Integrated Analysis of mRNA and microRNA Elucidates the Regulation of Glycyrrhizic Acid Biosynthesis in <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Fisch
Licorice (<i>Glycyrrhiza</i>) is a staple Chinese herbal medicine in which the primary bioactive compound is glycyrrhizic acid (GA), which has important pharmacological functions. To date, the structural genes involved in GA biosynthesis have been identified. However, the regulation of t...
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2020-04-01
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author | Yanni Li Caixia Chen Zhenzhen Xie Jing Xu Bin Wu Wenquan Wang |
author_facet | Yanni Li Caixia Chen Zhenzhen Xie Jing Xu Bin Wu Wenquan Wang |
author_sort | Yanni Li |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Licorice (<i>Glycyrrhiza</i>) is a staple Chinese herbal medicine in which the primary bioactive compound is glycyrrhizic acid (GA), which has important pharmacological functions. To date, the structural genes involved in GA biosynthesis have been identified. However, the regulation of these genes in <i>G. uralensis</i> has not been elucidated. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis based on the transcriptome and small RNAome by high-throughput sequencing. In total, we identified 18 structural GA genes and 3924 transporter genes. We identified genes encoding 2374 transporters, 1040 transcription factors (TFs), 262 transcriptional regulators (TRs) and 689 protein kinases (PKs), which were coexpressed with at least one structural gene. We also identified 50,970 alternative splicing (AS) events, in which 17 structural genes exhibited AS. Finally, we also determined that miRNAs potentially targeted 4 structural genes, and 318, 8, and 218 miRNAs potentially regulated 150 TFs, 34 TRs, and 88 PKs, respectively, related to GA. Overall, the results of this study helped to elucidate the gene expression and regulation of GA biosynthesis in <i>G. uralensis</i>, provided a theoretical basis for the synthesis of GA via synthetic biology, and laid a foundation for the cultivation of new varieties of licorice with high GA content. |
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spelling | doaj.art-4cb0f1fac99942a09646959a680b3ace2023-11-19T22:55:34ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672020-04-01219310110.3390/ijms21093101Integrated Analysis of mRNA and microRNA Elucidates the Regulation of Glycyrrhizic Acid Biosynthesis in <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> FischYanni Li0Caixia Chen1Zhenzhen Xie2Jing Xu3Bin Wu4Wenquan Wang5Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, ChinaKey Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, ChinaKey Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, ChinaLaboratory of Plant Tissue Culture Technology of Haidian District, Beijing 100091, ChinaKey Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, ChinaKey Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, ChinaLicorice (<i>Glycyrrhiza</i>) is a staple Chinese herbal medicine in which the primary bioactive compound is glycyrrhizic acid (GA), which has important pharmacological functions. To date, the structural genes involved in GA biosynthesis have been identified. However, the regulation of these genes in <i>G. uralensis</i> has not been elucidated. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis based on the transcriptome and small RNAome by high-throughput sequencing. In total, we identified 18 structural GA genes and 3924 transporter genes. We identified genes encoding 2374 transporters, 1040 transcription factors (TFs), 262 transcriptional regulators (TRs) and 689 protein kinases (PKs), which were coexpressed with at least one structural gene. We also identified 50,970 alternative splicing (AS) events, in which 17 structural genes exhibited AS. Finally, we also determined that miRNAs potentially targeted 4 structural genes, and 318, 8, and 218 miRNAs potentially regulated 150 TFs, 34 TRs, and 88 PKs, respectively, related to GA. Overall, the results of this study helped to elucidate the gene expression and regulation of GA biosynthesis in <i>G. uralensis</i>, provided a theoretical basis for the synthesis of GA via synthetic biology, and laid a foundation for the cultivation of new varieties of licorice with high GA content.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/9/3101<i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> FischtranscriptomemicroRNAglycyrrhizic acid biosynthesisregulatory proteinstransporter |
spellingShingle | Yanni Li Caixia Chen Zhenzhen Xie Jing Xu Bin Wu Wenquan Wang Integrated Analysis of mRNA and microRNA Elucidates the Regulation of Glycyrrhizic Acid Biosynthesis in <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Fisch International Journal of Molecular Sciences <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Fisch transcriptome microRNA glycyrrhizic acid biosynthesis regulatory proteins transporter |
title | Integrated Analysis of mRNA and microRNA Elucidates the Regulation of Glycyrrhizic Acid Biosynthesis in <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Fisch |
title_full | Integrated Analysis of mRNA and microRNA Elucidates the Regulation of Glycyrrhizic Acid Biosynthesis in <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Fisch |
title_fullStr | Integrated Analysis of mRNA and microRNA Elucidates the Regulation of Glycyrrhizic Acid Biosynthesis in <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Fisch |
title_full_unstemmed | Integrated Analysis of mRNA and microRNA Elucidates the Regulation of Glycyrrhizic Acid Biosynthesis in <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Fisch |
title_short | Integrated Analysis of mRNA and microRNA Elucidates the Regulation of Glycyrrhizic Acid Biosynthesis in <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Fisch |
title_sort | integrated analysis of mrna and microrna elucidates the regulation of glycyrrhizic acid biosynthesis in i glycyrrhiza uralensis i fisch |
topic | <i>Glycyrrhiza uralensis</i> Fisch transcriptome microRNA glycyrrhizic acid biosynthesis regulatory proteins transporter |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/9/3101 |
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