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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Annotation of Plant Gene Function via Combined Genomics, Metabolomics and Informatics
Published on: June 17, 2012
Genome-enabled discovery of anthraquinone biosynthesis in Senna tora
Sang-Ho Kang1, Ramesh Prasad Pandey2,3, Chang-Muk Lee4
1Genomics Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, RDA, Jeonju, 54874, Republic of Korea. hosang93@korea.kr.
Abstract:
Senna tora is a widely used medicinal plant. Its health benefits have been attributed to the large quantity of anthraquinones, but how they are made in plants remains a mystery. To identify the genes responsible for plant anthraquinone biosynthesis, we reveal the genome sequence of S. tora at the chromosome level with 526 Mb (96%) assembled into 13 chromosomes. Comparison among related plant species shows that a chalcone synthase-like (CHS-L) gene family has lineage-specifically and rapidly expanded in S. tora. Combining genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and biochemistry, we identify a CHS-L gene contributing to the biosynthesis of anthraquinones. The S. tora reference genome will accelerate the discovery of biologically active anthraquinone biosynthesis pathways in medicinal plants.
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