Transcription factors participate in methyl jasmonate-induced diterpenoid biosynthesis in Andrographis paniculata

Andrographis paniculata is renowned for its wide range of pharmaceutical properties, largely owing to the presence of bioactive diterpenoids. However, the mechanism of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) -induced diterpenoid biosynthesis in A. paniculata remains poorly understood. In this study, we found that the MeJA-induced accumulation of diterpenoids was attributed to the increased expression of genes involved in diterpenoid biosynthetic pathways. Transient overexpression and Y1H assays revealed that ApMYC2 , ApbZIP46 , and ApWRKY33 were positive regulators that promoted the accumulation of diterpenoids by directly binding to the promoters of the downstream target gene ApUGT76E1 . Thus, ApMYC2 , ApbZIP46 , and ApWRKY33 may be involved in the regulation of the diterpenoid biosynthesis pathway in A. paniculata . Overall, this research lays the groundwork for elucidating the molecular mechanism by which MYC s, bZIP s and WRKY s regulate the accumulation of diterpenoids in A. paniculata under MeJA induction. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the molecular breeding and quality improvement of A. paniculata in the future. • The diterpenoid content in A. paniculata leaves decreases with leaf maturation and increases in response to MeJA treatment. • MeJA-induced diterpenoid accumulation is due to increased expression of genes in biosynthetic pathways. • ApMYC2 , ApbZIP46 , and ApWRKY33 promoted diterpenoid accumulation by directly binding to the promoters of ApUGT76E1 .