Transcriptomic Analysis of Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis in Solanaceae Medicinal Plants

Introduction

Secondary metabolites produced in plants play a vital role in their adaptation to various biotic and abiotic stresses in the environment. Plant secondary metabolites possess significant value in the pharmaceutical and other herbal medicine-related industries. Therefore, the isolation and characterisation of plant secondary metabolites have gained a special interest in recent years. The elucidation of secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways is required in the metabolic engineering of plant secondary metabolites in heterologous organisms.

Methods

Data were retrieved from various online electronic resources, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus, among others. Keywords such as Solanaceae plants, secondary metabolites, transcriptomic, medicinal plants, and RNA sequencing were used to formulate search strategies across approximately 111 research and review articles.

Results

The outcomes of the de novo transcriptomic studies performed in Solanaceae medicinal plants have been extensively elucidated with a primary focus on the identification of candidate genes, pathway analysis differential gene expression analysis, the discovery of molecular markers, and the identification of transcription factors.

Discussion

The primary significance of de novo transcriptomic studies performed in Solanaceae medicinal plants has been discussed with significant limitations necessitating attention. Moreover, recent and future trends of de novo transcriptomic studies have been addressed with the intention of encouraging more de novo transcriptomic studies in Solanaceae medicinal plants.