Combined Metabolite and Transcriptomic Profiling Unveil a Potential Gene Network Involved in the Triterpenoid Metabolism of Rose roxburghii

Rose roxburghii, a horticulturally significant species within theRosagenus of the Rosaceae family, is renowned for its abundance of secondary metabolites and ascorbate, earning it the title ‘king of vitamin C’. Despite this recognition, the mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis and regulation of triterpenoid compounds inR. roxburghiiremain largely unresolved. In this study, we conducted high-performance liquid chromatography profiling across various organs ofR. roxburghii, including fruit, root, stem, and leaves, revealing distinct distributions of triterpenoid compounds among different plant parts. Notably, the fruit exhibited the highest total triterpenoid content, followed by root and stem, with leaf containing the lowest levels, with leaf containing the lowest levels. Transcriptomic analysis unveiled preferential expression of members from the cytochrome P450 (CYP) and glycosyltransferase (UGT) families, likely contributing to the higher accumulation of both ascorbate and triterpenoid compounds in the fruits ofR. roxburghiicompared to other tissues ofR. roxburghii. Transcriptomic analysis unveiled a potential gene network implicated in the biosynthesis of both ascorbate and triterpenoid compounds inR. roxburghii. These findings not only deepen our understanding of the metabolic pathways in this species but also have implications for the design of functional foods enriched with ascorbate and triterpenoids inR. roxburghii.