Mycorrhizas affect polyphyllin accumulation of paris polyphylla var. Yunnanensis through promoting PpSE expression

Abstract

Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, in which polyphyllin as the main medicinal component is an important secondary metabolite with bioactivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have multiple positive effects on plants, while it is not clear whether AMF increase the content of medicinal components in medicinal plants. In this study, a total of nine AMF treatments were laid to analyze the mycorrhizal effect on polyphyllin accumulation and PpHMGR and PpSE expression of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis. AMF increased the content of polyphyllin in the cultivated variety with low relation to the increase of inoculation intensity. Polyphyllin I, II, and VII were identified and partly improved by AMF inoculation, dependent on AMF treatments and culture environments. Similarly, the PpHMGR and PpSE expression was induced by mycorrhization, dependent on AMF species, whilst the induction was more obvious in PpSE than in PpHMGR after mycorrhization. It concluded that the symbiotic relationship between P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis and AMF increased polyphyllin content level in the plant, which was associated with the up-regulation of PpSE transcripts.