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Call for papers - Medicinal plant genomics

Guest Editors:
Boas Pucker: TU Braunschweig, Germany
Christian Siadjeu: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 27 May 2024 


Are you currently conducting cutting-edge research in the genomics of medicinal plants? We invite you to contribute your findings to our Collection "Medicinal plant genomics" in BMC Genomics. In recent years, there have been significant advancements in the field of medicinal plant genomics, opening up new opportunities for the discovery and development of natural products with therapeutic potential.
By submitting your research to this Collection, you will have the chance to reach a wide audience of fellow researchers and industry professionals who are interested in the latest developments in the field of medicinal plant genomics. Moreover, your contribution will play a crucial role in enhancing our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying the production of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants, paving the way for the development of new, effective treatments for a range of human diseases.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Boas Pucker: TU Braunschweig, Germany

Dr Boas Pucker obtained a doctoral degree from Bielefeld University for research on plant genomics. He investigated the evolution of pigment biosynthesis in the Caryophyllales during a postdoctoral stay at the University of Cambridge. Now, he is working as a professor at TU Braunschweig applying genomics and bioinformatics to understand the specialized metabolism of plants. One research objective is the elucidation of metabolic networks leading to drug candidates. This includes the discovery of structural genes and their transcriptional regulators.

Christian Siadjeu: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany

Dr Christian Siadjeu is a plant molecular geneticist. He has been awarded a full DAAD scholarship and earned his PhD degree from the University of Oldenburg, Germany. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany. His research interests focus on the evolution of C4 photosynthesis gene regulation. He uses multi-omics approaches involving comparative transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics followed by single-cell gene expression and subcellular metabolite distribution. He focuses on releasing genome sequences of orphan crops like yam as well. 

About the collection

Are you currently conducting cutting-edge research in the genomics of medicinal plants? We invite you to contribute your findings to our Collection "Medicinal plant genomics" in BMC Genomics.

In recent years, there have been significant advancements in the field of medicinal plant genomics, opening up new opportunities for the discovery and development of natural products with therapeutic potential. These important developments include:

(1) Genome sequencing: Advances in sequencing technology have enabled the rapid sequencing and assembly of genomes of various medicinal plant species. This has allowed researchers to identify key genes involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds and to develop molecular markers for plant breeding and selection.

(2) Transcriptomics: Transcriptomics studies have provided insights into the gene expression profiles of medicinal plants under different environmental conditions or developmental stages. This has helped to identify genes involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms controlling their expression.

(3) Metabolomics: Metabolomics studies have enabled the identification and quantification of a wide range of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants. This has facilitated the discovery of new natural products with potential therapeutic applications and provided insights into their biosynthesis pathways.

(4) Bioinformatics: Bioinformatics tools and databases have been developed to analyze and integrate genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic data from medicinal plants. This has enabled researchers to identify novel targets for drug discovery and to develop computational models for predicting the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds.

Overall, these advances in medicinal plant genomics have created new avenues for drug discovery and development, providing a rich source of natural products with therapeutic potential. They have also contributed to the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plant resources, helping to ensure their availability for future generations.

This collection offers a unique opportunity to showcase your research on the genomics of medicinal plants and contribute to the advancement of this exciting field. We welcome submissions that cover a wide range of topics, including genome sequencing, transcriptomics, comparative genomics, and bioinformatics analyses of medicinal plants. However, biochemical studies of metabolic extracts will not be considered for this Collection.

By submitting your research to this Collection, you will have the chance to reach a wide audience of fellow researchers and industry professionals who are interested in the latest developments in the field of medicinal plant genomics. Moreover, your contribution will play a crucial role in enhancing our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying the production of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants, paving the way for the development of new, effective treatments for a range of human diseases.

Image credit: Nadezda Postolit / Fotolia

  1. Bergenia purpurascens is an important medicinal, edible and ornamental plant. It generally grows in high-altitude areas with complex climates. There have been no reports about how B. purpurascens survives under c...

    Authors: Xuebin Zhang, Fang Yu, Xin Lyu, Jingyu Chen, Hongyan Zeng, Nuomei Xu, Yufeng Wu and Qiankun Zhu
    Citation: BMC Genomics 2023 24:754
  2. The fruits of Gardenia are rich in flavonoids and geniposides, which have various pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome and...

    Authors: Jianrong Chen, Weizhuo Tang, Chunyan Li, Ding Kuang, Xiaojiang Xu, Yuan Gong, Fang Liu and Song Gao
    Citation: BMC Genomics 2023 24:588
  3. Recent developments in plant genomics have enabled a comprehensive analysis of the medicinal potential of plants based on their gene repertoire. Genes of biosynthesis pathways can be discovered through compara...

    Authors: Christian Siadjeu and Boas Pucker
    Citation: BMC Genomics 2023 24:429

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Medicinal plant genomics" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.