Chu Zhong1, Shao-Fen Jian2, Dong-Liang Chen2, Xue-Jing Huang3, Jian-Hua Miao2. 1. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resource Protection and Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, Nanning, 530023, China; Guangxi Engineering Research Centre of TCM Intelligent Creation, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, Nanning, 530023, China. Electronic address: zhongchu2011@126.com. 2. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resource Protection and Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, Nanning, 530023, China; Guangxi Engineering Research Centre of TCM Intelligent Creation, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, Nanning, 530023, China. 3. Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China.
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) form affects secondary metabolites of medicinal plants, but the physiological and molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. To fully understand the response of andrographolide biosynthesis to different N forms in Andrographis paniculata, the plants were fed with nutritional solution containing sole N source of nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), urea or glycine (Gly), and the growth, carbon (C) and N metabolisms and andrographolide biosynthesis were analyzed. We found that plants grown in urea and Gly performed greater photosynthetic rate and photosynthetic N use efficiency (PNUE) than those grown in NO3- and NH4+. Organic N sources reduced the activities of enzymes involving in C and N metabolisms such as glutamine synthase (GS), glutamate synthase (GOGAT) and NADH-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (NADH-GDH), invertase (INV), isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) and glycolate oxidase (GO), resulting in reduced depletion of carbohydrates and increased starch accumulation. However, they enhanced andrographolide content by up-regulating the key genes in its biosynthetic pathway including HMGR, DXS, GGPS and ApCPS. Besides, NH4+ decreased leaf SPAD value, contents of soluble protein and amino acids and GO activity, but increased photosynthetic rate and contents of soluble sugar and starch in comparison to NO3-. Andrographolide biosynthesis was also up-regulated. The results revealed that increasing accumulation of carbohydrates, especially starch, was beneficial to the biosynthesis of andrographolide; organic N sources decreased carbohydrate depletion by reducing N metabolism, and promoted plant growth and andrographolide biosynthesis synergistically.
Nitrogen (N) form affects secondary metabolites of medicinal plants, but the physiological and molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. To fully understand the response of n class="Chemical">andrographolide biosynthesis to different N forms in Andrographis paniculata, the plants were fed with nutritional solution containing sole N source of nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), urea or glycine (Gly), and the growth, carbon (C) and N metabolisms and andrographolide biosynthesis were analyzed. We found that plants grown in urea and Gly performed greater photosynthetic rate and photosynthetic N use efficiency (PNUE) than those grown in NO3- and NH4+. Organic N sources reduced the activities of enzymes involving in C and N metabolisms such as glutamine synthase (GS), glutamate synthase (GOGAT) and NADH-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (NADH-GDH), invertase (INV), isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) and glycolate oxidase (GO), resulting in reduced depletion of carbohydrates and increased starch accumulation. However, they enhanced andrographolide content by up-regulating the key genes in its biosynthetic pathway including HMGR, DXS, GGPS and ApCPS. Besides, NH4+ decreased leaf SPAD value, contents of soluble protein and amino acids and GO activity, but increased photosynthetic rate and contents of soluble sugar and starch in comparison to NO3-. Andrographolide biosynthesis was also up-regulated. The results revealed that increasing accumulation of carbohydrates, especially starch, was beneficial to the biosynthesis of andrographolide; organic N sources decreased carbohydrate depletion by reducing N metabolism, and promoted plant growth and andrographolide biosynthesis synergistically.