Transcriptome sequencing of Phyla nodiflora identifies candidate transcripts associated with the biosynthesis of the anticancer compounds eupafolin and hispidulin.

Cancer is a serious healthcare issue throughout the world. The rising demand for safe and efficient cancer treatments drives research on phytochemicals. Phyla nodiflora is a perennial species that contains potential anticancer compounds. Eupafolin and hispidulin from P. nodiflora demonstrated significant antitumor efficacy against several cancer types. Nonetheless, the biochemical pathways and genes encoding the enzymes required for the biosynthesis of these compounds remain unknown. Therefore, we sequenced the leaf, root, and flower transcriptomes to identify the transcripts involved in eupafolin and hispidulin biosynthesis. We assembled 113 956 transcripts and assigned 34 876 transcripts to 149 pathways. We associated 102 transcripts in the phenylpropanoid pathway with the biosynthesis of eupafolin and hispidulin. We identified 16 transcripts putatively encoding the enzymes that are associated with the biosynthesis of eupafolin and hispidulin for the first time. Together, these findings provide a transcriptomic framework for Phyla nodiflora that can guide future efforts in metabolic engineering and functional genomics, particularly in optimizing the biosynthesis of the anticancer compounds eupafolin and hispidulin.