Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of TCP family genes in Catharanthus roseus

Abstract

IntroductionThe anti-tumor vindoline and catharanthine alkaloids are naturally existed in Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus), an ornamental plant in many tropical countries. Plant-specific TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PCF (TCP) transcription factors play important roles in various plant developmental processes. However, the roles of C. roseus TCPs (CrTCPs) in terpenoid indole alkaloid (TIA) biosynthesis are largely unknown.MethodsHere, a total of 15 CrTCP genes were identified in the newly updated C. roseus genome and were grouped into three major classes (P-type, C-type and CYC/TB1).ResultsGene structure and protein motif analyses showed that CrTCPs have diverse intron-exon patterns and protein motif distributions. A number of stress responsive cis-elements were identified in promoter regions of CrTCPs. Expression analysis showed that three CrTCP genes (CrTCP2, CrTCP4, and CrTCP7) were expressed specifically in leaves and four CrTCP genes (CrTCP13, CrTCP8, CrTCP6, and CrTCP10) were expressed specifically in flowers. HPLC analysis showed that the contents of three classic TIAs, vindoline, catharanthine and ajmalicine, were significantly increased by ultraviolet-B (UV-B) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in leaves. By analyzing the expression patterns under UV-B radiation and MeJA application with qRT-PCR, a number of CrTCP and TIA biosynthesis-related genes were identified to be responsive to UV-B and MeJA treatments. Interestingly, two TCP binding elements (GGNCCCAC and GTGGNCCC) were identified in several TIA biosynthesis-related genes, suggesting that they were potential target genes of CrTCPs. DiscussionThese results suggest that CrTCPs are involved in the regulation of the biosynthesis of TIAs, and provide a basis for further functional identification of CrTCPs.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of TCP gene family in Dendrobium nobile and their role in perianth development

“…Recently, TCPs have been identified various plant species and shed information on their role in flower development. For instance, Petunia axillaris , Catharanthus roseus , Cymbidium goeringii , and Chrysanthemum lavandulifolium have 32, 15, 14, and 39 TCPs, respectively ( Zhang et al., 2020 ; Liu D. K. et al., 2022 ; Hao et al., 2023 ; Wu et al., 2023 ). However, the role of TCP in flower development of D. nobile remain unclear.…”

Evaluation of cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of Catharanthus roseus on the human lung cancer cell lines CaLu-6

“…Vinblastine and vincristine (anticancer), ajmalicine (antihypertensive), and serpentine (sedative) are some of the key active chemicals that were discovered in C. roseus in previous investigations [8]. The plant produces modest amounts of vinblastine and vincristine, currently known to be frequently combined with other medications to treat malignancies such as lymphomas and leukaemia [9,10].…”