Engineered Chinese shrub produces the compound fighting malaria

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A high-quality draft genome sequence of Artemisia annua and a way to extract more antimalarial medicine from the plant have been found by the Chinese scientists, according to a study published in the journal on Tuesday.

Artemisia annua, commonly known as sweet wormwood, is a Chinese shrub producing the antimalarial compound Artemisinin.

Silver Green Foliage of Mugwort (Artemesia) /VCG Photo

The findings can be used to metabolically engineer plant lines that produce higher levels of artemisinin as the low amount of artemisinin produced in the leaves of this sweet wormwood does not meet the global demand.

According to the World Health Organization, malaria affected approximately 216 million people in 91 countries in 2016 and caused an estimated 445,000 deaths worldwide that year alone.

The best available treatment for malaria is artemisinin-based combination therapy. In addition to its antimalarial activity, therapeutic effects of artemisinin have been reported for cancer, tuberculosis, and diabetes.

Hydroxychloroquine malaria drug molecule /VCG Photo

The Artemisia annua genome sequence provided new insights into the entire metabolic pathway involved in artemisinin biosynthesis. Analysis of the protein-coding genes and gene expression patterns revealed the regulatory networks underlying artemisinin biosynthesis.

Based on the genomic and transcriptomic data, the researchers identified novel genes involved in regulating artemisinin biosynthesis.

Leveraging these findings, Chinese scientists have sent artemisinin-rich seed samples to Madagascar, the African country that grows the most Artemisia annua, for a field trial.

"We hope our research can enhance the global supply of artemisinin and lower the price from the plant source," Tang from Shanghai Jiao Tong University said.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency