Penicillium sp. YJM-2013 induces ginsenosides biosynthesis in Panax ginseng adventitious roots by inducing plant resistance responses

Shi-Hui Wang; Wen-Xia Liang; Jun Lu; Lu Yao; Juan Wang; Wen-Yuan Gao

doi:10.1016/j.chmed.2020.02.003

Penicillium sp. YJM-2013 induces ginsenosides biosynthesis in Panax ginseng adventitious roots by inducing plant resistance responses

Chin Herb Med. 2020 Jul 11;12(3):257-264. doi: 10.1016/j.chmed.2020.02.003. eCollection 2020 Jul.

Authors

Shi-Hui Wang¹, Wen-Xia Liang¹, Jun Lu^{2

3}, Lu Yao^{2

3}, Juan Wang^{2

3}, Wen-Yuan Gao^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.
² Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
³ Tianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery and High Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.

Abstract

Objective: Fusarium oxysporum is a common pathogenic fungus in ginseng cultivation. Both pathogens and antagonistic fungi have been reported to induce plant resistance responses, thereby promoting the accumulation of secondary metabolites. The purpose of this experiment is to compare the advantages of one of the two fungi, in order to screen out more effective elicitors. The mechanism of fungal elicitor-induced plant resistance response is supplemented.

Methods: A gradient dilution and the dural culture were carried out to screen strains. The test strain was identified by morphology and 18 s rDNA. The effect of different concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, 400 mg/L) of Penicillium sp. YJM-2013 and F. oxysporum on fresh weight and ginsenosides accumulation were tested. Signal molecules transduction, expression of transcription factors and functional genes were investigated to study the induction mechanism of fungal elicitors.

Results: Antagonistic fungi of F. oxysporum was identified as Penicillium sp. YJM-2013, which reduced root biomass. The total ginsenosides content of Panax ginseng adventitious roots reached the maximum (48.95 ± 0.97 mg/g) treated with Penicillium sp. YJM-2013 at 200 mg/L, higher than control by 2.59-fold, in which protopanoxadiol-type ginsenosides (PPD) were increased by 4.57 times. Moreover, Penicillium sp. YJM-2013 activated defense signaling molecules, up-regulated the expression of PgWRKY 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 and functional genes in ginsenosides synthesis.

Conclusion: Compared with the pathogenic fungi F. oxysporum, antagonistic fungi Penicillium sp. YJM-2013 was more conducive to the accumulation of ginsenosides in P. ginseng adventitious roots. Penicillium sp. YJM-2013 promoted the accumulation of ginsenosides by intensifying the generation of signal molecules, activating the expression of transcription factors and functional genes.

Keywords: HPLC-ESI-MSn; Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer; antagonistic fungi; functional genes; fungi elicitors; ginsenosides biosynthesis; signal molecules; transcription factors.