{
  "id": 4676050,
  "title": "Jasmonate-responsive group IX AP2/ERF transcription factors control the biosynthesis of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/jasmonate-responsive-group-ix-ap2-erf-transcription-factors-control",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.30.748054v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are a class of compounds produced by various plants, but the genetic factors controlling their synthesis remain incompletely understood. Jasmonate (JA)-responsive group IX APETALA2/Ethylene Responsive Factor (AP2/ERF) transcription factors (TFs) have been identified as regulators of specialized plant metabolism, including BIAs biosynthesis. However, the specific roles of these TFs in BIAs production have not been well-characterized.\n\nIn a study involving Coptis japonica, five novel group IX AP2/ERF TFs, named Benzylisoquinoline alkaloid Jasmonate-responsive AP2/ERF (BJE1-5), were isolated. Phylogenetic analysis showed that BJE proteins form separate subclades from group IXa, which comprises well-known AP2/ERF TFs involved in alkaloid biosynthesis. Transient expression analyses in C. japonica protoplasts revealed that certain BJEs, notably CjBJE3 and CjBJE5, positively regulated BIA biosynthetic genes via a mutual regulatory network among BJE members.\n\nMoreover, the expression of CjBJE3 was regulated by CjbHLH1, a unique-type basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor exclusive to BIA-producing plants. When heterologously expressed in cultured Eschscholzia californica cells, CjBJE3 and CjBJE5 significantly boosted overall BIA production, particularly by upregulating end-product benzophenanthridine BIAs, which implicates several unidentified biosynthetic genes within the genome. These results suggest that BIA-producing species possess a specialized regulatory network involving CjbHLH1 and BJE TFs, offering valuable insights for the discovery of novel biosynthetic enzymes.",
  "summary": "Although the biosynthetic pathways of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) have been extensively investigated in several plant species, their transcriptional regulatory mechanisms remain only partially understood. Jasmonate (JA)-responsive group IX APETALA2/Ethylene Responsive Factor (AP2/ERF) transcription factors (TFs) are well-known regulators of specialized plant metabolism, including the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}