AabHLH140 simultaneously enhances artemisinin and polymethoxylated flavonoid accumulation in Artemisia annua.

Plants provide a wide array of specialized metabolites, which serve as important sources for pharmaceuticals, food additives, and cosmetic ingredients. The biosynthesis of these metabolites is orchestrated by transcription factors. Parallel regulation of multiple metabolites can enhance metabolite content and reduce production costs from a metabolic engineering perspective. However, such coordinated regulation remains rarely reported. In this study, we characterized a bHLH transcription factor, AabHLH140, from Artemisia annua. Artemisinin and polymethoxylated flavonoid content were strongly promoted by overexpressing AabHLH140 in A. annua. Furthermore, transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plants overexpressing AabHLH140 exhibited enhanced levels of terpenoids. This study demonstrates that AabHLH140 serves as a promising target for parallel enhancement of multiple metabolites in plants, providing a new genetic resource for metabolic engineering.