Lian Chen¹ , Guangman Xu²

1 Institute of Life Sciences, Jiyang Colloge of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
2 Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Journal of Tea Science Research, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 6   doi: 10.5376/jtsr.2024.14.0032
Received: 25 Oct., 2024    Accepted: 08 Dec., 2024    Published: 29 Dec., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Chen L., and Xu G.M., 2024, Synthesis and regulation of catechins in tea plants: a research review, Journal of Tea Science Research, 14(6): 344-352 (doi: 10.5376/jtsr.2024.14.0032)

Catechins are some of the major flavonoid components of Camellia sinensis that are responsible for the taste, astringency, and health-promoting properties of tea. These polyphenolic compounds not only play a role in many of the physiological processes of the plant but also exhibit significant pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardiovascular protective properties. Tea catechin biosynthesis is derived from phenylpropanoid metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, and is regulated by a complex network of structural genes, transcription factors (such as MYB, bHLH, and WD40), and epigenetic regulation. In recent years, with the development of multi-omics technology, the key genes, regulating factors, and metabolic fluxes have been discovered, improving the understanding of catechin accumulation mechanisms. Furthermore, the involvement of non-coding RNAs and epigenetic regulation reveals the multilayered regulatory nature of this metabolic pathway. In this review, the recent advances in research on catechin biosynthesis and regulation are summarized, covering transcriptional regulatory networks, epigenetic regulation, and multi-omics integration strategies. The future application potential of molecular breeding and gene editing technologies in the enhancement of catechin content and the development of high-quality and functional tea cultivars is also addressed. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the interpretation of the genetic mechanisms of secondary metabolism in tea plants and offers scientific guidance for the molecular design and precision breeding of functional tea cultivars.

Catechins; Camellia sinensis; Flavonoid biosynthesis; Transcriptional regulation; Molecular breeding