The evolutionary advantage of artemisinin production by Artemisia annua

  • Qinggang Yin
  • , Li Xiang
  • , Xiaoyan Han
  • , Yujun Zhang
  • , Ruiqing Lyu
  • , Ling Yuan
  • , Shilin Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Artemisinin, a potent antimalarial compound, is predominantly derived from Artemisia annua. The uniqueness of artemisinin production in A. annua lies in its complex biochemical pathways and genetic composition, distinguishing it from other plant species, even within the Asteraceae family. In this review, we investigate the potential of A. annua for artemisinin production, drawing evidence from natural populations and mutants. Leveraging high-quality whole-genome sequence analyses, we offer insights into the evolution of artemisinin biosynthesis. We also highlight current understanding of the protective functions of artemisinin in A. annua in response to both biotic and abiotic stresses. In addition, we explore the mechanisms used by A. annua to mitigate the phytotoxicity generated by artemisinin catabolism.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)213-226
Number of pages14
JournalTrends in Plant Science
Volume30
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS Innovation Fund, CI2023E005TS06, CI2023E002-Y-32) and by Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes (ZZ13-YQ-097, ZZ13-YQ-102, ZZ16-ND-10-14, and ZZ17-ND-10-04), and by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32370389 and 82474038). The authors declare no conflicts of interest. This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS Innovation Fund, CI2023E005TS06 , CI2023E002-Y-32 ) and by Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes ( ZZ13-YQ-097 , ZZ13-YQ-102 , ZZ16-ND-10-14 , and ZZ17-ND-10-04 );

FundersFunder number
Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
China Academy of Chinese Medical SciencesCI2023E002-Y-32, CI2023E005TS06
China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research InstitutesZZ13-YQ-097, ZZ16-ND-10-14, ZZ13-YQ-102, ZZ17-ND-10-04
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)82474038, 32370389
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)

    Keywords

    • ADS
    • ROS
    • artemisinin biosynthesis
    • artemisinin metabolism
    • stress resistance

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Plant Science

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