Sobreiro Mariane Brom, Soares-Souza Giordano Bruno, Magalhães Leandro, de Morais Cordeiro Débora, Molina Michele, Vasconcelos Santelmo, Dias Yan Nunes, Moreira-Oliveira Renato R, Gastauer Markus, Ramos Silvio, Oliveira Guilherme, Caldeira Cecílio Frois, Vidal Amanda F
Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Belém, 66055-090, PA, Brazil.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 Aug 4;25(1):1024. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-07087-4.
, widely known as jaborandi, faces a decline in its natural population due to unsustainable harvesting for pilocarpine extraction, an imidazole alkaloid with significant pharmacological properties. This study presents the first comparative transcriptomic analysis in jaborandi by investigating gene expression across four different tissues (leaflets, rachis, root, and stem) and exploring potential pathways and functions involved in pilocarpine biosynthesis.
The comparisons involving the root had the highest number of DEGs, including root vs. leaflets, rachis vs. root, and stem vs. root. In contrast, no DEGs were identified in the comparison between stem and leaflets. We observed that the root exhibited the most diverse functional profile, including an abundance of TFs involved in alkaloid biosynthesis. Functional enrichment analysis of root-overexpressed genes revealed associations with cell transport, regulatory processes, and defense responses. In contrast, aerial tissues exhibited enrichment for photosynthesis and oxidative stress response pathways, with antioxidant enzymes highly expressed in the leaflets—the primary site of pilocarpine accumulation in its final form—suggesting a potential link between pilocarpine production and the plant’s antioxidative response.
The presence of enzymes potentially involved in pilocarpine biosynthesis in both aerial and root tissues supports the idea that its biosynthesis is a multi-tissue process. This study provides important insights into the metabolic pathways for advancing conservation strategies and promoting sustainable management of this species.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-025-07087-4.
毛果芸香（Jaborandi），因其毛果芸香碱提取的不可持续采收而面临自然种群数量下降，毛果芸香碱是一种具有重要药理特性的咪唑生物碱。本研究通过调查四个不同组织（小叶、叶轴、根和茎）的基因表达，首次对毛果芸香进行了比较转录组分析，并探索了参与毛果芸香碱生物合成的潜在途径和功能。
涉及根的比较中差异表达基因（DEG）数量最多，包括根与小叶、叶轴与根、茎与根的比较。相比之下，茎与小叶的比较中未鉴定出差异表达基因。我们观察到根表现出最多样化的功能谱，包括大量参与生物碱生物合成的转录因子。对根中过表达基因的功能富集分析揭示了与细胞运输、调节过程和防御反应的关联。相比之下，地上组织在光合作用和氧化应激反应途径方面表现出富集，抗氧化酶在小叶中高度表达，小叶是毛果芸香碱最终形式的主要积累部位，这表明毛果芸香碱的产生与植物的抗氧化反应之间可能存在联系。
地上和根组织中均存在可能参与毛果芸香碱生物合成的酶，这支持了其生物合成是一个多组织过程的观点。本研究为推进保护策略和促进该物种的可持续管理的代谢途径提供了重要见解。
在线版本包含可在10.1186/s12870-025-07087-4获取的补充材料。
