Abstract

Plants usually produce defence metabolites in non-active forms to minimize the risk of harm to themselves and spatiotemporally activate these defence metabolites upon pathogen attack. This so-called two-component system plays a decisive role in the chemical defence of various plants. Here, we discovered that Panax notoginseng, a valuable medicinal plant, has evolved a two-component chemical defence system composed of a chloroplast-localized β-glucosidase, denominated PnGH1, and its substrates 20(S)-protopanaxadiol ginsenosides. The β-glucosidase and its substrates are spatially separated in cells under physiological conditions, and ginsenoside hydrolysis is therefore activated only upon chloroplast disruption, which is caused by the induced exoenzymes of pathogenic fungi upon exposure to plant leaves. This activation of PnGH1-mediated hydrolysis results in the production of a series of less-polar ginsenosides by selective hydrolysis of an outer glucose at the C-3 site, with a broader spectrum and more potent antifungal activity in vitro and in vivo than the precursor molecules. Furthermore, such β-glucosidase-mediated hydrolysis upon fungal infection was also found in the congeneric species P. quinquefolium and P. ginseng. Our findings reveal a two-component chemical defence system in Panax species and offer insights for developing botanical pesticides for disease management in Panax species.

In this work, the authors discovered that Panax species, the valuable medicinal plants, have evolved a two-component chemical defence system comprising a chloroplast-localized β-glucosidase and 20(S)-protopanaxadiol ginsenosides.

Details

Title
Discovery of plant chemical defence mediated by a two-component system involving β-glucosidase in Panax species
Author
Ma, Li-Juan 1 ; Liu, Xiao 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Guo, Liwei 3 ; Luo, Yuan 2 ; Zhang, Beibei 4 ; Cui, Xiaoxue 2 ; Yang, Kuan 3 ; Cai, Jing 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Liu, Fang 1 ; Ma, Ni 6 ; Yang, Feng-Qing 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; He, Xiahong 8 ; Shi, She-Po 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Wan, Jian-Bo 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 University of Macau, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, Macao, China (GRID:grid.437123.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 1794 8068) 
 Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.24695.3c) (ISNI:0000 0001 1431 9176) 
 Yunnan Agricultural University, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Kunming, China (GRID:grid.410696.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 1761 2898) 
 Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.24695.3c) (ISNI:0000 0001 1431 9176); Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.506261.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 0706 7839) 
 Northwestern Polytechnical University, School of Ecology and Environment, Xi’an, China (GRID:grid.440588.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 0307 1240) 
 Wenshan University, Department of Product Development, Wenshan Sanqi Institute of Science and Technology, Wenshan, China (GRID:grid.460126.7) (ISNI:0000 0004 1756 0485) 
 Chongqing University, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing, China (GRID:grid.190737.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0154 0904) 
 Yunnan Agricultural University, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Kunming, China (GRID:grid.410696.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 1761 2898); Southwest Forestry University, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China, Kunming, China (GRID:grid.412720.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 1761 2943) 
Pages
602
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2916280558
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.