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

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

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Article in Protoplasma, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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7 authors.

Rimjim GuptaGenome Research Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, 180006, India.

Deepak SharmaGenome Research Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, 180006, India.

Anuj SharmaMolecular Plant Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Center, Bengaluru, 560065, India.

Anusha PatilMolecular Plant Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Center, Bengaluru, 560065, India.

Dinesh A NagegowdaMolecular Plant Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Center, Bengaluru, 560065, India.

Sanjana KaulGenome Research Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, 180006, India.

Manoj Kumar DharGenome Research Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, 180006, India. manojkdhar@rediffmail.com.

Funding

Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India DST/INSPIRE Fellowship/IF190460

6 · The paper itself

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.

Indexed as

Biosynthetic PathwaysCarotenoidsGene Expression Regulation, PlantGeranyltranstransferaseWithaniaWithanolidesPhylogenyPlant ProteinsCarotenoidsGeranyltranstransferasePlant ProteinsWithanolidesCarotenoid pathwayFarnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS)Gene expression profilingMetabolic engineeringWithania somniferaWithanolide biosynthesis

Identifiers

PMID42171742

DOI10.1007/s00709-026-02212-y

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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.