Gene expression and metabolic regulation of carotenoid and withanolide biosynthetic pathways in Withania somnifera with emphasis on FPPS-mediated regulation.

Authors

Rimjim Gupta, Deepak Sharma, Anuj Sharma, Anusha Patil, Dinesh A Nagegowda, Sanjana Kaul, Manoj Kumar Dhar

Published in

Protoplasma. May 22, 2026. Epub May 22, 2026.

Abstract

Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) is a prominent medicinal plant, valued for pharmacologically active secondary metabolites, particularly withanolides and carotenoids. In this study a comprehensive overview of the gene expression and metabolic regulation of withanolide and carotenoid biosynthetic pathways was undertaken across vegetative and reproductive tissues. Transcript profiling of 22 genes involved in these pathways revealed differential expression patterns, particularly highlighting Farnesyl Pyrophosphate Synthase (FPPS) as a key flux-regulating enzyme. In silico characterization and phylogenetic analysis confirmed the high conservation of FPPS isoforms. Transient overexpression of WsFPPS2 in W. somnifera leaves resulted in increased withanolide content, indicating that WsFPPS2 acts as a key upstream enzyme for the withanolide biosynthetic pathway. These findings underscore the metabolic sensitivity of the mevalonate pathway and point to FPPS as a strategic target for metabolic engineering. This work lays the foundation for enhancing the production of high-value metabolites in W. somnifera via metabolic engineering and synthetic biology interventions.

PMID:
42171742
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jun 2026.

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