Multi-omics to hormonal signaling networks: Decoding growth-defense trade-offs underlying growth-retardation in two-year-old cultivated ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey.)
Ying Yang, Chengcai Zhang, Yapeng Wang, Junhui Zhou, Yutong Hua, Xiuteng Zhou, Han Zheng, Xiaoli Ma, Yang Ge, Bowen Qiu, Yufeng Xiong, Ruifeng Ji, Muyao Yu, Yunfeng Luo, Yuru Tong, Luqi Huang, Kang Chen
Abstract
Growth retardation in two-year-old cultivated ginseng ( Panax ginseng ) is driven by spatiotemporal antagonism between jasmonate (JA) and auxin signaling networks, leading to resource allocation imbalances between defense and growth. Integrated multi-omics analyses reveal that JA signaling hyperactivation (lipoxygenase 2, transcription factor MYC2) in leaves of growth-retarded plants (GR-G) upregulates phenylpropanoid/flavonoid biosynthesis while suppressing IAA synthesis (YUCCA genes) and transport (PIN-FORMED 3, ATP-binding cassette transporter B19), impairing aerial development. Underground, GR-G exhibits downregulated mevalonate pathway genes (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase , squalene synthase) limiting terpenoid precursors, alongside upregulated branch-point enzymes (β-amyrin synthase, dammarenediol synthase) that divert carbon flux toward defense-associated ginsenosides (e.g., ginsenoside Ro). This metabolic reprogramming—characterized by depleted amino acids and dysregulated energy pathways—exacerbates competition for resources. Crucially, dynamic regulation at the 2,3-oxidosqualene branch point favors defensive metabolite production over growth in GR-G, while normally developed plants (ND-G) maintain balanced hormone signaling and precursor allocation. These findings decode the molecular basis of growth-defense trade-offs and provide a framework for precision breeding to optimize ginseng productivity.