Recently, a research paper by Professor Wei Shengli’s and Associate Researcher Wang Xiaohui's team from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine was published in Horticulture Research, making important progress in the research on biosynthetic regulation network of notoginsenoside.

 

Notoginsenoside is the major bioactive component of Sanqi (Panax notoginseng), which is crucial for ensuring the sustainable supply of this valuable Chinese medicinal herb. This study identified a transcription factor PnMYB4 that negatively regulates notoginsenoside biosynthesis. Suppressing PnMYB4 expression can significantly increase notoginsenoside content. It was also found that PnMYB4 competes with the positive regulator PnMYB1 to bind another positive regulator PnbHLH, forming a "gas pedal-brake" regulatory mode to precisely control notoginsenoside biosynthesis.

 

This discovery reveals the complex mechanism of MYB transcriptional factors in regulating notoginsenoside biosynthesis, laying a theoretical foundation for efficient notoginsenoside production in the future. It also provides new insights into improving the medicinal efficacy of Sanqi. This study is of great significance for ensuring the sustainable supply of this valuable Chinese medicinal resource.