A cell-type-specific regulon controlling monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis with feedback and feedforward activation loops.

ABSTRACT: Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIA) are a diverse class of plant natural products produced by a subset of lineages within the Asterid clade of eudicots. The diversity of MIAs provides a unique opportunity to study not only the evolution of biosynthetic genes but also their regulation. In this study, we investigate the cell type specificity of biosynthetic genes and coexpressed transcription factors (TFs) in two MIA-producing Asterid species, Catharanthus roseus, a well-studied MIA-producing species, and Camptotheca acuminata, which belongs to an early-diverging lineage of the Asterid clade. We generated single-cell RNA-seq data from the C. acuminata stem, the primary site of camptothecin biosynthesis. We found that MIA biosynthetic genes in C. acuminata are specific to exceptionally rare ce

SUBMITTER: Li C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12712437 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature