LAUSR

BACKGROUND Panax quinquefolius L. is one of the most important foods and herbs because of its high nutritional value and medicinal potential. In our previous study we found that the content of ginsenoside in P. quinquefolius was improved by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, little research has been conducted on the molecular mechanisms in P. quinquefolius roots induced by AMF colonization. To identify the metabolomic and transcriptomic mechanisms of P. quinquefolius induced by AMF, the non-mycorrhized (Control) and mycorrhized (AMF) of P. quinquefolius were used as experimental materials for comparative analysis of transcriptome and metabolome. RESULTS Compared with the control, 182 metabolites and 545 genes were significantly changed at the metabolic and transcriptional levels in AMF treatment. The metabolic pattern of AMF was changed, and the contents of ginsenosides (Rb1, Rg2), threonine and glutaric acid were significantly increased. There were significant differences in the expression of genes involved in plant hormone signal transduction, glutathione metabolism, and the plant-pathogen interaction pathway. In addition, several transcription factors from NAC, WRKY and bHLH families were identified in AMF vs the control. Furthermore, the combined analysis of "transcriptomic-metabolomics" analysis showed that "Plant hormone signal transduction", "Amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism" and "Glutathione metabolism" pathway were the important enriched pathway in response to AMF colonization. CONCLUSION Overall, these results provide new insights into P. quinquefolius response to AMF, which improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of P. quinquefolius induced by AMF. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.