Transcriptome of K326 tobacco leaves

Converting non-food crops into efficient bio-factories is expected to drive the advancement of synthetic biology and sustainable bioeconomy. Nicotiana, one of the largest non-food crops cultivated globally, demonstrates its suitability as a bio-factory for molecular farming due to its abundant metabolic diversity and high-yield cultivation advantages. Nicotiana offers valuable industrial raw materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and nutritional compounds, all of which are synthesized through intricate metabolic regulatory networks. To evaluate Nicotiana potential as a bio-factory, we developed a comprehensive metabolic regulatory atlas by leveraging transcriptomic and metabolomic datasets obtained from various stages of leaf development. The combined results illustrate how Nicotiana precisely controls metabolic composition. Through the analysis of regulatory networks governing hydroxycinnamic acids, lipids, and terpenes metabolism, coupled with biotechnological methods, we have engineered Nicotiana bio-factories capable of efficiently producing chlorogenic acids, lipids, and aromatic compounds. This research reveals the metabolic regulatory patterns during Nicotiana development, providing insights into the design of Nicotiana bio-factories and the advancement of synthetic biology tools.