ISSN 2169-303X
International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 11 (6), pp. 001-007, June, 2022. © International Scholars Journals
Review
Ginseng metabolic engineering: Regulation of genes related to ginsenoside biosynthesis
Yun-Soo Kim, Jung-Yeon Han, Soon Lim and Yong-Eui Choi*
Division of Forest Resources, College of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 200-701, Kangwon-do, Korea
Accepted 16 February, 2022
Abstract
Panax ginseng is one of the most famous and widely used medicinal plants. It is generally believed that ginsenosides, tetracyclic triterpenoids, are mainly responsible for the pharmacological activities of ginseng. The genes coding for enzymes of biochemical pathways involved in triterpene biosynthesis are of considerable interest in the area of ginseng biotechnology. Upregulation of phytosterol and triterpene production by metabolic engineering of P. ginseng is an attractive strategy to achieve a higher medicinal value. A more detailed understanding of genes involved in saponin biosynthesis could facilitate the genetic modification of plants with altered or novel saponin content. Here the recent advances on the ginseng biotechnology particularly on the identification and characterization of genes involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis pathway were introduced.
Key words: Expressed sequence tags, ginsenoside, Panax ginseng, secondary metabolite, triterpene.