CrJAMs are transcriptional repressors of the monoterpenoid indole alkaloid pathway in Catharanthus roseus

CrJAM2 and CrJAM3 act as transcriptional repressors of the monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) pathway in Catharanthus roseus, with silencing boosting MIA gene expression and levels.

• Why it matters: Jasmonate (JA) signaling controls defense-linked MIA production, but how JA-associated MYC2a-like factors regulate MIA transcriptional programs in Catharanthus roseus remained unclear.
• What they did: The authors used viral-induced gene silencing and transient promoter assays, then created hairy root cultures with CrJAM overexpression or CRISPR-Cas9 mutations in multiple CrJAMs, profiling RNA-Seq and testing methyl JA effects at 24 hrs.
• The result: CrJAM2 overexpression reduced most MIA biosynthetic gene expression versus GUS, while double mutants increased basal expression versus non-targeting controls; methyl JA reversed both trends at 24 hrs.

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