Preprint / Version 1

Integrating Transcriptome and Chemical Analyses to Provide Insights into Biosynthesis of Terpenoids and Flavonoids in the Medicinal Industrial Crop Andrographis paniculate and Its Antiviral Medicinal Parts

Authors

Keywords:

Andrographis paniculata, active ingredients, chemical analysis, transcriptome analysis, molecular docking

Abstract

Andrographis paniculata is a medicinal plant traditionally used to produce diterpene lactones and flavonoids, which possess various biological activities. Widely distributed in China, India, and other Southeast Asia countries, A. paniculata has become an important economic crop, significantly treating SARS-CoV-2, and is being cultivated on a large scale in southern China. The biosynthesis of active ingredients in A. paniculata are regulated and controlled by genes, but their specific roles are still not fully understood. To further explore the growth regulation factors and utilization of its medicinal parts of this industrial crop, chemical and transcriptome analyses were conducted on the roots, stems, and leaves of A. paniculata to identify the biosynthesis pathways and related candidate genes of the active ingredients. The chemical analysis revealed that the main components of A. paniculata were diterpene lactones and flavonoids, which displayed potential ability to treat SARS-CoV-2 through molecular docking. Moreover, the transcriptome sequencing annotated a total of 40,850 unigenes, including 7962 differentially expressed genes. Among these, 120 genes were involved in diterpene lactone biosynthesis and 60 genes were involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. The expression of diterpene lactone-related genes was the highest in leaves and the lowest in roots, consistent with our content determination results. It is speculated that these highly expressed genes in leaves may be involved in the biosynthesis pathway of diterpenes. Furthermore, two class Ⅰ terpene synthases in A. paniculata transcriptome were also annotated, providing reference for the downstream pathway of the diterpene lactone biosynthesis. With their excellent market value, our experiments will promote the study of the biosynthetic genes for active ingredients in A. paniculata and provide insights for subsequent in vitro biosynthesis. Keywords: Andrographis paniculata, active ingredients, chemical analysis, transcriptome analysis, molecular docking

Author Biographies

Kuo Yu, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China; [email protected] (K.Y.); [email protected] (P.L.); [email protected] (H.L.); [email protected] (J.G.); [email protected] (G.L.)

Validation, Writing – original draft

Ying Wang, Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China

Conceptualization

Guoqiang Li, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China; [email protected] (K.Y.); [email protected] (P.L.); [email protected] (H.L.); [email protected] (J.G.); [email protected] (G.L.)

Data curation

Zheng Li, College of Pharmaceutical Engineering of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; [email protected] (H.Y.); [email protected] (X.Y.); [email protected] (Z.L.)

Formal analysis

Xiaohui Yan, College of Pharmaceutical Engineering of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; [email protected] (H.Y.); [email protected] (X.Y.); [email protected] (Z.L.)

Data curation

Jialiang Guo, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China; [email protected] (K.Y.); [email protected] (P.L.); [email protected] (H.L.); [email protected] (J.G.); [email protected] (G.L.)

Formal analysis

Hui Liu, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China; [email protected] (K.Y.); [email protected] (P.L.); [email protected] (H.L.); [email protected] (J.G.); [email protected] (G.L.)

Formal analysis

Heshui Yu, College of Pharmaceutical Engineering of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; [email protected] (H.Y.); [email protected] (X.Y.); [email protected] (Z.L.)

Formal analysis

Pengjie Liang, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China; [email protected] (K.Y.); [email protected] (P.L.); [email protected] (H.L.); [email protected] (J.G.); [email protected] (G.L.)

Validation, Writing – original draft

Chunhua Wang, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China; [email protected] (K.Y.); [email protected] (P.L.); [email protected] (H.L.); [email protected] (J.G.); [email protected] (G.L.)

College of Pharmaceutical Engineering of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; [email protected] (H.Y.); [email protected] (X.Y.); [email protected] (Z.L.)

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