New insights into artemisinin regulation

Abstract

Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone coming from the traditional Chinese herb Artemisia annua L. Artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) are the main recommended treatment of malaria. Transcription factors regulation of artemisinin belong to different families including AP2/ERF, bHLH, MYB and WRKY. Plant hormones jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA) and gibberellins (GA) have been described as positively affecting artemisinin biosynthesis in A. annua. Transporter and miRNA open up new possibilities for the biosynthesis of high value artemisinin. We review recently major developments regarding regulator which play a center role in artemisinin biosynthesis, and provide suggestion for further studies.