Thapsigargin and related compounds are produced by Thapsia garganica L. (Apiaceae) and are thought to be a defence compound against herbivory. Thapsigargin inhibits the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA) in both vertebrates and invertebrates. This activity is responsible for its potent toxicity, as well as the potential use to treat solid tumours. However, the ecological role and regulation of thapsigargin are not well understood, and the aim of this study was to investigate if thapsigargin biosynthesis was responsive to leaf damage. To test the response to potential leaf damage during a herbivory, greenhouse plants were subjected to clipping to mimic the physical damage. Unclipped versus clipped plants were sampled for chemical analysis and the gene expression for the two known thapsigargin biosynthetic genes (TgTPS2 and TgCYP76AE2) was investigated. Data obtained by LC–ESI–MS/MS were used to perform molecular networking to identify chemical constituents related to thapsigargin and its biosynthesis. The results show a significant change in a plant’s chemical profile after mimicking an herbivory event. Both the chemical analysis and gene expression data show that T. garganica plants can induce the biosynthesis of this class of defence compounds at the site of an attack. Thapsigargins are clearly the dominant defence compounds in these plants, and they seem to be produced through a common biosynthetic pathway with little diversity. This likely means that T. garganica has a relatively simple response to herbivory, as opposed to many other plant species that have been shown to have complex metabolite responses to herbivory.

Thapsigargin和相关化合物是由Thapsia garganica L.（Apiaceae）生产的，被认为是针对草食动物的防御性化合物。Thapsigargin抑制肌内质网Ca ²⁺-ATPase（SERCA）在脊椎动物和无脊椎动物中。这种活性是由于其潜在的毒性，以及潜在的治疗实体瘤的原因。然而，毒胡萝卜素的生态作用和调控尚不十分清楚，本研究的目的是研究毒胡萝卜素的生物合成是否对叶片损伤有反应。为了测试在食草期间对潜在的叶片损伤的响应，对温室植物进行修剪以模拟物理损伤。对未修剪的和修剪的植物取样进行化学分析，并研究了两个已知毒胡萝卜素生物合成基因（TgTPS2和TgCYP76AE2）的基因表达。通过LC-ESI-MS / MS获得的数据用于进行分子联网，以鉴定与毒胡萝卜素及其生物合成有关的化学成分。结果表明，模仿草食事件后植物的化学特性发生了显着变化。化学分析和基因表达数据均显示T. garganica植物可以在攻击部位诱导此类防御化合物的生物合成。毒胡萝卜素显然是这些植物中的主要防御化合物，它们似乎是通过共同的生物合成途径生产的，几乎没有多样性。这可能意味着与其他已证明对草食动物具有复杂代谢产物的植物物种相比，T。garganica对草食动物的反应相对简单。