Abstract
Radix Bupleuri (roots of Bupleurum spp.) is an important medicinal herb. Triterpenoid saponins of saikosaponins generally constitute the main class of secondary metabolites of plants in the Bupleurum genus. However, the molecular regulatory mechanism underlying their biosynthesis remains elusive. In this study, we observed significantly different saikosaponin biosynthesis between Bupleurum chinense and Bupleurum scorzonerifolium at the seedling stage. The sequential and expression characterization of 232 genes in the triterpenoid saponin biosynthetic pathway, which includes the mevalonate (MVA) pathway and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, between B. chinense and B. scorzonerifolium was also investigated. Sixty of these genes may be involved in saikosaponin biosynthesis. Manipulation of these genes, especially those of the β-AS, P450, and UGT families, may improve saikosaponin production.
Highlights
Radix Bupleuri is one of the most important medicinal herbs in Eurasia and North Africa used as a treatment for fever, chronic hepatitis, nephrotic syndrome, inflammatory diseases, menstrual disorders, and digestive ulcers (Pistelli et al, 1996; Guo et al, 2000; Ikegami et al, 2006; Mabberley, 2008)
We investigated the sequential and expression characterization of 232 genes in the MVA pathway and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway in B. chinense and B. scorzonerifolium to identify putative genes involved in the biosynthesis of saikosaponins in Bupleurum L
saikosaponin a (SS a) and SS d were detected in the roots of B. chinense plants at the 1-day-old stage, whereas they significantly accumulated in the region of differentiation at the 15-day-old stage (Table 1)
Summary
Radix Bupleuri (roots of Bupleurum spp.) is one of the most important medicinal herbs in Eurasia and North Africa used as a treatment for fever, chronic hepatitis, nephrotic syndrome, inflammatory diseases, menstrual disorders, and digestive ulcers (Pistelli et al, 1996; Guo et al, 2000; Ikegami et al, 2006; Mabberley, 2008). Saikosaponins generally represent the main class of secondary metabolites and constitute to up to 7% of the total dry weight of roots of plants in the Bupleurum genus (Ashour and Wink, 2011) Owing to their wide range of pharmacological activities, including their immunomodulatory activity, anti-inflammatory activity, antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity, cytotoxicity, antitumor activity, and antiviral activity, these triterpenoid saponins, especially
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