Abstract
BackgroundPolygonatum cyrtonema Hua (P. cyrtonema) is one of the most important herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. Polysaccharides in P. cyrtonema plants comprise a class of important secondary metabolites and exhibit a broad range of pharmacological functions.ResultsIn order to identify genes involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis, we performed RNA sequencing analysis of leaf, root, and rhizome tissues of P. cyrtonema. A total of 164,573 unigenes were obtained by assembling transcripts from all three tissues and 86,063 of these were annotated in public databases. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined based on expression profile analysis, and DEG levels in rhizome tissues were then compared with their counterparts in leaf and root tissues. This analysis revealed numerous genes that were either up-regulated or uniquely expressed in the rhizome. Multiple genes encoding important enzymes, such as UDP glycosyltransferases (UGTs), or transcription factors involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis were identified and further analyzed, while a few genes encoding key enzymes were experimentally validated using quantitative real-time PCR.ConclusionOur results substantially expand the public transcriptome dataset of P. cyrtonema and provide valuable clues for the identification of candidate genes involved in metabolic pathways.
Highlights
Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (P. cyrtonema) is one of the most important herbs in traditional Chinese medicine
The composition and structure of polysaccharides in P. cyrtonema show a remarkable level of diversity [5]; while polysaccharide biosynthesis in other medicinal plants remains poorly understood, studies on Codonopsis pilosula and P. sibiricum show that this process occurs via three main processes [6,7,8]
A total of 1131 candidate transcription factors (TFs) were assigned to the MYB, AP2-EREBP, WRKY, bHLH, C3H, C2H2, and NAC families; these TFs likely play roles in regulating polysaccharide biosynthesis
Summary
Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (P. cyrtonema) is one of the most important herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (Liliaceae) is a medicinal and edible perennial plant that is used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of coughs, dizziness, and lung problems [1]. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, P. cyrtonema is often prescribed as the dried rhizome of P. sibiricum Red. polysaccharides isolated from P. cyrtonema are the major bioactive component of herbal medicines and exhibit a range of important biological characteristics such as immunomodulatory, anti-aging, and antiviral properties [2, 3]. The composition and structure of polysaccharides in P. cyrtonema show a remarkable level of diversity [5]; while polysaccharide biosynthesis in other medicinal plants remains poorly understood, studies on Codonopsis pilosula and P. sibiricum show that this process occurs via three main processes [6,7,8]. Sucrose is converted to glucose 1-phosphate (Glc-1P) and fructose 6-phosphate
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