Cited by 210Plant biochemistry and biosynthesisPlant tissue culture and regenerationSesquiterpenes and Asteraceae Studies

Development of transgenic Artemisia annua (Chinese wormwood) plants with an enhanced content of artemisinin, an effective anti‐malarial drug, by hairpin‐RNA‐mediated gene silencing

Zhang, Ling, Jing, Fuyuan, Li, Fupeng, Li, Meiya, Wang, Yuliang, Wang, Guofeng, Sun, Xiaofen, Tang, Kexuan·2009·Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry

Abstract

Artemisinin is an effective anti‐malarial drug isolated from Artemisia annua L. (Chinese wormwood), but the content of artemisinin in A. annua is low. In the present study we explored the possibility of using genetic engineering to increase the artemisinin content of A. annua by suppressing the expression of SQS (squalene synthase), a key enzyme of sterol pathway (a pathway competitive with that of artemisinin biosynthesis) by means of a hairpin‐RNA‐mediated RNAi (RNA interference) technique. A total of 23 independent transgenic A. annua plants were obtained through Agrobacterium tumefaciens‐mediated transformation, which was confirmed by PCR and Southern‐blot analyses. HPLC‐evaporative light‐scattering detection analysis showed that the artemisinin content of some transgenic plants was significantly increased, with the highest values reaching 31.4 mg/g dry weight, which is about 3.14‐fold the content observed in untransformed control plants. Real‐time reverse transcription–PCR analysis demonstrated that the expression of SQS was suppressed significantly, and GC–MS analysis showed that sterol was efficiently decreased in the transgenic plants. The present study demonstrated that genetic‐engineering strategy of RNAi is an effective means of increasing artemisinin content in plants.

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Crossref · 10.1042/ba20080068

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Authors
Zhang, L., Jing, F., Li, F., Li, M., Wang, Y., Wang, G., Sun, X., & Tang, K.
Affiliations
Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
Corresponding author
Tang, Kexuan
Venue
Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2009-03
Volume
52
Issue
3
Pages
199-207
ISSN
  • 0885-4513 (ISSN-L)
  • 1470-8744
OpenAlex
W1992324215
Cited by
206
References
22
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 11
FWCI
2.61
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Plant tissue culture and regeneration
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Sesquiterpenes and Asteraceae Studies
Keywords
Artemisia annua, artemisinin, transgenic plants, RNA interference, hairpin RNA, squalene synthase, gene silencing, sterol biosynthesis, artemisinin biosynthesis, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation
MeSH terms
Antimalarials, Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Farnesyl-Diphosphate Farnesyltransferase, Transformation, Genetic, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Plants, Genetically Modified, Artemisia annua, RNA Interference, Artemisinins, Inverted Repeat Sequences

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