Jasmonate promotes artemisinin biosynthesis by activating the TCP14-ORA complex in Artemisia annua

• Published in: Science advances Vol. 4; no. 11; p. eaas9357
• Main Authors: Ma, Ya-Nan, Xu, Dong-Bei, Li, Ling, Zhang, Fei, Fu, Xue-Qing, Shen, Qian, Lyu, Xue-Ying, Wu, Zhang-Kuanyu, Pan, Qi-Fang, Shi, Pu, Hao, Xiao-Long, Yan, Ting-Xiang, Chen, Ming-Hui, Liu, Pin, He, Qian, Xie, Li-Hui, Zhong, Yi-Jun, Tang, Yue-Li, Zhao, Jing-Ya, Zhang, Li-Da, Sun, Xiao-Fen, Tang, Ke-Xuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 01.11.2018
• Subjects: Agriculture; Artemisia annua - drug effects; Artemisia annua - growth & development; Artemisia annua - metabolism; Artemisinins - metabolism; Biosynthetic Pathways - drug effects; Cyclopentanes - pharmacology; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - drug effects; Oxylipins - pharmacology; Plant Growth Regulators - pharmacology; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant Sciences; Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs - drug effects; SciAdv r-articles
• ISSN: 2375-2548; 2375-2548
• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aas9357

produces the valuable medicinal component, artemisinin, which is a sesquiterpene lactone widely used in malaria treatment. AaORA, a homolog of CrORCA3, which is involved in activating terpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis in , is a jasmonate (JA)-responsive and trichome-specific APETALA2/ETHYLENE-RESPONSE FACTOR that plays a pivotal role in artemisinin biosynthesis. However, the JA signaling mechanism underlying AaORA-mediated artemisinin biosynthesis remains enigmatic. Here, we report that AaORA forms a transcriptional activator complex with AaTCP14 (TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR 14), which is also predominantly expressed in trichomes. AaORA and AaTCP14 synergistically bind to and activate the promoters of two genes, ( ) and ( ), both of which encode enzymes vital for artemisinin biosynthesis. AaJAZ8, a repressor of the JA signaling pathway, interacts with both AaTCP14 and AaORA and represses the ability of the AaTCP14-AaORA complex to activate the promoter. JA treatment induces AaJAZ8 degradation, allowing the AaTCP14-AaORA complex to subsequently activate the expression of , which is essential for artemisinin biosynthesis. These data suggest that JA activation of the AaTCP14-AaORA complex regulates artemisinin biosynthesis. Together, our findings reveal a novel artemisinin biosynthetic pathway regulatory network and provide new insight into how specialized metabolism is modulated by the JA signaling pathway in plants.