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Trichomes + roots + ROS = artemisinin: regulating artemisinin biosynthesis in Artemisia annua L.

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Abstract

Artemisinin is a highly effective sesquiterpene lactone therapeutic produced in the plant, Artemisia annua. Despite its efficacy against malaria and many other infectious diseases and neoplasms, the drug is in short supply mainly because the plant produces low levels of the compound. This review updates the current understanding of artemisinin biosynthesis with a special focus on the emerging knowledge of how biosynthesis of the compound is regulated in planta.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Patrick Covello, Plant Biotechnology Institute, Saskatoon, SK, Canada for providing a critical review of the manuscript. This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health grant number 2R15GM069562–03.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Biotechnology at Gateway, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Rd, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA

    Khanhvan T. Nguyen, Patrick R. Arsenault & Pamela J. Weathers

  2. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Patrick R. Arsenault

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  1. Khanhvan T. Nguyen
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  2. Patrick R. Arsenault
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  3. Pamela J. Weathers
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Correspondence to Pamela J. Weathers.

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Editor: P. Lakshmanan

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Nguyen, K.T., Arsenault, P.R. & Weathers, P.J. Trichomes + roots + ROS = artemisinin: regulating artemisinin biosynthesis in Artemisia annua L.. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 47, 329–338 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-011-9343-x

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