性状的增强。这些发现为在分子水平上培育高质量党参提供了参考。
