The fruit of Aquilaria sinensis contains a class of tetracyclic triterpenoids known as cucurbitacins, which exhibit anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and antitumor activities. Cytochrome P450s (CYP) are key enzymes in the biosynthesis pathway of cucurbitacins. The P450 genes for cucurbitacin synthesis in A. sinensis have not been extensively studied. In this study, a P450 gene (AsCYP131) was cloned based on A. sinensis transcriptome data. The complete open reading frame (ORF) of AsCYP131 gene was 1491 bp, encoding a protein of 496 amino acids with a molecular weight of 55.39 kDa. The theoretical isoelectric point (pI) of the protein was 7.65, with an average hydrophilicity coefficient of –0.053, and an instability index of 47.16, classifying it as an unstable protein. The protein contained 40 potential phosphorylation sites, and its secondary structure was predominantly composed of α-helix and random coil. The results of multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the protein encoded by the AsCYP131 gene clustered into a single unit with CsCYP, CmCYP, and ClCYP, which have been reported to be involved in the biosynthesis of cucurbitacins. The sequence of the functional structural domains at the C-terminal showed high consistency. At the same time, the expression levels of AsCYP131 in different tissues of A. sinensis detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The results indicated differential expression levels of AsCYP131 across various tissues, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds, with the highest relative expression observed in fruits. This study would serve as a valuable reference for the subsequent validation of the functional role of the AsCYP131 gene in cucurbitacin biosynthesis.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |