Research Advances in Multi-Omics on the Traditional Chinese Herb Dendrobium officinale

Yue Wang,Aizhong Liu,Oluwaniyi Isaiah Adejobi,Yuhua Wang,Yan Tong

doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.808228

Abstract

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo is an important epiphytic plant, belonging to the Orchidaceae family. There are various bioactive components in D. officinale plants, mainly including polysaccharides, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds. These compounds have been demonstrated to possess multiple functions, such as anti-oxidation, immune regulation, and anti-cancer. Due to serious shortages of wild resources, deterioration of cultivated germplasm and the unstable quality of D. officinale, the study has been focused on the biosynthetic pathway and regulation mechanisms of bioactive compounds. In recent years, with rapid developments in detection technologies and analysis tools, omics research including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics have all been widely applied in various medicinal plants, including D. officinale. Many important advances have been achieved in D. officinale research, such as chromosome-level reference genome assembly and the identification of key genes involved in the biosynthesis of active components. In this review, we summarize the latest research advances in D. officinale based on multiple omics studies. At the same time, we discuss limitations of the current research. Finally, we put forward prospective topics in need of further study on D. officinale.

Highlights

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo, an important epiphytic plant in the Orchidaceae family, has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine herb for thousands of years in China, and widely as a medicinal herb in many Asian countries (Ng et al, 2012)
The polysaccharides, alkaloids, and flavonoids extracted from D. officinale are thought to be the main bioactive ingredients for medicine (Meng et al, 2016; Tang et al, 2017; Wang et al, 2020; Wang, 2021)
Pharmacological studies have confirmed the positive effects of polysaccharides, alkaloids and flavonoids extracted from D. officinale on immune regulation and

Summary

Introduction

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo, an important epiphytic plant in the Orchidaceae family, has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine herb for thousands of years in China, and widely as a medicinal herb in many Asian countries (Ng et al, 2012). These multi-omics studies have provided vital insights into the understanding of the biosynthesis pathways of active compounds and their molecular regulation networks during the growth and development of D. officinale. One of the most important studies in genomics is to annotate and identify candidate genes related to the biosynthesis of active compounds.

Results

Conclusion