From plant to pharma: decoding the synthesis of Ba. newswise

Newswise – Bletilla striataA major traditional Chinese medicine, valued for the medicinal polysaccharides found in its pseudobulbs. Despite their widespread use, the cellular distribution and molecular mechanisms behind the biosynthesis of these polysaccharides remain unclear. Understanding these processes is important to improve medicinal quality B striata, Due to these challenges, intensive research is necessary to uncover the molecular pathways and key genes involved in glucomannan synthesis, paving the way for potential genetic enhancements.

recently Study (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae092) published in horticultural research On April 22, 2024, scientists from the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Hubei Normal University have unveiled the molecular mechanism underlying the biosynthesis of glucomannan. bletilla striata, This research provides important insights into polysaccharide content, structure and distribution within the plant.

Study examines pseudobulbs in detail bletilla striata, which suggests that the primary polysaccharide is glucomannan with a mannose ratio of approximately 3:2. Through chemical and immunological analyses, the researchers mapped the biosynthetic pathway from sucrose to glucomannan, identifying key genes such as BSGPI, BSNAAnd BSCSLA, Gene silencing experiments showed that reducing the expression of Bs03G11846 and Bs03G11849 significantly reduced glucomannan content. Additionally, yeast two-hybrid and luciferase complementation assays confirmed that these genes can form homo- or heterodimers, suggesting the formation of a complex required for glucomannan biosynthesis. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind glucomannan production B striata,

Lead researcher Dr. Qiong Liang said, “Our findings provide cytological evidence and characterize key genes involved in glucomannan biosynthesis. bletilla striata, This study lays a solid foundation for further research on regulation mechanisms and genetic engineering B striata To enhance its medicinal properties.”

This breakthrough in understanding the biosynthesis of glucomannan bletilla striata Opens new avenues for genetic engineering and selective breeding. By manipulating the key genes identified, it may be possible to increase the medicinal properties and polysaccharide content. B striataThus its value is increasing in traditional Chinese medicine and pharmaceutical applications.

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Reference

DOI

10.1093/hour/uhae092

original source url

https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhae092

Funding Information

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31771871 and 32301633), Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 2023AFB281), and the Biological Resources Program, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KFJ-BRP- Was. 007 and KFJ-BRSN-2018-6-002).

About this horticultural research

horticultural research is an open access journal of Nanjing Agricultural University and ranked number one in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Report™ from Clarivate, 2022. The journal is committed to publishing original research articles, reviews, viewpoints, commentaries, correspondence articles and letters. Editors deal with all major horticultural plants and topics, including biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology and the origin and domestication of crops.