Comparative transcriptomics characterized the distinct biosynthetic abilities of terpenoid and paeoniflorin biosynthesis in herbaceous peony strains

Abstract

The herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) is a perennial flowering plant of the Paeoniaceae species that is widely cultivated for medical and ornamental uses. The monoterpene glucoside paeoniflorin and its derivatives are the active compounds of the P. lactiflora roots. However, the gene regulation pathways associated with monoterpene and paeoniflorin biosynthesis in P. lactiflora are still unclear. Here, we selected three genotypes of P. lactiflora with distinct morphologic features and chemical compositions that were a result of long-term reproductive isolation. We performed an RNA-sequencing experiment to profile the transcriptome changes of the shoots and roots. Using de novo assembly analysis, we identified 36,264 unigenes, including 521 genes responsible for encoding transcription factors. We also identified 28,925 unigenes that were differentially expressed in different organs and/or genotypes. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the P. lactiflora unigenes were significantly overrepresented in several secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathways. We identified and profiled 33 genes responsible for encoding the enzymescontrolling the major catalytic reactions in the terpenoid backbone and in monoterpenoid biosynthesis. Our study identified the candidate genes in the terpenoid biosynthesis pathways, providing useful information for metabolic engineering of P. lactiflora intended for pharmaceutical uses and facilitating the development of strategies to improve marker-assist P. lactiflora in the future.

A tissue-specific profile of miRNAs and their targets related to paeoniaflorin and monoterpenoids biosynthesis in Paeonia lactiflora Pall. by transcriptome, small RNAs and degradome sequencing

“…They also focused on function diversity of these genes. Lu et al [ 49 ] found 32 genes related to terpenoid and monoterpenoid glycoside biosynthesis and one gene encoding (-)-α-terpineol synthase through comparative transcriptome analysis of shoots of different strains (with different paeoniflorin content) in Paeonia . They uncovered that were the differences in terpenoid biosynthesis ability among different materials may be largely caused by ACAT1 , HMGS , MK , PMK , GGR , FPS1 and MVD genes.…”

“…After the synthesis of monoterpenoids by TPS , the enzymes encoded by these genes aforementioned played important post-modification role through a series of activities of hydroxylation, glycosylation, methylation, isomerization and epoxidation [ 71 ]. Although the specific functions and subcellular localization of most genes in the paeoniflorin and terpenoid biosynthesis pathways remain to be further identified and verified, there is still a certain expansion compared with previous studies by Yuan et al [ 6 ] and Lu et al [ 49 ]. In addition to mining genes related to monoterpene glycoside biosynthesis by comparing transcriptome sequencing results of different tissues, we also profiled the miRNA expression among different tissues and revealed the regulation interaction of miRNA on monoterpene glycoside biosynthesis genes by small RNA and degradome sequencing.…”

“…Nevertheless, up to now, the research on miRNAs involved in terpenoid biosynthesis is scare. Recently, researchers [ 6 , 49 ] performed comparative transcriptomics analysis to identify candidate genes associated with the terpenoid and paeoniflorin biosynthesis in Paeonia . However, transcriptome sequence alone couldn`t thoroughly elucidate the genetic regulation network involved in the terpenoid and paeoniflorin biosynthesis.…”

“…The primers for target genes were designed using primer 5.0 (Primer-E Ltd., Plymouth, UK) ( S2 Table ). Plactin [ 6 , 49 ] (GenBank: JN105299; Available online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ) was utilized as an internal control. Reverse transcription reactions and RT-qPCR reactions were completed with the FastKing RT Kit (with gDNase) (Tiangen, Beijing, China) and SuperReal PreMix Plus (SYBR Green) Kit (Tiangen, Beijing, China).…”

Widely targeted metabolomics reveals stamen petaloid tissue of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. being a potential pharmacological resource

“…A growing number of studies have confirmed that many pharmacological effects, which are not limited to the described above, are closely correlated with paeoniflorin, benzoylpaeoniflorin, galloylpaeoniflorin and their derivatives in P. lactiflora [16,17]. Because of the distinct biosynthetic abilities of terpenoid and paeoniflorin biosynthesis [18], those compounds are always the hot topics of active ingredients in P. lactiflora flowers. In addition, flavonoids [19][20][21][22], phenolic acids and tannins [23], are often detected and analyzed through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), LC/GC-MS and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR).…”