Enhancement of tanshinone production in Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy root cultures by metabolic engineering

BackgroundTanshinones are diterpenoid compounds that are used to treat cardiovascular diseases. As current extraction methods for tanshinones are inefficient, there is a pressing need to improve the production of these bioactive compounds to meet increasing demand.ResultsOverexpression of SmMDS (2-c-methyl-d-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase, a tanshinone biosynthesis gene) in transgenic Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy roots significantly increased the tanshinone yield compared to the control, and total tanshinone content in SmMDS-overexpressing lines increased after elicitor treatment. Total tanshinones increased to 2.5, 2.3, and 3.2mg/g DW (dry weight) following treatment with Ag+, YE (yeast extract), and MJ (methyl jasmonate), respectively, compared with the non-induced transgenic line (1.7mg/g DW). Also, qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of two pathway genes was positively correlated with increased accumulation of tanshinone.ConclusionsOur study provides an effective strategy for increasing the content of tanshinones and other natural compounds using a combination of genetic engineering and elicitor treatment.