Next generation sequencing and de novo transcriptome analysis of Costus pictus D. Don, a non-model plant with potent anti-diabetic properties

Abstract

BackgroundPhyto-remedies for diabetic control are popular among patients with Type II Diabetes mellitus (DM), in addition to other diabetic control measures. A number of plant species are known to possess diabetic control properties. Costus pictus D. Don is popularly known as “Insulin Plant” in Southern India whose leaves have been reported to increase insulin pools in blood plasma. Next Generation Sequencing is employed as a powerful tool for identifying molecular signatures in the transcriptome related to physiological functions of plant tissues. We sequenced the leaf transcriptome of C. pictus using Illumina reversible dye terminator sequencing technology and used combination of bioinformatics tools for identifying transcripts related to anti-diabetic properties of C. pictus.ResultsA total of 55,006 transcripts were identified, of which 69.15% transcripts could be annotated. We identified transcripts related to pathways of bixin biosynthesis and geraniol and geranial biosynthesis as major transcripts from the class of isoprenoid secondary metabolites and validated the presence of putative norbixin methyltransferase, a precursor of Bixin. The transcripts encoding these terpenoids are known to be Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor (PPAR) agonists and anti-glycation agents. Sequential extraction and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) confirmed the presence of bixin in C. pictus methanolic extracts. Another significant transcript identified in relation to anti-diabetic, anti-obesity and immuno-modulation is of Abscisic Acid biosynthetic pathway. We also report many other transcripts for the biosynthesis of antitumor, anti-oxidant and antimicrobial metabolites of C. pictus leaves.ConclusionSolid molecular signatures (transcripts related to bixin, abscisic acid, and geranial and geraniol biosynthesis) for the anti-diabetic properties of C. pictus leaves and vital clues related to the other phytochemical functions like antitumor, anti-oxidant, immuno-modulatory, anti-microbial and anti-malarial properties through the secondary metabolite pathway annotations are reported. The data provided will be of immense help to researchers working in the treatment of DM using herbal therapies.

<i>In Vitro</i> Screening of &#945;-Amylase Inhibition by Selected Terpenes from Essential Oils

“…In this respect, traditional medicines possess great potential [3,4]. More and more plant products and their preparations have been used for therapeutic purposes [5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

De novo assembly and analysis of Cassia obtusifolia seed transcriptome to identify genes involved in the biosynthesis of active metabolites

“…De novo assembly of transcriptome has been widely used to identify the biosynthetic and regulatory genes in non-model organisms, such as Thapsia laciniata, 18) Costus pictus, 19) and Curcuma longa. 20) These transcriptome data have accelerated our understanding of the complexity of gene transcription patterns, gene structure variances, and gene regulation networks.…”

Renaissance in phytomedicines: promising implications of NGS technologies

“…RNA sequencing gave direct evidence for their presence. Similarly, in plant Costus pictus transcripts, proofs of some of these compounds were identified (Annadurai et al 2012). In addition, transcriptome analysis of this insulin plant (Hegde et al 2014) revealed presence of transcripts involved in bixin and geraniol biosynthesis.…”