Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41496448›Full record

ArticlePlant communications2026

Evolutionary origin of neohesperidoside, a bitter metabolite, and its potential role in biotic defense and citrus dissemination.

Gu Li, Huan Wen, Hanxin Zhou, Yuan Liu, Ziyu Yuan, Huixian Zhang, Zhehui Hu, Zeyang Liu, Huili Ma, Qi Chen and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Plant communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Gu LiNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China; New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited, Private Bag 92169, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China.
Huan WenNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Hanxin ZhouNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Yuan LiuNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Ziyu YuanNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Huixian ZhangNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Zhehui HuNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Zeyang LiuNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Huili MaNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Qi ChenNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Guixiang ChenNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China.
Jia-Long YaoNew Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited, Private Bag 92169, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
Juan XuNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Sensory Evaluation and Quality Analysis Centre of Horticultural Products, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China. Electronic address: xujuan@mail.hzau.edu.cn.
Jiajing ChenNational Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Hainan Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, P.R. China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China; Sensory Evaluation and Quality Analysis Centre of Horticultural Products, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China. Electronic address: chenjiajing@mail.hzau.edu.cn.

Funding

Non-US Government Research Support type
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Fruit secondary metabolites play pivotal roles in plant evolution by deterring herbivores and attracting seed dispersers. However, the mechanisms by which these compounds evolve and drive diversification in citrus remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that the emergence of the bitter compound neohesperidoside (Neo) has contributed to citrus dissemination by enhancing defense against biotic stresses. Targeted metabolomic analyses revealed that Neo accumulation emerged in early-diverging citrus lineages, whereas its non-bitter counterpart rutinoside (Rut) can be traced back to Citrus-related species. Comparative genomic analyses and enzyme functional assays further revealed that Neo biosynthesis originated from the duplication of two di-glucosyltransferase genes, CmdGlcT-1 and UGT79B203, in early-diverging citrus, followed by neofunctionalization into Cm1,2RhaT and UGT79B202, enzymes capable of synthesizing Neo. A structurally conserved amino acid residue-corresponding to Phe195 in Cm1,2RhaT and Leu201 in UGT79B203-was identified as critical for this functional transition. Compared with Rut, Neo exhibits stronger antifungal and anti-feeding activities, suggesting a role in enhanced biotic defense that may have contributed to the broader geographical distribution of early-diverging citrus species. Together, these findings provide new insights into the evolutionary origin of citrus bitterness and highlight the adaptive role of specialized metabolites in shaping plant-environment interactions.

Indexed as

CitrusEvolution, MolecularFruitGlucosyltransferasesPhylogenyPlant ProteinsGlucosyltransferasesPlant Proteinsbiotic defensebitternesscitrusdisaccharide glycosyltransferasesneofunctionalizationneohesperidoside

Identifiers

PMID41496448
PMCPMC13084081

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.