The ABA-responsive transcription factor SmMYB32 positively modulates tanshinone biosynthesis in Salvia miltiorrhiza.

SmMYB32 is an ABA-responsive R2R3-MYB transcription factor that positively modulates tanshinone biosynthesis in Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy roots, increasing tanshinone content.

• Why it matters: Tanshinones accumulate in Salvia miltiorrhiza roots and can be promoted by ABA, but the regulatory control linking ABA signaling to biosynthetic gene activation is unclear.
• What they did: SmMYB32 was identified from an ABA-induced transcriptome; overexpression or RNA interference in transgenic hairy roots altered tanshinone levels by changing SmCYP76AH3 and SmCYP71D411 expression. Yeast one-hybrid, dual-luciferase, and EMSA showed direct transcriptional activation by SmMYB32.
• The result: SmMYB32 directly activates SmCYP76AH3 and SmCYP71D411, but physical interaction with the ABA receptor SmPYL8 inhibits SmMYB32-driven transcriptional activity, revealing an ABA-linked regulatory mechanism for metabolic engineering in Salvia miltiorrhiza.

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