An integrated multi-omics approach reveals polymethoxylated flavonoid biosynthesis in Citrus reticulata cv. Chachiensis

作者：Jiawen Wen, Yayu Wang, Xu Lu, Huimin Pan, Dian Jin, Jialing Wen, Canzhi Jin, Sunil Kumar Sahu, Jianmu Su, Xinyue Luo, Xiaohuan Jin, Jiao Zhao, Hong Wu, E‐Hu Liu, Huan Liu · 发表于：Nature Communications · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1038/s41467-024-48235-y · 被引用次数：61 · 研究领域：Plant Gene Expression Analysis、Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis、Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases

Citrus reticulata cv. Chachiensis (CRC) is an important medicinal plant, its dried mature peels named "Guangchenpi", has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat cough, indigestion, and lung diseases for several hundred years. However, the biosynthesis of the crucial natural products polymethoxylated flavonoids (PMFs) in CRC remains unclear. Here, we report a chromosome-scale genome assembly of CRC with the size of 314.96 Mb and a contig N50 of 16.22 Mb. Using multi-omics resources, we discover a putative caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (CcOMT1) that can transfer a methyl group to the 3-hydroxyl of natsudaidain to form 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone (HPMF). Based on transient overexpression and virus-induced gene silencing experiments, we propose that CcOMT1 is a candidate enzyme in HPMF biosynthesis. In addition, a potential gene regulatory network associated with PMF biosynthesis is identified. This study provides insights into PMF biosynthesis and may assist future research on mining genes for the biosynthesis of plant-based medicines.