Salt Stress Shifts Isatis indigotica to Prioritize Defense over Goitrin Biosynthesis
- 1Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Crop Research
Abstract
Soil salinization threatens the cultivation quality of Isatis indigotica, a medicinal plant whose root bioactivity depends on the glucosinolate-derived compound (R,S)-goitrin. Although moderate abiotic stress is widely assumed to stimulate secondary metabolite accumulation, the temporal dynamics of goitrin biosynthesis under salt stress remain poorly understood. This study quantified goitrin content across four NaCl concentrations (100 - 400 mmol/L) and four time points (2, 6, 12, and 24 h). Time-series transcriptome sequencing was performed under 100 mmol/L NaCl. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, goitrin content declined progressively from 2 to 12 h before partially recovering at 24 h, indicating that salt stress transiently suppresses goitrin accumulation rather than promoting it. Transcriptomic analysis identified 7 glucosinolate biosynthesis genes whose expression positively correlated with goitrin content (p < 0.05), and 6 salt stress-responsive genes negatively correlated with goitrin content (p < 0.05). These opposing patterns suggest that stress defense is transiently prioritized over biosynthesis, with partial metabolic recovery as plants adapt. These findings reveal a defense-biosynthesis trade-off mechanism in I. indigotica roots and provide a transcriptomic framework for understanding how abiotic stress reshapes secondary metabolism in medicinal plants.
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BibTeX
@misc{hou2026salt,
title = {{Salt Stress Shifts Isatis indigotica to Prioritize Defense over Goitrin Biosynthesis}},
author = {L. Hou and Y. LI and Y. Zhang and H. Yao and Y. Zhang},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.13.758776},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758776v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Salt Stress Shifts Isatis indigotica to Prioritize Defense over Goitrin Biosynthesis
AU - L. Hou
AU - Y. LI
AU - Y. Zhang
AU - H. Yao
AU - Y. Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.13.758776
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758776v1
AB - Soil salinization threatens the cultivation quality of Isatis indigotica, a medicinal plant whose root bioactivity depends on the glucosinolate-derived compound (R,S)-goitrin. Although moderate abiotic stress is widely assumed to stimulate secondary metabolite accumulation, the temporal dynamics of goitrin biosynthesis under salt stress remain poorly understood. This study quantified goitrin content across four NaCl concentrations (100 - 400 mmol/L) and four time points (2, 6, 12, and 24 h). Time-series transcriptome sequencing was performed under 100 mmol/L NaCl. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, goitrin content declined progressively from 2 to 12 h before partially recovering at 24 h, indicating that salt stress transiently suppresses goitrin accumulation rather than promoting it. Transcriptomic analysis identified 7 glucosinolate biosynthesis genes whose expression positively correlated with goitrin content (p < 0.05), and 6 salt stress-responsive genes negatively correlated with goitrin content (p < 0.05). These opposing patterns suggest that stress defense is transiently prioritized over biosynthesis, with partial metabolic recovery as plants adapt. These findings reveal a defense-biosynthesis trade-off mechanism in I. indigotica roots and provide a transcriptomic framework for understanding how abiotic stress reshapes secondary metabolism in medicinal plants.
ER -