SmMYB4 Is a R2R3-MYB Transcriptional Repressor Regulating the Biosynthesis of Phenolic Acids and Tanshinones in <i>Salvia miltiorrhiza</i>
Qian Tian,
Limin Han,
Xiaoya Zhu,
Caijuan Zhang,
Yunyun Li,
Xiaoshan Xue,
Yueyue Wang,
Donghao Wang,
Junfeng Niu,
Wenping Hua,
Bin Li,
Zhezhi Wang
Affiliations
Qian Tian
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Limin Han
College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Shaanxi Xueqian Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Xiaoya Zhu
Daan Gene Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510665, China
Caijuan Zhang
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Yunyun Li
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Xiaoshan Xue
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Yueyue Wang
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Donghao Wang
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Junfeng Niu
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Wenping Hua
College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Shaanxi Xueqian Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Bin Li
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Zhezhi Wang
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge is one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicinal plants. The two most important classes of pharmaceutically relevant compounds in S. miltiorrhiza are phenolic acids and tanshinones. The MYB family of transcription factors may efficiently regulate the secondary metabolism in plants. In this study, a subgroup 4 R2R3MYB transcription factor gene, SmMYB4, was isolated from S. miltiorrhiza and functionally characterized using overexpression and a RNAi-mediated silencing. We achieved a total of six overexpressions and eight RNAi transgenic lines from the Agrobacterium leaf disc method. The content of the total phenolics, rosmarinic acid, and salvianolic acid B markedly decreased in the SmMYB4-overexpressing lines but increased in the SmMYB4-RNAi lines. The content of the total tanshinones, cryptotanshinone, and tanshinone IIA decreased in the SmMYB4-overexpressing transgenic lines but increased in the SmMYB4-RNAi lines. A gene expression analysis demonstrated that SmMYB4 negatively regulated the transcription of the critical enzyme genes involved in the phenolic acid and tanshinone biosynthesis. The genetic control of this transcriptional repressor may be used to improve the content of these bioactive compounds in the cultivated S. miltiorrhiza.
