Transcriptomics and metabolomics revealed the molecular basis of the color formation in the roots of Panax notoginseng
Kang Ning,
Hao Huai,
Mengzhi Li,
Yuli Xu,
Fugang Wei,
Zhongjian Chen,
Yong Wang,
Pengcheng Huang,
Yuqi Yu,
Shilin Chen,
Linlin Dong
Affiliations
Kang Ning
Key Laboratory of Beijing for Identification and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 100700, Beijing, China
Hao Huai
Key Laboratory of Beijing for Identification and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 100700, Beijing, China; College of Biological & Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, 443002, Yichang, China
Mengzhi Li
Key Laboratory of Beijing for Identification and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 100700, Beijing, China
Yuli Xu
Zhangzhou Pianzaihuang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 363099, Fujian, China
Fugang Wei
Wenshan Miaoxiang Notoginseng Technology, Co., Ltd., 663000, Wenshan, China
Zhongjian Chen
Institute of Sanqi Research, Wenshan University, 663000, Wenshan, China
Yong Wang
Institute of Sanqi Research, Wenshan University, 663000, Wenshan, China
Pengcheng Huang
Zhangzhou Pianzaihuang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 363099, Fujian, China
Yuqi Yu
Wenshan Miaoxiang Notoginseng Technology, Co., Ltd., 663000, Wenshan, China
Shilin Chen
Key Laboratory of Beijing for Identification and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 100700, Beijing, China
Linlin Dong
Key Laboratory of Beijing for Identification and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 100700, Beijing, China; Corresponding author.
Panax notoginseng is a traditional Chinese medicine rich in many pharmacological components. The root of the ‘Miaoxiang Sanqi No. 2’ is yellow or greenish yellow, while a novel cultivar-‘Wenyuan Ziqi No. 1’ shows purple root and is thought to have high medicinal value. Little information is available about the anthocyanin biosynthesis in P. notoginseng root. In this study, we compared the ‘Miaoxiang Sanqi No. 2’ and ‘Wenyuan Ziqi No. 1’ in morphological, transcriptional and metabolic levels. The results showed that purple rich in the periderm, rhizome and phloem around cambium of the ‘Wenyuan Ziqi No. 1’ root and cyanidin 3-O-galactoside was the main anthocyanin causing purple. Moreover, ‘Wenyuan Ziqi No. 1’ highly accumulated in 155 metabolites, including flavones, phenylpropanoids and lipids. Transcriptome data showed that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway genes are highly expressed in ‘Wenyuan Ziqi No. 1’. Conjoint analysis showed that anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway substances were highly accumulated in ‘Wenyuan Ziqi No. 1’, and the expression level of structural genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway was higher in ‘Wenyuan Ziqi No. 1’. Meanwhile, eight R2R3-MYB genes that might be involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis were identified. The comprehensive analysis of two cultivars provides new insights into the understanding of root coloration in P. notoginseng.
