Genomics of the Genus Rhodiola: From Genome Assembly to High-Altitude Adaptation and Bioactive Compound Biosynthesis

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The genus Rhodiola comprises alpine medicinal plants renowned for extreme high-altitude adaptability and valuable bioactive compounds. This narrative review synthesizes recent genomic advances to understand how genomic mechanisms contribute to both environmental adaptation and bioactive compound biosynthesis. Methods: This review is a narrative synthesis of genomic studies from the past decade, including chloroplast and nuclear assemblies, comparative genomics of transposable elements and gene families, and integrative multi-omics approaches for pathway elucidation. Results: Chloroplast genomes are structurally conserved but harbor sufficient variation for phylogenetic resolution. Nuclear genomes reveal dynamic patterns of expansion and contraction associated with transposable element bursts and lineage-specific gene family dynamics, although causal relationships remain to be established. Multi-omics integration has fully elucidated the salidroside pathway, identified candidate genes for rosavin biosynthesis, predicted transcriptional regulators, and suggested plant-microbiome contributions to specialized metabolism. Conclusions: These findings support Rhodiola as a promising model for studying coordinated high-altitude adaptation and bioactive compound biosynthesis. Future pan-genome construction, synthetic biology, and molecular breeding offer avenues for sustainable utilization and precision improvement of this medicinal genus.