Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveal the regulation mechanism underlying MeJA-induced accumulation of alkaloids in Dendrobium officinale

Dendrobium officinale is a traditional medicinal herb with a mount of bioactive components. Alkaloid is one of the major active ingredients of Dendrobium plants, and its immune regulatory effects have been well-studied. A total of 4857 DEGs, including 2943 up- and 1932 down-regulated genes, were identified between the control and MeJA-treated groups. Several shikimate and methylerythritol 4-phosphate pathway genes and a number of MeJA-induced P450 family genes, aminotransferase genes and methyltransferase genes were identified, providing several important candidates to further elucidate the alkaloid biosynthetic pathway of D. officinale. Furthermore, a large number of MeJA-induced transcript factor encoding genes were identified, suggesting a complex genetic network affecting the alkaloid metabolism in D. officinale. In the present study, a number of differential expressed genes were identified to elucidate the regulation mechanism underlying the MeJA-induced accumulation of alkaloids in D. officinale.