Liang Ying, Wei Guili, Liang Ximei, Tang Meiqiong, He Hong, Tang Danfeng, Lin Yang, Li Linxuan, Qin Shuangshuang, Wei Fan
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources Protection and Genetic Improvement, National Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Inheritance and Innovation, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, No. 189 Changgang Road, Xingning District, Nanning, 530023, People's Republic of China.
National Engineering Research Center for Southwest Endangered Medicinal Materials Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, Nanning, China.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 Jul 2;25(1):840. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-06865-4.
Sophora tonkinensis Gagnep is a significant Chinese herbal medicine, primarily composed of alkaloids and flavonoids, which are its key pharmacological components. Despite its importance, the metabolic pathways of these substances in S. tonkinensis remain inadequately explored.
This study investigates the molecular regulation of alkaloid and flavonoid accumulation in S. tonkinensis. Through high-throughput transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) of seeds, leaves, stems, and roots, the research identifies differential metabolites and genes involved in alkaloid and flavonoid biosynthesis. The transcriptome analysis reveals 2,727 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 35 related to alkaloids and 48 to flavonoids. Metabolome analysis uncovers 296 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs), including 23 alkaloid-related DAMs and 23 flavonoid-related DAMs. Additionally, weighted gene co-expression network analysis suggests StCAO (evm.
3.924) as a key regulator of alkaloid biosynthesis and StCHIs (evm.
3.2047, evm.
1.2104, and evm.
1.2101) as crucial genes for flavonoid biosynthesis. To validate these findings, qPCR validation confirmed the consistency of expression trends for 12 selected DEGs across the roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of S. tonkinensis.
This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the regulatory mechanisms governing alkaloid and flavonoid accumulation, as well as the associated key genes, across various S. tonkinensis tissues. These findings pave the way for future research into the regulatory processes of alkaloids and flavonoids in S. tonkinensis.
越南槐是一种重要的中药材，主要由生物碱和黄酮类化合物组成，这些是其关键的药理成分。尽管其很重要，但这些物质在越南槐中的代谢途径仍未得到充分研究。
本研究调查了越南槐中生物碱和黄酮类化合物积累的分子调控机制。通过对种子、叶子、茎和根进行高通量转录组测序（RNA-seq）和液相色谱-质谱联用（LC-MS）分析，该研究鉴定出参与生物碱和黄酮类生物合成的差异代谢物和基因。转录组分析揭示了2727个差异表达基因（DEG），其中35个与生物碱相关，48个与黄酮类相关。代谢组分析发现了296个差异积累代谢物（DAM），包括23个与生物碱相关的DAM和23个与黄酮类相关的DAM。此外，加权基因共表达网络分析表明StCAO（evm.MODEL: 3.924）是生物碱生物合成的关键调节因子，而StCHIs（evm.MODEL: 3.2047、evm.MODEL: 1.2104和evm.MODEL: 1.2101）是黄酮类生物合成的关键基因。为了验证这些发现，qPCR验证证实了越南槐根、茎、叶和种子中12个选定DEG的表达趋势一致。
本研究全面分析了越南槐不同组织中生物碱和黄酮类化合物积累的调控机制以及相关关键基因。这些发现为未来研究越南槐中生物碱和黄酮类化合物的调控过程铺平了道路。
