New technologies used for Panax genus research / 中国中药杂志

ABSTRACT

The authors reviewed the new technologies used for Panax genus research, including molecular identification technologies (especially for DNA barcoding), modern biotechnologies (e. g. the first generation and second generation sequencing technologies), and gene cloning and identification in this paper. These technologies have been successfully applied to species identification, transcriptome analysis, secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathway and the key enzyme function identification, indicating that the application of modern biotechnologies provide guarantee for the molecular identification of Panax genus. The application of modern biotechnologies also reveals the genetic information of transcriptome and functional genomics, and promotes the design of Panax plants genomic map. In summary, the application of the new technologies lay the foundation for clarifying the molecular mechanisms of ginsenoside biosynthesis and enforcing the in vitro synthesis of important natural products and new drugs in future.