“Tinospora cordifolia, commonly known as Giloy, stands as a pivotal medicinal plant boasting a myriad of therapeutic applications, intricately woven with distinct adaptive signatures that underscore its remarkable properties.”
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Tinospora cordifolia, commonly known as Giloy, is a climbing shrub belonging to the Menispermaceae family encompassing over 400 plant species(Devi 2020). Renowned for its extensive therapeutic applications, Giloy garnered attention even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically found in sub-tropical regions like China, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia, this “climber plant” thrives with support from companion plants such as Jatropha, Neem, and Moringa, which play a crucial role in enhancing its metabolites—essential molecules for metabolism. These metabolites are attributed to Giloy’s diverse medicinal properties, ranging from anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory to anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-HIV, anti-cancer, and anti-arthritis effects (Upadhyay et al. 2010). Acknowledging the remarkable qualities of Giloy, Mahajan et al. embarked on a genome sequencing journey and employed bioinformatics tools to uncover the genetic underpinnings behind its medicinal potency.
To understand the medicinal properties of Tinospora cordifolia, the researchers had to fully sequence the genome which before had not been accomplished before. To do this they used three main sequencing technologies such as Oxford Nanopore, Illumina, and 10x Genomic linked read sequencing. Oxford nanopore was used to generate long sequences to bridge repetitive regions in the genome and improve the overall contiguity of the assembly. Illumina used shorter reads and was employed to correct errors in the long-read data and improve overall accuracy. Finally, 10x genomic linked-read sequencing uses barcoded beads to label DNA fragments before sequencing, aiding in scaffolding the genome assembly and improving its continuity. They used these methods to overcome the challenges posed by the complex and highly heterozygous genome of T. cordifolia, resulting in a more complete and accurate draft genome assembly.
Following the genome sequencing, researchers investigated the presence of genes responsible for synthesizing bioactive compounds known as alkaloids in T. cordifolia. These alkaloids have been noted for their potential benefits including activity against the COVID-19 virus (Borse et al. 2021) Some genes that they noted showed signs of adaptive evolution, indicating they may have evolved to help the plant survive and thrive in its environment. They determined whether a gene underwent adaptive evolution based on criteria such as high nucleotide divergence, unique amino acid substitutions, or positive selection (Mahajan et al. 2024). Interestingly, when comparing these genes to those found in other organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, bryophytes (mosses), gymnosperms (conifers), and monocots (a type of flowering plant), some genes were found to have similar counterparts across a range of organisms. For example, one gene had similar versions in bacteria and fungi, while another had orthologs in bryophytes and gymnosperms. This suggests that these genes have been conserved throughout evolution and may play important roles across different species.
The researchers also look at the role of peroxisomes, which are essential compartments within plant cells involved in various critical processes like fatty acid breakdown, hormone production, and metabolite transport. They identified 14 unique genes that are associated with peroxisomes in Giloy that showed signs of adaptive evolution. Among these 14 genes, all had unique changes to their amino acid sequences except for two. They also found genes that were being positively selected for in the species. Along with peroxisomes, they looked at genes that are associated with various aspects of plant growth and development. These genes play a role in processes such as leaf development, fruit ripening, tissue development, pollen germination, flowering regulation, seed development, and cell wall modification. They found and identified 76 genes associated with these processes that have undergone adaptive evolution. Among these genes, they found 49 related to abiotic stress(e.g., light/heat tolerance, salt tolerance, sonic stress tolerance, and oxidative stress regulation), and 34 genes involved in biotic stress tolerance. These evolutionary adaptations give rise to genomic clues on the diverse medicinal properties of this species.
The study presents the first draft genome of Tinospora cordifolia(Giloy), shedding light on the genetic basis of its medicinal properties. However, extracting DNA and RNA from Giloy was challenging due to the presence of various medicinal compounds mentioned previously, which affected the sequencing accuracy. The genome assembly process faced difficulties due to high genetic diversity and repetitive sequences in Giloy’s genome, leading to limitations in assembly quality (R et al. 2023). To address this, more data from advanced sequencing technologies are needed for better coverage and assembly. Also, genomes of closely related species were unavailable, similar plants were used for evolutionary analysis to understand Giloy’s genetic relationships better. However, having genomes from related species would enhance our understanding of Giloy’s unique characteristics. Additionally, experimental validation of genes involved in producing medicinal compounds would strengthen the study’s findings and aid in developing improved approaches to harness Giloy’s medicinal benefits.
References:
- Mahajan S., A. Chakraborty, M. S. Bisht, T. Sil, and V. K. Sharma, 2024 Genome sequencing and functional analysis of a multipurpose medicinal herb Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy). Sci Rep 14: 2799. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53176-z
- Devi G., 2020 MEDICINAL PLANT: GILOY. https://doi.org/10.24941/ijcr.39316.08.2020
- Upadhyay A. K., K. Kumar, A. Kumar, and H. S. Mishra, 2010 Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook. f. and Thoms. (Guduchi) – validation of the Ayurvedic pharmacology through experimental and clinical studies. Int J Ayurveda Res 1: 112–121. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-7788.64405
- Borse S., M. Joshi, A. Saggam, V. Bhat, S. Walia, et al., 2021 Ayurveda botanicals in COVID-19 management: An in silico multi-target approach. PLOS ONE 16: e0248479. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248479
- R N., M. KH, S. N. Hegde, N. Begum, S. K. Kukkupuni, et al., 2023 De novo genome assembly and annotation of the medicinal plant Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex Hook. f. & Thom’s. Funct Integr Genomics 23: 330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10142-023-01262-2
Written by Christopher Anosike. Contact author at chanosike@davidson.edu
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© Copyright 2022 Department of Biology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28036
I understand that determining this plants genome is helpful in uncovering its medicinal properties, but I would like to know more about what they actually look at in the genome as it relates to these properties. What sorts of genes or functional aspects of a gene could be relevant in this case? You mention that certain regions of the Giloy are conserved or positively selected for, but do these genes have anything to do with its medicinal properties, because it doesn’t seem that there would be an evolutionary advantage for a plant being medicinal. I also wonder if the mechanism of action is known for the medicinal Giloy metabolites. This knowledge could lead to important insight into what part of the genome to look at.
Great work, Chris! This post was a nice change of pace from the health-related genomics studies we normally read. Often scientific literature focuses solely on synthetic or lab-created/lab-tested drug compounds for medicine. However, this study looks at more traditional medicine practices and the genetic basis behind the natural compounds that give these Giloy plants their medicinal benefits. I feel that traditional medicine practices get overlooked by scientists because they aren’t “based in science”, but it’s good to see this isn’t always the case. There are so many plants and natural remedies out there and it could be helpful to explore the genes that give these natural options their properties. Furthermore, Susannah’s comment brings up a good point about the possible evolutionary advantages of a plant having medicinal properties. While the plant may not get medicinal benefits from the alkaloids and peroxisomes, I’m sure these offer some sort of benefit for Giloy as it relates to adapting to their environment. Otherwise, Giloy wouldn’t produce these compounds.