Accumulation mechanism of indigo and indirubin in Polygonum tinctorium revealed by metabolite and transcriptome analysis

The harvest time of a plant usually affects the yield of its metabolites. Polygonum tinctorium (Polygonum tinctorium Ait., P. tinctorium) is an important cultivated plant that produces the natural blue dye indigo and the medicinal metabolite indirubin. To explore the mechanism of indigo and indirubin accumulation, the leaves of P. tinctorium at different harvest times, namely July, August, and October, were investigated by metabolite and de novo...