Comparative Characterization of the Leaf Tissue of Physalis alkekengi and Physalis peruviana Using RNA-seq and Metabolite Profiling

Abstract

The genus Physalis in the Solanaceae family contains several species of benefit to humans. Examples include P. alkekengi (Chinese-lantern plant, hôzuki in Japanese) used for medicinal and for decorative purposes, and P. peruviana, also known as Cape gooseberry, which bears an edible, vitamin-rich fruit. Members of the Physalis genus are a valuable resource for phytochemicals needed for the development of medicines and functional foods. To fully utilize the potential of these phytochemicals we need to understand their biosynthesis, and for this we need genomic data, especially comprehensive transcriptome datasets for gene discovery. We report the de novo assembly of the transcriptome from leaves of P. alkekengi and P. peruviana using Illumina RNA-seq technologies. We identified 75,221 unigenes in P. alkekengi and 54,513 in P. peruviana. All unigenes were annotated with gene ontology (GO), Enzyme Commission (EC) numbers, and pathway information from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). We classified unigenes encoding enzyme candidates putatively involved in the secondary metabolism and identified more than one unigenes for each step in terpenoid backbone- and steroid biosynthesis in P. alkekengi and P. peruviana. To measure the variability of the withanolides including physalins and provide insights into their chemical diversity in Physalis, we also analyzed the metabolite content in leaves of P. alkekengi and P. peruviana at five different developmental stages by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We discuss that comprehensive transcriptome approaches within a family can yield a clue for gene discovery in Physalis and provide insights into their complex chemical diversity. The transcriptome information we submit here will serve as an important public resource for further studies of the specialized metabolism of Physalis species.

Third DWF1 paralog in Solanaceae, sterol Δ 24 -isomerase, branches withanolide biosynthesis from the general phytosterol pathway

“…Using the potato StSSR1 and StSSR2 amino acid sequences as queries in a BLAST analysis against 20,689 and 25,751 unigenes in P. alkekengi and P. peruviana , respectively ( 14 ), we identified three matching sequences in each species: PaSSR1, PpSSR1, PaSSR2, PpSSR2, and the homologous sequences designated Pa24ISO and Pp24ISO, which stands for sterol Δ 24 -isomerase. Likewise, BLAST analysis of W. somnifera transcriptome data reassembled from SRA sequences ( 15 , 16 ) identified three sequences (WsSSR1, WsSSR2, and Ws24ISO).…”

“…We have recently analyzed the transcriptomes of two withanolide-producing Physalis species, Physalis alkekengi and Physalis peruviana ( 14 ). P. peruviana produces withanolide E and related withanolides, while P. alkekengi produces physalin B and related physalin-type withanolides.…”

Phytochemical composition and biological activity of Physalis spp.: A mini-review

“…Like the other Physalis species, P. alkekengi accumulates various specialized metabolites and nutrients (alkaloids, vitamins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, saponins, tannins, withanolides, carotenoids, glucocorticoids, etc. ), responsible for its activities and use (Bahmani et al 2016;Fukushima et al 2016;Li et al 2014;Li et al 2018;Liu et al 2015;Lv et al 2018;Qiu et al 2008;Wen et al 2017;Wen et al 2019). In many countries across Europe and South Asia folk medicines recommend the use of P. alkekengi fruit as a diuretic for renal and urinary tract ailments, and in the treatment of gout and rheumatism (Bahmani et al 2016;Namjoyan et al 2015;Sharma et al 2015).…”

“…The nutritional value and the ethnobotanical use of Cape gooseberry fruit are related to the presence of various classes of chemical constituents and their activities(Puente et al 2011;Ramadan 2011;Sharma et al 2015;Zhang et al 2013). The fruit are rich in minerals (K, Mg, Ca, Fe, P, Na, Zn, Cu, Mn) (Bazalar Pereda et al 2019; Hegazy et al 2019; Rodrigues et al 2009), vitamins (A, B, C, E, K1) (da Silva et al 2016; El-Beltagi et al 2019; Licodiedoff et al 2013; Olivares-Tenorio et al 2016; Ordonez-Santos et al 2017), carotenoids (de Rosso et al 2007; El-Beltagi et al 2019; Etzbach et al 2018; Ordonez-Santos et al 2017; Ramadan and Mörsel 2003), carbohydrates (Hegazy et al 2019; Mayorga et al 2002; Puente et al 2011), protein(Yıldız et al 2015), fatty acids and phytosterols(Puente et al 2011;Ramadan and Mörsel 2003;Rodrigues et al 2009;Sharma et al 2015;Zhang et al 2013), flavonoids and phenolic acids(da Silva et al 2016;Ertürk et al 2017;Hegazy et al 2019;Licodiedoff et al 2013;Ordonez-Santos et al 2017;Sathyadevi and Subramanian 2015;Yıldız et al 2015), alkaloids(El-Beltagi et al 2019), and others(El- Beltagi et al 2019;Fukushima et al 2016;Kupska et al 2016;Ramadan et al 2017). Summarized nutrient data for P. peruviana fruit are presented in…”

Comparative Transcriptomics of Metabolites in Wild and Cultivated Pinellia ternata

“…These technologies also promote research progress in the eld of traditional Chinese medicine. Since 2010, RNA-seq technology has been used in Chinese herbal medicines (Chen et al 2011;Liu et al 2015;Fukushima et al 2016).…”