Senna obtusifolia is a famous medicinal plant that is widely used in Asian countries. Its seed plays an important role in the treatment of many diseases because it contains various anthraquinones and flavonoids. Our previous studies have indicated that three space environment-induced S. obtusifolia lines (SP-lines) i.e., QC10, QC29, and QC46, have higher seed yield and aurantio-obtusin (AO) content. However, the underlying mechanism of higher AO content in SP-lines is still unknown. Herein, transcriptome sequencing and HPLC were employed to analyze the differences between SP-lines and ground control (GC3) and elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of AO accumulation in SP-lines. The results show that 4002 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in SP-lines versus (vs.) GC3. DEGs in the QC10 vs. GC3, QC29 vs. GC3, and QC46 vs. GC3 comparisons were classified into 28, 36, and 81 GO terms and involved in 63, 74, and 107 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. KEGG pathway and gene expression analysis revealed that DEGs involved in anthraquinone pathways were significantly elevated in QC10 and QC46. Integrating the results of GO annotation, KEGG enrichment, and gene expression analysis, we propose that the elevated genes such as DAHPS, DHQS, and MenB enhance the metabolic flux in the anthraquinone pathway and promote AO content in QC10 and QC46. Taken together, this study elucidated the mechanism of AO content in SP-lines and provides valuable genetic information for S. obtusifolia. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, this study presents the first transcriptome analysis of environment-induced medicinal plants and paves the way to select elite S. obtusifolia varieties in the future.
Keywords: Senna obtusifolia; anthraquinone pathway; aurantio-obtusin; secondary metabolism; space environment-induced.