AaMYC3 bridges the regulation of glandular trichome density and artemisinin biosynthesis in Artemisia annua.

ABSTRACT

Artemisinin, the well-known natural product for treating malaria, is biosynthesised and stored in the glandular-secreting trichomes (GSTs) of Artemisia annua. While numerous efforts have clarified artemisinin metabolism and regulation, the molecular association between artemisinin biosynthesis and GST development remains elusive. Here, we identified AaMYC3, a bHLH transcription factor of A. annua, induced by jasmonic acid (JA), which simultaneously regulates GST density and artemisinin biosynthesis. Overexpressing AaMYC3 led to a substantial increase in GST density and artemisinin accumulation. Conversely, in the RNAi-AaMYC3 lines, both GST density and artemisinin content were markedly reduced. Through RNA-seq and analyses conducted both in vivo and in vitro, AaMYC3 not only directly activates AaHD1 transcription, initiating GST development, but also up-regulates the expression of artemisinin biosynthetic genes, including CYP71AV1 and ALDH1, thereby promoting artemisinin production. Furthermore, AaMYC3 acts as a co-activator, interacting with AabHLH1 and AabHLH113, to trigger the transcription of two crucial enzymes in the artemisinin biosynthesis pathway, ADS and DBR2, ultimately boosting yield. Our findings highlight a critical connection between GST initiation and artemisinin biosynthesis in A. annua, providing a new target for molecular design breeding of traditional Chinese medicine.