Ectopic expression of BpbHLH9 in Lotus japonicus hairy roots

Previously, our research demonstrated that the clade Ia bHLH transcription factor LjbHLH50 played a pivotal role in upregulating betulinic acid biosynthesis in Lotus japonicus. However, inconsistent outcomes were observed in transient effector-reporter assays commonly employed in transcription factor studies. In this study, we sought to further characterize LjbHLH50 by examining the ectopic expression of BpbHLH9, a homolog of LjbHLH50 in Betula platyphylla, in L. japonicus hairy roots. We also analyzed GFP-expressing hairy roots as control samples.