Biosynthetic Pathways in Medicinal Plants

Medicinal plants produce an extraordinary diversity of bioactive compounds, including terpenoids, phenolic acids and alkaloids, which underpin their therapeutic properties. These metabolites arise from complex biosynthetic networks that integrate primary metabolic routes such as the MEP and mevalonate pathways with specialised downstream enzymes. Gene clusters encoding cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, glycosyltransferases and acyltransferases assemble core scaffolds and introduce key functional groups. Transcriptional regulators, notably MYB and bHLH families, and phytohormone signalling circuits coordinate pathway flux in response to developmental cues and environmental stimuli. Advances in genome sequencing, metabolomics and synthetic biology have elucidated evolutionary origins of pathway diversification and enabled heterologous expression in microbial hosts. Such insights are guiding metabolic engineering efforts to enhance yield, generate novel analogues and secure sustainable supply of high-value natural products.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have uncovered the enzymatic basis for the formation of the characteristic furan D-ring in tanshinones isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza. Improved genome assembly facilitated identification of a tandem array of cytochrome P450 genes within a biosynthetic gene cluster. Two paralogues selectively catalyse hydroxylation at carbon-16 and subsequent hetero-cyclisation to generate the epoxy bridge, delineating the final steps of diterpenoid maturation. Comparative genomic analysis traced the evolutionary expansion of this P450 subfamily, linking gene duplication events to the diversification of abietane-type diterpenoids in Lamiaceae. Functional dissection of jasmonate signalling reveals a pair of MYC2 transcription factors as central switches in the regulation of tanshinone and phenolic acid biosynthesis. The two MYC2 homologues interact with JAZ repressors and bind E-box motifs in promoters of key biosynthetic genes. Loss-of-function knockdown leads to marked reductions in metabolite accumulation, while overexpression enhances pathway flux. These findings chart a comprehensive regulatory module that integrates hormonal cues with transcriptional control to fine-tune secondary metabolism.

Biosynthetic Pathways in Medicinal Plants publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biosynthetic pathways in medicinal plants across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase: Heme-containing enzyme that catalyses oxidative modifications in specialised metabolite scaffolds.

MYC2 transcription factor: Basic helix–loop–helix protein that regulates jasmonate-mediated activation of secondary metabolism.

MEP pathway: Plastidial route for isoprenoid precursor synthesis (2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway).

Phenylpropanoid pathway: Cytosolic series of enzymatic reactions generating phenolic compounds from phenylalanine.

Heterocyclization: Enzymatic formation of a cyclic ether within a natural product scaffold.

References

1. Expansion within the CYP71D subfamily drives the heterocyclization of tanshinones synthesis in Salvia miltiorrhiza. Nature Communications (2021).
2. SmMYC2a and SmMYC2b played similar but irreplaceable roles in regulating the biosynthesis of tanshinones and phenolic acids in Salvia miltiorrhiza. Scientific Reports (2016).
3. Jasmonic acid regulates the biosynthesis of medicinal metabolites via the JAZ9-MYB76 complex in Salvia miltiorrhiza. Horticulture Research (2023).
4. Biosynthesis and signal transduction of plant growth regulators and their effects on bioactive compound production in Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen). Chinese Medicine (2024).