Transcriptome analysis of leaves, roots and flowers of Panax notoginseng identifies genes involved in ginsenoside and alkaloid biosynthesis

Background Panax notoginseng(Burk.) F.H. Chen is one of the most highly valued medicinal plants in the world. The major bioactive molecules are triterpenesaponins, which are also known as ginsenosides. However, its large genome sizehas hindered the assembly of a draft genomeby whole genome sequencing. Hence, genomicand transcriptomic details about P. notoginseng, especially its biosynthetic pathways and gene expression in different parts of the plant, have remained largely unknown until now.