Transcriptional regulation of artemisinin biosynthesis in Artemisia annua L.

Artemisinin, also known as qinghaosu, a sesquiterpene endoperoxide lactone isolated from the Chinese medicinal plant Artemisia annua L., is the most effective antimalarial drug which has saved millions of lives. Due to its great antimalarial activity and low content in wild A. annua plants, researches focused on enhancing the artemisin yield in plants became a hotspot. Several families of transcription factors have been reported to participate in regulating the biosynthesis and accumulation of artemisinin. In this review, we summarize recent investigations in these fields, with emphasis on newly identified transcription factors and their functions in artemisinin biosynthesis regulation, and provide new insight for further research.